Kamal Fahmi, who is originally from Sudan, founded Set My People Free in 2010 to campaign against blasphemy and apostasy laws. linkedin Guest commentary by Kamal Fahmi I’ve witnessed Sudan’s journey over the past few decades, a path marked by a desperate struggle for freedom. In the civil war that has raged between military factions… Read more »
News & Stories
“They are symbols of resistance”: Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan
Vardanyan, who was captured in 2023, has become a key face of the resistance against Azerbaijan while facing brutal conditions with his fellow Armenian prisoners in Baku. photo: free armenian prisoners In a moving appeal, David Vardanyan, son of imprisoned businessman Ruben Vardanyan, has called on US President Donald Trump to use his political influence… Read more »
Pakistan: Young Christian man acquitted of blasphemy charges
Chand (middle) and his family have been through very challenging times. csi Chand Shamaun, a 26-year-old ambulance driver from a Christian quarter in Punjab Province, was arrested on June 23, 2024. The police were reportedly called after Chand had a public disagreement with his brother over the division of inherited property. Matters rapidly escalated… Read more »
Lifting the sanctions on Syria: “It will take 3-5 years for the situation to improve”
Speaking to CSI in early 2024 you said that the vast majority of Syrians were living below the poverty line. How is the situation now? There are even more people living below the poverty line now. We have over a million new unemployed who have no income: members of the army and police units that… Read more »
Syria: Systematic Persecution of Alawites
When dictator Bashar al-Assad was thrown out of power in December 2024, it ended over 50 years of his family controlling Syria. Now a new temporary government is running Syria, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and dominated by a jihadist organization called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) . For the Alawite people, who are a… Read more »
Charles Glass: In the “New Syria,” violence and high hopes
U.S. President Donald Trump with new Syrian President – and former jihadist leader – Ahmad al-Sharaa. Riyadh, 14 May 2025. (Karoline Leavitt on X) Guest Commentary by Charles Glass And you know something’s happeningBut you don’t know what it isDo you, Mister Jones? Bob Dylan, “Ballad of a Thin Man,” 1965 When the… Read more »
May review: Exploring peace in Nagorno Karabakh and the lifting of sanctions on Syria
These women and their children are among the 120,000 Armenians displaced from their homes in Nagorno Karabakh. csi The catalyst was a trip to Armenia in September 2024 and a moving encounter with refugees from Nagorno Karabakh – which Azerbaijan had invaded one year previously, expelling its 120,000-strong Armenian Christian population. “They asked me,… Read more »
CSI International annual report
The international annual report provides an insight into the project and advocacy work carried out in the year under review.
Did India Unlawfully Expel Rohingya Refugees in Covert Operation at Sea?
The Rohingya refugees allegedly lured into deportation from India had been living in the capital city, New Delhi (pictured), prior to being expelled. csi At the height of the India-Pakistan clashes in early May, around 40 Rohingya refugees—some Christian, some Muslim, all holding valid UNHCR refugee cards—were forcibly expelled from India. Relevant documents and… Read more »
Oskanian: The Swiss Peace Initiative and the Right of Return
Vartan Oskanian spoke about the right of return to Nagorno Karabakh at the launch of the Swiss Peace Initiative on May 26. facebook On May 26, a committee of 19 Swiss parliamentarians from across the political spectrum launched the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh in the Swiss capital, Bern. During… Read more »