Category: Human Rights

On May 1, United Nations member states’ special envoys on Afghanistan will meet in Doha, Qatar to discuss how to address the Taliban’s latest restrictions on humanitarian operations. The two-day meeting follows a week of confused messaging from the UN that could directly affect next steps for helping Afghans in need of aid. On April […]

(Nairobi) – The Tanzanian government’s forced eviction of Maasai communities from areas in northern Tanzania they have long inhabited violates their rights to land, livelihood, and culture, Human Rights Watch said today. Since June 2022, the authorities have engaged in abusive and unlawful tactics, including beatings, shootings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrests to forcibly evict […]

(Beirut) – Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border with Syria, as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross into Turkey, Human Rights Watch said today. The Turkish government should investigate and hold accountable border guards responsible for these grave human rights […]

(New York) – Thai authorities should immediately investigate the death of an ethnic Uyghur asylum seeker who had spent nine years in immigration detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The case highlights the need for Thailand’s government to end the indefinite detention of asylum seekers. On April 21, 2023, Mattohti Mattursun (also known as Muhammad […]

(Nairobi) – Human Rights Watch released a question and answer document today that explains how international humanitarian law applies to the armed conflict in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) under Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an independent armed force, under Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemedti.” “From […]

The arrest of Burundi’s former prime minister, Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, should be followed by a full judicial investigation of abuses by the country’s security forces during his time in power, leading to the prosecution and fair trial of anyone responsible for serious crimes. Bunyoni rose through the ranks of the ruling National Council for the […]

by Nirvaly Mooloo, Intern, Africa Division Mozambique’s government has provided legal authority to an abusive militia to fight an Islamic State-linked armed group, locally known as Al-Shabab, in the north of the country. Opposition parties have called this local militia a “paramilitary force linked to the ruling party.” The Mozambican government first acknowledged it was […]

Last month, Hong Kong police arrested a 23-year-old Hong Kong woman who had been studying in Japan since 2019 upon her return to the city. Her “crime”? While in Japan she had posted messages online in support of Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, according to media reports. Her arrest for “inciting secession” reflects a dangerous trend […]

Six months after the warring parties to the armed conflict in northern Ethiopia signed a cessation of hostilities, European Union foreign ministers adopted formal conclusions that set out the EU’s future engagement with Ethiopia. The EU ministers noted the importance of accountability and transitional justice for sustainable peace and reconciliation. But they also set the […]

Since the military coup in February 2021, the humanitarian situation in Myanmar has deteriorated. The United Nations estimates that fighting has displaced 1.5 million people across the country. Many of them are also unable to relocate to safer locations due to insecurity. In Myanmar’s northeastern Kachin and northern Shan States, over 121,000 people remain displaced. While […]