8 stories for 2026-03-17 · Political repression, arbitrary detention & extrajudicial violence
A report titled "Wherever They Went" documents how Egyptian authorities treat citizenship not as a rights-based status but as a control mechanism, using it to restrict, deny, and suppress citizens according to political calculations. The state's reach extends beyond prisons through bureaucratic means, maintaining control over exiled Egyptians through documentation and legal mechanisms.
Israeli forces closed Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, preventing Palestinian Muslims from praying inside. Dozens of Palestinians were dispersed while attempting to pray in the surrounding area, and a mosque guard was removed from his position.
Kuwaiti authorities arrested a terrorist cell of 16 individuals allegedly affiliated with Hezbollah. The group was reportedly seeking to destabilize security in the country and recruit others to join the militant organization.
Lebanon has fulfilled its commitment to a judicial agreement by transferring 137 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese prisons to Syrian authorities. The handover was conducted in accordance with the terms of the judicial agreement between the two countries.
Security agencies in Tripoli discovered two sets of remains being extracted from a mass grave at a facility in the Hadeeqa prison. The National Commission for the Missing is investigating a suspected mass grave site in the Lafaqiya area following a report, as part of national and humanitarian efforts.
France has begun an in absentia trial of suspected extremist Sabri al-Sayed, who is accused of participating in the collective genocide of the Yazidi minority in Syria. The trial marks France's first such proceeding against an individual on these charges.
Yemeni government-aligned forces appear to have used excessive force in February against protesters supporting the Southern Transitional Council in Aden. Government forces in multiple locations fired at the demonstrators.
Tehran residents report new security checkpoints around the capital where people are being stopped and searched, according to accounts shared with the BBC. The measures appear aimed at preventing anti-establishment protests.