Category: Human Rights

Rwandan authorities and their proxies are using violence, judicial mechanisms, and intimidation to try to silence criticism from Rwandans living around the world. Rwanda’s targeting of Rwandans abroad, including in the UK, underlines Rwanda’s contempt for human rights norms enshrined in the international protection system. The UK should abandon its asylum transfer deal with Rwanda […]

Rwandan authorities and their proxies are using violence, judicial mechanisms, and intimidation to try to silence criticism from Rwandans living around the world. Rwandans living abroad practice self-censorship, refrain from political activism, and live in fear of traveling, being attacked, or seeing their relatives in Rwanda targeted. Rwanda’s partners should open their eyes to the […]

(Tunis) – The Tunisian National Guard collectively expelled over 100 migrants from multiple African countries to the border with Algeria on September 18 and 20, 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. Those expelled, which included children and possibly asylum seekers, had been intercepted at sea and returned to Tunisia by the Coast Guard, part of the […]

Sitting in a dusty courtyard of the Holy Ghost Coptic Church in Kisumu city, in western Kenya, I heard Paul (a pseudonym), approaching before I saw him. Clink. Clink. Clink. The sound of a human being struggling to walk with heavy metal chains around his ankles, waist, and hands. Paul had been living in chains […]

Vitit Muntarbhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, also said that the hereditary succession to power raised serious concerns with respect to human rights, democratic principles and the international rule of law. Mr. Muntarbhorn and other rights experts had previously described the lead-up to and the outcome of the July […]

In his message marking World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10 October, the UN chief underlined that mental health is vital to humanity, allowing us to lead fulfilling lives and contribute positively to our communities. One in eight people globally lives with a mental health condition, with women and young people impacted the most.  Many face […]

(Jerusalem) – Palestinian armed groups carried out a deadly assault on October 7, 2023, that killed several hundred Israeli civilians and led to Israeli counterstrikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said in releasing a questions and answers document about the international humanitarian law standards governing the current hostilities. As of October 8, […]

This week, member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva will vote on creating a mechanism to investigate alleged crimes by the parties to the conflict in Sudan. This would lay important groundwork for holding perpetrators to account. In September, nearly 120 Sudanese, regional, and international organizations called for the UN’s top […]

(The Hague) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings on October 10 and 11, 2023 on state-sponsored torture in Syria since 2011 are critically important for advancing justice, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 8, the Netherlands and Canada filed a case with the court alleging that Syria is violating the international Convention […]

A deputy from Kazakhstan’s lower chamber of Parliament, the Mazhilis, has made an outrageous proposal to punish women for provoking abuse by their husbands. This, in a country where police receive more than 100,000 domestic violence complaints annually. In a September 26 meeting, where parliament’s Legislation and Judicial Reform Committee was discussing measures to combat […]