Category: Human Rights

A new United Nations report details how criminal groups in Haiti are exploiting the near-total absence of the state, as well as widespread hunger and violence, to recruit children who then face abuse. These criminal groups traffic children by using threats and material incentives to force them into criminal activity, sexual abuse, and sexual slavery. At […]

Cameroonian authorities are arbitrarily detaining non-Cameroonian nationals deported from the United States and detaining and abusing journalists who tried to interview them. But US President Donald Trump’s administration doesn’t seem to care. In January and February, under a secret agreement, the US government deported to Cameroon 17 men and women—including asylum seekers and a stateless […]

From Mandate to Monument: Benita Diop and Africa’s Unstoppable March to End Violence Against Women The history of international human rights is a testament to the fact that progress is never given; it is legally, politically and socially fought for.  Nowhere is this struggle for juridical equity more apparent—and more advanced—than in the African context, […]

Six years ago, on February 19, 2020, a far-right extremist shot and killed nine and injured six people predominantly of Muslim background in Hanau, Germany. The attack was motivated by racism and Islamophobia. Today, we remember:  Ferhat Unvar Hamza Kurtović Said Nesar Hashemi Vili Viorel Păun Mercedes Kierpacz Kaloyan Velkov Fatih Saraçoğlu Sedat Gürbüz Gökhan […]

The disqualification of the Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from the 2026 Winter Olympics shines a critical light on Rule 50 (2) of the Olympic Charter prohibiting political, racial, or religious “propaganda” at Olympic venues. He was disqualified for wearing a helmet displaying images of Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The decision by […]

Following the recent severe escalation in the conflict in Sudan, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib joined 32 countries to reiterate EU’s full support to the people of Sudan and reaffirm its commitment to the respect of international humanitarian law: ‘We express grave concern over the continued deadly unlawful attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian operations as […]

The Philippine authorities have sought to permanently move entire communities from various areas to sites deemed safer, without adhering to international standards aimed at protecting the rights of those affected. Past failures in the region underscore the urgent need for authorities to ensure inclusive, rights-based solutions, including through fully consulting those affected. The Philippines government should […]

On February 13, Myanmar’s military junta ordered the head of Timor-Leste’s Embassy in Yangon to leave the country within seven days. The expulsion comes after Timorese authorities opened legal proceedings against Myanmar junta officials earlier this month for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case, filed by the Chin Human Rights Organisation in January, accuses […]

(Paris) – Chinese authorities have attempted to pressure two ethnic Uyghur activists living in Paris, including by asking one to spy on France’s Uyghur diaspora, Human Rights Watch said today. The case highlights the Chinese government’s increasing harassment of critics abroad and members of diaspora communities, abusive acts beyond China’s borders known as “transnational repression.” “The […]

The escalation of conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is driving mass displacement. The resources of food, water and shelter are stretched to breaking point and women and children increasingly left exposed to violence and exploitation. As Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib visits the region, the EU is mobilising €81.2 million […]