Category: Human Rights

2026-2027 Henigson Fellowship Application Now Open The Human Rights Program is pleased to announce that the application for the 2026-2027 Henigson Fellowship is now open.  The post-graduate fellowship is open to Harvard Law School graduates only. The application deadline is on March 16, 2026. Prospective applicants must email HRP Associate Director Abadir M. Ibrahim ([email protected]) before March 2, 2026, to discuss […]

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s scheduled January 25-28 visit to China, accompanied by over 20 Finnish business leaders, is the latest in a wave of trips by democratic governments seeking closer trade relations with Beijing. Recent visits by leaders from Ireland, Sweden, France, Germany, and Canada follow a familiar script: trade and investment dominate the agenda while human rights concerns […]

Over 1 million Ukrainians are without electricity, water and heating in freezing temperatures following relentless Russian strikes on energy infrastructure. The European Commission is today deploying 447 emergency generators worth €3.7 million from EU strategic reserves to restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services. The generators – mobilised from rescEU strategic reserves hosted in […]

Last weekend the United Nations celebrated the 80th anniversary of the General Assembly’s first meeting. The commemoration comes as the world organization established to prevent a repeat of the crimes against humanity and genocide that took place during World War II is under unprecedented attack. The United States played a leading role in establishing the […]

This week, Australia passed new laws that expand government authority to ban hate groups and impose tougher penalties for hate crimes. The legislation is part of the government’s response to Sydney’s Bondi Beach mass shooting in December when two gunmen killed 15 people at celebrations for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. States are obligated under international human […]

On January 20, a Belgian court held a closed-door hearing to determine whether to pursue a criminal case against the last living former Belgian official for his alleged involvement in the 1961 assassination of the first democratically elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Patrice Émery Lumumba, following the country’s independence from Belgian colonial rule. […]

People living near Lega Dembi gold mine in Ethiopia’s Oromia region have for years complained about serious health impacts, including children born with long-term health conditions, miscarriages, and stillbirths. Several studies have found high concentrations of toxic chemicals, including cadmium, mercury, lead, and arsenic, in the country’s largest gold mine.  Next week, the United Nations […]

(New York) – Major donor nations dealt a devastating blow to the right to health for millions of people worldwide when they cut support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Human Rights Watch said today. Only US$11.85 billion has so far been pledged for 2026-2028 of an urgently needed US$18 billion. […]

Truck drivers in Niger now face a stark choice: risk your life or lose your livelihood. On January 6, Niger’s transport minister issued a decree punishing at least 34 fuel transport operators and long-haul truck drivers who refused to deliver fuel to neighboring Mali. Since September 2025, an Al Qaeda-linked armed group, known as Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa […]

HAVANA — As the 2026 international summit season approaches, human rights organizations have issued a blistering demand for the unconditional release of hundreds of political activists currently held in Cuban prisons. The call to action, spearheaded by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, underscores a deteriorating climate for civil liberties on the island, where the […]