Author: Human Rights Watch

(Nairobi) – Civilians in Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia are bearing the brunt of abusive armed conflicts in which the warring parties frequently and often deliberately target them, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. Governments across the region have clamped down on already restricted civic and political space around protests and ahead of elections. “Brutal […]

(São Paulo) – Brazilian authorities should adopt new public security strategies that dismantle criminal organizations and their alleged links with state agents, enhance independent criminal investigations, and spur reforms to make police more effective at upholding the law, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th […]

The Australian government expanded its abusive refugee and migrant policies in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. Despite 2025 election pledges to uphold international refugee law, the government initiated a plan to deport refugees and migrants it labels “noncitizens” to the Pacific island of Nauru and passed new laws that deny them […]

Congress approved five of six federal funding bills this week, delaying funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over concerns regarding recent immigration crackdowns, including killings and other abuses. Congress is now negotiating possible reforms for DHS and two of its agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  The […]

On February 3, a devastating collision between a Greek Coast Guard vessel and a migrant boat occurred off the Greek island of Chios. The collision, which resulted in 15 deaths and 24 people injured, including 11 children, raises serious questions about the actions of the Greek Coast Guard at sea. Although officials were quick to blame the migrant boat […]

(Washington, DC) – US President Donald Trump’s second term has been marked by widespread human rights violations and sustained attacks on core pillars of accountable, democratic governance in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. The country has quickly fallen into a dangerous slide toward authoritarianism that impunity for serious […]

In the wake of the Bondi Hannukah attack, the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in three decades, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit, to “engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives.” President Herzog is Israel’s head of state, with a constitutional and […]

On January 29, the junta’s Council of Ministers approved a decree dissolving all political parties in the country and a draft law repealing the legislation governing their operations and financing. The minister of territorial administration, Émile Zerbo, said the action is part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state,” following what the junta describes as […]

(Bangkok) – The Chinese government intensified its repression across the country in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.  President Xi Jinping mobilized the government to impose strict ideological conformity and loyalty to him and the Chinese Communist Party. Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other communities with distinct identities, including members of unofficial churches, face […]

(Bangkok) – Nepal was rocked by disorder and arson after police killed 19 protesters during the September demonstrations that toppled the government, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. An interim government mandated to conduct fresh elections in March was sworn in under the leadership of former chief justice Sushila Karki, who has pledged […]