‘The system has failed’: Giles Duley’s mission to reframe disability in war

At UN Headquarters in New York, where we met the world-renowned British photographer, writer, chef and NGO founder, staff stopped him after the press conference to thank him for his honesty and for elevating stories too often overlooked. © Giles Duley/Legacy of War Foundation Giles Duley has dedicated his work as a photographer to document […]

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Cameroon: Prominent Opposition Leader Dies in Custody

(Nairobi) – The death in custody of a prominent Cameroon opposition leader, Anicet Ekane, should be impartially, promptly, and effectively investigated, Human Rights Watch said today. Ekane, 74, the leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Mouvement africain pour la nouvelle indépendance et la démocratie, MANIDEM) party, died on December 1, 2025, at the […]

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US: ICE Arrest at FIFA Event Spotlights Dangers for World Cup

(New York) – The arrest and return of an asylum seeker who took his children to the Club World Cup soccer tournament final on July 13, 2025, raises serious concerns about the safety of noncitizens attending the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. In May, Human Rights Watch wrote to the […]

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Malawian Disability Rights Advocate Honored

(New York) – Hilda Macheso, a Malawian disability rights advocate, is the 2025/2026 recipient of the Human Rights Watch Marca Bristo Fellowship for Courageous Leadership in Disability Rights, Human Rights Watch announced today on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Macheso is an emerging advocate for the rights of young people with disabilities in […]

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France: Macron Should Address Repression in China Visit

(Paris) – French President Emmanuel Macron should privately and publicly stress the importance of human rights in Sino-French relations during his visit to China from December 3 to 5, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Macron’s visit is one of several top-level engagements between European and Chinese leaders amid the complex and shifting geopolitical relationships among Europe, […]

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X’s Location Disclosure Undermines User Safety

Since November 21, social media company X has been rolling out a new feature called “About this account,” which displays information about users that was previously not publicly disclosed. This includes the country where an account was created, is based, the date it joined X, and username changes. The company says the feature is intended […]

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Colombia: Armed Groups Strangle Southern Communities

(Washington, DC) – Armed groups in Colombia’s southern state of Putumayo, have tightened their control over citizens’ daily lives and committed grave abuses against civilians, particularly in Indigenous communities, Human Rights Watch said today. Since 2023, the government has been in peace talks with several armed groups that control parts of Putumayo, which is on the […]

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World News in Brief: Food insecurity triples, Mozambique aid boost, Uganda elections alert

FAO aims to support more than 100 million people in 54 countries by the end of 2026, with a funding goal of $2.5 billion. The agency is pushing for a more targeted and responsive approach, prioritising what matters most, sequencing interventions effectively, and centring efforts on the practical solutions farmers are calling for, in line […]

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Chancellor Merz in Israel: Germany Should Stand for Justice

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to visit Israel on 6th of December and meet, among others, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, including the deliberate starvation of the civilian population and attacks on civilians. Merz is […]

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Syria: Effort to buttress human rights since Assad’s fall, ‘only the beginning of what needs to be done’

OHCHR is calling for more action to end the violence and achieve justice. “While the interim authorities have taken encouraging steps towards addressing past violations, these steps are only the beginning of what needs to be done,” spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheethan told journalists in Geneva. Summary executions and arbitrary killing Since last December, Syria’s interim authorities have established national commissions for transitional justice and missing persons, among other measures.   A draft law on transitional justice has […]

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