Category: Human Rights

The United States is today designating 12 individuals in connection with Iran’s violent and coercive tactics, both inside and outside Iran.  We are taking these actions in coordination with Australia and Canada, who are each also rolling out new sanctions this week against those responsible for human rights abuses in Iran.  Today’s actions target members […]

(Johannesburg) – Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso have escalated their attacks on civilians, massacring villagers, displaced people, and Christian worshipers, Human Rights Watch said today. Since February 2024, the armed groups have killed at least 128 civilians across the country in seven attacks that violated international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes. Government forces have […]

Following the devastating impact of typhoon Yagi across several countries in Southeast Asia, the European Union has released €2.2 million in humanitarian aid to help those populations most affected. This funding will help address the most pressing needs, such as food, water and sanitation, and healthcare. The largest amount, up to €1.2 million, will support […]

At least 5,350 civilians have been killed, and more than 3.3 million displaced, since the military seized power on 1 February 2021, and over half the population is living below the poverty line mainly due to violence perpetrated by the national armed forces. Furthermore, nearly 27,400 people have been arrested, and numbers have been rising […]

Heavy rains have ravaged 30 of the country’s 36 states, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Tuesday. The Government has reported 269 deaths so far, while over a million people have been affected and more than 640,000 are now displaced. Major dam breach Nigeria is among a handful of West African countries that have […]

“Today’s report reveals the undeniable truth: progress is achievable, but is not fast enough,” said Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director. “Let us unite to continue dismantling the barriers women and girls face and forge a future where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality,” she added. The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, […]

The following is the joint statement released by the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, on the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Zhina Amini. Two years ago today, Mahsa Zhina Amini, a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, was killed while in […]

Police officials in Kyrgyzstan continue to evade accountability for inaction that may have contributed to the death of Aizada Kanatbekova at the hands of her “bride kidnapper” in April 2021. On September 13, the Bishkek City Court upheld a May 2024 district court acquittal of the then-Bishkek police chief, Bakyt Matmusaev, of negligence charges in […]

Following Portugal’s activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in response to severe wildfires in the northern part of the country, the European Commission has mobilised 8 firefighting planes. These include 2 each from Spain, Italy, France, and Greece, to support the Portuguese first responders on the ground.  This is the second time this summer […]

In a new report, the Human Rights Council-mandated investigators described how security forces had raided dozens of homes of suspected critics of the Government “just using social media videos as the only evidence to arrest people”. Violence and threats Victims’ testimonies gathered either side of the disputed Presidential election on 28 July which returned Mr. […]