Author: Human Rights Watch

(Beirut) – The Iraqi authorities have finally dispersed a first round of compensation payments to people from Sinjar district in northern Iraq for damages to their property both by the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Iraqi and US-led coalition military battles against them, Human Rights Watch said today. The payments were made after years of delay […]

(Geneva) – The North Korean government should urgently act on the recommendations from United Nations member states during the fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of North Korea’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council on November 7, 2024, Human Rights Watch and Transitional Justice Working Group said today. In the UPR draft report circulated on […]

(Beirut) – The Houthi authorities in Yemen have since mid-October submitted at least 12 individuals’ cases, including former United States embassy and United Nations staff, to their Specialized Criminal Prosecution, accusing some of them with crimes that carry the death penalty while denying them due process, Human Rights Watch said today. Houthi authorities have arbitrarily detained and […]

The civilian death toll from Israel’s ongoing strikes across Lebanon continues to mount as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah enters its 14th month. Yet, there has been no sign of accountability for Israel’s unlawful attacks or violations of the laws of war. If there is no pressure for warring parties to answer for their […]

Turkmenistan’s authorities refuse to renew the passports of Turkmen citizens abroad via diplomatic missions, pressuring them to return to Turkmenistan. This policy is one of several ways Turkmenistan’s government interferes with their citizens’ freedom of movement and seeks to assert control over their citizens extraterritorially. Without a valid passport, Turkmen migrants are undocumented and face […]

(Brussels) – The European Parliament should reject proposed amendments to the European Union’s Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR), Human Rights Watch said today. The regulation requires companies in EU countries to ensure that the wood, oil palm, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and cattle they export or import have been produced in conditions that respect human rights and local […]

Thai authorities are continuing to place refugees and asylum seekers at risk of torture by forcibly returning them to China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and other countries with well-documented records of torturing dissidents. In doing so, Thailand is violating the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which it […]

A second presidential term for Donald Trump, who appointed three of the Supreme Court justices that eliminated the US constitutional right to abortion, poses a serious threat to reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. This is despite opinion polls showing that 63 percent of people in the US think abortion should be legal in all or […]

(Johannesburg) – The Mozambican authorities should immediately end internet restrictions imposed since October 25, 2024, and restore full access to social media platforms, Human Rights Watch said today. Internet restrictions and shutdowns violate multiple rights including access to information, freedom of speech, and peaceful protest, and people’s ability to earn a living through online business. […]

(Istanbul, November 7, 2024) – The Erdoğan government’s decision in recent days to remove from office four democratically elected mayors and dissolve municipal councils is a significant blow to Türkiye’s democratic credentials and violates the rights of over half a million voters, Human Rights Watch said today. The mayors in four constituencies, one in Istanbul and three […]