EU to Sign Uzbekistan Partnership Deal Despite Rights Abuses

(Brussels, October 22, 2025) – Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a high-level visit to Brussels on October 24, 2025, to sign a partnership deal with the EU setting out a new stage of closer relations and cooperation. While the new EU-Uzbekistan Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement specifies respect for democratic principles and human rights and […]

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Saudi Arabia: Release 10 Nubian Egyptian Men Immediately

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities should immediately release 10 Nubian Egyptians who have been unjustly detained for over 5 years, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 6, 2025, the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh reduced the sentences of the prisoners on appeal, yet all 10 remain unjustly detained. Saudi authorities arrested the 10 men […]

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UN: Momentum Builds for Crimes Against Humanity Treaty

(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 […]

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Pakistan: Drop Charges Against Outspoken Journalist

(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’ […]

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Vietnam: Former Political Prisoner Rearrested

(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 […]

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Russian Forces Deliberately Attack UN Aid Convoy

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 […]

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Forty Migrants Drown off Tunisia as IOM Renews Calls for Safer Migration Routes

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 […]

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UN Expert Urges Overhaul of Global Financial System to Uphold Human Rights

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 […]

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Saudi Arabia: Spate of Executions of Child Offenders

(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 […]

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Rights Groups Criticized EU-Uzbekistan Deal Over Human Rights Failures

🧾 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 […]

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