Category: Human Rights

(New York) – United Nations member states meeting on September 30, 2025, on the plight of Rohingya Muslims should commit to urgent action to protect them from persecution and violence, Human Rights Watch said today. Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and across Asia continue to face grave threats to their safety, freedom, and lives. The UN General Assembly is […]

Last week, the Taliban ordered an internet ban across several of Afghanistan’s northern provinces. On September 30, they fully shut down the internet, both mobile and fibre optic, nationwide. The Taliban claim the ban is to “prevent immorality.” In Afghanistan, authorities have long used “morality” as a tool of oppression applied predominantly to women and girls, who […]

The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, condemned Kyrgyzstan’s decision to dissolve the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture and transfer its mandate to the Ombudsperson’s Institute, warning the move undermines Kyrgyzstan’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture; President Sadyr Japarov signed the law on 23 September and the […]

The European Commission has released an additional €50 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and to address the rising humanitarian needs in the West Bank. This brings total EU emergency humanitarian aid in 2025 to €220 million to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to […]

Each September, heads of state and government gather in New York for high-level week, where leaders present their global priorities. The Secretary-General’s opening address traditionally sets the tone. This year, as the UN marks its 80th anniversary, António Guterres recalled the institution’s founding after World War Two, when nations created the United Nations “as a […]

Afghanistan is experiencing a total communications blackout—its first of this kind since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover—after authorities severed fibre-optic lines, cutting nationwide connectivity to just 14 percent of normal levels, according to internet watchdog Netblocks. The shutdown follows weeks of regional bans on high-speed links ordered by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to curb “immoral activities.” […]

The UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR) says Israeli military tactics in Gaza City – including strikes on homes and schools – are “inflicting terror” and forcing people to flee. In parallel, UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reports more than 20,000 people were forced to moved southwards in a single day this week, raising the […]

The stakes for the conference, part of the UN General Assemby’s annual week of high-level discussions, could hardly be higher: shrinking aid budgets and intensifying conflict inside Myanmar leave one of the world’s most persecuted minorities in limbo. Delegates are expected to address human rights and minority protections of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities, while […]

Since taking office in December 2023, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his government have dismantled key sexual and reproductive health protections. A report published this week by the Center for State and Society Studies (CEDES) shows that harmful rhetoric from Milei on abortion creates “a climate of risk and uncertainty,” causing misinformation and confusion for pregnant people […]

“Youth participation is not just about bringing young people to meetings,” General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday. “It’s about truly integrating their lived experience and their expertise to shape policy outcomes.” Prioritising rights and aspirations Ms. Baerbock was speaking at an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action […]