Category: Human Rights

Last week, Australia’s new government in Northern Territory passed legislation lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years. This allows the territory to incarcerate 10-year-olds, a serious regression of children’s rights. The chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child responded that this action contravenes Australia’s obligations under the child […]

(Beirut) – The United Kingdom High Court issued an order on October 11, 2024, granting permission to a Saudi human rights defender who lives in the UK to bring a case that accuses the government of Saudi Arabia of using spyware against him, Human Rights Watch said today. Yahya Assiri, a prominent Saudi human rights […]

(Nairobi) – The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights should focus on the most critical issues facing Burkina Faso during its country review on October 23, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burkinabè government should urgently address the need to protect civilians affected by armed conflict; safeguard civic space for activists, journalists, and the […]

On September 30, Lithuania asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to investigate serious crimes committed by the Belarusian authorities against its citizens. Following years of brutal crackdowns on civil society, journalists, and opposition politicians, Lithuania’s initiative should encourage stronger efforts to advance accountability and justice for all Belarusians. In 2020, mass peaceful protests erupted across […]

(Bangkok) – The Thai government should immediately reject Vietnam’s request to extradite an Indigenous Montagnard human rights activist and permit him to resettle abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. Y Quynh Bdap, 32, an activist from the Ede ethnic group of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, fled the country in 2018 after authorities placed him under intense […]

(New York) – With arrest warrants out for the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the interim Bangladesh government should amend the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act to ensure a fair and impartial judicial process, Human Rights Watch said in a letter on October 21, 2024, to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. On October 17, the […]

“Rarely have we seen – and this is what bothers me – extensive patterns of unlawful, discriminatory and disproportionate restriction by States and private actors on freedom of expression,” said Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur mandated to promote and protect this right globally. Ms. Khan briefed journalists at UN Headquarters on her latest report, […]

(Beirut) – Oman has a new social protection law that paves the way for a universal social security system, Human Rights Watch said today. If effectively and fairly implemented, this law could realize socioeconomic rights of Omani nationals and residents, including migrant workers, who are facing events that substantially affect their income. The new system includes a […]

The strike, which hit the densely populated Jnah neighbourhood, also injured 60 people and reportedly damaged the Rafik Hariri University Hospital. At least three buildings located about 50 meters (54 yards) from the hospital are said to have been destroyed. The hospital, one of Beirut’s key medical facilities, has been receiving large numbers of patients […]

Officials from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office), the U.S.Embassy in Lima, the Republic of Peru, including members of the Multisectoral Commission against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, along with implementing partners, the International Labor Organization, and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative,convened in Lima for the final Annual Dialogue of the U.S.-Peru Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership.    The CPC Partnership is a jointly developed, […]