![Vehicles pass near banners displaying Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, Egypt, on December 10, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/01/202312mena_egypt_wr.jpg?h=05586b66&itok=s1miX6E_)
![Vehicles pass near banners displaying Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the presidential elections, in Cairo, Egypt, on December 10, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/01/202312mena_egypt_wr.jpg?h=05586b66&itok=s1miX6E_)
Australia: Setbacks, Inaction on Key Rights Issues
Prioritize Fixing Offshore Detention, Rights of First Nations People, Children in Solitary
![A “Walk for Yes” rally hosted by the Yes23 campaign prior to Australia's referendum.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/01/202312asia_australia_wr.jpg?h=902ce809&itok=gjt_4eJE)
US: Little Progress on Persistent Rights Challenges
Racial, Economic Inequities Slow Systemic Improvements
![A migrant embraces his son after finishing the long journey to the US from Venezuela, in Eagle Pass, Texas, September 25, 2023. © 2023 Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312americas_us_wr.jpg?h=f660b7ab&itok=2SfJ1ykN)
Maldives: New President Should Embrace Rights Reforms
Environmental Laws Ignored, Media Freedom Threatened
![202312asia_Maldives_WR](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_maldives_wr.jpg?h=2de6c254&itok=MMZtr9K7)
Syria: Abuses Persist Amid Economic Crisis
Efforts for International Accountability Advance
![A destroyed tent can be seen as a result of a missile attack targeted a camp for displaced people on the outskirts of Idlib city by the Syrian government. © 2023 Anas Alkharboutli/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312mena_syria_wr.jpg?h=ac778ff2&itok=LS-u3Wku)
Sri Lanka: Response to Economic Crisis Undermined Rights
Heightened Repression Against Minorities, Dissent
![A street food vendor awaits customers at the Galle Face promenade in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 9, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_srilanka_wr.jpg?h=e40f2a46&itok=_1kMPqDH)
Nepal: More Progress Needed on Transitional Justice Law
Progress on Social Justice, Marriage Equality Stalled in Implementation
![An LGBTQ couple, Surendra Pandey (left) and Maya Gurung, a transgender woman, pose for pictures after obtaining their marriage certificate in Kathmandu, Nepal, December 1, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_nepal_wr.jpg?h=58c8a5e7&itok=yXxC-P7x)
Iran: Chokehold on Dissent
Violent Repression of Protests; Detaining Critics and Victims’ Families
![Women walk on the streets of Tehran as Iran’s “morality police” resume hijab patrols, July 18, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2024/01/202312mena_iran_wr.jpg?h=d90a3aa8&itok=6N138hvJ)
China: No Letup in Xi Jinping’s Repressive Rule
Amid Economic Showdown, Mourning for Ex-Premier Shows Discontent
![Chow Hang-tung (R) arrives at the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on June 8, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_china_wr.jpg?h=d68517fc&itok=HxmCdFkl)
Malaysia: Reform Agenda Stalled
Free Speech, LGBT Rights, Refugees Remain Under Threat
![A migrant detention center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 23, 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_malaysia_wr.jpg?h=98c2dacb&itok=0eDNB_jO)
Lebanon: Rights Under Threat Amid Crisis
Increasing Restrictions on Criticism; Threats to LGBT People, Refugees
![A demonstrator holds a Lebanese flag as he stands near smoke rising from tear gas during a protest over the deteriorating economic situation, at Riad al-Solh square in Beirut, Lebanon.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312mena_lebanon_wr.jpg?h=08ba4928&itok=X--8-tSS)
Vietnam: A Gloomy Year for Human Rights
Environmentalists, Rights Activists Unjustly Imprisoned
![Six Vietnamese rights activists and bloggers currently detained for exercising their basic rights. Top row from left to right: Hoang Thi Minh Hong, Bui Tuan Lam, Nguyen Lan Thang. Bottom row: Dang Dang Phuoc, Tran Van Bang, Truong Van Dung.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_vietnam_wr.jpg?h=3f3c1b65&itok=9fNTQf8U)
Afghanistan: Worsening Taliban Repression Erodes Rights
Economic Crisis Puts Millions at Risk
![Afghan refugees return to Afghanistan from Pakistan, in Torkham, Afghanistan, November 3, 2023](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/12/202312asia_afghanistan_wr.jpg?h=fa1c963e&itok=hsm4tkVn)
World Court to hear Genocide Case Against Israel
South Africa Seeks Urgent Measures to Halt Abuses in Gaza
![The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, August 27, 2018.](/sites/default/files/styles/square/public/media_2023/10/202310eca_netherlands_international_court_of_justice.jpg?h=38151220&itok=AfsnmaJ2)