Author: Human Rights Watch

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 […]

On February 13, Myanmar’s military junta ordered the head of Timor-Leste’s embassy in Yangon to leave the country within seven days. The expulsion comes after Timorese authorities opened legal proceedings against Myanmar junta officials earlier this month for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case, filed by the Chin Human Rights Organisation in January, accuses […]

The recent detention of 12 men in Senegal using homophobic laws have intensified concerns over the country’s criminalization of same-sex relations and the safety of people living with HIV and/or AIDS. On February 9, gendarmes in Dakar arrested 12 men on various charges, including “acts against nature” and the alleged intentional transmission of HIV. The men […]

(Paris) – Chinese authorities have attempted to pressure two ethnic Uyghur activists living in Paris, including by asking one to spy on France’s Uyghur diaspora, Human Rights Watch said today. The case highlights the Chinese government’s increasing harassment of critics abroad and members of diaspora communities, abusive acts beyond China’s borders known as “transnational repression.” “The […]

(Washington, DC) – Venezuelan authorities should take prompt measures to reform key judicial and electoral institutions and repeal abusive laws, Human Rights Watch said today. Following US military strikes in Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3, 2026, Venezuelan authorities have released hundreds of political prisoners and said that […]

In a watershed moment for same-sex couples in the Philippines, the Supreme Court ruled on February 5 that a cohabiting same-sex partner has co-ownership rights to property they helped acquire during the relationship. The case involved a lesbian couple who bought property together but registered it under one partner’s name to facilitate the sale. When they […]

(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 […]