Category: Human Rights

Paulo Pinheiro spoke to UN News this week after presenting his latest report to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which examines a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues. The Syrian war, which began in March 2011, is at its “worst point” in four years, he said, while stressing that the escalating […]

OHCHR is urging the authorities to halt deportations, which are set to begin on 1 November, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva. Currently, more than two million undocumented Afghans are living in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom arrived after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. ‘Grave risk’ of violations “We believe […]

(London, October 27, 2023) – Responses from European governments to the hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza are having harmful effects on human rights in Europe, Human Rights Watch said today. Concerns include inadequate responses to growing reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia; the use of immigration policies that risk discrimination against people […]

Last week, anti-balaka militia leader Maxim Mokom was released by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court’s prosecutor withdrew charges, citing a lack of evidence and witnesses. Mokom’s case was not the only one stemming from violence in the Central African Republic since 2013, but his case’s termination is undoubtedly a disappointment to victims […]

Recent Turkish drone strikes on Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria damaged critical infrastructure and resulted in water and electricity disruptions for millions of people. People in the region, already facing a severe water crisis, now also bear the brunt of increased bombardment, exacerbating their struggle to get essential water supplies. Turkey should urgently stop targeting […]

The United Nations General Assembly should use its emergency session on Israel and Palestine this week to call for unfettered humanitarian aid and essential services for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Member countries should also highlight the need for concrete steps to prevent further atrocities against civilians and accountability for serious crimes by all parties. […]

Horrific crimes are being committed with devastating consequences for civilians in the escalating hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. Impunity for past abuses has clearly contributed to today’s violations, which show no signs of abating. Despite this, governments have largely been silent about the critical role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the one […]

Today, Japan’s Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional the country’s law mandating sterilization surgery for transgender people as a requirement for legal gender recognition. The case follows years of advocacy and litigation to remove this abusive and retrograde requirement that contradicts medical best practices and international human rights law. Since 2004, transgender people in Japan who […]

A “raging fire of brutality” is engulfing Myanmar, where military forces have killed more than 4,000 civilians since seizing power in a 2021 coup, according to an independent United Nations expert on Myanmar. On Monday before a UN General Assembly committee, the UN secretary-general, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, and a special UN investigative […]

The humanitarian crisis upfolding in Gaza is affecting women and girls in specific and devastating ways. On October 7, Hamas-led gunmen launched the worst massacre of civilians in Israeli history, killing an estimated 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostage. The Israeli military then launched airstrikes unprecedented in intensity on Gaza, killing an estimated […]