Author: Human Rights Watch

A 2021 Ministry of Education directive—the Children’s Speech Harmonization plan—mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction and care, including in ethnic minority areas. By severely limiting Tibetan-language education in early childhood, and imposing ideological indoctrination on kindergarten children, the Chinese government is speeding up its erasure of Tibetan language and culture. […]

(Johannesburg) – The Zambian government’s decision to postpone RightsCon 2026, effectively canceling the summit, raises concerns about the authorities’ commitment to free expression and assembly and about possible Chinese government interference, Human Rights Watch said today. The 14th edition of RightsCon was scheduled to be held in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, from May 5 to 8, […]

(Geneva) – Nepal’s recently elected Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) government, led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, which came to power on a wave of popular demands for change, should use this opportunity to bring lasting protections for human rights and the rule of law, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists said […]

The European Parliament adopted on Tuesday a resolution calling on the European Commission to make consent the determining factor in rape legislation across the EU, with 447 members voting “for,” 160 “against,” and 43 abstaining. Stating that “affirmative, freely given and unambiguous indication of consent is valid and that silence, a lack of verbal or […]

(Bangkok) – On April 30, 2026, the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal upheld the politically motivated conviction of the Cambodian political opposition leader Kem Sokha, Human Rights Watch said today. The court extended Sokha’s de-facto house arrest and 27-year sentence that had been imposed in March 2023 and added an additional five-year ban on international […]

Nepali authorities have stopped processing applications for transgender people to change their legal gender on identity documents. The authorities’ actions are regressing on years of progress and undermining the fundamental right of recognition before the law. The Nepal government should immediately process pending applications and create a clear policy for legal gender recognition aligned with […]

A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected on April 24 the government’s denial of the right to seek asylum for asylum seekers who arrive at the southern border. The ruling stops summary deportations based on President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day proclamation of an “invasion” at the US-Mexico […]

(New York) – Legislation advancing in Maryland and Alabama would expand voting rights for people with felony convictions, marking significant progress in the movement to expand voting rights for all, Human Rights Watch said today. Alabama recently enacted a law to make it easier for people to vote after they complete prison sentences. Maryland Governor Wes […]

(Vancouver) – The FIFA Council’s decision to approve amendments to its Governance Regulations provides a landmark opportunity to ensure gender equity and human rights in sport, the Sport & Rights Alliance (SRA) said today. These changes allow for the official recognition of the Afghanistan Women’s National Team in exile, ensuring that the players can once again […]

(Beirut) – The Israeli government has approved a $334 million plan to transfer thousands more Israeli civilians into the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, Human Rights Watch said today. The decision, adopted by the cabinet on April 17, 2026, is a clear statement of intent to commit war crimes. “Israel’s cabinet has put public money behind a war crime […]