Category: Human Rights

In January 2023, California removed “loitering in a public place with the intent to commit prostitution” from the state’s penal code. It was a victory for transgender people, Black communities, trafficking survivors, sex workers, and others disproportionately targeted by the ban.  Unfortunately, just over a year later, three bills before the California State Legislature proposed reinstating this harmful and discriminatory […]

Journalists and human rights activists in Nigeria are protesting the arrest and detention of Daniel Ojukwu, a reporter at the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, who went missing in Lagos on May 1. He was later discovered to be in police custody, accused of violating Nigeria’s cybercrimes law. The authorities have since moved Ojukwu between various police units, including the […]

(London, May 10, 2024) – Germany’s government needs to explain publicly if it has imposed a Schengen-wide entry ban on a prominent British-Palestinian surgeon and academic, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, and, if so, the reasons why, Human Rights Watch said today. Dr. Abu Sittah has in recent weeks been denied entry to Germany and France and, […]

Concluding an official visit to the Horn of Africa nation Isha Dyfan highlighted the impact on civilians, especially women and children, who continue to bear the brunt of deadly attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab terrorists. “I strongly condemn the continued deadly attacks perpetrated by Al-Shabaab and urge the Government to take all steps to ensure […]

UNHCR has renewed its call for a coordinated continental approach to the issue, as underscored during the ministerial meeting on the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, held in Guatemala on Tuesday. New approach  The landmark declaration aims to transform how the region manages migration and is based on the principles of solidarity, responsibility-sharing, […]

As student journalists in Indonesia face increasing intimidation, censorship, and newsroom closures, the Ministry of Education has agreed to have the national Press Council mediate all defamation disputes involving student journalists and publications. It’s an important step toward better protecting student media in the country. Until now, criminal defamation cases involving student journalists and publications were […]

(Washington) – Vietnam is providing false or misleading information to the United States and other economic partners to secure or maintain preferential trade preferences, Human Rights Watch said today. The US Department of Commerce held a public hearing about Vietnam’s trade status on May 8, 2024. The US government is currently considering a reclassification of […]

(Manila) – The Philippine Supreme Court issued a major ruling on May 8, 2024, declaring “red-tagging” a threat to people’s life, liberty, and security, Human Rights Watch said today. The Philippine government has been using red-tagging—accusing individuals and groups of supporting the country’s communist insurgency—to harass, threaten, and at times assault or kill critics of the […]

The Chinese government forcibly returned about 60 North Korean refugees on April 26, putting them at grave risk of enforced disappearance, torture, sexual violence, wrongful imprisonment, forced labor, and execution. This round of forced returns came soon after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with China’s third highest official, Zhao Leji, on April 13, seeking stronger […]

Jamal Abdullah Khamis, Human Rights Lawyer from El Geneina   Of everything that happened what disturbed me most was what happened at the Mohamed Adam Clinic.   When I walked in, I found my friend Mudather in the southeast corner of the clinic.    It was as if he was sleeping.   He didn’t look […]