Category: Human Rights

In Memoriam: Benjamin Ferencz Ben Ferencz at the HLS Medal of Freedom Award Ceremony in 2014. The world has lost a tireless champion in the cause of human rights and peace: Benjamin Ferencz ’43. A decorated World War II veteran whose Jewish family had emigrated from Transylvania to the USA, Ferencz first gained international recognition […]

Dario Jose Mejia Montalvo, Chair of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Leader of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia. Many indigenous peoples profess a deep respect for the planet and all forms of life, and an understanding that the health of the Earth goes hand in hand with the wellbeing of humankind. This […]

A letter was revealed after World War II in which a Jewish woman complained to Adolf Hitler about Jews being targeted in Germany before the war to which Hitler responded that this was a lie. “When we discovered the letter for the first time there was great excitement,” said former MK Rachel Azaria who is […]

A UK government scheme to compensate “Windrush scandal” victims is failing and violating the rights of many to an effective remedy for human rights abuses they suffered.  The Windrush generation that has lived in the UK for decades have had to meet impossible requirements in recent years to prove their residency rights, causing life-altering losses. […]

(Beirut) – The Iraqi government’s recent decision requiring applicants under the Yazidi Survivors Law to file a judicial complaint to be eligible for reparations is an alarming development that does not take survivors’ best interests into consideration, 13 organizations including Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement today. Several survivors have reported harassment and […]

Angolan security forces have again been implicated in serious abuses against migrant women from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The media reported that Angolan security force personnel and others raped Congolese women and children and otherwise abused them during mass expulsions of migrant workers over the past six months. A United Nations investigation has […]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed an extreme 6-week abortion ban, trampling human rights. The Florida House of Representatives passed the ban yesterday after the state Senate approved it earlier this month. The new ban will not go into effect until 30 days after the Florida Supreme Court rules on a challenge to the state’s […]

“Nearly 900 conflict-related detainees are being released by the parties in Yemen starting today, Friday, and over the course of three days,” the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen said in a statement. “This release operation comes at a time of hope for Yemen as a reminder that constructive dialogue and […]

French President Emmanuel Macron seems to have succumbed to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s charm offensive during a three-day visit to China last week. As during his last visit in 2019, Macron publicly ignored the deteriorating human rights situation in China under Xi. China’s “president for life” has continued to tighten his dictatorial grip on the […]

(Berlin, April 14, 2023) – Moscow City Court is scheduled to deliver a verdict on April 17, 2023 in the criminal trial against the prominent Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, Human Rights Watch said today. Russian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Kara-Murza, who has been arbitrarily detained for the past year, as well as […]