Author: Human Rights Watch

(Milan, January 27, 2026) – The trial, due to start this week, of 6 Italian officers for a 2023 shipwreck in which at least 94 people died is an important opportunity for justice for deaths of migrants and asylum seekers at sea, Human Rights Watch said today. The trial, following a postponement, is scheduled for […]

On January 29, the three-week hearings on the merits of Gambia’s genocide case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice came to a close. The case, filed in 2019, alleges that Myanmar’s atrocities against ethnic Rohingya in 2016 and 2017 violate the Genocide Convention of 1948. During the hearings, Gambia argued that the extreme brutality, pervasive sexual […]

(Washington DC) – The Trump administration has issued sweeping new rules that use foreign aid as a cudgel to force recipients to abandon work on reproductive rights, transgender rights, and diversity initiatives, Human Rights Watch said today. The rules, set to take effect in 30 days, will undermine important work to uphold the rights of […]

On January 25, South Sudan’s military called on civilians, aid workers, and United Nations personnel to evacuate from opposition-controlled areas in Jonglei state. Key army officials and allied forces have ramped up incendiary rhetoric amid ethnic based mobilization by all sides, elevating the risks of new atrocities.  The army’s evacuation directives came ahead of a new […]

This week, prosecutors filed criminal charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony for organizing the city’s 2025 Pride march. They are seeking a criminal fine and proposing the case be decided without a trial. The mayor’s prosecution is another example of the erosion of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hungary. The charges […]

(Nairobi) – Ugandan authorities have intensified attacks on the country’s main opposition party since presidential elections took place on January 15, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities have conducted mass arrests of National Unity Platform supporters and forcibly disappeared two senior leaders, who remain missing. Since January 15, the military has laid siege to the home […]

The Greek government has introduced an immigration bill with measures that explicitly link nongovernmental groups and humanitarian workers with criminal conduct, when in reality they are helping people in distress trying to reach Greece. The bill would amend the migration code to make membership in a nongovernmental group an aggravating factor for several existing offenses, with draconian […]

(Tokyo) – Myanmar’s military junta has committed widespread repression and abuse in every facet of life in the country since seizing power on February 1, 2021, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch said today. The military’s atrocities since the coup, which include war crimes and crimes against humanity, escalated over the past year as […]

Sexual violence by criminal groups is not new in Haiti: Human Rights Watch has documented how criminal groups have used widespread sexual violence in recent years to terrorize communities and assert control. However, the intensity and brutality of these attacks are worsening and, for those who survive, resources are increasingly scarce according to a new report by […]

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (also known as Ali Kosheib), a former leader of Sudan’s “Janjaweed” militias, to 20 years in prison. It follows his conviction in October for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Sudan’s Darfur region between 2003-2004. The long-awaited, landmark sentence is an important moment for victims and […]