Category: Human Rights

(Austin, TX) – Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has called a special session of the Texas legislature for October 10, 2023 to consider proposals that would increase human rights violations and lead to long sentences for thousands of young Texans, Human Rights Watch said today. Proposals to create a state crime of illegal entry into Texas […]

This week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams began a four-day trip to Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia. He plans to visit the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle in the Colombia-Panama border region that over 300,000 migrants and refugees have crossed this year, mostly heading to the United States. Mayor Adams wants to tell people seeking […]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Mirjana Spoljaric have a new message for governments: “act now to preserve human control over the use of force.” In a joint appeal, the leaders urge the UN’s 193 member states to take decisive action and negotiate a new international […]

(Berlin, October 6, 2023) – The authorities in Tajikistan have detained relatives of their country’s opposition diaspora members who held protests during President Emomali Rakhmon’s recent visit to Germany, Human Rights Watch said today. Almost 50 relatives in Tajikistan were detained and questioned. Some were released, but many remain behind bars on unclear charges. “The […]

The prominent Chinese lawyer and writer Yang Maodong, better known as Guo Feixiong, is in a “critical state of health” five months into his eight-year prison term on baseless charges of  “incitement to subvert state power.” Guo’s health reportedly deteriorated after he went on a hunger strike around August, causing his weight to drop nearly […]

“I think what is absolutely clear is that the women of Iran have been a source of inspiration for the world. We’ve seen their courage and determination in the face of reprisals, intimidation, violence and detention,” Spokesperson Liz Throssell told journalists in Geneva.  “This courage, this determination, have been remarkable. They’ve been harassed for what […]

In a bid to legitimize its anti-migrant agenda, Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) is holding a national referendum on the same day as national elections on October 15. The government pushed a law through the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, in August to make this referendum possible. Two of the four referendum […]

Philippine authorities arrested the popular drag performer Pura Luka Vega this week on charges stemming from a video ofa performance that went viral in July. In the video, Vega performs to “Ama Namin,” a rock version of the Lord’s Prayer, dressed in an outfit resembling Jesus Christ. The video sparked controversy in the Philippines, with […]

Brazil’s Supreme Court is now considering a case that could decriminalize abortion in the country up to 12 weeks of gestation. This case had previously been on hold since 2018, when the Court held a public hearing at which Human Rights Watch urged it to consider Brazil’s obligations under international law in reaching its ruling. […]

Two landmark judgments of the Supreme Court of Mauritius have struck down the provision in the Criminal Code that outlawed consensual sex between men, rejecting the law as a discriminatory colonial relic. In a case brought by an individual, Abdool Ridwan Firaas Ah Seek, and supported by the LGBT group Collectif-Arc-en-Ciel, the court ruled that […]