Author: Human Rights Watch

(New York) – Sri Lanka’s new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, should address the country’s many human rights problems by fulfilling and building upon pledges he made in recent election campaigns, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the president on November 18, 2024. Dissanayake was elected president on September 21, and on November 14 […]

Today’s United Nations report on the state of Afghanistan’s media is devastating. Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, they have largely destroyed Afghanistan’s media landscape, creating such a climate of fear that Afghan journalists cannot genuinely investigate or report. The Taliban have detained and tortured journalists, severely limited what the media can report, […]

Victims and survivors of celebratory shootings by Chad’s security forces, that killed at least 11 people on May 9, 2024, are still awaiting justice six months later. In response to an announcement that the then-transitional president had won the presidential election, his loyal forces opened fire over cities and towns in what some described as […]

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and a Hamas official on November 21, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell immediately made clear that ICC “decisions are binding on all States party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States.” His response is a reminder of the […]

(Johannesburg) – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should publicly condemn the Mozambican authorities’ excessive use of force against postelection protesters, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the protests began on October 24, 2024, Mozambican security forces have been implicated in killing at least 30 people throughout the country according to media reports. Human Rights Watch […]

A Ugandan military court in Kampala has ordered former opposition presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye, and his travel companion, Obeid Lutale, to be held in pretrial detention in a prison, the latest example of Uganda’s authorities misusing military courts and military-related charges to clamp down on the opposition. Besigye went missing on November 16 in Kenya’s capital […]

The Emirates NBA Cup held its first game on November 12 in the US city of Detroit after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted two preseason games in October 2024 in Abu Dhabi. These games are part of the Emirati government’s efforts to distract from the many human rights violations it is committing at home and abroad, including its […]

A resolution adopted by the German Bundestag last week on curbing antisemitism and protecting Jewish life could negatively impact civil society and free expression in the country. Germany’s concern about antisemitism is justified and, given its history, understandable. It is a pressing issue emanating from both the far right and the left and needs to be taken seriously. […]

During a November 6 press conference in Tripoli, the Government of National Unity’s acting interior minister, Emad Trabelsi, vowed to impose wide-ranging “morality” measures targeting women and girls in western Libya. The restrictions on clothing, social interactions, and travel would flagrantly violate the rights of Libyan women and girls, yet the prime minister and other government […]

(New York) – The United Nations Security Council’s November 8, 2024 sanctions designations for two commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a positive first step in ensuring consequences for abuses by the force, Human Rights Watch said today. The Security Council imposed an international travel ban and asset freeze on the Rapid Support […]