Waiting to be Arrested at Night by Tahir Hamut Izgil; translated and introduced by Joshua L. Freeman

Waiting to be Arrested at Night is the author’s personal account of how he and his family were trapped in an unimaginable situation - one forced upon them and their fellow Uyghurs by their government. Izgil’s story is set inside Xinjiang, where daily life exists in a world of surveillance, repression and constant fear. His experiences focus a spotlight on a group whose suffering has often been overshadowed by political rhetoric and misinformation. As it charts China’s ongoing destruction of a community and a way of life, the book is both an urgent call for the world to awaken to a humanitarian catastrophe and a sobering look at the human cost of oppression.

Tahir Hamut Izgil is one of the foremost poets writing in the Uyghur language. He grew up in Kashgar, in the southwest of the Uyghur homeland. After attending college in Beijing, he returned to the Uyghur region and emerged as a prominent film director. He currently lives near Washington, D.C.  Joshua L. Freeman is a historian of twentieth-century China and a translator of Uyghur poetry. He is an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica, in Taiwan.

Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista

Some People Need Killing is a meticulously reported and deeply human chronicle of the Philippines' drug war. It is a fearless, powerfully written, on-the-ground account of a country descending towards fascism, told through harrowing stories of the Philippines' state-sponsored assassinations of its own citizens.  Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company, Rappler.

It is a remarkably well researched and written journalistic account of a human rights issue that needs to be exposed and challenged. The Philippines is a country that gets little attention in the world’s media, and Evangelista’s book brings that attention in a way that is immensely readable and highly revealing.

A Day in the Life of Abed Salama – A Palestinian Story by Nathan Thrall 

When he hears that his son has been involved in a bus crash, Abed Salama tries desperately to find him. He is beset by obstacles, his plight highlighting the pain and frustration of many Palestinian men. Nathan Thrall weaves together the tales and challenges of a diverse set of people all affected by the accident in a compelling glimpse into life in the West Bank.

The Incarcerations – BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah

The Incarcerations begins with the arrest of several important human rights figures in wake of an assassination plot, giving police the pretext to begin a campaign of murder against labour reform advocates, human rights activists and many innocent bystanders. A highly detailed, in-depth examination of a state using anti-terror laws for the purposes of killing human rights defenders.

Outspoken – My Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan by Sima Samar

A memoir of life under Taliban rule, Sima Samar brings into focus the rights of women (and people in general) in Afghanistan. A revealing insight into the history and politics of modern Afghanistan as she fights a deeply personal battle for justice and equality in her country.