Author: Human Rights Watch

September 17 marks four years since the Taliban banned secondary education for girls in Afghanistan. It is a devastating anniversary that should make everyone angry – furious even. The ban is cruel, harmful, and unlawful. It tells girls their dreams end when the classroom door slams shut when they reach age 12, simply because of their […]

(Beirut) – Qatari authorities should set aside the baseless conviction of Remy Rowhani, the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is in Qatar, and reject the prosecution’s attempt to increase his sentence, Human Rights Watch said today. Qatari authorities should immediately and unconditionally release him. A Doha court sentenced Rowhani, 71, to five […]

(Beirut) – Lebanon’s parliament should ensure that a draft media law it is considering upholds the right to freedom of expression, 14 Lebanese and international rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, said today.  This includes decriminalizing defamation, blasphemy, insult, and criticism of public officials; prohibiting pretrial detention in speech-related violations; and removing onerous restrictions on […]

Yemen’s warring parties – particularly the Houthis, the Southern Transitional Council, and the Yemeni government – have committed serious human rights violations against journalists in Yemen. Targeting journalists and media institutions has encroached on freedom of expression. Many journalists have fled the country and those who remained have limited their reporting. UN member states should […]

(Beirut) – Moroccan authorities should urgently overturn the 30-month sentence of an activist convicted on blasphemy charges for wearing a t-shirt authorities deemed offensive, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities need to ensure that the right to free expression is respected.  The activist, Ibtissame Lachgar, was arrested on August 10, 2025, and charged by […]

(Johannesburg) – Zambian authorities should address recent reports that polluted water and soil from an acid spill in Zambia’s copper mining region pose a serious health risk, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 18, 2025, a dam in Chambishi, Copperbelt province, holding mining waste from Chinese mining company, Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, burst its walls and released […]

Health professionals in Ethiopia plan to resume striking on September 15 to demand better wages and living conditions, marking the second round of strikes in recent months. Following months of organizing spearheaded by the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement (EHPM), public health care workers launched a nationwide walkout in May, halting nonemergency health services. The professionals raised numerous grievances, […]

(Istanbul, September 12, 2025) – Türkiye’s slowing down (throttling) of social media and messaging platforms at moments of social or political importance is denying people important information and impeding democratic participation, 15 groups including Human Rights Watch said in a statement released today. The following is their statement: Türkiye: Stop Throttling Social Media Platforms and Messaging […]

What may seem like a technical exercise in global health bureaucracy, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) update to its Essential Medicines Lists, will in fact have life-changing consequences for millions of people around the world. By adding therapeutic sunscreen and rapid-acting insulin analogues on September 5, the WHO sent a clear signal to governments: these […]

Catastrophic floods from heavy rainfall in Pakistan this past week displaced at least four million people, destroyed thousands of acres of crops, and severely damaged critical infrastructure. At least 900 people died. Thousands of those displaced are in relief camps; many more lack shelter and are in dire need of assistance. The loss of life, damage to buildings […]