A Belgian court on March 17 ordered 93-year-old former diplomat Etienne Davignon to stand trial for his role in the 1961 assassination of the first elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba.

Davignon, who was a junior diplomatic intern at the time of the assassination, is the first person to be prosecuted in the case. He is the last living suspect among 10 Belgian diplomats who allegedly assisted in the unlawful abduction and transfer of Lumumba that ultimately led to his death. The Belgian federal prosecutor's office charged Davignon with "participation in war crimes," and has also investigated him for involvement in the murders of two of Lumumba's political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. A cabinet minister and senator, respectively, Mpolo and Okito were killed alongside Lumumba.

A report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on March 17 warned that over one year—from Nov. 1, 2024 to Oct. 31, 2025—Israel's government accelerated unlawful settlement expansion and "annexation" of large parts of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This has led to the forced displacement of over 36,000 Palestinians, amid increasing violence by both Israeli security forces and settlers.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned March 17 that the escalating hostilities in the Middle East could lead to record levels of food insecurity, and the largest disruption in the global economy and humanitarian efforts since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amnesty International on March 17 called for those responsible for a US strike on an Iranian school to be held accountable.

The Feb. 28 strike on the girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, killed over 100 children. Amnesty's Evidence Lab conducted an investigation into the strike, analyzing over 30 satellite images and reviewing official statements, independent media reports, and witnesses accounts.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on March 16 raised concerns that El Salvador's government is arbitrarily detaining and forcibly "disappearing" Salvadorans deported from the US.

The UN Human Rights Office stated March 17 that Israeli strikes on homes and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon may constitute war crimes. The statement came as Israel intensifies its military campaign on the territory of its northern neighbor amid the broader conflict spreading across the Middle East.

Hungary, Namibia, Fiji and the United States on March 12 each filed declarations of intervention to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case against Israel in relation to the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Prominent Iraqi women's rights defender Yanar Mohammed was killed outside her Baghdad residence on March 2 by two unidentified men. No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination.