Author: Human Rights Watch

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and a Hamas official on November 21, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell immediately made clear that ICC “decisions are binding on all States party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States.” His response is a reminder of the […]

(Johannesburg) – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should publicly condemn the Mozambican authorities’ excessive use of force against postelection protesters, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the protests began on October 24, 2024, Mozambican security forces have been implicated in killing at least 30 people throughout the country according to media reports. Human Rights Watch […]

A Ugandan military court in Kampala has ordered former opposition presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye, and his travel companion, Obeid Lutale, to be held in pretrial detention in a prison, the latest example of Uganda’s authorities misusing military courts and military-related charges to clamp down on the opposition. Besigye went missing on November 16 in Kenya’s capital […]

The Emirates NBA Cup held its first game on November 12 in the US city of Detroit after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted two preseason games in October 2024 in Abu Dhabi. These games are part of the Emirati government’s efforts to distract from the many human rights violations it is committing at home and abroad, including its […]

A resolution adopted by the German Bundestag last week on curbing antisemitism and protecting Jewish life could negatively impact civil society and free expression in the country. Germany’s concern about antisemitism is justified and, given its history, understandable. It is a pressing issue emanating from both the far right and the left and needs to be taken seriously. […]

During a November 6 press conference in Tripoli, the Government of National Unity’s acting interior minister, Emad Trabelsi, vowed to impose wide-ranging “morality” measures targeting women and girls in western Libya. The restrictions on clothing, social interactions, and travel would flagrantly violate the rights of Libyan women and girls, yet the prime minister and other government […]

(New York) – The United Nations Security Council’s November 8, 2024 sanctions designations for two commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a positive first step in ensuring consequences for abuses by the force, Human Rights Watch said today. The Security Council imposed an international travel ban and asset freeze on the Rapid Support […]

A federal jury in the US state of Virginia found defense contractor CACI Premier Technology, Inc. legally responsible for conspiring to torture and otherwise ill-treat three Iraqi men during their detention at Abu Ghraib prison two decades ago. The case, Al Shimari et al. v. CACI, was the first time a US jury heard claims brought […]

(Beirut) – The Iraqi authorities have finally dispersed a first round of compensation payments to people from Sinjar district in northern Iraq for damages to their property both by the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Iraqi and US-led coalition military battles against them, Human Rights Watch said today. The payments were made after years of delay […]

(Geneva) – The North Korean government should urgently act on the recommendations from United Nations member states during the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of North Korea’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council on November 7, 2024, Human Rights Watch and Transitional Justice Working Group said today. In the UPR draft report circulated on […]