Author: Human Rights Watch

Russian occupying authorities force Ukrainian children into schools that suppress Ukrainian identity, promote anti-Ukraine propaganda, pressure them into militarized youth programs, and illegally compel boys to register for the draft. Russian internet restrictions and surveillance, including at schools, make accessing Ukrainian education online difficult and dangerous. Governments should press Russia to end propaganda and militarization […]

Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Health and Human Services made unannounced visits in June to several DC-area legal aid nonprofits dedicated to representing unaccompanied immigrant children. According to media reports, the agents asked for documents and financial records relating to the organizations’ child clients from Kids in Need of Defense […]

On June 29, Pakistani airstrikes in three provinces in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 28 civilians and wounded at least 49, including among them women and children, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Pakistani authorities assert that they were targeting militants responsible for attacking Pakistani security personnel days earlier in Karachi but provided […]

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and other senior government officials presided over the 38th graduation ceremony of secondary school students from the Sawa military training center on July 11. Though graduation ceremonies are ordinarily a cause for celebration and the promise of a new future, for many young Eritreans, Sawa’s graduation ceremonies sadly mark the loss of […]

Democratic Congressman of California Ro Khanna got a taste of Palestinians’ daily life under occupation on July 8. While visiting the occupied West Bank, Khanna said he and his team were stopped by armed Israeli settlers who were soon joined by four Israeli soldiers that proceeded to hold the group for over an hour. Khanna […]

(Berlin) – A new immersive documentary spotlighting the climate crisis in the Pacific nation of Solomon Islands will premiere at the Venice International Film Festival September 2–12, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. Academy Award-nominated actor and human rights advocate Mark Ruffalo has joined forces with Human Rights Watch to narrate the extended reality experience, “Solwata.” […]

(Washington, DC) – People held in the immigration detention camp at the US Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas have experienced serious abuse, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a joint report released today. People detained at Camp East Montana have experienced indiscriminate beatings, life-threatening medical neglect, coercive removals […]

As the annual Hong Kong Book Fair opens this week, two of the city’s best-known independent bookstores, Elmbook and Luckwin, won’t be there. On July 2, authorities barred them from exhibiting. Soon after, Elmbook announced it would close on its 30th anniversary in April 2027, when its lease ends. While officials did not say why […]

(Washington, DC) – Peruvian President José María Balcázar should veto a bill that would expand the military justice system, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would effectively open the door to impunity for police officers and members of the armed forces responsible for human rights violations.  On June 23, 2026, Congress passed a bill that would modify […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai government should not forcibly return detained Chinese dissidents to China, Human Rights Watch said today. At least four Chinese dissidents detained at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok face possible deportation to China. The Chinese government has increasingly pressured Thai authorities ahead of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s scheduled visit to China from […]