Author: Human Rights Watch

In the early morning hours of February 26, 2023, the Summer Love shipwrecked off the coast of Calabria, Italy. At least 94 people, including 35 children, died in what is known as the Cutro shipwreck. According to survivors, the boat was carrying up to 250 people, most from Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan. The anniversary comes […]

US President Donald Trump’s administration today rolled back another air-pollution protection, this time for one of the most toxic substances on earth: mercury. The action reverses then-President Joe Biden’s decision in 2024 to reduce the levels of allowable mercury air emissions for coal-fired power plants, restoring them to their previous levels. Trump had already given dozens […]

(New York) – North Korea’s ninth Party Congress started on February 20, 2026, amid escalating repression of young people, strict control of information, and widespread forced labor, Human Rights Watch said today. The Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea is the country’s most important political meeting. Party Congresses have historically occurred irregularly: the last three […]

The disqualification of the Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the 2026 Winter Olympics shines a critical light on Rule 50 (2) of the Olympic Charter prohibiting political, racial, or religious “propaganda” at Olympic venues. He was disqualified for wearing a helmet displaying images of Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decision by […]

Six years ago, on February 19, 2020, a far-right extremist shot and killed nine and injured six people predominantly of Muslim background in Hanau, Germany. The attack was motivated by racism and Islamophobia.  Today, we remember: Ferhat Unvar Hamza Kurtović Said Nesar Hashemi Vili Viorel Păun Mercedes Kierpacz Kaloyan Velkov Fatih Saraçoğlu Sedat Gürbüz Gökhan […]

Ayla, 21, Jomana, 18, and Ilya, 19, came to Sweden as children, though at different ages and under different circumstances. Today they face the same reality: all have been ordered to leave the country alone while their families remain. These cases stem from Sweden’s increasingly restrictive migration policy, under which young people who turn 18 before obtaining permanent […]

Since 2019, more than 90 Trinidad and Tobago nationals, including at least 50 children, have been arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria for alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS). After enduring years of life-threatening conditions, their situation in recent weeks has only gotten worse. Trinidadian women detained in Syria’s Roj camp, which is under control […]

Russian authorities are restricting access to safe abortion care and limiting the ability of women and girls to get accurate information about their reproductive choices. Russian authorities are jeopardizing women’s rights, health, and even lives, as part of their harmful “traditional values” crusade and effort to boost population growth. These policies reduce access to quality […]

(Beirut) – The United States transferred 5,700 detainees held for alleged ISIS affiliation from Northeast Syria to Iraq, where they are at risk of enforced disappearance, unfair trials, torture, ill-treatment, and violations of the right to life, Human Rights Watch said today.  The United States began transferring the detainees, including Syrians, Iraqis, and third country nationals, on January […]

The Philippine authorities have sought to permanently move entire communities from various areas to sites deemed safer, without adhering to international standards aimed at protecting the rights of those affected. Past failures in the region underscore the urgent need for authorities to ensure inclusive, rights-based solutions, including through fully consulting those affected. The Philippines government should […]