Category: Human Rights

A Tireless Advocate for Children’s Rights Leaves HRP We recently bade farewell to HRP’s Eleanor Roosevelt Visiting Fellow Benyam Dawit Mezmur, who returned to his regular position as Professor of Law and Deputy Dean at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa. In his 16 months at Harvard Law School, Benyam […]

(New York, September 15, 2023) – World leaders attending the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly should urge accountability for the world’s human rights crises, Human Rights Watch said today. More than 140 leaders are expected in New York City for the UN’s annual General Debate, its most high-profile event of the year, […]

“The frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity has only increased in recent months,” said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the investigation team, formally known as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). ‘Brazen bombings’ Addressing the forum in Geneva, he described even “more brazen aerial bombings and indiscriminate shelling, resulting in the deaths […]

Next week, a high-level summit will convene under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly to chart a path to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The quadrennial summit marks the halfway point for achieving the SDGs, on which progress has stalled or even reversed. At this critical juncture, world leaders […]

Addressing the opening of the Council’s 54th session, Mr. Türk strongly condemned the “old, blunt, brutal politics of repression” as exemplified by a rise in military coups and the crushing of dissent – “in short, the fist”.  Following military takeovers in Niger and Gabon, he insisted that the “unconstitutional changes in government” such as the […]

(London) – The social audits and certifications that brands and retailers use are totally inadequate to monitor and respond to threats to workers trying to organize independent unions, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing an analysis of standard social audit reports of garment factories in Bangladesh. Most audit reports either barely addressed the issue […]

This year’s devastating earthquakes have led to unprecedented humanitarian needs in 11 provinces across Türkiye. The disaster claimed the lives of over 50,000 people, and directly impacted some 14 million people. In Kilis, a community centre by the International Blue Crescent Relief & Development Foundation (IBC), provides a safe space for local and refugee children […]

“Such developments echo a horrific past that must not be repeated,” said Volker Türk UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, marking “five months of futile suffering, death, loss and destruction.” Mounting casualties Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Türk also warned of mounting civilian casualties, as 1500 have already lost their lives to […]

(Beirut) – Iranian authorities have ramped up their repression on civil society as the one-year anniversary of the death in custody of Mahsa Jina Amini that resulted nationwide protests nears, Human Rights Watch said today. All delegations of UN member states meeting Iranian counterparts during the annual UN General Assembly leaders’ week in New York […]

“Human rights in Afghanistan are in a state of collapse,” he told the Human Rights Council, before sounding the alarm over ongoing reports of extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment and arbitrary arrests and detentions, as well as serious violations against former Government officials, as documented in a new human rights office (OHCHR) report. “Compounding all of this […]