Category: Human Rights

(Washington, DC) – Increasing violence in Haiti by criminal groups and clashes with “self-defense” groups are contributing to the dangerous insecurity facing the country’s population, Human Rights Watch said today. Criminal groups have been tightening their grip on Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and expanding into other regions. Opposition leaders and “self-defense” groups have led violent protests against the […]

The first country ever to free itself from slavery through a successful uprising, Haiti gained independence from France in 1804. But the price for defying the colonial order was steep. On April 17, 1825, besieged by French warships, Haiti agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million gold francs to the European power. Officially, the […]

In a significant legal setback for the Trump administration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday denied an emergency stay in the wrongful deportation case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, reinforcing a lower court’s order that mandates his return to the United States. This marks the third consecutive rejection from federal […]

A coalition of international legal organizations has filed a complaint with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, accusing Costa Rica of unlawfully detaining migrant minors deported from the United States. The lawsuit, filed on April 17, was led by attorneys from the Global Strategic Litigation Council, the Instituto Internacional de Responsabilidad […]

The United Nations has voiced serious concern over recent judicial developments in the Maldives, following the suspension of three Supreme Court justices—a move widely seen as undermining the independence of the judiciary. On April 18, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, publicly criticized disciplinary actions taken against Justices Azmiralda […]

This week, US federal court judges pushed back on the Trump administration’s abusive deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who, along with over 200 others accused of gang membership, was unlawfully transferred to a maximum security prison in El Salvador a month ago. The Trump administration admits transferring Abrego Garcia in contravention of a court order […]

In Istanbul, a trial commenced for 189 individuals, predominantly university students, arrested during anti-government protests following the March 19 detention of opposition Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. The charges include participating in banned demonstrations, disobeying police orders, and in some cases, carrying arms. Notably, four photojournalists and three reporters who were covering the protests are also facing […]

The United Nations has strongly condemned the Taliban’s recent use of public executions and corporal punishment in Afghanistan, calling for an immediate moratorium on such practices, which they say violate fundamental human rights and international law. The statement follows the public execution of four individuals on April 11, 2024, across Badghis, Nimroz, and Farah provinces, […]

They urged greater collaboration between governments, civil society and regional organizations to create a system that would compensate Africa and the African diaspora for the enduring legacies of colonialism, enslavement, apartheid and genocide between the 16th and 19th centuries. “Africa was under siege,” said Hilary Brown, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) about […]

A U.S. federal judge has issued a sweeping injunction against the Trump administration’s practice of deporting noncitizens to countries other than their country of origin without first giving them a chance to raise safety concerns — a move hailed as a major check on executive immigration policy. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled […]