UAE: Political Prisoner Dead After Alleged Ill-Treatment, Torture

(Beirut) – A political prisoner died on November 19, 2025, in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) notorious al-Razeen Prison after more than a decade of unjust imprisonment and torture allegations, Human Rights Watch and the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC) said today. Ali Abdullah Fath Ali al-Khaja, 59, was found dead in his prison cell […]

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UN warns Myanmar’s planned elections will deepen repression and instability

Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, OHCHR, told reporters in Geneva that voting is expected to begin on 28 December, in what he described as a military-controlled ballot conducted in an environment “rife with threats and violence” and actively suppressed political participation. Many major political parties have been excluded and more […]

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Central African Republic: Concerns Over Crucial Election

(Nairobi) – Concerns about irregularities, political interference, and security pressures risk putting the credibility and inclusiveness of key elections in the Central African Republic into question, Human Rights Watch said today. The vote, scheduled for December 28, 2025, will include presidential and parliamentary elections, but also municipal elections for the first time in decades. “The Central […]

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UN rights office condemns ‘apparent summary execution’ of two men in the West Bank

The shooting occurred on Thursday in Jenin and was apparently caught on film by a TV channel, OHCHR Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told journalists in Geneva. He said an internal review was announced following the incident, but statements made by a senior Israeli official sought to absolve security forces of responsibility, “raising serious concerns about the credibility of any future review or investigation conducted by any […]

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Russia: Government Designates Human Rights Watch “Undesirable”

(Berlin, November 28, 2025) – Russia’s designation of Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable” foreign organization, made public by the Ministry of Justice on November 28, is yet another mark of the Kremlin’s repression, Human Rights Watch said today. The designation bans the organization’s work in Russia. “For over three decades, Human Rights Watch’s work […]

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Mass displacement, trafficking fears deepen crisis in Sudan’s El Fasher

UN agencies say conditions are deteriorating further across North Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan, while independent human rights experts on Thursday warned that the collapse of protection following the city’s fall has sharply increased the risks facing women and children. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El Fasher – the capital of Sudan’s North […]

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Millions in Asia migrate out of necessity as jobs and services fall short

The office said people across the region are migrating “not by choice, but out of necessity,” driven by the systemic deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights at home. Poverty, unemployment, weak public services and climate stress are eroding livelihoods and leaving millions with few alternatives but to leave. “Migration should be a choice, not […]

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Rampant Labor Abuses Against Bangladeshi Migrant Workers in Malaysia

United Nations human rights experts have highlighted “widespread and systematic” exploitation, deception, and deepening debt bondage of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. Over 800,000 Bangladeshis have Malaysian work permits, making them the largest group of documented foreign workers in the country. According to information received by the UN, thousands of workers are stranded in Bangladesh or face […]

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‘A language everyone understands’: Jordanian cartoonist on art as hope

Based in the capital of Jordan, Abdallat has spent years using art to spark conversations on human rights, tolerance and social change. Through his Free Pen initiative, he leads workshops with young people, especially in communities affected by displacement, helping them express their experiences and hopes through drawing. From collaborations with UNESCO to counter hate […]

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Ukraine/Russia: Peace Efforts Should Put Human Impact First

(Berlin, November 27, 2025) – The People First Campaign on November 26, 2025, urged key leaders involved with a proposed Ukraine peace plan to ensure that any peace plan regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine places the human dimension at its core, Human Rights Watch said today. The campaign addressed an open letter to officials including United States President […]

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