Author: Human Rights Watch

France’s Parliament has adopted a landmark law – that defines rape as any non-consensual sexual act, a significant milestone in the fight against sexual violence in the country. In an overdue change, France is following Denmark, Finland, Spain, Greece, and other European nations in updating legal provisions that make clear autonomy, particularly women and girls’ […]

(Seoul) – South Korea’s Ministry of Data and Statistics updated the 2025 Population and Housing Census on October 22, 2025, to allow same-sex couples to be counted, Human Rights Watch said today. The census, which will be conducted from October 22 to November 18, will recognize the same-sex relationships of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) […]

(Istanbul, October 29, 2025) – A government proposal would pave the way to bring criminal charges against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Türkiye, one of the most alarming rollbacks of rights in decades, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposal should be immediately withdrawn.  A draft of the omnibus reform law, referred to as […]

Mali’s military junta has temporarily shut down all schools and universities after an Islamist armed group laid siege to the nation’s capital, Bamako, and cut off fuel supplies, deepening the suffering of children and youth whose education has been disrupted by years of conflict. Mali’s education minister announced on October 26 that classes would be suspended […]

Intersex Awareness Week is marked annually to recall a small group of protesters who picketed the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1996 for ignoring the rights of children born with sex variations. While the academy has not budged, medical institutions and governments around the world are increasingly recognizing that people born with intersex variations deserve […]

Cameroon’s post-election period has been marred with violence, with at least four people killed allegedly by security forces, dozens injured, and hundreds more arrested across the country since the October 12, 2025 presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately rein in their security forces, promptly and impartially investigate the excessive use […]

(Brussels, October 22, 2025) – Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a high-level visit to Brussels on October 24, 2025, to sign a partnership deal with the EU setting out a new stage of closer relations and cooperation. While the new EU-Uzbekistan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement specifies respect for democratic principles and human rights and […]

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities should immediately release 10 Nubian Egyptians who have been unjustly detained for over 5 years, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 6, 2025, the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh reduced the sentences of the prisoners on appeal, yet all 10 remain unjustly detained. Saudi authorities arrested the 10 men […]

(New York) – Developing an effective International Convention to Prevent and Punish Crimes against Humanity will require ambitious and forward-looking diplomacy, Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School’s Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity Project said today in a new briefing paper outlining 25 recommendations for delegations at the United Nations to consider as they prepare for […]

(Bangkok) – An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan, is scheduled to indict Matiullah Jan, a journalist who has long reported on police abuse, on October 31, 2025, on apparent politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said today. The Pakistani authorities should immediately drop the baseless charges against Jan under several sections of the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act and for narcotics’ […]