Category: Human Rights

(New York) – Developing an effective International Convention to Prevent and Punish Crimes against Humanity will require ambitious and forward-looking diplomacy, Human Rights Watch and Columbia Law School’s Prevention of Crimes Against Humanity Project said today in a new briefing paper outlining 25 recommendations for delegations at the United Nations to consider as they prepare for […]

(Bangkok) – An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan, is scheduled to indict Matiullah Jan, a journalist who has long reported on police abuse, on October 31, 2025, on apparent politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said today. The Pakistani authorities should immediately drop the baseless charges against Jan under several sections of the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act and for narcotics’ […]

(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities arrested a former political prisoner, Huynh Ngoc Tuan, on October 7, 2025, for his comments on social media, Human Rights Watch said today. Police in Dak Lak province charged him with “conducting propaganda against the state” under article 117 of the penal code. They should immediately release him. Vietnamese law permits […]

On October 14, news broke that Russian forces, using drones, had attacked a United Nations interagency convoy delivering humanitarian aid to Bilozerka in the region of Kherson, southern Ukraine. The next day, a Russian-military affiliated Telegram channel posted video evidence of the attack for the world to see. Having spent the better part of a year investigating similar Russian drone […]

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has urged governments to strengthen coordination and safety measures along migration pathways after a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia claimed the lives of 40 migrants, including 12 children, on Thursday. The tragedy underscores the persistent dangers of irregular crossings in the Central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest […]

A United Nations expert has called for sweeping reforms to the global financial system, warning that current structures perpetuate inequality and undermine human rights. Presenting his report to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, George Katrougalos, the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, argued that international financial governance must […]

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities on October 20, 2025, executed a man convicted of alleged crimes committed as a child, Human Rights Watch said today. Abdullah al-Derazi had been sentenced to death on terrorism charges related to participating in protests and funeral processions. He was the 300th person executed by Saudi authorities in 2025.  The authorities […]

🧾 Summary The European Union’s signing of a new Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with Uzbekistan has drawn sharp criticism from Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other civil society advocates. While the agreement emphasizes respect for democratic principles and fundamental freedoms, rights groups argue it lacks enforceable conditions to address Uzbekistan’s deteriorating human rights […]

(Bangkok) – The Malaysian government should press Myanmar’s junta for the immediate release of a refugee family abducted from Kuala Lumpur in July 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. More than two years after her disappearance, Myanmar junta authorities announced on October 17, 2025, that they were detaining Thuzar Maung, a Myanmar pro-democracy activist, along with her […]

(Nairobi) – Burkina Faso authorities should urgently investigate and publicly report on the whereabouts of six judges and prosecutors as well as one lawyer who are feared to have been forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch said today. The abductions of the judicial officers and lawyer since October 10, 2025, could amount to enforced disappearances and possible […]