Category: Human Rights

From Mandate to Monument: Benita Diop and Africa’s Unstoppable March to End Violence Against Women The history of international human rights is a testament to the fact that progress is never given; it is legally, politically and socially fought for.  Nowhere is this struggle for juridical equity more apparent—and more advanced—than in the African context, […]

(New York) – North Korea’s ninth Party Congress started on February 20, 2026, amid escalating repression of young people, strict control of information, and widespread forced labor, Human Rights Watch said today. The Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea is the country’s most important political meeting. Party Congresses have historically occurred irregularly: the last three […]

The disqualification of the Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the 2026 Winter Olympics shines a critical light on Rule 50 (2) of the Olympic Charter prohibiting political, racial, or religious “propaganda” at Olympic venues. He was disqualified for wearing a helmet displaying images of Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decision by […]

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Mr. Türk told UN News that the technology must be governed through a human rights framework that ensures transparency, accountability and inclusion. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Volker Türk: Artificial intelligence is a technological tool and it needs to be developed on the basis […]

Six years ago, on February 19, 2020, a far-right extremist shot and killed nine and injured six people predominantly of Muslim background in Hanau, Germany. The attack was motivated by racism and Islamophobia.  Today, we remember: Ferhat Unvar Hamza Kurtović Said Nesar Hashemi Vili Viorel Păun Mercedes Kierpacz Kaloyan Velkov Fatih Saraçoğlu Sedat Gürbüz Gökhan […]

We express grave concern over the continued deadly unlawful attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian operations as heavy fighting across the Kordofan and Darfur States continues. The recent severe escalation in drone and aerial attacks including those affecting displaced civilians, health facilities, food convoys and areas near humanitarian compounds have resulted in a significant […]

Ayla, 21, Jomana, 18, and Ilya, 19, came to Sweden as children, though at different ages and under different circumstances. Today they face the same reality: all have been ordered to leave the country alone while their families remain. These cases stem from Sweden’s increasingly restrictive migration policy, under which young people who turn 18 before obtaining permanent […]

Since 2019, more than 90 Trinidad and Tobago nationals, including at least 50 children, have been arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria for alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS). After enduring years of life-threatening conditions, their situation in recent weeks has only gotten worse. Trinidadian women detained in Syria’s Roj camp, which is under control […]