Author: Human Rights Watch

Retired Brig. Gen. Frank Rusagara died last week in Rwanda. He had spent 11 years behind bars, without being allowed to speak to his wife, who died in the United Kingdom in 2016. His family last heard his voice in 2014, in the days before he was arrested. After he died, Rusagara’s family was told he had been […]

(Washington, DC) – Argentine authorities should investigate security forces’ use of force to confront a protest led by pensioners and review an “anti-protest” protocol that opens the door to abuse, Human Rights Watch said today.  On March 12, 2025, hundreds of pensioners gathered outside Argentina’s National Congress in Buenos Aires calling for improvements to their pensions and […]

(Bangkok) – Myanmar’s military junta should allow immediate unfettered access to humanitarian aid for earthquake survivors and lift restrictions that impede the emergency response, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the earthquake struck at 12:50 p.m. on March 28, 2025, the military has carried out airstrikes and limited internet access in severely affected areas, further complicating the […]

(Berlin, March 28, 2025) – Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan should place local people’s human rights at the center of the historic deal over their contested border, and provide justice to victims of  war crimes during a 2022 border conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. The agreement was signed on March 13, 2025 by Tajik president Emomali Rahmon […]

India’s northeastern state of Manipur is facing risks of renewed ethnic violence despite the resignation of its divisive chief minister and the imposition of president’s rule on February 13, 2025. India’s Supreme Court expressed concerns over what it termed the “absolute breakdown of law and order” in Manipur after the May 2023 breakout of ethnic […]

(Beirut) – Syria’s newly approved constitutional declaration, meant to govern the country’s transitional phase, concentrates power in the executive and could undermine the independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today.  The declaration, endorsed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on March 13, 2025, grants the president significant authority, including over judicial and legislative appointments […]

Government officials, local authorities, health professionals, and civil society are gathering today at the second global conference on air pollution and health in Cartagena, Colombia. As multilateralism is under threat, this convening is a crucial opportunity for policymakers to make progress on tackling air pollution globally. Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the government […]

The Trump administration has jeopardized efforts to find thousands of Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia and Belarus, and in doing so, may have compromised evidence of war crimes by Russian officials. After the US State Department funded Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab in 2022 to work on Ukraine, the lab exposed the scope of Russian […]

On Tuesday, the well-known political activist and journalist Idrissa Barry was arrested by men claiming to be gendarmes in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, sparking fears he has been forcibly disappeared. Barry, 48, is the national secretary of the opposition political group Servir et Non se Servir (“To Serve and Not Serve Oneself,” or SENS). According […]

(Miri) – Malaysia should move swiftly to strengthen its proposed National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights by ensuring that its key provisions are enforceable, a coalition of three Indigenous, human rights, and environmental groups said today in responding to the Malaysian government’s draft plan. Priorities should include meeting Malaysia’s domestic and international commitments to halt […]