Category: Human Rights

Excellencies, We, the undersigned human rights organisations, write to urge your delegation to support the renewal of the Special Rapportur on Belarus, and the establishment of an independent accountability mechanism to build upon and take forward the work of the OHCHR Examination on Belarus this session. We consider both mechanisms to be crucial to addressing […]

“I am appalled by the recurrent mass abductions of men, women and children in northern Nigeria. Children have been abducted from schools and women taken while searching for firewood. Such horrors must not become normalised,” he said. News reports indicate at least 564 people have been abducted since 7 March. More than 280 pupils were […]

  Mali’s minister of territorial administration’s order to dissolve a student association is just the latest in a series of government actions to crack down on freedom of association. The minister said that the Association of Pupils and Students of Mali (L’Association des Elèves et Etudiants du Mali, AEEM) was responsible for “violence and clashes […]

Today, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič will deliver opening remarks at a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) held in Brussels in preparation of the ‘International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbours‘, scheduled to take place in Paris on 15 April 2024, marking one year since the outbreak of the conflict that has generated the […]

Latest graphic findings from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine – created by the Human Rights Council two years ago – highlight the ongoing grave impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. “I lost any hope and the will to live,” one Ukrainian soldier and former prisoner of war […]

Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, and London, UK, from March 17-21, 2024, to advance cooperation on human rights in the DPRK. In Geneva, Special Envoy Turner will participate in events associated with the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), underscoring the […]

This week, Ethiopian authorities dropped all charges and released Abdi Mohamoud Omar, also known as “Abdi Illey,” the former president of Ethiopia’s Somali region, after serving more than five years in prison. The action is a setback to ending impunity for crimes involving senior officials. State media reported that Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice took the […]

The 2024 edition of the European Humanitarian Forum will take place from Monday 18 to Tuesday 19 March 2024 in Brussels. It will be livestreamed online as well as being open to attend by registered media. This year’s Forum, co-organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, will […]

(New York) – Pakistan’s newly elected prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, should make human rights a key focus of his government, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to the prime minister. The new Pakistani government should adopt an agenda that actively promotes and protects human rights, advances the rule of law, and strengthens democratic institutions. […]

(New York) –Human Rights Watch announced today that it would be closing its long-running film festival. Founded in 1988, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival showcased nearly 1,000 independent films, was presented in over 30 cities across the globe, and is the world’s longest running human rights film festival. “It’s with sadness and deep regret […]