Author: Human Rights Watch

(New York) – Afghanistan’s Taliban have entrenched one of the world’s worst human rights crises and systematically dismantled the rights of women and girls since taking power five years ago, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a timeline of abuses over the last five years. Afghanistan is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis with nearly 40 […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai authorities should immediately take effective measures to protect the prominent members of parliament Angkhana Neelapaijit and Romadon Panjor and the human rights defender Anchana Heemmina, all of whom have been facing online death threats and attacks, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 31, 2026, Angkhana, a senator and former member of […]

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military on July 28 to take control of another Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank without identifying which one. He has said the operation should follow the “Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Jenin model.” Those words indicate more expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and so more […]

(Nairobi, July 31, 2026) – The Russian government-controlled Africa Corps carried out airstrikes in central Mali on June 15, 2026, that killed eight civilians, including three children, in an apparently unlawful attack, Human Rights Watch said today.   That morning, an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, dropped at least two […]

Australia’s eSafety commissioner issued an advisory on July 28 urging schools to review how they share images online, citing a rise in the misuse of school photos. Between January and March 2026, the commissioner received over 100 reports concerning anonymous accounts targeting schools and school staff through misuse of images taken from official school websites and social […]

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities should immediately quash the criminal conviction of a prominent commentator on social media and release her, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 29, 2026, a court in Hanoi convicted Hoang Thi Hong Thai and sentenced her to six years in prison. Hanoi police had arrested her on January 7 for […]

An Azerbaijani court on July 27 sentenced nine journalists, media workers, and civil society activists to between 12 and 15 years in prison. It is the harshest verdict since the government began its ongoing crackdown on independent journalism. The Baku Grave Crimes Court handed down the sentences in the so-called Toplum TV case. Akif Gurbanov […]

South Sudan’s army, opposition forces, and their respective allied militias abused residents and caused much of the population to flee during fighting in 2025 in Nagero County, Western Equatoria. Civilians have returned to Nagero town and environs, but continue to live in fear, and the government has continued to limit aid access into Nagero County […]

(London) – Bangladesh authorities are failing to uphold international legal standards at the country’s International Crimes Tribunal, Human Rights Watch said today. The failures risk denying justice to victims, undermining the rule of law, falsely imprisoning political opponents, and repeating the rights violations of the past. On July 27, prosecutors submitted charges against 41 people for […]

Indonesian authorities are wrongfully prosecuting environmental defenders who protest deforestation and pollution as well as Indigenous leaders who defend their land rights. The Prabowo administration has intensified the crackdown on free expression by expanding the military’s role in state-owned mining, oil palm plantations, infrastructure projects, and so-called food and energy estates. The government should fairly […]