Category: Human Rights

The recent death of Sha Bahadur Gurung, one of Bhutan’s longest serving political prisoners, is a tragic reminder of the injustice and needless suffering endured by alleged government critics in Bhutan’s grim prisons.  Gurung, 65, was arrested in 1990 while he was a member of the Royal Bhutan Army and accused of attending protests demanding […]

International concern is intensifying over Iran’s escalating crackdown on nationwide protests, with senior UN officials and leading human rights groups warning that the government’s growing reliance on lethal force may constitute grave violations of international law. UN Assistant Secretary‑General Martha Pobee told an emergency Security Council session that Iran’s response to weeks of unrest has […]

The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council should use its January 19 ambassadorial-level meeting to address the urgent protection needs and escalating abuses in South Sudan.  The meeting follows a visit by the AU High-Level Ad Hoc Committee on South Sudan, during which they assessed the 2018 peace agreement’s implementation, which has been undermined by, […]

The UN Security Council is meeting in New York in emergency session on Iran, amid escalating concern over reports that hundreds have been killed during weeks of nationwide anti-government protests. The meeting was requested by the United States. Demonstrations that began in late December, fuelled by soaring inflation, rising food prices and the collapse of the […]

PARIS – In an unprecedented move to protect national security and public order, the French Ministry of the Interior has issued categorical territorial bans against 10 British nationals linked to far-right vigilante activities. Announced on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the decree prevents these individuals—members of the UK-based group “Raise the Colours”—from entering or residing in […]

Iran’s security forces have carried out mass killings of protesters after nationwide protests escalated on January 8, 2026. The mass killings by Iranian security forces are a stark reminder that rulers who massacre their own people will keep committing atrocities until they are held to account. UN member states should urgently convene a special session […]

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese government has escalated arrests of perceived dissidents in the weeks before Vietnam’s 14th Communist Party Congress, which is scheduled to begin on January 19, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should end its intensifying campaign against its critics and release everyone imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their political views. […]

(Geneva) – A new United Nations report about sexual violence related to Sri Lanka’s civil war is another step forward in the struggle for accountability for crimes under international law that were committed in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN report, issued on January 13, 2026, finds that sexual violence was “part […]

Syrian government forces and local Bedouin and Druze armed groups all carried out grave abuses during clashes in Syria’s southern Sweida governorate in July 2025. Abuses included summary killings, outrages on personal dignity, and abductions. As many as 187,000 people have been displaced. The Syrian authorities need to demonstrate they are a government for all […]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 12 that it will no longer ascribe an economic value to saving lives and improving public health when considering whether to curb harmful air pollutants. This move could weaken emissions standards and imperil communities exposed to toxic pollution.  The EPA, which enforces federal environmental laws, said […]