Category: Human Rights

(Beirut) – The United States transferred 5,700 detainees held for alleged ISIS affiliation from Northeast Syria to Iraq, where they are at risk of enforced disappearance, unfair trials, torture, ill-treatment, and violations of the right to life, Human Rights Watch said today.  The United States began transferring the detainees, including Syrians, Iraqis, and third country nationals, on January […]

(The Hague) – The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s first major hearing in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is a critical step in ensuring justice for victims of the Philippines’ “war on drugs,” Human Rights Watch said today in a question-and-answer document on the upcoming proceedings.  From February 23 to 27, 2026, a panel […]

(Berlin) – The Kazakhstan Constitutional Commission’s proposed amendments to the country’s constitution would severely weaken checks on executive power and fundamental human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said today. Police have responded to public criticism of the changes by intimidating and arresting journalists, lawyers, and social media users. The draft constitution will be put to a […]

United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027. The change in leadership comes at a time when human rights and democracy, as well as the international organizations created to uphold those principles and provide lifesaving assistance, are under unprecedented attack. So far member countries have formally nominated […]

Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinded its 2009 endangerment finding: a drastic move even in the context of the Trump administration’s larger deregulatory and anti-climate agenda. Impacts on climate action and communities threaten to be extremely broad but also pose particular threats to increasingly beleaguered reproductive rights. Because it is a vital legal tool for regulating climate-warning […]

(London) – Nepal’s interim government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki should release the Commission of Inquiry report into deadly violence during the “Gen Z” protests of September 2025, as well as all the previous judge-led inquiry reports on human rights violations and abuses which were not published by previous governments, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, […]

This week African and other international leaders and actors arrive in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, for the annual African Union (AU) summit.  The 39th meeting of heads of state and governments is taking place amid Ethiopia’s deteriorating human rights situation and the apparent unravelling of the fragile peace in the country’s Tigray region. Tigray’s population […]

Before she was elected prime minister, Giorgia Meloni threatened to impose a naval blockade in the Mediterranean Sea to stop boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers from reaching Italy. Her government has now proposed draft legislation that will allow it to do just that. The bill, approved by the cabinet on February 11, would allow […]

(Tokyo) – Indonesian police unlawfully dispersed, beat, and detained 11 Papuan protesters in Merauke City, South Papua, on January 25, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the incident, appropriately discipline or punish those responsible for abuses, and consult with Indigenous communities to address longstanding grievances. That morning, members of […]

(Nairobi) – An Islamist armed group has killed 30 civilians, including 4 children, and 5 captured combatants in two attacks in western Niger since January 18, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The attacks by the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS Sahel) are unlawful and apparent war crimes. On January 18, IS Sahel fighters rounded […]