Author: Human Rights Watch

(Johannesburg) – Angolan President João Lourenco has signed into law two bills that fail to meet international human rights standards and will severely restrict freedoms of the media, expression, and association, Human Rights Watch said today. Angola’s National Assembly approved the Bill on the Crimes of Vandalism of Public Goods and Services on July 18, […]

(Beirut) – Iranian authorities have reportedly arrested on false charges, threatened, or harassed the family members of dozens of people killed, executed, or imprisoned during the protests over the last two years, Human Rights Watch said today. Two years after the outbreak of the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, Iranian authorities continue to silence and punish family […]

Last week, the United Kingdom home secretary convened a summit with ministers, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement bodies to discuss small boat crossings, focused on stopping “smuggling gangs.” This followed the deaths of at least 12 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, attempting to reach the UK by boat, in what is believed to be […]

Limited and, at times, poor regularization and integration policies in Latin American countries have forced many migrants and asylum seekers into the dangerous Darién Gap. Over the last year and a half, over 700,000 migrants and asylum seekers have crossed the Darién Gap, where they are exposed to abuses, including sexual violence. As the crises […]

(Budapest) – The Hungarian government has issued a draconian decree in breach of EU law that cancels state funded shelter for refugees from western Ukraine,  leaving many homeless, Human Rights Watch said today.  Approximately 3,000 refugees from Ukraine are affected, the majority women and children, according to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which has been monitoring the situation […]

(Quito) – The government of Ecuador has an obligation to decriminalize abortion in all circumstances, and to remove all barriers that prevent access to this essential healthcare service, Human Rights Watch said today in an amicus brief submitted to the Constitutional Court of Ecuador. The Human Rights Watch brief supports a lawsuit filed by Justa Libertad, an Ecuadorian […]

(New York) – The Chinese government should immediately quash the conviction of and release a Taiwanese political activist who was sentenced to nine years in prison for “separatism,” Human Rights Watch said today. On August 26, 2024, a court in China’s Zhejiang province convicted Yang Chih-yuan (楊智淵), 34, for political activities carried out in Taiwan, a […]

(Abuja) – Nigerian authorities have charged 10 protesters who were arrested during protests across Nigeria in August 2024 with treason, which carries a possible death penalty, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should drop the charges. According to legal sources consulted by Human Rights Watch, the 10 protesters are among the 124 people arrested […]

(Kinshasa) – Democratic Republic of Congo authorities should promptly and impartially investigate and provide a transparent, credible account of the deadly incident on September 2, 2024, at Makala Central Prison in the capital, Kinshasa, Human Rights Watch said today. Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani announced on September 2 that during an attempted prison break, 129 prisoners died, […]

In Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, today is a day of mourning. On September 4 at about 6 a.m., Russian air attacks struck the city’s historic district, killing civilians and damaging civilian buildings and infrastructure. Seven people were killed, Lviv Mayor Andryi Sadovyi reported on Telegram, including four members of the same family: a 43-year-old […]