Author: Human Rights Watch

A Baku court’s June 12 decision to convict prominent human rights defender Rufat Safarov on bogus criminal charges and sentence him to eight years in prison is the latest blow to Azerbaijan’s already severely restricted civic space. Safarov, executive director of the human rights organization Defense Line (Müdafiə Xətti), was convicted by the Baku Court […]

The European Parliament in Strasbourg adopted on June 16 its second motion in a year pressing European Union institutions and governments to address transnational repression. Transnational repression encompasses violations used by states to target, silence, or intimidate critics, particularly nationals and former nationals, who are outside their borders and beyond their territorial jurisdictions. In its […]

On June 4, the United States House of Representatives passed the 2027 agriculture appropriations bill. If enacted in its current state, the bill would cut US$200 million from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) compared to 2026.  The reduction would hit fruit and vegetable benefits for 5.4 million pregnant and […]

With Hungary’s reversal of its decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Union has an opportunity to extend the significance of this moment for international justice well beyond Budapest. EU leaders should state clearly and with one voice in the conclusion of the upcoming June 18-19 European Council meeting that their support […]

On June 15, the Court of Appeal in London upheld the United Kingdom government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group. This damaging ruling, which overturns an earlier High Court decision against the government, will likely further inhibit the right to protest in the UK and globally. Palestine Action was established in 2020 […]

Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani, signed on June 11 a decree provisionally stripping Nigerien nationality from Mariama Djibrine, a leading opposition figure living in exile. The measure is based on a 2024 order that created a national database of people suspected of terrorism. Authorities accuse Djibrine of disseminating “information likely to disturb public order, inciting revolt, and […]

(São Paulo) – Brazilian judicial authorities in two important recent rulings, affirmed the rights of small landholders and Indigenous peoples in the Brazilian Amazon and called on federal authorities to remove illegal occupants, a major driver of illegal deforestation in the region, Human Rights Watch said today.  The decisions condemn federal authorities for their delays […]

As Hungary begins to close the chapter on its anti-LGBT era by dropping criminal charges against Pride March organizers, Türkiye is moving in a sharply opposite direction proposals to jail LGBT people.   Turkish media reported in recent days that the Erdoğan government has circulated a brief to its Justice and Development Party lawmakers proposing legal […]

(New York) – At least 8,500 attacks on education took place globally in 2024-2025, a more than 40 percent increase from the previous two-year period, according to Education Under Attack 2026, released today by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA). These attacks harmed over 10,600 students, teachers, and education personnel across 83 countries, […]

(Bishkek, June 15, 2026) – A harmful draft law before the Kyrgyzstan parliament would prohibit legal gender recognition, ban gender-affirming health care, and restrict information about gender diversity and the possibility of transitioning for children, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill, which passed its first reading on June 4, 2026, still requires approval at […]