Author: Human Rights Watch

(Quito) – The government of Ecuador has an obligation to decriminalize abortion in all circumstances, and to remove all barriers that prevent access to this essential healthcare service, Human Rights Watch said today in an amicus brief submitted to the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. The Human Rights Watch brief supports a lawsuit filed by Justa Libertad, an Ecuadorian […]

(New York) – The Chinese government should immediately quash the conviction of and release a Taiwanese political activist who was sentenced to nine years in prison for “separatism,” Human Rights Watch said today. On August 26, 2024, a court in China’s Zhejiang province convicted Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵), 34, for political activities carried out in Taiwan, a […]

(Abuja) – Nigerian authorities have charged 10 protesters who were arrested during protests across Nigeria in August 2024 with treason, which carries a possible death penalty, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should drop the charges. According to legal sources consulted by Human Rights Watch, the 10 protesters are among the 124 people arrested […]

(Kinshasa) – Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should promptly and impartially investigate and provide a transparent, credible account of the deadly incident on September 2, 2024, at Makala Central Prison in the capital, Kinshasa, Human Rights Watch said today. Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced on September 2 that during an attempted prison break, 129 prisoners died, […]

In Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, today is a day of mourning. On September 4 at about 6 a.m., Russian air attacks struck the city’s historic district, killing civilians and damaging civilian buildings and infrastructure. Seven people were killed, Lviv Mayor Andryi Sadovyi reported on Telegram, including four members of the same family: a 43-year-old […]

This week, Tunisia’s electoral commission confirmed only three candidates for the October 6 presidential election, including incumbent President Kais Saied and a detained candidate, disregarding major court rulings that had reinstated three other contenders to stand in the polls. The Independent Electoral Commission for Elections (ISIE) confirmed Saied and two former parliament members, Zouhair Maghzaoui and Ayachi […]

(Sydney) – The Australian government should develop a clear policy on identifying and addressing cases of wrongful detention of Australian nationals abroad, Human Rights Watch said in a recent submission to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Reference Committee. The Committee is currently reviewing the Australian government’s responses to the wrongful detention of Australian citizens […]

September 7 is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Each year, an estimated seven million people around the world are killed by effects from air pollution, which include cancer, strokes, and heart and lung diseases. Around 99 percent of the world’s population lives in locations with air quality exceeding limits set by the World […]

This month, Netflix released “The Goat Life,” a movie centered on the experiences of an Indian migrant worker, Najeeb Muhammed, who worked in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s and, after being stranded in the desert, was forced to work as a goat herder. It is based on the 2008 bestselling book, “Goat Days,” which […]

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a global SOS– Save Our Seas – regarding rising sea levels. “Surging seas are coming for us all,” Guterres warned, making an urgent plea for global leaders to invest in “new adaptation and protection measures.” These measures must foreground disability rights.    As sea levels rise, planned relocation – a process that involves […]