Author: Human Rights Watch

(Brussels, February 4, 2026) – European Union institutions and member states’ failure to prioritize human rights undermines the rule of law, democratic space, and rights protection at home and abroad, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. A focus on deterring migration, combined with the normalization of anti-gender, anti-migrant, and anti-democratic narratives, inconsistent enforcement of […]

(Istanbul, February 4, 2025) – The Turkish government deepened its assault on the main opposition party during 2025, while at the same time pursuing an end to the four-decade conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. “The Erdoğan government has spent the past year attempting […]

(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 […]

(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 […]

(Johannesburg) – Southern African countries committed serious human rights violations throughout 2025, creating vicious cycles of abuse and impunity, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.  Security forces in Angola, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe used excessive and at times lethal force, and arbitrarily arrested and detained protesters. The authorities severely restricted freedom of expression, association, and […]

(Mexico City) – Some Latin American and Caribbean governments are violating rights of noncitizens at the Trump administration’s behest, while others are using Trump’s policies and rhetoric as cover for abuses against their own citizens, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.  In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights […]

(Kyiv, February 4, 2026) – Civilians in Ukraine experienced serious conflict-related violations over the past year, with more targeted and indiscriminate Russian attacks driving up civilian deaths, injuries, and destruction, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.  Millions of Ukrainians remain displaced inside and outside the country, many struggling to access essential […]

(Nairobi) – Abuses against civilians by government forces and armed groups have become rampant in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. The Central African governments of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and the Central African Republic have further restricted civil and political rights. “People […]

(London, February 4, 2026) – The Labour government in the UK, during its first full year in authority has carried out punitive immigration policies that have emboldened the far right, an authoritarian crackdown on protest rights, and a failure to adequately address an ongoing and worsening cost of living crisis, Human Rights Watch said today […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has done little to improve respect for human rights in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. A new election was scheduled for February 8, 2026. Major concerns include judicial intervention in politics, repression of free expression, and a mixed […]