Category: Human Rights

Smara was one of the first refugee camps to be established after the Moroccan invasion, following the exodus to the Algerian desert. It is currently home to over 40,000 people. (Photo by Matthew Aslett. 2021 Copyright.) Embarka sits in her tent, pitched on the sandy ground in the vast expanse of southwestern Algeria’s desert, in […]

“No one is safe when human rights are under attack,” Mr. Türk told the Human Rights Council, warning that the rules of war “are being shredded”. “Some States are becoming an extension of their ruler’s personal power,” he insisted. In his customary address to the UN’s top rights forum at the beginning of a new […]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has welcomed the upcoming trial of 13 Turkish gendarmes accused of torture and custodial death, calling it a rare opportunity to confront impunity for law enforcement abuse in Türkiye. The officers face charges stemming from the February 2023 arrest of brothers Ahmet and Sabri Güreşçi in Hatay province, following allegations of […]

Forces belonging to the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, raided several United Nations offices and detained at least 19 UN staff on August 31, adding to dozens of UN and civil society staff already detained since 2024. The previous arrests have led to a suspension of UN aid, endangering the lives of many Yemenis […]

GENEVA — United Nations human rights experts have called on Pakistan to suspend its planned mass deportation of Afghan refugees, warning that the policy violates international law and places returnees at grave risk. Under Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan,” deportations are set to begin September 1 and now include refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) […]

Doing so is key to dismantling systemic racism that is rooted in legacies of slavery and colonialism, it said. Actions include formal apologies, truth-seeking, memorialisation and education measures, medical and psychosocial support, as well as compensation. Past and present linked For the most part, the report found that amid some rollback of commitments to racial […]

(Johannesburg, September 4, 2025) – A South African-owned company is providing access to toxic lead-bearing waste in the Zambian city of Kabwe despite immense health risks for local residents, Human Rights Watch said today. The material derives from waste material at a former mine that has never been cleaned up and has been the source […]

The measures announced on Thursday target Al-Haq group, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, in relation to their support of the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, following other sanctions imposed by the US Government in June on renowned […]

WASHINGTON — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the U.S. government to immediately halt the transfer of immigrant detainees to the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, citing reports of “abusive and inhumane” conditions that may constitute ill-treatment. The appeal follows interviews with Venezuelan migrants held at the facility in early 2025. Detainees reported being transported […]

Adapted from jurist.org article by L. Ali Khan and Edited by Ingrid Burke Friedman | JURISTSeptember 5, 2025 States are increasingly engaging in extraterritorial (ET) killings—state-led assassinations carried out beyond national borders—despite clear prohibitions under international law. These actions often bypass judicial oversight, undermining fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life and due process. […]