Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Aug. 15 condemned the five-year prison sentence handed down to Remi Rowhani, a Baha'i religious dignitary, following a months-long trial by Qatari authorities. Rowhani was charged for promoting an ideology that casts doubt on the foundations of Islam, an accusation stemming from several social media posts by members of the Qatari Baha'i community. The court cited article 259 of the Penal Code—which states that whoever casts doubt on the tenets of Islam, or "calls upon, or favors or promotes another religion," faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Hundreds demonstrated Aug. 16 in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, pressing for the "self-determination" of the Druze people. Protesters demanded full independence from Syria, dismissing ideas of federalism or autonomy as inadequate. Speakers asserted that statehood is needed to guarantee their security, citing last month's episode of violence as evidence that inter-ethnic coexistence under one state is no longer a viable solution.

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry on Aug. 14 reported that the wave of violent attacks that engulfed coastal and western central Syria in March may constitute war crimes, and urged accountability to restore public confidence in the authorities.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, dated July 30 but released this week, in which he officially acknowledged his country's use of repressive violence before, during, and after Cameroon's war of independence.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Aug. 6 condemned a recent surge in deadly attacks against civilians by M23 fighters and other armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The attacks come in spite of a June 27 Washington-brokered ceasefire agreement between the DRC government and Rwanda, which backs the M23 rebels.

London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) reported that 466 people were arrested on Aug. 9 for displaying support for activist group Palestine Action at a protest in Westminster. The MPS added that an additional eight arrests were conducted, including five for assault on police officers. Police said they invoked Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act of 1994, which grants police officers the authority to demand the removal of any signs or clothing "expressing support" for a "proscribed group."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Aug. 6 called for the immediate and unconditional release of a former Macau lawmaker following his arrest on "national security" charges. The arrest marked the first time Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China, has invoked its sweeping Law on Safeguarding National Security.

Amnesty International on July 28 called on Syria to investigate abductions of Alawite women and girls, and bring perpetrators to justice.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said that the Syrian authorities must "act swiftly and transparently in locating missing women and girls, bringing perpetrators to justice, and providing affected families with timely, gender-sensitive and credible information and support."