Country Expert Database: New Findings from 120+ Countries

This Week 13 country expert database update opens Q2 2026 rolling review series with sustained Afghanistan focus and updates across Russia, Iran, Honduras, Central America. It follows Q1 2026 series (Week 10-12) and previews Q2 caseload trends practitioners will encounter.[1]

The database aggregates practitioner casework across UK, US, Canadian, and EU jurisdictions with weekly rolling snapshots.

Afghanistan — Week 13

Afghanistan continues as Q2 2026 primary focus.[2]

September 2024 Vice and Virtue Law implementation continues. Medical training ban late 2024 — women's healthcare crisis. Pakistan deportations — 750k+ cumulative. Iran deportations — 1M+ cumulative. Former government workers — continuing targeting. Female judges — those remaining or unable to evacuate. Hazara — ISKP attacks continuing; land expropriation. UN SR Bennett — 2026 reports expected.

Russia — Week 13

Article 207.3 prosecutions escalating. "Extremist LGBT movement" enforcement continues. OVD-Info documented 20,000+ arrests since 2022. Foreign Agent designations expanding. Article 207.4 "volunteer formation" prosecutions. Second mobilisation preparation continues.

Iran — Week 13

Hijab and Chastity Law 2024 enforcement. Facial recognition expansion to universities. Post-June 2025 war environment. Kurdish, Baluchi, Baha'i, Christian convert continuing. LGBTQ+ death penalty risk. 1,140+ executions 2025.

Honduras — Week 13

Post-Castro government January 2026. State-of-exception continues. 85,000+ arrests since December 2022. CICIH implementation delayed. ~380 femicides 2025 (CDM). Continuing gang violence.

Latin America Updates

Middle East Updates

Yemen — civil war continues; Bahá'í persecution. Egypt — 60,000+ political prisoners. Saudi Arabia — women activists imprisoned. Iraq — 2024 LGBT law implementation. Syria — post-Assad transition dynamics. Iran — Hijab Law facial recognition.

Africa Updates

Sudan — civil war 3rd year; famine. Eritrea — indefinite national service. Somalia — Amniyat/Al-Shabaab continuing; AUSSOM. Ethiopia — Amhara conflict continues. Cameroon — Anglophone crisis. Nigeria — GBV, LGBT, Boko Haram. Ghana — LGBT bill status.

Asia Updates

Pakistan — Ahmadi prosecutions; Baluchistan. India — CAA implications, Hindu nationalist violence. Myanmar — junta continues. China — Uyghur, Tibet, Hong Kong. Bangladesh — post-2024 transition.

Cross-Country Patterns Week 13

LGBT criminalisation expanding — Iraq 2024, Ghana bill, continuing others. Political prisoner situations persistent — Egypt, Belarus, Russia, Cuba. Women's rights crises — Afghanistan (edicts), Iran (Hijab Law), Saudi. Ethnic conflict continuing — Sudan, Ethiopia, Chechnya. Diaspora surveillance intensifying — Iran, Russia, China, Eritrea. Deportation pressures — Pakistan/Iran on Afghans; Trump II on Latin Americans.

Q2 2026 Priorities

Continuing Afghanistan documentation. Russia post-Article 207.4 developments. Iran post-June 2025 war one year on. Honduras post-Castro government. Mexico Trump II enforcement effects. UNHCR Non-Return Advisory Afghanistan continuation.

Q2 2026 opens with Afghanistan-heavy caseload, Russia continuing, Iran/Honduras persistent, and new deportation pressure dynamics. Country expert reports remain essential across all profiles. Weekly database updates capture rapidly evolving conditions.
Country Expert Database Week 13 Q2 opening

Conclusion

This Week 13 country expert database update opens Q2 2026 with sustained Afghanistan focus and updates across all major country profiles. Cross-country patterns — LGBT criminalisation expansion, political prisoner persistence, women's rights crises, ethnic conflict, diaspora surveillance, deportation pressures. See our companion Week 13 insights hub, Week 13 reports, and Week 12 database.