Category: Human Rights

This week, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council. The ambassador’s agenda for August includes a “focus” on human rights. Human rights undoubtedly deserve to be on the council agenda, as does catastrophic conflict-induced food insecurity, which the US ambassador has made her signature issue. […]

The people of Gaza have struggled under a 16-year-long blockade. It is further aggravated by frequent shocks such as recurrent hostilities and air strikes, resulting in sudden severe humanitarian needs for many and increased vulnerability for all. With every passing year, the humanitarian situation in the enclave worsens. The blockade has led to a protracted […]

Cambodians went to the polls on 23 July, amid shrinking civic and political space, including a ban on the main opposition party, media restrictions and harassment of perceived opponents of the ruling elite, UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts said. “As a result, the national elections were very unbalanced and raised major concerns for the […]

Israel’s airstrikes in Jenin in the occupied West Bank in early July reminded me of the nights during rounds of hostilities in Gaza when my family and I worried we wouldn’t survive to see daylight again. The most recent outbreak of hostilities in Gaza in May might have faded from memory for many, but the […]

(Berlin, August 2, 2023) – Belarus authorities have extradited Nizomiddin Nasriddinov, a Tajik political activist with refugee status in Germany, to Tajikistan, where he is at serious risk of persecution and torture, Human Rights Watch said today. Tajik authorities should immediately clarify Nasriddinov’s whereabouts, release him if he is in detention, and allow him to […]

(Bangkok) – The Cambodian government has issued an order to internet service providers to block access to online websites and social media accounts of three major independent media outlets, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should lift its orders to block access to the three outlets – The Cambodia Daily, Radio Free Asia (RFA), […]

Anti-gay remarks made on Saturday by a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon who has recently called for anti-gay violence sparked panic and terror among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, described same-sex relations as a “sexual perversion,” and warned that gay people’s existence is a “threat to […]

On July 31, Senegal’s interior minister announced the dissolution of the opposition party Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité (Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity, or PASTEF) for rallying its supporters during violent protests in June this year and in March 2021. On the same day, the government also […]

The European Commission is pushing for the reapproval of the herbicide glyphosate for use in the European Union, despite concerns that the reapproval process has failed to adequately account for scientific evidence on the herbicide’s health and environmental risks. The current license for glyphosate use in the EU expires at the end of 2023. Glyphosate […]

Sea level rise and lack of space threaten the rights of people living on the tiny island of Gardi Sugdub and other coastal Indigenous communities in Panama. The community of Gardi Sugdub has planned for their relocation to a safer mainland site for over a decade, but long-promised support from the government has been delayed. […]