Author: Human Rights Watch

(Beirut, May 27, 2026) – Lebanon’s recent accession to the Mine Ban Treaty amid an ongoing armed conflict underscores the treaty’s vital importance for saving lives and rebuilding communities, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s decision should motivate other countries, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, to support the global norm against […]

The Trump administration has deported over 4,300 Cubans to Mexico, many of whom are older people with serious health conditions who had been living in the United States for years or even decades. Many are left stranded without access to housing and health care. Those who cannot access protection as refugees are trapped in a […]

Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), the Catholic Church’s authoritative pastoral letter released on May 25, emphasized the need for “safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence,” including the use of AI in warfare and the threat posed by killer robots. Building on the church’s long-held position, Pope Leo wrote that “the […]

(Washington DC) – Federal regulators should act urgently to prevent millions of people with low incomes from losing Medicaid coverage under new work requirements, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America said in a joint letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week.The […]

As European Union commissioners prepare for their April 29 security college meeting on China’s influence on EU security, they should place human rights concerns at the center of those discussions. The Chinese government’s intensifying repression at home and increasingly coercive conduct abroad pose serious risks not only for people’s rights, but also for Europe’s long-term security […]

Russian occupation authorities are seizing civilian property in occupied areas of Ukraine, despite international law prohibiting occupying powers from such conduct. Authorities have introduced a sham process to declare properties “ownerless” and transfer them to municipal ownership, while also imposing administrative and travel barriers making it nearly impossible for displaced Ukrainians to assert their rights. […]

With apparent support from the UAE, Colombian private military contractors have deployed to Sudan to support the abusive Rapid Support Forces. The deployment adds to evidence of UAE military support for the Rapid Support Forces, which have committed widespread atrocities in Sudan.  Other countries should push for investigations, capable of leading to sanctions, into all those, including UAE […]

(Nairobi) – The 2016 conviction in Senegal of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré was a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for atrocity crimes, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today. The verdict, which followed a 25-year legal campaign by Habré’s victims, was the first time the domestic courts […]

On May 26, Russia’s State Duma is scheduled to review a draft law that targets exiled critics for allegedly acting “against Russia’s interests overseas.” The draft law, prepared by a special parliamentary commission, “On Investigation of Foreign Interference in Russia’s Internal Affairs,” stipulates that Russian exiles convicted of offences typically the result of politically motivated […]

(Istanbul, May 22, 2026) – A court decision ordering the removal of the party chair and leadership of Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is the latest deeply damaging blow to the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Türkiye, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 21, 2026, the 36th Ankara regional […]