Author: Human Rights Watch

In times of conflict, such as in the escalating hostilities in the Middle East, governments committed to international law need to be prepared to defend it and in particular protect humanitarian and human rights norms. However, instead of rising to this challenge some European leaders have chosen to belittle the role of international law. For […]

Three years after Uzbekistan criminalized domestic violence, data shows that for women progress is too slow. Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, the government should recommit to enforcing laws that protect women and ensuring justice for victims of gender-based violence. In a December 2025 report, the International Partnership for Human Rights noted important legal […]

Across the state of Kansas, transgender people are receiving letters informing them that their driver’s licenses are invalid following the passage of a law that invalidates birth certificates and driver’s licenses that do not reflect the bearer’s sex assigned at birth. The law also prohibits transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities inconsistent with their […]

Pacific Island governments on March 4, 2026, launched the world’s first regional guide to address climate-related relocation grounded in human rights principles.  As Pacific leaders gather for a three-day convening in Nadi, Fiji, they have an opportunity to pair this landmark guidance with the financial and technical support needed to implement it. The Pacific Regional […]

The United States Department of Defense’s decision on February 27 to reject the artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s ethical red lines for AI for military use is a clear sign that the Pentagon is unlikely to uphold meaningful safeguards on weapons’ development. Anthropic declined to allow the Pentagon to use the company’s products for fully autonomous weapons […]

The Istanbul mayor and main opposition Republican People’s Party presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu will stand trial on March 9 as the central defendant in a politically motivated mass corruption prosecution of 407 defendants which raises serious fair trial concerns The case is the culmination of a 17-month campaign by the Turkish authorities against the main […]

(Bangkok) – Lao authorities should urgently and impartially investigate the suspicious death of an outspoken critic of the government and appropriately prosecute those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 20, 2026, the body of Sisay Luangmonda, widely known by his social media name Bao Mor Khaen, 32, was found on a roadside in […]

Two unknown assailants shot and killed housing rights activist Zweli ‘Khabazela’ Mkhize on February 12. Treasurer of the eNkanini branch of Abahlali baseMjondolo, a shack dwellers’ movement that has faced significant threats and violence from both state and non-state actors, Mkhize was killed while visiting a friend near Midrand in Johannesburg. Abahlali baseMjondolo, comprised of urban […]

In an important judgment for media freedom, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on February 26 ruled that Hungary violated EU law when it stripped independent radio station Klubrádió of its FM frequency in 2021.  The court found that Hungarian authorities used disproportionate and discriminatory grounds in refusing to renew the station’s license and […]

(Beirut) – Civilians are at grave risk of abuse as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Human Rights Watch said today. In the early hours of March 2, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, after which the Israeli military carried over 70 strikes across Lebanon, including on southern and eastern […]