United States Releases Guidance for Online Platforms On Protecting Human Rights Defenders Online

Digital technologies are a vital resource for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and civic actors around the world.  However, these technologies can also be misused to target HRDs for repression and to undermine civic space. To address this, the United States is releasing new guidance that sets out best practices and actions online platforms can take to implement more […]

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US Truth and Healing Commission on Indigenous Boarding Schools is Long Overdue

From 1819 to 1969, the United States federal government funded and operated 408 known “Indian boarding schools” with the express intent to “Kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” The government systematically and forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and communities, violating their human rights. Now, Native advocates, survivors, and members of […]

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Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič on famine in Gaza

High Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, have issued the following statement: “Five months into the Gaza crisis, the results of the updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment released today indicate the unfolding of the worst possible forecast for Gaza. Gaza is already facing famine, with 100% of people […]

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Iran: Repression continues two years after nationwide protests

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran – a group of Council-appointed independent experts – said that Ms. Amini’s death in September 2022 was “unlawful and caused by physical violence” for which the State is responsible. Chairperson Sara Hossain told the forum’s 47 Member States that after Ms. Amini’s death, young […]

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken At the Ministerial Conference of the Third Summit for Democracy

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you, everyone.  Thank you, and good morning again.  Thank you. So I again want to thank President Yoon and Foreign Minister Cho for bringing us together to discuss what is one of the most transformational forces that’s shaping our future, our world, our democracies – and that is artificial intelligence. I think […]

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Jordan: Ensure Accountability, Compensation for Syria Strikes

(Beirut) – Jordan should ensure accountability for airstrikes in southeast Syria that killed 10 people on January 18 and compensate the victims and their families, Human Rights Watch said today. The strikes, which killed women and children, appear to amount to extrajudicial executions. The airstrikes were part of an intensified campaign by the Jordanian Armed […]

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Prosecution Seeks Crimes against Humanity Charges in Guinea Massacre Trial

Earlier this month, in the landmark trial of Guinea’s former president and 10 others, including former ministers, who are accused of responsibility for a massacre and rapes in a stadium, the prosecution team requested the reclassification of charges to crimes against humanity. The trial is currently suspended until March 18, 2024, to allow for the defense’s […]

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Brazil: Comply with Rulings on Police Violence

(São Paulo)  – The Brazilian government should comply with two new rulings by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that found Brazil responsible for serious human rights violations by the police, Human Rights Watch said today. The decisions, published on March 14, 2024, in cases involving police killings in São Paulo and Paraná states, come […]

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EU Deal with Egypt Rewards Authoritarianism, Betrays “EU Values”

The European Union is about to reward Egypt’s autocratic leader, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, for preventing migrants’ departures towards Europe. Visiting Cairo on March 17, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, along with the Prime Ministers of Italy, Greece, and Belgium, will officially upgrade the EU-Egypt relations to a “comprehensive and strategic partnership”, paving the […]

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India Activates Discriminatory Citizenship Law

This week, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government began implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which parliament had enacted in 2019. The law fast-tracks citizenship requests from non-Muslims fleeing religious persecution from India’s Muslim-majority neighbors – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh – but excludes Muslim refugees from those countries. Before the government enacted the law, Home […]

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