Author: Human Rights Watch

A Congolese military court’s conviction and death sentence imposed on former President Joseph Kabila on September 30 highlights the fragile balance between accountability and political stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The trial, for charges ranging from treason to war crimes, had all the trappings of a political vendetta, posing a threat to both the rule […]

(New York) – United Nations member states meeting on September 30, 2025, on the plight of Rohingya Muslims should commit to urgent action to protect them from persecution and violence, Human Rights Watch said today. Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and across Asia continue to face grave threats to their safety, freedom, and lives. The UN General Assembly is […]

Last week, the Taliban ordered an internet ban across several of Afghanistan’s northern provinces. On September 30, they fully shut down the internet, both mobile and fibre optic, nationwide. The Taliban claim the ban is to “prevent immorality.” In Afghanistan, authorities have long used “morality” as a tool of oppression applied predominantly to women and girls, who […]

Since taking office in December 2023, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his government have dismantled key sexual and reproductive health protections. A report published this week by the Center for State and Society Studies (CEDES) shows that harmful rhetoric from Milei on abortion creates “a climate of risk and uncertainty,” causing misinformation and confusion for pregnant people […]

(Washington, DC) – United States President Donald Trump’s September 25, 2025, memorandum directing law enforcement to investigate a sprawling, imaginary conspiracy to foment political violence in the United States is a serious threat to human rights and democratic institutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Trump has ordered federal agencies to search actively for connections tying […]

Deep in the forest in Venezuela’s Bolivar state, residents live in fear of horrific violence at the hands of armed groups involved in the illicit gold trade. During a 2020 investigation, a 17-year-old boy told Human Rights Watch how he witnessed members of a Venezuelan armed group amputating both hands of a miner they accused of […]

The European Union unveiled its “New Strategic EU-India Agenda” this week, setting out a range of areas for closer bilateral cooperation. The document hails India as the “world’s largest democracy” and a “like-minded and trusted partner,” but deliberately overlooks India’s deepening human rights crisis. Strengthening EU-India trade, economic, and political ties has long been among […]

(Bishkek) – A Kyrgyz court on September 17, 2025, convicted two former media workers on charges of “public calls for mass unrest”, Human Rights Watch said today. Joomart Duulatov and Aleksandr Aleksandrov, from the independent investigative outlet Kloop, were each sentenced to five years in prison. Two of Kloop’s accountants who were also convicted on the same […]

On September 18, a federal judge in Washington, DC issued a preliminary injunction blocking the removal of unaccompanied Guatemalan children, at least 76 of whom the Trump administration attempted to summarily expel in the middle of the night last month. On the night of August 30 to 31, children across shelters or foster care run by the United […]