Category: Human Rights

(Bangkok) – Two journalists were arrested in the Maldives in the second week of May, 2026, the first journalists jailed on criminal charges since the country adopted a democratic constitution in 2008, Human Rights Watch said today. The Maldives authorities should immediately release the arbitrarily imprisoned journalists, Leevan Ali Naseer, 29, and Mohamed Shahzan, 31, […]

This week, the Commission scaled up its humanitarian response in Lebanon, delivering nearly 150 tonnes of life-saving supplies to support people displaced by the deteriorating situation in the country. Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said: ‘The situation in Lebanon is worsening by the day, affecting millions in already dire need. Through […]

The death of Armen Hovhannisyan by suicide on May 16, hours after Armenian police transferred him to a psychiatric institution, should prompt urgent scrutiny of how authorities respond to people in psychosocial distress.   Police in Artashat, about 30 kilometers from Yerevan, detained Hovhannisyan after he allegedly tore down an election campaign poster. Authorities opened criminal […]

The European Commission has released nearly €11 million to support humanitarian aid and strengthen disaster preparedness across Asia in 2026. Over €8.7 million will fund disaster preparedness initiatives throughout the region, the majority through a regional allocation of €7 million covering ASEAN countries, as well as Nepal and Sri Lanka. In addition, a dedicated envelope […]

New Chapter by Professor Neuman on the U.S. & International Law   A chapter by Gerald L. Neuman, HRP Director and J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International, Foreign, and Comparative Law, titled “The United States Will Need International Law” is featured in an upcoming book to be published on July 7, 2026.  America Unfinished: 250 Years […]

(Jakarta) – An Indonesian official announced on April 30, 2026, that the government would seek to amend the country’s 1999 Human Rights Law to allow authorities to determine who is a recognized human rights defender, Human Rights Watch said today. Adopting such revisions would violate fundamental rights to freedom of expression and association and put rights […]

The European Union experienced its most devastating wildfire season on record in 2025, with over 1 million hectares of land burnt – an area roughly the size of Cyprus – according to new data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. EFFIS satellite monitoring revealed that […]

The M23 armed group and Rwandan military forces carried out an abusive month-long occupation of an eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city beginning in December 2025. During this time, these forces shot fleeing civilians, summarily executed more than 50 people during door-to-door searches, raped at least 8 women, and forcibly disappeared at least 12 people. […]

In view of the worsening humanitarian conditions in Cuba, the European Commission has released an additional €2 million in humanitarian aid. This funding will contribute to provide logistics support to humanitarian partners delivering urgent relief to the most vulnerable, due to the current energy crisis and related difficulties on the distribution of food and drinking […]

Ukraine’s parliament on April 28 advanced a bill to make sweeping reform of the national civil code, which raises significant human rights concerns. The draft, which was adopted in the first reading, does not include same-sex partnerships in the definition of “marriage.” A recent landmark ruling from Ukraine’s Supreme Court recognized that a same-sex partnership constituted “family,” […]