Author: Human Rights Watch

TEXT ON SCREEN October 28, 2025 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil NARRATION On the morning of October 28th, 2025, hundreds of police officers surrounded two low-income neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. By nightfall, the operation would become the deadliest in Brazil’s history. TEXT ON SCREEN WARNING. This video contains graphic content, including blurred images of dead […]

School officials across Azerbaijan have been turning away girls wearing hijabs following the introduction of new government dress regulations, sparking protests across the country. Police have detained dozens of people amid the protests, while Instagram and TikTok users have reported difficulties accessing the platforms as public criticism of the restrictions has grown. Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of […]

(Beirut) – Egyptian authorities should drop their case against Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent media outlet Mada Masr, ahead of her October 27, 2026 hearing, Human Rights Watch said today.  The Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) referred Attalah for trial on October 22 in Case No. 9072/2026 on charges of establishing and managing a website without a […]

“It is as if a tsunami had hit the city,” said a resident who returned to Sudan’s El Fasher only to find it destroyed and largely abandoned after the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) October 2025 takeover. For 18 months, the RSF laid siege to the city, digging a trench around it in its final months, forcing […]

(São Paulo, October 25, 2026) – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been reelected as Brazil’s president, should use his new term to tackle chronic human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today. President Lula defeated the Liberal Party candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, in a runoff election on October 25, 2026, official results from the […]

(Tokyo) – A South Korean government proposal would allow medication abortion in South Korea in 2027, but overly restrictive regulations will continue to impair the right of women and girls to safe and affordable abortion services, Human Rights Watch said today. National Assembly members have questioned government officials about the plan during a parliamentary audit.  […]

(Mexico City) – Mexico’s Senate should amend legislation approved by the Chamber of Deputies on October 20, 2026, to ensure that people with disabilities can appoint supporters to make legal decisions by April 1, 2027, as originally planned, Human Rights Watch said today. The current legislation would postpone the deadline for implementing the National Code of Civil and […]

(Brussels) – The European Parliament on October 22, 2026, awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials.  The following quote can be attributed to Philippe Dam, EU advocacy director at Human Rights Watch: “By awarding the Sakharov Prize to the ICC, the European Parliament recognizes the court’s […]

A court in Tajikistan has sentenced Asadullo Boboev, an opposition activist deported from Germany in June, to 17 years in jail. Human Rights Watch and other groups previously warned the German authorities that activists like Boboev could face mistreatment and criminal prosecution on politically motivated charges if returned to Tajikistan. Boboev, 54, had lived in […]