Category: Human Rights

Akua Kuenyehia, chair of the independent expert mechanism on advancing racial justice said, “Manifestations of systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent by law enforcement and in criminal justice systems are still predominant in many parts of the world, and broad impunity persists.”   While also dealing with “broad impunity”, the experts explained that […]

(Bangkok) – Cambodian authorities have arrested and charged an award-winning journalist in apparent reprisal for his investigative journalism, Human Rights Watch said today. Mech Dara, 36, had recently reported on human trafficking and cybercrime that was critical of the government’s role. Military police arrested Dara on September 30, 2024, while he was in his car with […]

As the escalation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel continues, today the European Commission has announced a further €30 million in humanitarian aid to help those most in need in Lebanon. This comes in addition to the €10 million already announced on 29 September and brings total EU humanitarian assistance to the country to over […]

The development came as UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned “escalation after escalation” in the Middle East on Tuesday, as a report from his Office underscored the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since the 7 October attacks, settlement activities increased markedly, reaching a record number by 30 April, leading […]

An asylum regulation announced by the administration of United States President Joe Biden yesterday is flat-out contrary to both US and international law and is likely to bring immeasurable harm to people seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border. The regulation, effective immediately, extends from 7 to 28 the number of days in which the average amount […]

To mark International Wrongful Conviction Day, the “End ‘Hostage Justice’ in Japan” project, co-sponsored by Human Rights Watch and Innocence Project Japan, has placed a newspaper advertisement to raise awareness of Japan’s abusive “hostage justice” system, which severely violates human rights and continues to result in countless wrongful convictions across the country. The ad states […]

(Berlin, October 2, 2024) – Kyrgyzstan’s government has proposed problematic amendments to the criminal code and other legislative acts that would restore criminal charges for the mere possession of materials deemed “extremist,” Human Rights Watch said today. This move threatens to undo crucial progress made in 2019 when authorities decriminalized possession without intent to distribute […]

(Geneva) – The Egyptian parliament must reject a proposed draft law that would replace the 1950 Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), Amnesty International, Dignity, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists said today. If enacted, the draft legislation would undermine Egypt’s already weakened fair trial rights protections and further empower abusive law enforcement officials. “Instead of seizing the […]

(Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt a resolution on Sri Lanka to enable continued UN monitoring, reporting, and evidence collection of rights violations for future prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who was elected on September 21, 2024, should reverse the policies of his predecessors by cooperating with the UN’s investigation […]

(Beirut) – A Kurdish youth group in northeast Syria with links to the de facto authorities is recruiting children apparently for eventual transfer to armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. Child recruitment robs children of their childhood, exposes them to extreme violence, and can cause lasting physical and psychological trauma.  The Revolutionary Youth Movement of […]