Category: Human Rights

(New York) – United Nations member countries should reject Saudi Arabia’s bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council because of the government’s widespread human rights violations, including possible crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said. On October 9, 2024, the UN General Assembly will select 18 new members for three-year terms on the Human Rights […]

(Beirut) – Tunisian authorities have undermined the integrity of the October 6, 2024 presidential election by amending the electoral law just days beforehand, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities excluded or arrested opposition candidates, and took arbitrary measures against political opponents, independent media, and civil society. On September 27, Tunisia’s Assembly of the Representatives of […]

Amid ongoing hostilities in Lebanon, over 100,000 civilians, including Lebanese and Syrians have crossed into Syria in search of shelter. The majority of those crossing, notably women and children, are traveling on foot and urgently require humanitarian assistance. Reports indicate that at least 60% of those crossing are under the age of 18. The current […]

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 […]