Category: Human Rights

The Israeli government’s forced displacement of the populations of three West Bank refugee camps in January and February 2025 amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Geneva Conventions prohibit displacement of civilians from occupied territory except temporarily for imperative military reasons or the population’s security. Displaced civilians are entitled to protection, accommodation, and […]

The Taliban in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat have recently banned women doctors, patients, and healthcare workers from entering hospitals without wearing a burqa. On November 10, 2025, authorities prevented Shabnam Fazli, a female surgeon, from entering a major hospital in the provincial capital and detained her for several hours, allegedly for not wearing a burqa. The requirement […]

March of Dimes issued their annual report on US rates of preterm birth on November 17. The findings are a gut punch. Rates worsened between 2023 and 2024 in 21 states. Preterm birth rates among babies born to Black women climbed to 14.7 percent, 1.55 times higher than the rate for white moms. For the fourth year […]

The EU is co-chairing today a ministerial roundtable on humanitarian crises in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions. The EU will reaffirm its commitment to combining emergency response with investments in resilience, sustainable development and social cohesion.  In 2025, the EU has mobilised over €541.6 million in humanitarian, development and peace assistance to respond to […]

(Belém) – Brazil’s Congress should reject proposals to dismantle environmental licensing requirements and to revoke a plan to protect human rights defenders, Human Rights Watch said today. Instead, it should contribute to global efforts to curb climate change by approving the Escazú agreement.  “As the world comes together to tackle the climate crisis at COP30 in […]

(Bangkok) – The new Thai government should reverse the trend of past administrations and take concrete action to uphold human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on November 12, 2025. Anutin took office on September 7 following a parliamentary election and royal endorsement. “The Anutin government should make […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

(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 […]