Category: Human Rights

By Leila Saad, Research Assistant  Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is attempting to “sportswash” the country’s egregious record of human rights violations through a new global golf tournament that begins later this month. The Saudi-funded LIV Golf’s 2023 tournament will kick off on February 24 in Mexico and then move to Arizona, Florida, Australia, Singapore, […]

(Kyiv, February 21, 2023) – Russia’s cluster munition strike on the crowded Kramatorsk train station in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 killed dozens of civilians in violation of the laws of war, and was an apparent war crime, Human Rights Watch and SITU Research said in a report and video released today. “Death at the […]

(Beirut) – Government officials across the Middle East and North Africa region are targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people based on their online activity on social media, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Security forces have entrapped LGBT people on social media and dating applications, subjected them to online extortion, […]

“We are witnessing a surge in violence, including some of the deadliest incidents in nearly 20 years,” said Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). “We have seen ominous signs of what awaits if we fail to address the current instability.” Raising concerns that developments on the ground are continuing along […]

(Sydney) – Myanmar’s military junta should drop politically motivated charges against the Kachin Baptist leader Reverend Hkalam Samson and immediately release him, Human Rights Watch said today. Rev. Samson’s next hearing, on counterterrorism law charges, which only his lawyer is permitted to attend, is scheduled for February 21, 2023, at a special court inside Myitkyina […]

(New York, February 18, 2023) – Russian authorities have refused for a month to provide information about the location of a political prisoner, Andrey Pivovarov, raising concerns that he has been forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch said today. Pivovarov’s family and lawyer last heard from him on January 18, 2023 when he sent a letter […]

The chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez, has called for a new limited visa category for human rights defenders facing “imminent grave danger and persecution.” In a letter sent Tuesday, Menendez urged President Joe Biden to take this step to protect rights defenders who face increasing threats, as well […]

It’s been more than a week of pain, loss and grief. But it has also been more than a week of extraordinary bravery, solidarity and humanity. We feel honoured to have coordinated this crisis response operation with so many committed humanitarians and civil protection officers. Once more, thank you for your efforts. Our mission to […]

On 6 February, a powerful earthquake of 7.8 magnitude – one of the strongest earthquakes in the region in more than 100 years – struck the south-eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye, affecting 11 provinces in Türkiye and 6 governorates in Syria. The earthquake was followed by another powerful 7.5-magnitude quake. Türkiye’s authorities estimate that 13.5 […]

Today, Spain’s parliament passed a comprehensive law to expand protections and entrench rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. The statute has become known colloquially as the “Trans Law” because provisions that allow for gender recognition based on self-identification through a simple administrative process have provoked heated public debate. The passage of […]