DR Congo: Armed Group Massacres Dozens in Church

(Nairobi) – The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group killed more than 40 people, including several children, with guns and machetes during a nighttime church gathering on July 26-27, 2025, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today. Several other children were abducted and remain missing. The Ugandan-led ADF pledged allegiance to the […]

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Vietnam: Free Imprisoned Activists at Medical Risk

(New York) – The Vietnamese government should immediately release two wrongfully imprisoned activists who have developed serious health problems in prison, Human Rights Watch said today. Can Thi Theu, 63, a land rights activist, was recently hospitalized for abdominal pain and fever. Le Dinh Luong, 59, a pro-democracy campaigner, suffers from spinal degeneration and chronic stomach pain. […]

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Macao: Ex-Lawmaker Held on National Security Charge

(New York) – Macao authorities should unconditionally release the former lawmaker and veteran pro-democracy activist Au Kam San (區錦新), who was arrested on national security charges, Human Rights Watch said today. This is the first time the draconian Law on Safeguarding National Security has been invoked in China’s Macao Special Administrative Region. On July 30, 2025, […]

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Trump Should Raise Rights Issues with Azerbaijan Leader

US President Donald Trump is set to host Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House on August 8 to sign a memorandum of understanding that could lead to a peace deal between the two countries. President Trump is expected to hold bilateral meetings with both leaders as well. While […]

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Gaza: Israeli School Strikes Magnify Civilian Peril

Israeli forces’ deadly attacks on schools sheltering Palestinian civilians highlight the absence of safe places for displaced people, the vast majority of Gaza’s population. Hundreds of Israeli attacks since October 2023 have struck over 500 school buildings, many used as shelters, killing hundreds of civilians and causing significant damage to nearly all of Gaza’s schools. […]

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Lebanon: Five Years Without Justice for Port Explosion Victims

(Beirut) – Lebanese authorities have yet to deliver truth and justice for the victims and their families five years after the devastating Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. It is imperative to conduct a comprehensive and unobstructed investigation that establishes the full chain of responsibility. The blast, […]

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Lebanon: Israeli Forces Occupied, Vandalized Schools

Israeli forces occupied schools in southern Lebanon during hostilities between September and November 2024 and in the following weeks, used some of them as barracks, and appear to have intentionally vandalized, pillaged, and destroyed school property. The hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have had a devastating impact on children’s access to education and pillaging of […]

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Afghanistan: Relentless Repression 4 Years into Taliban Rule

(New York) – The Taliban have deepened their repression since taking over Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, by intensifying restrictions on the rights of women and girls, detaining journalists, and silencing all dissent, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan now faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, exacerbated by donor governments’ aid cuts and […]

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For Plastics Treaty, End Pollution at its Source

Countries will resume negotiations in Geneva on August 5, 2025, on a global plastics treaty. Previous talks have stalled amid deep divisions over key issues. To make the treaty meaningful, countries need to tackle plastic pollution at its source by limiting production, including by phasing out fossil fuels and subsidies. Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastics […]

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UK Plans AI Experiment on Children Seeking Asylum

The United Kingdom’s announcement on July 22 that it would use AI face-scanning technology to evaluate whether an asylum seeker is under age 18 threatens to harm children seeking refuge. The asylum minister, Angela Eagle, said that the decision was because this experimental technology is likely to be the cheapest option. Experimenting with unproven technology to […]

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