Author: Human Rights Watch

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities should immediately drop all charges and release the democracy campaigner Phan Van Bach, Human Rights Watch said today.  Hanoi police arrested Phan Van Bach, 49, on December 29, 2023, for his posts on Facebook, and charged him under article 117 of the penal code, which prohibits distributing “anti-state propaganda.” A court […]

Last week the Special Criminal Court (SCC) in the Central African Republic arrested and charged Abakar Zakaria Hamid, known as “SG”, a former Seleka leader for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to a brutal attack 10 years ago on a church and displacement camp in the country’s capital, Bangui. Seven other individuals have already […]

A United Nations panel issued guiding principles today making clear that the pursuit of minerals needed to transition from fossil fuels needs to safeguard human rights, justice, and equity. The Guiding Principles on Critical Energy Transition Minerals arrive at a crucial moment. Around the globe, governments and companies from industrialized countries are competing for “critical” minerals required for […]

(Johannesburg) – Mozambican police have committed widespread abuses against journalists and civil society activists that could seriously impair their work ahead of elections scheduled for October 9, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have rarely investigated formal complaints of harassment, threats, physical assault, and arbitrary arrest and detention targeting those covering election activities. “The […]

(Bangkok) – Thailand’s new government should take concrete steps to make human rights a priority, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Prime Minister Paetongtarn is expected to take office on September 16, 2024. “The Paetongtarn government needs to act quickly to address Thailand’s widespread human rights problems,” said John […]

Today, the Australian government committed to developing the country’s first data protection law for children. The decision, which rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Australian academics, and many Australians have long called for, comes as part of a package of reforms to Australia’s privacy law. These reforms include creating the right to sue for serious invasions […]

(Geneva) — World Health Organization (WHO) member countries negotiating a new international agreement to address pandemics need to ensure that the agreement reflects their domestic and international obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill all human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Negotiators will meet in Geneva for two weeks starting September 9, 2024.  The draft WHO […]

One year ago, the Malaysian government launched Baitul Mahabbah, an initiative to move children ages 10 and younger from regular immigration detention centers, known as depots, and place them in dedicated centers for children. There are now 170 children – some unaccompanied – in Baitul Mahabbah centers, facilities that do not provide a genuine alternative to […]

(Geneva, September 9, 2024) – The international treaty banning cluster munitions is making demonstrable progress, but is being tested by new use and transfers of cluster munitions by countries that have not joined it, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing an annual monitoring report on cluster munitions. The 100-page report, “Cluster Munition Monitor 2024,” […]

On August 23, I was aboard the Geo Barents, the rescue ship operated by the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders or MSF), in the port of Salerno when the news arrived that the ship was to be detained by authorities for 60 days. Instead of witnessing lifesaving efforts in the Mediterranean Sea, […]