Author: Human Rights Watch

In a video circulated on social media on July 21, Steve Akam, alias Ramon Cotta, a Cameroonian social media activist, stands before a barrier in an outdoor space, handcuffed and surrounded by members of the Cameroonian police. It was the last time he was seen. Human Rights Watch contacted sources in Cameroon, and geolocated and analyzed […]

(New York) – The Taliban have created the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis since taking power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan is also experiencing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with aid severely underfunded, thousands of Afghans forced back into Afghanistan from Pakistan, and thousands of others expecting to emigrate to […]

When veteran journalist Elyes Gharbi announced on June 28 that he was leaving the “Midi Show” on Tunisia’s leading radio station, Mosaïque FM, after nine years, he did not explain why. However, Gharbi’s decision came just months after he acknowledged “unbelievable threats” against journalism in the country and a year after police investigated him for comments made […]

(London, August 9, 2024) – The Turkish authorities’ arbitrary decision on August 2, 2024, to impose a blanket block on access to Instagram violates the rights to freedom of expression and of access to information for millions of users, Human Rights Watch and the Freedom of Expression Association (İfade Özgürlüğü Derneği, İFÖD) said today. The […]

(London) – Nepal’s new government should seize opportunities for progress on human rights, including transitional justice and social security, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli on August 6, 2024. The government should also act to protect the rights of migrant workers and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) […]

(Jerusalem, August 8, 2024) – Israeli forces stormed a Gaza City home on December 21, 2023, throwing grenades inside and opening fire on a room where a civilian family was sheltering, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack killed seven people, including a pregnant woman, and severely injured two, including a 5-year-old. Witnesses also allege […]

On July 26, a court in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, sentenced 31-year-old Alexandr Merkul, a stand-up comedian, to 10-days detention on charges of “petty hooliganism” allegedly for using obscene language during a performance in June. It’s yet another instance of the extent of Kazakh authorities’ crackdown on freedom of expression. Merkul, who pleaded guilty, often touches […]

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, should urgently act to protect human rights. Soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and left the country, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis celebrated the end of her repressive rule. In some places, however, celebrations turned violent, with hundreds killed or injured as demonstrators sought […]

The UK has been rocked by far-right riots this week. Racist mobs have targeted mosques and asylum seeker accommodation, Muslims and people of color have been attacked, and police have been injured. In Rotherham, South Yorkshire, asylum seekers were trapped in their accommodation as rioters smashed windows and set the building on fire. The riots […]

(Beirut) – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are failing to protect outdoor migrant workers experiencing dangerous, heat-related health risks as global warming-fueled heatwaves envelope the region, Human Rights Watch said today.  Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) interviewed by Human Rights Watch described symptoms of heat-related illness, including fainting […]