Author: Human Rights Watch

(Bangkok) – Cambodian authorities have arbitrarily arrested and charged at least 16 people for expressing their views on social media about the Thai-Cambodia border conflict in July and August 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities charged most of those arrested with incitement under articles 494 and 495 of Cambodia’s Criminal Code, which carries […]

On November 2, a funeral was held for Cheikh Touré, a promising young Senegalese goalkeeper, after his body was finally returned to his family from Ghana. According to media reports, Touré had traveled to Ghana to meet people he believed to be football scouts. They allegedly kidnapped him, extorted money from his mother, and killed […]

(Beirut) – At least 600 migrant workers employed by Saudi Arabian Baytur Construction Company have not received their salaries for at least eight months, Human Rights Watch said today. The actual figure of unpaid workers could be significantly higher. The workers at the US$26 billion Mecca-based Masar redevelopment project, funded by the nearly trillion-dollar Saudi Public Investment Fund […]

(November 5, 2025) – The US Congress’ failure to extend public subsidies for private health insurance threatens the right to health and financial security of millions of people, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America said today. As open enrollment for private health insurance purchased through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) government-operated marketplaces began on November 1, 2025, […]

On October 25, 10-year-old Sern Sovann died from an explosion after reportedly bringing home an item from a nearby field in Cambodia’s Preah Vihear province near the border with Thailand. The blast also seriously injured his father.  The Cambodian Mine Action Centre found that the explosion was caused by an unexploded M-85 artillery-delivered submunition fired into Cambodia […]

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto declared 10 people “national heroes” on November 10, which Indonesia celebrates as Heroes Day. Among them was the late President Soeharto, who ruled Indonesia from 1965 to 1998.  More than 80 public figures, including historians, have written a letter protesting the “hero” title for Soeharto, who presided over three decades of military dictatorship […]

On the afternoon of October 25, Cheick Oumar Diallo chatted with companions on a street in Mali’s capital, Bamako. Suddenly, four gendarmes arrived in a pickup truck and motorbikes, arrested him, and drove off. A week later, Diallo—a 43-year-old former trade union member and prominent critic of Mali’s military junta—has not been seen and his […]

Chinese authorities harassed several dozen Chinese film directors and producers, as well as their families in China, causing them to pull films from the inaugural IndieChina Film Festival in New York City, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 6, 2025, the festival’s organizer, Zhu Riku, announced that the film festival, scheduled for November 8-15, […]

The Australian state of Victoria on October 30 passed a landmark legislation to establish the nation’s first treaty with First Nations people. The Statewide Treaty Bill sets up a democratically elected body to represent First Nations people in Victoria and advise the state government on laws and policies impacting their rights and interests. Victoria’s treaty is the […]

(Nairobi, November 6, 2025) – Kenya’s newly enacted Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendments) Act, 2025, risks criminalizing legitimate online speech and its overbroad provisions should be repealed, Human Rights Watch said today. The amendment was passed by Parliament and assented to by President William Ruto on October 15. The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act was initially enacted in […]