This article gives the story of Irina, a 16-year-old student form Southern Russia. A family friend told her and her mom that Irina could earn $500 by simply taking a "quick trip" to the Middle East. Irina was then stripped of all of her money and passport and forced into prostitution.
This article gives many different stories of survivors who were once a part of human trafficking. It includes the story of a 23 year old who was beaten and threatened to be buried in the desert when she refused to prostitute and men who sold family land for jobs only to be given only half the promised wages and nearly starved.
When King Salman, Saudi Arabia's new monarch, issued a general amnesty for Saudi "public rights" prisoners on January 29, Saudi activists and observers felt the first glimmer of hope in some time that the kingdom's relentless persecution of peaceful dissidents and human rights activists may be nearing its end.
On December 3, officials at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport prevented Samar Badawi from leaving Saudi Arabia to advocate abroad for the release of her husband, Waleed Abu al-Khair. A lawyer and human rights activist, he is in prison, facing a 15-year term for peacefully criticizing Saudi authorities on Twitter and in television interviews.
Saudi courts are sentencing prominent reform advocates, activists, and writers to lengthy jail terms - and even death - on vague charges related to the peaceful exercise of free expression.
Human rights groups have sharply condemned Saudi Arabia in the days since it executed 47 prisoners, including the reported beheading of an influential Shiite cleric. Such brutal executions, which in Saudi Arabia can include beheading, firing squad and even crucifixion, often follow dubious trials and arbitrary charges, according to Geoffrey Mock, the Middle East country specialist for Amnesty International USA.
Saudi Arabia's mass execution of 47 people on January 2 was a bloody emblem in the country's self-marketing as a leader in the global campaign against ISIS and other armed extremist groups. But it was also a stark example of what Saudi Arabia, and many other countries, are getting wrong in that effort.
The European Union has imposed sanctions on three prominent Libyan politicians opposed to the installation of a UN-backed government. The sanctions target the leaders of two rival administrations that have been vying for power amid the chaos after the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. All three face travel bans and asset freezes.
Libya is pressing the United Nations Security Council to take urgent action to allow the managers of its sovereign wealth fund to move money between frozen accounts so the value can be protected and returns can be maximized.
Three Libyan oil ports that have been closed for over a year are set to reopen, now that a unity government has arrived in Tripoli, militia leaders said, a rare positive sign for an oil sector that has been under siege.
A record of Michael Christopher Brown's life both inside and outside Libya during 2011, this new photobook details is about a young man going to war for the first time and his experience of that age-old desire to get as close as possible to a conflict.
Finally Palmayra is no longer under the destruction that it was, or whatever's left of it. This article talks about how the city has changed under ISIS. Apparently, they handed out booklets to the residents advertising themselves.
More successful attempts to disrupt the established territories of ISIS. This is news that another prominent member of the group was killed. Again, this was a US airstrike, showing that US involvement in the area is becoming more effective.
This is an article with pictures of Aleppo, my hometown. I know most of these places, and the pictures are surreal. I cannot believe the level of destruction that has affected the city.
Assad is pointing the finger at Turkey and Saudi Arabia. He claims that Erdogan's forces are heavily involved in Syria, and that they are "crossing a red line." I will be curious to follow the relations between these two countries.
Russia claims to be withdrawing from Syria, but the countries actions suggest otherwise. It seems as if they have long term military presence planned in Syria.
An Air strike has killed a prominent member of al Nusra, Abu Firas al-Suri, along with at least 20 al Nusra fighters. It is unclear whether the airstrike was Syrian or Russian.
