Category: Human Rights

(Jerusalem) – Israel is contravening the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) legally binding orders by obstructing the entry of lifesaving aid and services into Gaza, Human Rights Watch said today. Since January 2024, the court has twice ordered provisional measures requiring Israel to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance as part of […]

The Commission is providing €125 million in new EU humanitarian funding to address the most pressing needs of people in Yemen amidst the ongoing crisis and escalating tensions in the region. The announcement comes on the occasion of the sixth Senior Officials Meeting on Yemen, chaired by Commissioner Janez Lenarčič in Brussels. The funding will […]

Volker Türk said he was concerned by the increasing number of journalists charged, convicted and jailed for their independent reporting, in what appears to be an intensification of a crackdown on dissenting voices. He described the continuous attacks on free speech and the criminalization of independent journalism in Russia as “very troubling”. “The intensification of the crackdown on journalists’ independent […]

Last week, millions of people in Southeast Asia grappled with a record-setting heatwave that triggered thousands of school closures, put unprecedented pressure on power grids, and led to fatal heat strokes. The brutal temperatures underscore the need to hammer out the details of a regional environmental rights declaration, work that is underway today in Jakarta […]

(Johannesburg) – Candidates in South Africa’s forthcoming general elections have been scapegoating and demonizing foreign nationals, risking stoking xenophobic violence, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 29, 2024, South Africa will hold general elections for the national and provincial legislatures. Among the campaign themes that have taken center stage is migration, in particular irregular […]

During this week of National Holocaust Remembrance, we remember the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, as well as the millions of others, including Roma, LGBTQI+ persons, Slavs, and persons with disabilities who were persecuted and killed.  Holocaust survivors and their families are a testament to courage and resilience.  […]

Human Rights Watch appreciates the opportunity to submit its views and recommendations for consideration by the United Nations secretary-general in response to Resolution 78/241 on “Lethal autonomous weapons systems” adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22 December 2023. This historic resolution asks the UN secretary-general to seek the views of countries and other stakeholders […]

Heavy rainfall, affecting Kenya since the beginning of March 2024, has resulted in floods, caused rivers to overflow and triggered landslides. The floods and landslides have resulted in casualties and severe damage, including in the capital, Nairobi: as of 2 May 2024, there have been reports of 186 fatalities, while 133 people are missing and […]

U.S. Department of State Special Advisor on International Disability Rights (SAIDR) Sara Minkara is traveling to Chile from May 6 to 14 and Peru from May 14 to 16 to promote further integration and inclusion of persons with disabilities in international economic policy.  In Chile on May 6, SAIDR Minkara will participate in a Disability […]

(Geneva) – United Nations member countries should press the Cambodian government on its human rights abuses, including targeting political opponents and dissidents, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 8, 2024, Cambodia will appear before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for the fourth Universal Periodic Review of human rights conditions in the country. Since its […]