The Global Eye – Reflections
L’umanità è magnifica. E complessa / Humanity is magnificent. And complex (Marco Emanuele)
Chad – Senegal
(Human Rights Watch) The 2016 conviction in Senegal of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré was a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for atrocity crimes, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today. The verdict, which followed a 25-year legal campaign by Habré’s victims, was the first time the domestic courts of one country tried and convicted the former leader of another for serious international crimes under the principle of universal jurisdiction. On May 30, 2016, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC), an African Union-backed court within the Senegalese judicial system, sentenced Habré to life in prison for crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture including sexual slavery and rape. Habré ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990 with US and French backing. His government was responsible for widespread political killings, systematic torture, and thousands of arbitrary arrests. Habré died in August 2021, after eight years in custody. “Habré’s victims pursued him for 25 years and brought him to justice when nearly everyone said it was impossible,” said Reed Brody, ICJ commissioner, who worked with Habré’s victims on behalf of Human Rights Watch. “Their message to today’s dictators is: justice can catch up with you. And to victims everywhere: don’t give up.” – Chad: 10 Years On, Habré Conviction Inspires Global Justice | Human Rights Watch
Koreas
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) North Korea fired several missiles, including at least one short-range ballistic missile, toward waters off its west coast on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said. – North Korea fired several missiles, South Korean military says
Russia – Ukraine
(Human Rights Watch) Russian occupation authorities are seizing civilian property in occupied areas of Ukraine, despite international law prohibiting occupying powers from such conduct. Authorities have introduced a sham process to declare properties “ownerless” and transfer them to municipal ownership, while also imposing administrative and travel barriers making it nearly impossible for displaced Ukrainians to assert their rights. Russian authorities should cease these unlawful and abusive property seizures and uphold their obligations as an occupying power under international humanitarian and human rights law in occupied areas of Ukraine. – Ukraine: Russia Illegally Seizing Property in Occupied Areas | Human Rights Watch
Sudan
(Human Rights Watch) With apparent support from the UAE, Colombian private military contractors have deployed to Sudan to support the abusive Rapid Support Forces. The deployment adds to evidence of UAE military support for the Rapid Support Forces, which have committed widespread atrocities in Sudan. Other countries should push for investigations, capable of leading to sanctions, into all those, including UAE officials, against whom there is credible evidence of providing military assistance to the Rapid Support Forces. – Sudan: Colombians Linked to Atrocities Trained in UAE Bases | Human Rights Watch
US – Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal with Iran was still possible despite new American strikes that cast doubt on their fragile ceasefire. “There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during a visit to India. – Rubio says Iran deal still possible within days despite US strikes
(Al Arabiya) US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, imperiling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on a deal to end the Middle East war. The strikes came as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of talks to end the months-long conflict, and as the Israeli military stepped up hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. – US hits Iran with news strikes, despite talks to end war
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) The United States and Iran appear close to reaching a deal to end a 12-week war, although a final agreement is not considered imminent and key details remained unsolved. The emerging deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil supplies, but would put off negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program until a later stage, according to reports. In an interview with RFE/RL, Jason H. Campbell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and former Pentagon official during Trump’s first administration, said that the reported deal is “probably the least bad one available to the administration at this point.” – Jason H. Campbell: US Is Taking The ‘Least Bad’ Option In Iran Conflict
Vatican
(Russell Contreras – Axios) Pope Leo XIV is warning that the artificial intelligence race could become a new Tower of Babel — a dazzling human achievement that concentrates power, weakens truth and turns people into data points. The long-awaited document, Magnifica Humanitas (“Magnificent Humanity”), signals that the Vatican is aggressively positioning itself as a central moral authority in the global tech debate. The Vatican released Leo’s first encyclical on Monday, which he signed at St. Peter’s on May 15, 2026, in the second year of his pontificate. It was signed exactly 135 years after Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, the landmark 1891 encyclical that became the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching during the Industrial Revolution. – 5 ways Pope Leo says AI could warp humanity
