Author: Human Rights Watch

This week, Australia passed new laws that expand government authority to ban hate groups and impose tougher penalties for hate crimes. The legislation is part of the government’s response to Sydney’s Bondi Beach mass shooting in December when two gunmen killed 15 people at celebrations for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. States are obligated under international human […]

On January 20, a Belgian court held a closed-door hearing to determine whether to pursue a criminal case against the last living former Belgian official for his alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of the first democratically elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Émery Lumumba, following the country’s independence from Belgian colonial rule. […]

People living near Lega Dembi gold mine in Ethiopia’s Oromia region have for years complained about serious health impacts, including children born with long-term health conditions, miscarriages, and stillbirths. Several studies have found high concentrations of toxic chemicals, including cadmium, mercury, lead, and arsenic, in the country’s largest gold mine.  Next week, the United Nations […]

(New York) – Major donor nations dealt a devastating blow to the right to health for millions of people worldwide when they cut support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Human Rights Watch said today. Only US$11.85 billion has so far been pledged for 2026-2028 of an urgently needed US$18 billion. […]