Category: Human Rights

The experts were alarmed that hundreds of escapees – the vast majority of whom are women – have been sent back, despite repeated appeals by multiple international human rights bodies. Hundreds more reportedly are in detention awaiting the same fate. There are long-standing and credible reports that people returned to the DPRK, more commonly known […]

(Bangkok) – The Myanmar military attacked a village hosting hundreds of displaced civilians in Kachin State on October 9, 2023, killing 28 civilians, including 11 children, committing an apparent war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The nighttime attack on Mung Lai Hkyet, which also injured more than 60 people and caused extensive damage to […]

A Japanese family court has ruled that the country’s requirement that transgender people be surgically sterilized to change their legal gender is unconstitutional. The ruling is the first of its kind in Japan, and comes as the Supreme Court considers a separate case about the same issue. In 2021, Gen Suzuki, a transgender man, filed […]

This Tuesday, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is set to hold the first reading of the highly repressive “foreign representatives” draft law, which would interfere with the activities of nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from abroad. If adopted, the bill would have a chilling effect on Kyrgyzstan’s vibrant civil society, curbing their ability to defend the human rights of […]

(New York) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres should press Chinese President Xi Jinping to end Chinese authorities’ crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other serious rights abuses in China during his upcoming visit, Human Rights Watch said today. Guterres is expected to attend the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 17 […]

The global food crisis is affecting millions of people around the world. In 2023, record levels of acute food insecurity persist due to protracted food crises and new shocks. In 48 countries, 238 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity – 10% more than in 2022. How is the EU reacting to […]

Australia’s referendum to enshrine a First Nations voice in the country’s constitution was unsuccessful. But the spotlight remains on the Australian government to ensure First Nations people’s rights to self-determination, and full and effective participation are properly realized. Establishing an Indigenous Voice to parliament was put to a vote on October 14, 2023, as constitutional […]

The UN chief’s appeal comes as clean water and other vital supplies are dwindling inside Gaza in the wake of Israel’s blockade.  UN and other humanitarian agencies have worked round the clock to preposition aid since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out following the militant group’s 7 October attack on several locations […]

Australia’s referendum to enshrine a First Nations voice in the country’s constitution was unsuccessful. But the spotlight remains on the Australian government to ensure First Nations people’s rights to self-determination, and full and effective participation are properly realized. Establishing an Indigenous Voice to parliament was put to a vote on October 14, 2023, as constitutional […]

Some 22 countries and one non-governmental organization (NGO) took the floor, turning the meeting into a mini urgent debate on the crisis sparked by Hamas attacks against Israel and the capture of more than 100 Israelis who are being held hostage by militants inside the Gaza Strip. The surprise incursion prompted intense aerial bombardment by […]