Author: Human Rights Watch

It has been 13 days since armed soldiers seized Muwanga Kivumbi, a deputy president for the National Unity Platform, Uganda’s main opposition party. He has not been heard from since and the authorities have yet to account for his whereabouts. On July 10, the day after a court released Kivumbi on bail on politically related […]

Two incidents of videoed cruelty of stray animals in China this summer have triggered widespread outrage. Both spread rapidly online, and both showed a familiar government response: censorship, intimidation, and dispersion. In late June, videos of four boys cruelly mistreating and burning a dog and her puppies in Jieyang, Guangdong province, circulated widely online. Public […]

(London) – Candidates in the upcoming Greater Manchester mayoral by-election should publicly commit to engaging with the Emirati government on its egregious human rights record if elected, Human Rights Watch and FairSquare said today in a joint letter to the candidates. The UAE has invested billions of pounds into both Manchester and its football club, Manchester […]

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities since late June 2026 have arrested and detained five people for their roles in the publication of a controversial book about Ho Chi Minh, the founder of Vietnamese communism, Human Rights Watch said today. Hanoi police charged all five—Nguyen Thanh Nam, Tran Viet Anh, Nguyen Thuy Hang, Dao Ba Doan, and […]

The Nigerian authorities’ prosecution of Boko Haram suspects does not advance justice for serious international crimes, as the cases continue to target primarily low-level suspects and raise significant fair trial concerns. Trials were conducted without witnesses or circumstantial evidence, prosecutors dropped some seemingly serious charges, while many plea-driven convictions were for aiding armed groups that […]

(Nairobi) – Niger’s military junta has entrenched authoritarian rule, dismantled democratic institutions, and intensified repression since seizing power three years ago, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 26, 2023, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani and other Nigerien army officers overthrew the elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum. Since then, the junta has consolidated sweeping and unchecked powers, systematically weakening institutions […]

(New York) – Indian security forces used tear gas and batons to suppress largely peaceful student and youth protests in New Delhi on July 20, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration should promptly and impartially investigate unnecessary and excessive use of force, allow peaceful protests, and stop suspending mobile internet services, […]

(Beirut) – The United Arab Emirates’ cycling team Emirates-XRG risks “sportswashing” the country’s egregious human rights record, Human Rights Watch said today. The team’s principal sponsors are state-owned companies, and the team has stated openly that its aim is “representing an entire nation, the UAE.” UAE Team Emirates is currently leading in the Tour de France, which […]

(Manila) – Prosecutors in the Philippines should dismiss criminal libel complaints, including those filed by a mining company, against four rights advocates in Nueva Vizcaya province, Human Rights Watch said today. In July 2026, the North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation filed a criminal complaint for cyber-libel against two lawyers representing local communities. The complaint accused […]

(Tokyo) – The Japanese Diet on July 17, 2026, adopted a flag desecration law that criminalizes damaging Japan’s national flag, a violation of the right to freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Japan Innovation Party, and three opposition parties supported the bill during a session […]