UN: Support Protection, Justice for Rohingya

[ad_1] (New York) – United Nations member states meeting on September 30, 2025, on the plight of Rohingya Muslims should commit to urgent action to protect them from persecution and violence, Human Rights Watch said today. Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and across Asia continue to face grave threats to their safety, freedom, and lives. The UN General Assembly […]

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Taliban’s Internet Ban Further Silences Afghan Women, Girls

[ad_1] Last week, the Taliban ordered an internet ban across several of Afghanistan’s northern provinces. On September 30, they fully shut down the internet, both mobile and fibre optic, nationwide. The Taliban claim the ban is to “prevent immorality.” In Afghanistan, authorities have long used “morality” as a tool of oppression applied predominantly to women and girls, […]

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Reproductive Rights, Abortion Access Under Threat in Argentina

[ad_1] Since taking office in December 2023, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his government have dismantled key sexual and reproductive health protections. A report published this week by the Center for State and Society Studies (CEDES) shows that harmful rhetoric from Milei on abortion creates “a climate of risk and uncertainty,” causing misinformation and confusion for pregnant […]

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US: Trump Targets Opponents in Sweeping Memorandum

[ad_1] (Washington, DC) – United States President Donald Trump’s September 25, 2025, memorandum directing law enforcement to investigate a sprawling, imaginary conspiracy to foment political violence in the United States is a serious threat to human rights and democratic institutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Trump has ordered federal agencies to search actively for connections […]

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Protection of Athletes Advances in Japan

[ad_1] The Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) issued a Human Rights Policy and an Integrity Code of Conduct on August 26, 2025, ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which opened on September 13. Abuse against men, women, and even children in Japanese sports has long been prevalent. The release of the […]

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New Industry Requirements Could Disrupt Abusive Armed Groups’ Trade in Gold

[ad_1] Deep in the forest in Venezuela’s Bolivar state, residents live in fear of horrific violence at the hands of armed groups involved in the illicit gold trade. During a 2020 investigation, a 17-year-old boy told Human Rights Watch how he witnessed members of a Venezuelan armed group amputating both hands of a miner they accused […]

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EU’s New India Strategy Overlooks Modi’s Repression

[ad_1] The European Union unveiled its “New Strategic EU-India Agenda” this week, setting out a range of areas for closer bilateral cooperation. The document hails India as the “world’s largest democracy” and a “like-minded and trusted partner,” but deliberately overlooks India’s deepening human rights crisis. Strengthening EU-India trade, economic, and political ties has long been […]

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Kyrgyzstan: Media Workers Sentenced to Prison in Flawed Trial

[ad_1] (Bishkek) – A Kyrgyz court on September 17, 2025, convicted two former media workers on charges of “public calls for mass unrest”, Human Rights Watch said today. Joomart Duulatov and Aleksandr Aleksandrov, from the independent investigative outlet Kloop, were each sentenced to five years in prison. Two of Kloop’s accountants who were also convicted on the […]

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US Judge Blocks Expulsion of Guatemalan Children

[ad_1] On September 18, a federal judge in Washington, DC issued a preliminary injunction blocking the removal of unaccompanied Guatemalan children, at least 76 of whom the Trump administration attempted to summarily expel in the middle of the night last month. On the night of August 30 to 31, children across shelters or foster care run by the […]

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Immigration Detention Ends in Provincial Jails Across Canada

[ad_1] In a major victory for migrant and refugee rights, on September 14, Ontario became the last province in Canada to block the Canada Border Services Agency from using provincial jails to incarcerate migrants and asylum seekers on administrative grounds. The border agency said that “as of September 15, there are no people detained in […]

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