Category: Human Rights

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has raised fresh concerns over the continued harassment of families of enforced disappearance victims in Sri Lanka, alleging that security forces are using counterterrorism laws to suppress calls for justice and accountability. In a statement released Wednesday, HRW criticized the administration of President Dissanayake for failing to […]

Erbil, Iraq — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Iraqi Kurdish authorities to release journalist Sherwan Sherwani following a court decision that extended his prison sentence by four years and five months. The ruling, issued Tuesday by the Bnaslawa Misdemeanor Court, has intensified concerns over press freedom in the Kurdistan Region of […]

Earlier this week, Burkina Faso’s junta expelled the top United Nations representative in the country, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, declaring her “persona non grata” following a new UN report on violations against children in the country. Flore-Smereczniak is the second senior UN official to be expelled by the junta, after Barbara Manzi was declared persona non grata in […]

In July, major news organizations published the image of 18-month-old Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, a Palestinian child so emaciated that his bones protruded through his back, while his mom cradled him in her arms. Instead of a diaper, he wore a black plastic bag.  Some online commentators have sought to downplay the image’s power by […]

Speaking to UN News from the wartorn enclave to mark World Humanitarian Day, Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that exhausted aid workers continue to show up for work “day in and day out”. Approaching two years since the start of the war in Gaza, Ms. Cherevko emphasized the commitment of […]

(Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights office’s report on Sri Lanka details entrenched and systemic rights violations—including arbitrary detention, torture, and deaths in custody—under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Human Rights Watch said today. The new report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, also describes the misuse of draconian laws to silence families […]

“Sometimes it feels like we’re swimming against a current that never slows down,” says Ms. Tiutiunnyk, an assistant external relations officer working in Ukraine for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Ms.Tiutiunnyk is herself a displaced person from Luhansk, forced to flee following the onset of hostilities. “I was not a part of the humanitarian community”, […]

At the beginning of September, South Africa’s Western Cape High Court will hear a case that could finally end the criminalization of sex work in the country. It’s a moment decades in the making, which could bring real gains for the safety, dignity, and equality of sex workers. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have […]

Geneva — August, 2025 A newly released report by the United Nations Human Rights Office has reignited international concern over systemic human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, prompting calls for urgent action from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other advocacy groups. Key Findings from the UN Report UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk […]

Ahead of this year’s World Humanitarian Day, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, issued the following statement:  “The EU is one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid donors, working to save millions of lives in crisis situations globally. Yet at a time when humanitarian needs are reaching new heights, respect for International […]