Author: Human Rights Watch

The Australian government’s proposed amendments to its sanctions regulations are an important step toward accountability for Taliban officials and others responsible for serious abuses in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said in a recent submission to the Australian government. The amended Autonomous Sanctions Regulations introduce new listing criteria that are specific to Afghanistan and will enable the […]

(Beirut) – Lebanese authorities released Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, on November 10, 2025, ending nearly 10 years of arbitrary detention without trial, Human Rights Watch said today. While judicial authorities’ decision to end Gaddafi’s unlawful treatment is a long overdue step in the right direction, they should also formally drop all […]

Turkish authorities are increasingly restricting the legal residency of Uyghurs seeking safety from the Chinese government. Until recently, Uyghurs who escaped repression at home felt safe in Türkiye, but as China-Türkiye relations warm, and the Erdoğan government cracks down on refugees and migrants, many are growing fearful. The Turkish government should stop deporting Uyghurs to […]

The trial of Roger Lumbala Tshitenga, a former rebel leader and former minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo, begins on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, before the Paris Criminal Court. Lumbala is charged with crimes against humanity allegedly committed in North Kivu and Ituri provinces between 2002 and 2003, including summary executions, torture and other inhuman […]

The Venezuelan nationals the US government sent to El Salvador in March and April were tortured and subjected to other abuses, including sexual violence. The cases of torture and ill-treatment of Venezuelans in El Salvador were not isolated incidents by rogue guards or riot police, but rather systematic violations. The Trump administration is complicit in […]

Following an appeal by 49 rights groups, a cross-regional group of states requested an urgent United Nations Human Rights Council session on atrocities in North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, in Sudan. The session, planned for November 14, follows reports and images of mass atrocities by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is battling the Sudanese Armed […]

The United States Supreme Court last week allowed the implementation of a discriminatory Trump administration policy requiring new passports to reflect an individual’s sex assigned at birth. The policy follows President Trump’s executive order instructing federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, male and female, and declaring these fixed at birth. The US State Department […]

Many of her videos showed laughter, music, and the color of daily life in Tonka, her hometown on the edge of Mali’s desert near Timbuktu. On TikTok, 20-year-old Mariam Cissé, besides sharing moments of joy, often voiced support for the Malian armed forces in a region ravaged by armed conflict since 2012. Last week, those […]

Instead of supporting those who fill the gaps left by Hungary’s crumbling public services and social security system, the government is prosecuting them. On November 3, prosecutors charged Pastor Gábor Iványi, who has long defended the rights of people living in poverty, with “group-committed violence against an official person” in connection with a February 2022 raid […]

(Washington, DC) – The United States government, including Congress, should address Saudi human rights abuses during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected visit to Washington, DC, on November 18, 2025, said 11 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, in a joint statement today. The Trump administration is expected to welcome the crown prince on his first visit to the […]