Category: Human Rights

China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country. Hongkongers Carmen Lau and Ted Hui are exiled activists who face arrest warrants back in Hong Kong under the draconian National Security Law. They revealed last week that anonymous […]

(Beirut) – Egyptian authorities should quash the conviction of prominent economist Abd al-Khaliq Farouk, who on October 2, 2025, was sentenced to five years in prison for articles and social media posts in violation of his free speech and due process rights, Human Rights Watch said today. An appeals court is scheduled to hear his case […]

Gyula Balog had a twinkle in his eye to match his wide smile, as he declared, “I’m an alcoholic, a homeless person, an activist, an actor, and an expert by experience.” He made sure the interpreter captured these words in that precise order, and then continued, “I have been sober for 31 years, and spent […]

(London, December 17, 2025) – Authorities in Kazakhstan have targeted independent journalists and media outlets in recent weeks, a coalition of nine human rights groups said today. The authorities have searched the newsroom of an independent news agency, detained media workers, and pressured journalists over their reporting. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, […]

Discussions are advancing at the United Nations on a new global treaty to guarantee every child’s right to a free education. Last week, countries gathered at the UN in Geneva to explore ways of strengthening international law around access to free pre-primary and secondary education. At least 74 countries from all regions participated, reflecting broad […]

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib participated in the Humanitarian Leadership Group on Supply Chain Conference and welcomed the agreement reached by participants to continue working towards a shared vision for a more interoperable and collaborative system to deliver humanitarian aid.  Commissioner Lahbib reiterated the determination to work closely with partners to promote […]

(Washington, DC, December 18, 2025) – United States federal immigration enforcement agents now commonly operate masked and without visible identification, compounding the abusive and unaccountable nature of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, Human Rights Watch said today. The indefinite and widespread nature of these practices is fundamentally inconsistent with the United States’ obligations to ensure […]

A total of 8 flights will bring life-saving supplies into Darfur, as mass atrocities, starvation, and displacement linked to the conflict in Sudan have left millions in need of humanitarian assistance. The first flight delivered around 100 tonnes of aid from EU humanitarian stockpiles and partner organisations last Friday, 12 December. Further flights will continue […]

Kazakhstan’s Senate adopted two rights-violating laws on December 18, both of them threatening freedom of expression.  The first is a discriminatory draft law banning so-called propaganda of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) expression, which would make it illegal to publicly support LGBT rights. The clear intention of the bill is to silence all forms of […]

A renewed offensive by the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s South Kivu province has displaced around 500,000 people, and driven tens of thousands across the border into Burundi, overwhelming fragile transit sites and stretching already limited humanitarian resources. The Rwandan-backed movement, which relaunched its insurgency in 2022 and has since […]