Author: Human Rights Watch

18 months ago, Niger’s military junta arrested and detained Moussa Tiangari, a prominent human rights defender in the country. Following an investigation, the United Nations is now calling for his release.  The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an independent expert body that investigates cases of deprivation of liberty, found that Tiangari’s detention is arbitrary and violates […]

Click to expand Image A German police officer takes a man to a deportation flight to Pakistan, February 25, 2025, Hesse, Germany. © 2025 Boris Roessler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo The European Union is forging ahead on its quest to increase deportations regardless of the consequences for people’s rights. On June 17, the European Parliament approved a Return Regulation […]

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) rejected its ombudsman’s findings about harm related to investments in Cambodia’s microfinance sector, failing a critical test of accountability, Human Rights Watch said today. In its response, published on June 24, 2026, the IFC refuted the ombudsman’s determination that it had violated its own environmental and social policies.  […]

(New York) – The censorship of prominent social media accounts, foreign films, and events with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themes around Pride month illustrates the deteriorating rights situation for LGBT people in China, Human Rights Watch said today. A number of these events were organized by foreign embassies and cultural institutes. “Under Xi Jinping, […]

(London, June 25, 2026) – The new Hungarian government’s plan to make sweeping changes to key institutions through a rushed 17th amendment to the constitution, risks halting advances to restore the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said today. The plans to remove the country’s president and the head of its constitutional court lack due process safeguards. […]

China is pressing the United Nations budget committee to defund numerous human rights posts in negotiations on the 2026-2027 UN peacekeeping budget, including essential personnel for the newly established UN Support Office in Haiti. China is recommending against funding for staff to monitor compliance by a new security force for Haiti with the UN’s human […]

(Istanbul, June 25, 2026) – The arrest of at least 209 people in the Turkish capital, Ankara, ahead of the July 7-8, 2026 NATO summit there highlights Türkiye’s ruthless intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly, Human Rights Watch said today. In raids overnight between June 22 and 23, the police arrested people including political activists, […]

(Washington) – Trump administration policies threaten the exercise of human rights that are essential to democracy, Human Rights Watch said today as the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence. Human Rights Watch released a web feature that illustrates the breadth of new threats in 2026 alone.  “Respect for human rights […]

52 people died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during the first 500 days of President Trump’s second term, reflecting a soaring mortality rate.  ICE so severely limits the information it provides to Congress, families, and the public that oversight is nearly impossible. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Congress should act immediately […]

For years, efforts to protect the rights of people with albinism in Malawi have rightly focused on ending horrific attacks, killings, abductions, and grave tampering. These efforts remain essential as attacks continue. But safety alone is not enough. On June 19, the government announced a new National Action Plan on Persons with Albinism (2026–2030), marking […]