Author: Human Rights Watch

Seventeen years after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, the latest report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, updates the current human rights situation in the country. The government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in September 2024, promising justice for past rights violations. Yet, as the high […]

Survivors’ groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina have condemned the announcement that the Serbian government plans to bury the convicted genocidaire Ratko Mladić with “highest military and state honors.” Mladić, the Bosnian Serb army chief during the Balkan wars of the early 1990s, died on August 27 in custody in The Hague following his 2017 conviction by the International Criminal […]

Survivors’ groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina have condemned the announcement that the Serbian government plans to bury the convicted genocidaire Ratko Mladić with “highest military and state honors.” Mladić, the Bosnian Serb army chief during the Balkan wars of the early 1990s, died on August 27 in custody in The Hague following his 2017 conviction by the International Criminal […]

(Bangkok, September 4, 2026) – The Cambodian government should withdraw proposed legal amendments that would drastically reduce opposition party representation in top positions on local councils, Human Rights Watch said today.  On August 20, 2026, the Cambodian National Assembly, which is dominated by the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), unanimously passed amendments to the Law on the […]

Organizing a group to help people in distress used to be something Hong Kong people could do without fear. Not anymore. On September 3, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction of five 612 Humanitarian Fund trustees for failing to register the fund under the Societies Ordinance. It’s just the latest example of […]

Several women were killed, including by current or former partners in Cameroon between August 6 to 26, some in the presence of their children. These killings are the latest signs that women in Cameroon, including domestic violence victims and survivors, have little protection or access to justice. The Ministry for the Promotion of Women and […]

(Abuja) – A proposed law to regulate foreign aid risks undermining the independence of civil society organizations and shrinking civic space in Nigeria, Human Rights Watch said today. The National Assembly should reject provisions that would give authorities undue influence over the funding and activities of independent organizations.  In May 2026, the Senate introduced the Foreign Aid (Regulation, […]

As people in Nepal and across the Chinese border in Tibet reel from horrific mudslides, the Chinese government has turned to censorship and control. On Weibo, which follows Beijing’s censorship demands, the Chinese social media platform prominently pinned a memorial hashtag (#向吉隆泥石流灾害遇难人员默哀) at the top of trending topics, alongside eight other disaster-related topics. The lead […]

Greetings from the Venice International Film Festival, where amidst the cinematic glamour, we are launching something raw and powerful: “Solwata”. It is an immense privilege to be here sharing this new immersive documentary—co-created with the communities of Walande, Ngongosila, and Kwai in Solomon Islands, co-produced with Human Rights Watch, Agog, and NowHere Media, and narrated […]

(Washington DC) – The Chilean Congress should reject a proposal to amend the Constitution introduced by President José Antonio Kast that would threaten a broad range of human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. The Chilean government submitted a proposal for eight proposed constitutional amendments to the Senate on August 18, 2026, with the stated objective of […]