deteriorating health and reported lack of adequate medical care. Aleksei Navalny in Russia was subjected to enforced disappearance and repeated arbitrary solitary confinement. Governments must act urgently to end torture and other ill-treatment, bringing all those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials. GENDER-BASED DISCRIMINATION AND VIOLENCE In Uzbekistan, domestic violence was criminalized for the first time. However, war and legislation entrenching “traditional” and “family” values framed increasing gender-based violence and violence against women in the region. In Ukraine, an all-time high of domestic violence was recorded amidst the raging war, and Kyrgyzstan saw widespread abuse and sexual violence against children with disabilities, including girls. Sexist, misogynist language against political opponents, especially by the ruling party, was on the rise in Georgia, while women in Azerbaijan faced various forms of gender-based violence, including being targeted as instruments of political revenge. Governments must implement comprehensive policies to prevent gender-based violence against women and girls, including by tackling entrenched gender discrimination and harmful stereotypes, ensure access to protection and support for survivors and address impunity for related crimes. VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was marked by persistent war crimes. Indiscriminate attacks by Russian forces on populated areas and civilian energy and grain export infrastructure were common. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces used cluster munitions despite their inherently indiscriminate nature and lasting risks for civilians. Ukraine was estimated as the world’s most heavily mined country. Torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners of war in Russia and Russian occupied territories of Ukraine was widespread. A Moscow court upheld a 13-year sentence against Ukrainian human rights defender Maksym Butkevych for a purported war crime he could not have committed. Further to Azerbaijan’s military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, no progress was reported in investigating violations of international humanitarian law by either Azerbaijani or Armenian forces, including disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks and reports of torture and killings of captives in previous years in that region. All allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity should be subject to impartial and independent investigations, including through the principle of universal jurisdiction. UNFAIR TRIALS Judicial systems in many countries were deployed to crack down on rather than protect human rights. In Russia, courts demonstrated a profound bias against defendants and trials on charges of terrorism, extremism and high treason were habitually closed to the public. The Belarusian judiciary continued to be weaponized to crack down on all dissent including by lawyers and human rights defenders. Sviatlana Tsikhnouskaya, Pavel Latushka, Maria Maroz, Volha Kavalkova and Sharhei Dyleuski were sentenced in their absence to lengthy prison sentences on trumped-up charges, while Nasta Loika was sent to prison for seven years. In Kazakhstan, celebrated athlete Marat Zhylanbayev was sentenced to seven years in prison for peaceful dissent. The US Department of State sanctioned four Georgian judges for corruption for abusing their position and undermining the judicial system. The UN expressed deep concern about the overly broad definition of terrorist organizations in Tajikistan which made possible the application of emergency measures and restrictions on due process. When Germany deported asylum seeker Abdullohi Shamsiddin to Tajikistan, he was 52 The State of the World’s Human Rights