The Egyptian authorities must amend existing legislation to better protect women in Egypt, and ensure they play an active role in reforms. Women played a key role during the 18 days of protest that led to former president Hosni Mubarak...

The UK Government came in for heavy criticism today by the cross-party Committees on Arms Export Controls. The Committees' report concluded that sending weapons including armoured personnel carriers, crowd control equipment and...

The Chinese government is waging a campaign of harassment and intimidation of lawyers, to stop them defending the dozens of activists and political critics rounded up by the authorities in the last two months. Since an anonymous online...

Ding Fangguan (known as Gu Chuan), 30, a writer and human rights activist, was detained on 19 February. He has been held incommunicado since. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. His wife Li Xinai, 28, and their two...

"Both the present Government and its predecessor misjudged the risk that arms approved for export to certain authoritarian countries in North Africa and the Middle East might be used for internal repression." Just what you might expect...