Category: Human Rights

As the annual Hong Kong Book Fair opens this week, two of the city’s best-known independent bookstores, Elmbook and Luckwin, won’t be there. On July 2, authorities barred them from exhibiting. Soon after, Elmbook announced it would close on its 30th anniversary in April 2027, when its lease ends. While officials did not say why […]

(Washington, DC) – Peruvian President José María Balcázar should veto a bill that would expand the military justice system, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would effectively open the door to impunity for police officers and members of the armed forces responsible for human rights violations.  On June 23, 2026, Congress passed a bill that would modify […]

Reem Alsalem, the Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, expressed concern on Tuesday over public criticism of draft guidance issued on 21 May by the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The guidance – formally known as EHRC’s draft Code of Practice – sets out how organizations should apply the Supreme […]

At least 293 civilians were killed and 1,990 injured in June, making it the deadliest month for civilians since April 2022, according to its latest update.  May had already recorded the highest number of civilian casualties in more than four years, with 282 killed and 1,794 injured, but June surpassed it.  Growing risks  “The figures show an alarming escalatory […]

Why this matters Most people still support the right to seek asylum Resettlement numbers decrease massively  Misinformation has not eroded public compassion The Refugee Convention marks 75 years of protection Unveiling new data on Tuesday, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said that despite a growing volume of fake news and hate speech about asylum seekers, public […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai government should not forcibly return detained Chinese dissidents to China, Human Rights Watch said today. At least four Chinese dissidents detained at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok face possible deportation to China. The Chinese government has increasingly pressured Thai authorities ahead of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s scheduled visit to China from […]

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal—an Afghan asylum seeker who had worked alongside the US military in Afghanistan—died on March 14, 2026, from an alleged allergic reaction less than 24 hours after being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas. His death certificate was released, 103 days later, on June 25, 2026. In announcing his death, ICE vilified Paktiawal […]

Human Rights Watch, the Alliance of Immigrant Survivors, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and other partners, submitted a statement of record to Congress on July 10 as the Trump administration continues to use state and local police via the 287(g) agreements that allow these agencies to participate in federal immigration enforcement. The statement emphasizes that survivors of domestic violence […]

The French government announced a new national plan last week aimed at combating racism, antisemitism, and discrimination. Unfortunately, the plan fails to tackle the systemic and institutional nature of racism in France. Adopted on July 6 and extending from 2026 through 2029, the action plan lists 55 measures focused on education and training to strengthen […]

(Bangkok) – The deadly risks facing Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were evident from landslides in July 2026, that killed at least 17 people and displaced more than 3,000, Human Rights Watch said today.  Bangladesh has been hosting over a million Rohingya refugees for nearly a decade, with expanding families crammed into bamboo and tarp shelters on steep, deforested […]