Category: Human Rights

Today, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič is taking part in a high-level side event in the margins of the 79th UN General Assembly Ministerial Week on strengthening the humanitarian response in Sudan and the region.   The event, The Cost of inaction — Urgent and Collective Support to Scale Up the Humanitarian Response in […]

(Beirut) – More than a thousand Israeli strikes across Lebanon that have killed hundreds of people and injured thousands since September 23, 2024, are placing civilians across the country at grave risk of harm, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN should urgently establish, and UN member countries should support, an international investigation into the recent hostilities […]

Today, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič is co-chairing a high-level side event during the 79th UN General Assembly Ministerial Week to discuss how to restore the centrality of international humanitarian law in today’s armed conflicts. The event is co-hosted by the Kingdom of Belgium, Indonesia and the European Union.  Armed conflicts remain one of […]

(Austin, TX) – The Texas National Guard has repeatedly fired pepper spray projectiles at arriving migrants, Human Rights Watch said today. The Texas legislature should deny additional funds for the Texas Military Department, which oversees the Texas National Guard, until this practice ends. In several incidents, including one newly documented by Human Rights Watch, Texas […]

(New York) – The Chinese government should quash the conviction and release Ilham Tohti, the prominent Uyghur economist and government critic, on the 10th anniversary of his sentencing, Human Rights Watch said today. In 2014, the Xinjiang People’s High Court convicted Professor Tohti on politically motivated charges of “separatism” and sentenced him to life in prison. His family has not been allowed to visit him since early […]

(Brussels) – The European Union should classify Malaysia’s state of Sarawak as high risk under its new anti-deforestation regulation, a coalition of environmental, human rights, and Indigenous organizations said today. Sarawak, whose millions of hectares of ancient rainforests are at risk of being razed for timber and oil palm plantations supplying international markets, is a […]

(Taipei) – Taiwan’s top court on September 20, 2024, ruled that the death penalty was constitutional with greater protections, Human Rights Watch said today. The ruling addressed some concerns with the country’s death penalty, but permits the continued use of the inherently cruel punishment. Following a legal challenge by all 37 inmates currently on Taiwan’s death […]

As Bolivia is battling record numbers of wildfires, the EU has mobilised firefighters and expert teams from Spain to assist the Bolivian authorities in their response. Deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the teams arrived in Bolivia on Saturday, where they were welcomed by the Bolivian president and foreign minister.  Thanks to the collaboration […]

Today, the United States together with the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Kingdom, and the World Economic Forum, convened more than 30 senior leaders representing governments, the United Nations, humanitarian and development actors, international financial institutions, civil society, the private sector, and formerly displaced people to discuss how to more effectively address global humanitarian crises, […]

(Baku) – Governments participating in the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) should fulfill their human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said in a question-and-answer document released today. This includes transitioning away from fossil fuels in an equitable, time-bound, and rights-respecting manner. The conference will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to […]