Category: Human Rights

In a statement on Friday, Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Nicaraguan Government to “favourably consider” the requests of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to visit the country. “The UN is available to assist national dialogue efforts to strengthen the rule of law, respect for human rights and the […]

“Spanish authorities must conduct a full, fair, and effective investigation into these allegations, publish the findings and stop any unlawful interference into the fundamental rights of the Catalan minority activists in Spain,” they said in a statement.  Top leaders arrested  Following the October 2017 independence referendum, Spain arrested leaders of the Catalonian independence movement on charges […]

The conviction of the Burundian journalist Floriane Irangabiye on charges of “undermining the integrity of the national territory” on January 2, 2023, violates her rights to free speech and to a fair trial, Human Rights Watch said today. The High court of Mukaza sentenced her to 10 years in prison and a fine of 1,000,000 […]

(Jerusalem) – Israeli authorities’ actions to seal the family homes in the occupied West Bank of two Palestinians suspected of attacks against Israelis amount to collective punishment, a war crime, Human Rights Watch said today.  This punitive measure, which Israeli authorities have said they will follow by demolishing the homes, comes amid a spike in […]

(New York) – Nepal’s newly elected government should prioritize coverage for all children and add coverage for millions of informal workers as it considers changes to the existing system, Human Rights Watch said today. Nepal’s social protection system fails to effectively protect children from poverty and reinforces inequalities between informal and formal workers. Governments have […]

Against the backdrop of the ongoing and deadly Russian invasion of Ukraine, the experts urged the IOC to adopt a decision in that direction, and to go further.  Level playing field needed  Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights and Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia […]

Last week South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced plans to revise its legal definition of rape to include nonconsensual sex. But within hours, South Korea’s Justice Department rejected the plan. Consent should be at the heart of any legal definition of rape. Article 297 of South Korea’s penal code defines rape as […]

In its obsession to keep migrants and asylum seekers away from its shores, Italy is paying for tens of thousands of people to be intercepted and returned to Libya, where they face abuses that the UN describes as possible crimes against humanity. Italy’s Memorandum of Understanding on Migration with Libya will be automatically renewed on […]

On Monday, a coroner in the Australian state of Victoria issued their report on the death of a 37-year-old First Nations woman, Veronica Nelson. The report found that current bail laws are “discriminatory” and the failure of prison health services contributed to Nelson’s “preventable” death in custody. The coroner recommended urgent bail reform and referred […]

(Berlin, January 31, 2023) – An Uzbekistan court on January 31, 2023, convicted all 22 defendants in a trial over July 2022 protests in the Karakalpakstan autonomous region, Human Rights Watch said today. The key defendant, Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov, was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a court in Bukhara. Fifteen others were sentenced to […]