Category: Human Rights

A United Nations human rights body has criticized the United Kingdom government for “involuntary, compulsory treatment and detention” of people with disabilities inside and outside hospitals and urged UK authorities to guarantee access to community-based services. The Human Rights Committee, a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and […]

Today, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution establishing a new investigative body to advance accountability for international crimes committed by Belarusian authorities. This sends a strong message to perpetrators that their crimes will not go unpunished. The new body – which was advocated for by Belarusian and international rights groups, including Human […]

As the world prepares to celebrate World Health Day on April 7, governments’ failure to invest adequate resources or appropriate budgetary support in public healthcare systems undermines the right to health for many people around the world. Forthcoming Human Rights Watch analysis of the most recent available data in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global […]

The European Commission takes note of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s announcement to open further humanitarian aid access points into Gaza, following his phone call with US President Biden, in particular the commitments to open the Ashdod port, as well as the Erez crossing to let aid flow directly into north Gaza, and to significantly boost deliveries […]

(Berlin, April 5, 2024) – Migrants from Central Asia and other people of non-Slavic appearance are facing a notable increase in ethnic harassment and attacks in Russia in the wake of the March 22, 2024 attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, Human Rights Watch said today. Media reports describe an increase […]

(Nairobi) – Uganda’s Constitutional Court on April 3, 2024, upheld the abusive and radical provisions of the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act, Human Rights Watch said today. The ruling further entrenches discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and makes them prone to more violence. The court did strike down sections that restricted healthcare access […]

In an unprecedented move, the United Nations committee of independent child rights experts has cancelled an upcoming series of meetings due to lack of funds. The shortfall was caused by the failure of some countries to pay their membership dues. This is the latest example of the UN’s human rights monitoring role being undermined by […]

Today, leading Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov turned 71. He spent his birthday behind bars, his health deteriorating not least due to exhausting daily transport from jail to court and back. A Moscow court sentenced Orlov to 2 years and 6 months in prison on outlandish charges of “discrediting” Russia’s armed forces. Orlov, who had […]

Painting a grim landscape of the world’s war zones, Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, briefed ambassadors, citing grave concerns, from war-torn Gaza to gang-ravaged Haiti, where famine looms amid rampant violence and displacement. Denying aid access has long-lasting effects on children’s wellbeing and development, she said. Virginia Gamba, Special […]

(Beirut) – Bulgarian authorities should immediately investigate allegations that police officers assaulted a Saudi human rights activist in their custody, Human Rights Watch said today. An informed source told Human Rights Watch that law enforcement officers at the Busmanci Migrant Accommodation Center had allegedly assaulted Abdulrahman al-Khalidi, a Saudi rights activist, on March 31, 2024, […]