Author: Human Rights Watch

Momentum is mounting for a new global treaty to secure every child’s right to free education. This week, countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva to advance negotiations on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The proposed treaty would close a gap in international law. The convention guarantees free primary […]

(Istanbul, September 4, 2025) – The trial of 13 law enforcement officers charged with the death in custody of Ahmet Güreşçi and the torture of his older brother Sabri Güreşçi on February 11, 2023, offers a rare opportunity for justice, Human Rights Watch said today. The first hearing in the trial begins on September 9, […]

As the Chinese government celebrated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II and the country’s military might this week, criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record is building.  For 50 minutes on August 29, large slogans projected on a building in Chongqing, one of China’s major cities, urged the Chinese people to […]

(Bangkok) – Cambodia’s National Assembly passed amendments to its citizenship law on August 25, 2025, that allow the government to silence dissent by reworking Cambodian citizenship, Human Rights Watch said today. The amended citizenship law strips nationals, naturalized citizens, and dual citizens of the most basic protections of nationality if convicted by ruling Cambodia People’s Party-controlled […]

(Beirut) – The United Kingdom government should publicly pledge to incorporate strong human rights conditions before a Free Trade Agreement between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is signed, a coalition of 14 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, and trade unions said in a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer today.  […]

The Washington Post reports that the US government is requiring organizations receiving federal funding, including from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), not to “operate any program that benefits illegal immigrants” in the aftermath of disasters. But the foundational principle of human rights is that everyone, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or legal status, is entitled, […]

Last week, Belarusian authorities declared the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (BAHRL) an “extremist formation.” The action against the group, which works to protect the rights to a defense and a fair trial, is the latest attack on the country’s legal profession. Since its formation by exiled Belarusian lawyers arbitrarily deprived of their right […]

Children from across the globe have expressed support for expanding an international human rights treaty to require countries to provide free pre-primary and secondary education. More than 8,000 children from 40 countries responded to a United Nations survey requesting their views. Their message was loud and clear: education should be free, inclusive, and available for […]

Mauritanian security forces committed serious human rights violations between 2020 and early 2025 against migrants and asylum seekers. The European Union and Spain, bilaterally, have continued to outsource migration management to Mauritania, despite its rights violations. Recent steps by the Mauritanian government may improve protection for migrants and their rights. These should continue, and the […]

(New York) – Ecuador’s government should expedite the closure of the approximately 240 oil wells operating in the heart of Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest, Human Rights Watch said today.  On August 20, 2023, the Ecuadorian people voted to halt all current and future oil drilling in the Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini (ITT) […]