UN warns of rights clampdown in Iran and across the Middle East amid war

By AFP 1 April 2026, 3:29 pm

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Iran and countries across the Middle East are using the war as an excuse to clamp down on rights, the UN says as it denounces attempts to limit media freedom in Israel and the United States.

“We are witnessing a sharp securitization of civic space across the region, with severe restrictions imposed by governments on people exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.

He also decried “attempts to limit media freedom, such as restrictions imposed by Israeli military censorship authorities, and a threat by the US Federal Communications Commission to revoke broadcast licenses for coverage deemed critical of the war.”