Category: Human Rights

(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 […]

Click to expand Image An Afghan woman carries empty containers to fetch water in Nahr-e-Shahi district in Balkh province, Afghanistan, August 6, 2023.  © 2023 Ali Khara/Reuters “The situation is getting worse every day,” Ahmad, a former journalist in Herat, Afghanistan, told me. “I don’t think anyone can afford to buy enough food anymore.” Afghanistan […]

Tomorrow, eleven Ugandan students will appear before a Kampala court for their activism against the planned East Africa crude oil pipeline (EACOP), one of the largest fossil fuel infrastructure projects currently under development globally. This is the latest in a series of harassment, threats, and arbitrary arrests against EACOP protestors. These trials are part of […]

In Pakistan, a WhatsApp message – even an alleged one – can have deadly consequences. Last week, a court in Gujrat district, Punjab, sentenced a 22-year-old student to death on charges of sharing blasphemous pictures and videos. A 17-year-old student was sentenced to life imprisonment in the same case because Pakistani law prohibits the death sentence […]

(Washington, DC) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should urge Sri Lanka’s government to abandon draft legislation that would severely curtail civil society and jeopardize the IMF’s program in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the IMF that was released today. The proposed Non-Governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act is among […]

(Beirut) – The Egyptian authorities appear to have made opaque amnesty deals in recent years with suspected members of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) affiliate in Egypt’s North Sinai without making the criteria public, Human Rights Watch and the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights said today. Evidence gathered by the two organizations and […]

As the Great Lakes region of Africa is suffering from major humanitarian crises caused by conflict, violence and natural disasters, the Commission is announcing new humanitarian aid worth almost €70 million. This EU funding will support projects addressing gender-based violence, support to Education in Emergencies, and disaster preparedness. Out of the total amount, €63,75 million […]

(Lusaka) – Zambia’s government is delaying urgently needed action to clean up severe lead contamination in the city of Kabwe, the Alliance for Lead-Free Kabwe, a coalition of Zambian and international civil society organizations, said today. The government should draft a technical proposal and seek support from donor agencies and companies responsible for the pollution […]

The European Commission has allocated €20 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti, where unprecedented levels of gang violence are dramatically increasing humanitarian needs country-wide for civilians. The funding will help humanitarian partners to address the most urgent needs of the population, in terms of protection, food assistance, nutrition, water and sanitation and healthcare. A specific […]

A good starting point for the new Polish government to demonstrate it is serious about restoring the rule of law, which was eroded by the previous government, would be stopping the practice of migrant pushbacks at the country’s border with Belarus. On March 8, the Polish Border Guard announced the establishment of search and rescue […]