Author: Human Rights Watch

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 […]

(Beirut) – The recent convictions of 24 defendants in the United Arab Emirates to life imprisonment were based on a fundamentally unfair mass trial, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 26, the Criminal Chamber of the UAE’s Federal Supreme Court overturned a prior judgment to dismiss the cases against 24 defendants, instead reconvicting and sentencing the defendants […]

(İstanbul, June 26, 2025) – An Istanbul court’s decision on June 19, 2025, to allow the detention of a leading defense lawyer for the jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu appears to be in reprisal for his legal representation of his client, Human Rights Watch and the Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project said today. Turkish authorities […]

(Seoul) – South Korea’s new government should adopt measures to address human rights problems in the country and abroad, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to President Lee Jae-myung. It is critically important for the government to bolster democratic institutions, end entrenched discrimination, protect digital rights, and promote North Koreans’ human rights. President Lee took […]

The United Kingdom government has just published draft legislation seeking to “reform” key disability-related aspects of its complex social security system. While the government claims its moves “will protect the most vulnerable,” in reality its plans to cut £4.5 billion in disability-linked benefits by 2030 will have a devastating impact on people’s rights. The bill proposes […]

(Brussels) – The European Union should immediately suspend its trade agreement with Israel as long as Israel’s atrocity crimes persist, Human Rights Watch and over 110 organizations and trade unions said in a joint statement on June 19, 2025. This would be the first measure taken by the EU in the last two years to ensure some accountability […]

In Nepal’s latest attempt to silence online speech, police are trying to arrest a well-known journalist who published on his YouTube channel claims about the business interests of a leading political family. Dil Bhushan Pathak reported three weeks ago about the alleged investments of a member of a political family. Kathmandu’s district court issued an […]

Last week marked three months since Olivier Monodji, editor of Le Pays and a correspondent for Radio France Internationale, and Mahamat Saleh Alhissein, a reporter with state broadcaster Télé Tchad, were arrested in Chad. There are other co-accused in their case. Prosecutors alleged the journalists colluded with the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group present in Central Africa and […]