Author: Human Rights Watch

The Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans in the United States will take effect on July 14, leaving over 11,000 Afghans in the US subject to immediate detention and deportation. A TPS designation allows people from certain countries the US government recognizes as temporarily unsafe to remain in the US and work […]

Protesters detained for participating in the peaceful July 2021 protests in Cuba have been subject to serious abuses in prison, including beatings, solitary confinement, and lack of medical care. While some were released, they say they remain under constant surveillance. Hundreds are still in prison. The living conditions they were protesting have not improved. Governments […]

On July 12, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is traveling to Beijing for another “annual leaders’ meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They will discuss global and regional issues as well as bilateral matters of trade and tourism.  The Australian government’s statement announcing the visit doesn’t mention human rights at all. It only makes a vague […]

As Europe emerges from a devastating heat wave, the European Parliament should reject efforts, including by industry groups in the United States, to weaken the European Union’s flagship corporate accountability law and its measures to tackle climate change. The 2024 EU law, called the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, requires large companies operating in the […]

Laws passed by Peru’s Congress have undermined the independence and capacity of judges and prosecutors to fight organized crime. Homicides, extortion, and illegal mining have exponentially grown in the last years, affecting the rights to life and physical integrity of Peruvians. As Peru pursues its accession process, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development should […]

(Nairobi) – Central African Republic authorities arrested activists holding a memorial event for students who died in a high school explosion, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 27, 2025, civil society activists organized a vigil in memory of the students who died in the explosion on June 25 at Barthelemy Boganda High School in […]

Today the UN Human Rights Council firmly rejected Eritrea’s attempt to end scrutiny of its human rights situation. Council members decisively voted down the Eritrean government’s resolution to end the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea and instead renewed the mandate for another year. This vote – […]

On June 20, the Court of Grave Crimes in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku handed down severe prison sentences to a team of independent journalists from Abzas Media, an outlet known for its hard-hitting investigative journalism. Days later, the same court convicted Bahruz Samadov, an outspoken government critic and peace activist. These verdicts fit a pattern of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions […]

(Washington, DC) – The budget reconciliation bill passed by the United States Senate today would extend tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the country’s wealthiest families while reducing spending on health and other public programs essential for human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. If signed into law, it would strip millions of people of health insurance coverage […]

Russian courts have issued over 100 convictions for “extremism” for participating in the “International LGBT Movement” or displaying its alleged symbols. Russian authorities weaponize and misuse the justice system as a tool in their draconian crusade to enforce “traditional values” and marginalize and censor LGBT people. Russia’s international interlocutors should call on the Kremlin to […]