Author: Human Rights Watch

At the current session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), a closed meeting about human rights in Tajikistan curiously appeared on the agenda. Held in response to a complaint submitted under an opaque procedure of the Human Rights Council, there is no public information about the meeting, which only compounds the grave human […]

Burkina Faso’s military junta has approved a law requiring every Burkinabè student wishing to pursue higher education abroad—whether funded by a government scholarship or through private means—to obtain prior authorization from the Ministry of Higher Education. The Council of Ministers adopted the decree on June 25, but it has yet to go into effect. The government […]

(Nairobi) – Regional authorities in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have been abducting and unlawfully recruiting civilians, including children as young as 15, for their forces since at least April 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. Communities in towns and cities across the region said that Tigrayan forces and officials were abducting former combatants and other […]

The UN Human Rights Council held an emergency session today on the imminent risk of atrocities in and around Sudan’s El Obeid, a city in North Kordofan. The session follows an appeal by rights groups for the Council to exercise its prevention mandate by meeting in anticipation, rather than the aftermath, of another round of […]

(Beirut) – The Israel-Lebanon framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26, 2026, threatens to betray war crimes victims in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch and five human rights and press freedom organizations said today. Parts of the text appear to be aimed at preventing victims of serious international crimes from seeking justice before international forums. […]

Khin Khin Soe, the spokesperson for Myanmar’s military-controlled parliament, urged the Japanese government on June 30 to resume development aid to the country. At a news conference in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, the spokesperson said “ordinary citizens will suffer” from Japan’s continued suspension of new aid. Japan suspended development assistance—support for long-term government projects, not urgent […]

Niger on June 18 and Burkina Faso and Mali on June 24 notified the United Nations secretary-general of their respective decisions to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The withdrawals take effect in one year. The three military juntas provided similar reasons for their withdrawal in their notifications to the UN. Niger […]

(Miami) – The Trump administration’s move to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians has triggered widespread fear among Haitian communities in Florida of family separation, job loss, and deportation to a country engulfed by violence and a humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch and Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center said today. The US Supreme Court’s June 25, […]

Hungary’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on June 30 to abolish the Sovereignty Protection Office, an institution created by the previous Fidesz government to target independent journalists, civil society organizations, and academics receiving foreign funding. The move—which awaits the signature of Hungary’s President—is a positive step towards restoring the rule of law and a rights-respecting culture in Hungary. […]

After months of silence from Burkina Faso’s military junta, the United Nations Human Rights Office announced on June 30 that it would permanently close its operations in the country, ending its ability to monitor, document, and report on human rights abuses at a time when conflict continues and violations are rampant. The government suspended the UN […]