Category: Human Rights

(New York) – Sri Lankan authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said today. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even […]

(New York) – The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have yet to restore critical funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Human Rights Watch said. Both governments should act immediately to reinstate their support to the agency, the largest relief organization […]

(The Hague) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to issue an advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, with significant consequences for human rights protections in Palestine under Israel’s 57-year occupation, Human Rights Watch said today. The expected advisory opinion stems from a December 2022 request by the United Nations General Assembly to the […]

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres expressed concern about the reported deaths and injuries in Bangladesh amid student protests and is calling for a thorough Government investigations into all acts of violence. About two weeks ago, student protests erupted on university campuses in the capital Dhaka and other cities, demanding an end to the Government job quota […]

(New York) –  The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, with significant consequences for human rights protections in Palestine under Israel’s 57-year occupation. The opinion stems from a December 2022 request by the United Nations General Assembly to the court to consider the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. […]

The initiative supported by the UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Philippines is also expected to help ease chronic overcrowding in detention centres across the Southeast Asian nation. Dave*, who is one month into a six-month sentence, spends up to eight hours a day in the library of the Iligan City Jail. […]

(Jakarta) – The Indonesian police and military should investigate the deadly arson attack against a journalist and three members of his family in Kabanjahe, a small town in North Sumatra, Human Rights Watch said today. While three men have been arrested, the authorities should also question other possible conspirators. Rico Sempurna Pasaribu, 47, of the Medan-based […]

“Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a beacon of courage, compassion, and conviction in a world of total moral collapse,” said Mr. Guterres in a video message to inaugurate the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum in the town of Carregal do Sal. Aristides de Sousa Mendes was a Portuguese diplomat based in Bordeaux, France, who defied his […]

“Kharkiv holds a special place in our efforts to support the people of Ukraine. I have seen firsthand the impact of the continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, and the consequences on millions of civilians. But I have also witnessed tireless reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, further proof of the strength and resilience of the Government of […]

(Beirut) – Iran’s Revolutionary Court has sentenced a labor activist to death on a charge of “armed rebellion against the state,” based on an allegation of membership in an opposition group, Human Rights Watch said today. The court on July 4, 2024, communicated the verdict against Sharifeh Mohammedi to her husband, Sirous Fathi, Human Rights Activists […]