Author: Human Rights Watch

The arrival of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people in Ceuta, Spain’s enclave in North Africa, on July 30-31 was not only unprecedented but also tragic. At least 72 people died, including many who drowned while trying to swim from Morocco to Ceuta and others who were crushed while trying to climb a border barrier, according to Spanish […]

Eight years on, justice is still elusive for the families of 6 people killed and the 35 injured by Zimbabwe state security forces during the August 1, 2018, protests.  Witnesses at the time told Human Rights Watch that military officers and anti-riot police used excessive and lethal force against people who were protesting delayed election results on […]

A representative of the Congolese Ministry of Hydrocarbons, during an on-the-record interview with Human Rights Watch on July 31, discussed the findings of the government’s official environmental audit into the activities of Perenco, the French-British oil and gas company operating in western Democratic Republic of Congo.  The audit identified “negative impacts on soil and air […]

On July 23, Human Rights Watch filed a written submission to the European Commission on the European Union’s landmark corporate accountability law, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. The European Commission is currently formulating guidance on how companies should implement the law, which requires businesses to identify and address human rights risks in their operations and […]

A nightmare for Indigenous people and other communities on the Abacaxis riverbanks in the Brazilian Amazon began on August 3, 2020. That day, three private boats arrived in the town of Nova Olinda do Norte carrying ten undercover military police officers from the state of Amazonas; ten days earlier, someone had shot at a boat […]

(New York) – Afghanistan’s Taliban have entrenched one of the world’s worst human rights crises and systematically dismantled the rights of women and girls since taking power five years ago, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a timeline of abuses over the last five years. Afghanistan is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis with nearly 40 […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai authorities should immediately take effective measures to protect the prominent members of parliament Angkhana Neelapaijit and Romadon Panjor and the human rights defender Anchana Heemmina, all of whom have been facing online death threats and attacks, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 31, 2026, Angkhana, a senator and former member of […]

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military on July 28 to take control of another Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank without identifying which one. He has said the operation should follow the “Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Jenin model.” Those words indicate more expulsion of Palestinians from their homes and so more […]

(Nairobi, July 31, 2026) – The Russian government-controlled Africa Corps carried out airstrikes in central Mali on June 15, 2026, that killed eight civilians, including three children, in an apparently unlawful attack, Human Rights Watch said today.   That morning, an aircraft identified by two Malian military sources as a Sukhoi Su-24, dropped at least two […]

Australia’s eSafety commissioner issued an advisory on July 28 urging schools to review how they share images online, citing a rise in the misuse of school photos. Between January and March 2026, the commissioner received over 100 reports concerning anonymous accounts targeting schools and school staff through misuse of images taken from official school websites and social […]