Author: Human Rights Watch

Earlier this week, Norwegian police confirmed the arrest of a man on suspicion of incitement to commit crimes against humanity in Cameroon. AFP confirmed the man was Lucas Cho Ayaba, a Cameroonian separatist leader. His arrest could be a step toward justice for the victims of serious crimes in Cameroon’s embattled Anglophone regions. Ayaba is the […]

The death of Muhammad Kamran Ashiq, a 37-year-old Pakistani man in police custody in Athens on September 21, demands an immediate and thorough independent investigation. Disturbing images circulating online appear to show severe injuries to Ashiq’s body, fueling questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. In a statement on September 26, the police said Ashiq had been […]

On September 22, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a much-anticipated general amnesty, granting pardons for a range of crimes including military desertion and minor offenses. But the amnesty will bring no relief to thousands of Syrians unjustly detained for opposing Assad or participating in protests. Like its predecessors since 2011, the new decree does not […]

As world leaders spoke about protecting the environment at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Colombia took an important concrete step by ratifying the Escazú Agreement, a landmark treaty for Latin American and Caribbean nations that advances the right to a healthy environment.  The record-breaking fires ravaging South American ecosystems this year, including the Amazon […]

Tanzania authorities have arrested leading opposition politicians who had planned to demonstrate in response to a wave of enforced disappearances of party officials. On September 23, police arrested and later released on bail Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) party; Tundu Lissu, Mbowe’s deputy and former presidential candidate; and several […]

Between July and September 2024, Aliaksandr Lukashenka signed four presidential decrees pardoning some of those convicted for “protest-related” and “extremism-related” crimes. As a result, authorities released 115 prisoners.  Many of those who “repented” their crimes when seeking a pardon were forced to do so with threats and physical violence. Despite these recent releases, the extreme […]

The Philippine government has accused union leaders and members of being combatants or supporters of communist insurgency, putting them at great risk of harassment and violence. This sinister and at times deadly practice, known as “red-tagging,” has become a serious threat to labor rights in the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should direct officials to end […]

(Bangkok) – Bangladeshi authorities should allow Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar to obtain protection and humanitarian assistance, Human Rights Watch said today. An estimated 18,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh in recent months to escape abuses amid the surging fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and the ethnic Arakan Army, while another 10,000 are reportedly waiting at […]

The crew of the Geo Barents, the Médécins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders or MSF) rescue ship in the central Mediterranean Sea, had just brought on board a 7-month-pregnant Syrian woman when a voice crackled over the walkie-talkie: small boat fast approaching. As an observer on the ship, I ran to the bridge and watched […]

The Rwandan army and the M23 armed group have throughout 2024 indiscriminately shelled displacement camps and other densely populated areas near Goma in eastern Congo. The Congolese armed forces and allied militias have increased the risk faced by displaced people in the camps by deploying artillery nearby and by entering the camps, where they have committed […]