UN Security Council Should Resist South Sudan Attempt to Undermine Peacekeepers

The South Sudanese government has demanded that the United Nations drastically scale back its peacekeeping mission in the country (UNMISS), including withdrawing 70 percent of its international peacekeeping forces (though not regional forces), grounding its helicopters, and closing its operating bases and civilian protection sites. The call should ring alarm bells as civilians in South Sudan […]

Continue Reading

Son of Detained Dual American-Saudi Citizen Criticizes Trump’s Handling of Case Amid Crown Prince’s Visit

As Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Washington for a state visit, the son of Saad Almadi, a dual American-Saudi citizen barred from leaving Saudi Arabia, has accused President Donald Trump of failing to prioritize his father’s release. Background on the Case Saad Almadi, a retired project manager with U.S. citizenship, was arrested in […]

Continue Reading

Bangladesh: Hasina Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity

The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh on November 17, 2025, found Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister, and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the former home minister, guilty of crimes against humanity during the violent suppression of student-led protests in 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. Both were prosecuted in absentia, not represented by counsel of their […]

Continue Reading

Australia: Press Laos on Rights Abuses

(Sydney) – Australian officials should press the Lao government to take concrete steps to improve its human rights record, Human Rights Watch said today. The 9th Australia-Laos Human Rights Dialogue is scheduled for Vientiane on November 18, 2025. In an October submission to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Human Rights Watch urged Australian officials to […]

Continue Reading

UN opposes death penalty but pushes for justice in Bangladesh

In its response to the verdict, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) reiterated its opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. Last July, student protests which began over a quota system for public service jobs in Bangladesh quickly escalated into widespread demonstrations, which were violently repressed by national security forces. Following the former prime minister’s […]

Continue Reading

Mali: Army, Militias Massacre Villagers in Central Region

(Nairobi) – Mali’s military and allied militias killed at least 31 civilians and burned homes on October 2 and 13, 2025, in 2 villages in the country’s embattled Segou region, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 2, Malian army forces and the Dozo, a predominantly ethnic Bambara militia that has been taking part in […]

Continue Reading

UNHCR urges balance as UK unveils new asylum proposals

The UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood formally announced the measures on Monday, aimed at tightening controls on irregular arrivals while maintaining the country’s commitment to offering sanctuary. She told the House of Commons that some families whose asylum claims have failed were not being removed “even when we know their home is perfectly safe.”  The […]

Continue Reading

Brussels Rips EU Corporate Accountability Law

On November 13, a European Parliament majority sold out rights protections to corporate interests in the course of negotiating amendments to the European Union’s landmark Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). It ripped through years of efforts to build comprehensive legislation that holds corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses in their global supply […]

Continue Reading

Germany-Based Tajik Dies in Custody in Tajikistan

(Berlin) – Last month a 29 year old man from Tajikistan, who had been living in central Germany since 2019, died under mysterious circumstances in prison in Tajikistan. Saidazam Rahmonov, who was married to a German woman, had travelled to Tajikistan in June to gather documents needed to extend his visa in Germany. Tajikistan authorities […]

Continue Reading

Protect Civilians from Explosive Weapons

Governments should act on recent political commitments to protect civilians from the bombing and shelling that devastates cities and towns around the world. Civilians make up the vast majority of casualties caused by the use of explosive weapons—such as aerial bombs, rockets, missiles, and artillery and mortar projectiles—in populated areas. Governments should maximize civilian protection […]

Continue Reading