Category: Human Rights

The European Commission decided to close the article 7 procedure against Poland on Wednesday, despite Poland’s newly elected government not having implemented all needed reforms. Article 7 is the EU’s primary treaty-based mechanism to hold accountable EU member states that undermine the bloc’s values, including by violating the rule of law. Article 7 was invoked […]

The Rwandan government’s decision to block Human Rights Watch senior researcher Clémentine de Montjoye from entering the country this month was not a complete surprise. Unfortunately, the vague and unfounded allegations against de Montjoye are part of a long-running pattern from a government intolerant of anyone reviewing its human rights record. In barring entry to de Montjoye, […]

Fr. Amado Picardal, a Redemptorist priest who exposed killings by the so-called Davao Death Squad in the Philippines, died on Wednesday at age 69. Colleagues said Father Picx, as he was known, died from cardiac arrest in Cebu province, where he had been living a life of solitude and silence as a hermit. Picardal was one of […]

The Department of State is publicly designating five current and former Ugandan officials for their involvement in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights. Speaker of Parliament Anita Among is designated due to involvement in significant corruption tied to her leadership of Uganda’s Parliament.  Former Minister of Karamoja Affairs Mary Goretti Kitutu, former Minister of […]

(Beirut) – Tunisian authorities have ramped up their crackdown on media and freedom of expression in recent weeks, sentencing two journalists and a media founder to prison sentences, detaining another media figure, and intimidating private media, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately release those detained and drop all prosecutions […]

Laura Lo Castro, UNHCR‘s representative in Chad, said that expected rains have started in Adre, leaving tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees without shelter suitable for protection. The rains also impede humanitarian access due to catastrophic flooding, she added. “It’s paramount that we scale up the response now and immediately relocate as many refugees as […]

Pakistani authorities frequently use colonial-era laws and policies to forcibly evict low-income residents, shop owners, and street vendors to enable public and private development projects. The evictions disproportionately affect the most economically and socially marginalized communities in Pakistan without resettlement assistance or means of redress. The Pakistani government needs to reform its land laws and ensure that […]

(Kyiv, May 29, 2024) – A recent Russian cluster munition strike on Odesa, Ukraine, that killed seven civilians and injured dozens more highlights the urgent need for all countries to join the international treaty banning these weapons, Human Rights Watch said today.  “Russia’s cluster munition strikes on Ukraine are a case study of the grave harm posed to […]

A United Nations Human Rights Council panel on May 15 shed light on the crisis of human rights violations against migrants at borders worldwide. At the session, survivors and civil society representatives presented harrowing testimonies, emphasizing the need for greater action to prevent abuses and ensure accountability. The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights […]

On 27 May, during the eighth edition of the Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’ hosted by the European Union, the donor community pledged a total amount of €7.5 billion. This strong commitment shows once more the willingness of the EU and the international community to mitigate the impact of […]