Category: Human Rights

On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Hamas released four Israeli female hostages in a carefully staged handover, marking the second hostage swap since a ceasefire took effect on January 19, 2025. The four women—Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag—had been captured by Hamas during the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, when […]

(Nairobi) – Civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are at increasing risk as the abusive M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), approaches Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, Human Rights Watch said today. The M23 is opposed by Congolese military forces and a coalition of abusive militias known as “Wazalendo” (“patriots” […]

Prominent Tunisian human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine has entered the ninth day of a hunger strike, calling attention to her six-month detention under charges widely viewed as politically motivated. Bensedrine, 74, was arrested in August 2024 on accusations of fraud, “gaining unfair advantages,” and forgery related to her leadership of Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission […]

Today, Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality Hadja Lahbib is in Rome to meet the Italian authorities. She will meet Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President Antonio Tajani, to update him on her recent visit to the Middle East and discuss pressing humanitarian issues.  She will also meet Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policy, Nello […]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the recent terrorism-related charges filed against Hossam Bahgat, the executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), urging Egyptian authorities to drop the accusations. Bahgat was briefly detained and later released on bail following charges including participation in a terrorist group, financing terrorism, and spreading false news. […]

Hamas has announced the names of the next four hostages it plans to release on Saturday as part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement with Israel. The release follows a deal aimed at temporarily halting the conflict in Gaza, which has been in place for at least six weeks. While Hamas disclosed the hostages’ identities, Israel […]

“We are deeply alarmed at the heightened risk of an attack by the M23 armed group on Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo…Any such attack on Goma risks catastrophic impacts on hundreds of thousands of civilians, putting them at heightened exposure to human rights violations and abuses,” said […]

Within hours of his inauguration, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order purporting to restrict citizenship by birth on US soil. Under its terms, starting next month, children born in the United States to parents who are undocumented, or whose immigration status is only temporary, would no longer come into the world as US citizens. […]

Yemen’s Houthi group announced on January 22, 2025, the release of the 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader vessel, which had been seized by the group in November 2023. The release comes as part of efforts to support the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following the mediation of Oman. The Houthi group stated that […]

The United Nations is set to launch an appeal for $910 million to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria, a region severely impacted by an Islamist insurgency since 2009 and recent flooding. This appeal, the largest of its kind in West and Central Africa, aims to assist 3.6 million people out of the […]