The UN refugee agency reported a decrease in forced displacement for the first time in ten years, with 117.8 million people displaced by conflict or persecution in 2025. Despite this decline, the agency warns the number remains unacceptably high, citing ongoing conflicts like the Iran war and challenges in voluntary returns.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claims the EU is fabricating compromising material on the Yerevan-Armenian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to pressure Armenian authorities into launching large-scale persecution against it.
The Trump administration has abandoned its plan to create a $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of political persecution under Joe Biden. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the decision, citing unprecedented backlash from Republican lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections.
The Trump administration has abandoned its plan to create a $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of political persecution under Joe Biden. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed the decision amid backlash from Republican lawmakers and a federal judge's freeze on the project.
The Trump administration has reversed its intention to create a fund for alleged victims of judicial "persecution" during the Biden years. The move follows criticism from Republicans and a judicial ruling temporarily suspending the fund.
A US judge dismissed a criminal indictment against Kilmar Ábrego García, finding the prosecution was retaliatory after he challenged his deportation. García, who was sent to El Salvador's Cecot prison, argued he was being prosecuted for suing the government.
The Baha'i community in India expresses deep distress over the escalating persecution of Iranian Baha'is amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. Many Indian Baha'is have relatives in Iran and report systematic discrimination, arbitrary detentions, forced confessions, and denial of basic rights, including education and burial.
Thousands of Uyghur fighters, born in China, have joined the Syrian civil war, stating that generations of political persecution in China motivated their decision to take up arms.
Tommy Robinson led a rally in London, highlighting the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. He was joined by Nigerian Bishop Jwan Zhumbes, who detailed attacks on Christian communities by groups like Boko Haram and Fulani militants.
Raj Singh, arrested in a murder case, made inflammatory remarks in a viral video. He spoke of alleged Hindu persecution in West Bengal. Singh warned of aggressive violence if any harm came to a victim's family. The video surfaced amid political tension following his detention. Police have not commented on the video's authenticity.
US embassies now require nonimmigrant visa applicants to declare they don't fear persecution back home. This new rule, aimed at preventing asylum claims upon arrival, asks applicants if they've faced harm or fear it upon return. Experts warn this could force individuals into dangerous migration routes, jeopardizing their safety and families.
Russian archaeologist and historian Alexander Butyagin has been released as part of a prisoner exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border. The five-for-five deal involved citizens from Russia, Belarus, and other CIS countries. Butyagin was detained by Polish authorities on December 4, 2025, while traveling from the Netherlands to the Balkans on a European lecture tour, facing potential extradition to Ukraine where he could have received a ten-year prison sentence.
DHAKA: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh expressed concern on Wednesday as the cash-strapped UN World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to cut aid for large portions of the 1.2 million-strong group. Bangladesh’s vast refugee camps shelter Rohingya who fled persecution in neighboring war-torn Myanmar, with more than 150,000 new arrivals since 2024, according to the WFP. The agency is the sole provider of monthly food assistance for the community. But with global funding stretched thin and more people needing aid, resources are already under pressure.
