Author: Human Rights Watch

(Bogota) – The June 7, 2025, attack against the Colombian congressman and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay is a blow to democracy, Human Rights Watch said today. A 15-year-old boy shot and severely injured Uribe Turbay during a campaign event in Bogota, the country’s capital. Uribe Turbay, a congressman for the right-wing party Centro Democrático, was speaking […]

(Bangkok) – A Thai civilian court’s conviction of two army instructors for the beating death of a conscript is the first successful prosecution under Thailand’s 2022 prevention of torture law, Human Rights Watch said today. The case highlights the need for the Thai government to punish military commanders’ use of torture and corporal punishment against […]

A federal court has allowed Jackson, the Blackest major city in the US, to pursue claims that the state of Mississippi is trying to strip away control of its airport for racially discriminatory reasons. Last week, US District Court Judge Carlton Reeves denied the state’s latest attempt to dismiss Jackson’s lawsuit, clearing the way for a case […]

Libya’s fragmented justice sector is marred by serious due process violations and laws that violate international norms. The judiciary is unwilling and unable to meaningfully investigate serious crimes. Violations of the magnitude and persistence documented in Libya reflect the chronic shortcomings of Libya’s judicial institutions. Tackling structural institutional dysfunction, including within the judiciary, is a […]

Earlier this month, Sharifa Madrakhimova’s passport was tampered with and destroyed, preventing her from traveling abroad to accept an award honoring her work defending human rights in Uzbekistan. Shortly afterward, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, another prominent rights defender, was ordered to pay several thousand dollars in a civil defamation case for an innocuous Facebook post. While the […]

(Beirut) – The de facto Houthi authorities in Yemen should immediately and unconditionally release dozens of staff from the United Nations and Yemeni and international civil society organizations who were arbitrarily detained over the course of the past year, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. The Houthis’ arbitrary arrests of humanitarian workers have a […]

In June 2024, the EU adopted a groundbreaking law requiring large companies to respect human rights and the environment throughout their global value chains. It also introduced new plans to limit CO2 emissions. The law, known as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), signaled a major shift for companies from voluntary standards to being held […]

Last week, the United States Congress passed a sweeping rollback of crucial pollution control standards. The resolution cancels a Biden-era rule guaranteeing continued emissions controls on facilities emitting substantial amounts of seven “super-toxics,” including lead compounds, arsenic, mercury, and benzene. If signed into law by President Donald Trump, this move will likely cause substantial harm […]

(Beirut) – Qatari authorities have discriminated against members of the Baha’i faith, including with unlawful detentions, based solely on their religious identity, Human Rights Watch said today. Qatari authorities arrested and detained Remy Rowhani on April 28, 2025. Rowhani is the chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Qatar, an elected body that […]

(Nairobi) – A coalition of Congolese army-backed militias known as the “Wazalendo” have recently committed widespread abuses against civilians in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today.  The Congolese government has supported the Wazalendo (“patriots” in Swahili) to fight against the abusive M23, although the extent of the army’s command […]