Category: Human Rights

(Berlin, July 23, 2024) – Azerbaijan should free Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu, an academic arrested a year ago who is facing up to 17 years in prison on trumped-up charges, and end its crackdown on activists and journalists who criticize the government, a group of nongovernmental organizations  including Human Rights Watch said in a statement released […]

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning, everyone.  We’re here today ahead of the ten-year commemoration of the ISIS genocide against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims – genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing against these and other groups.  I have very strong memories of that time, having served in government when the attacks took place.  I remember […]

On July 18, South Korea’s Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling affirming that the country’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) must extend dependent benefits to same-sex partners. The plaintiff in the case, So Sung-uk, had registered his partner, Kim Young-min, as a dependent to obtain employer health insurance benefits. The NHIS initially accepted Kim as a dependent, […]

In a lively interactive dialogue, OHCHR’s Ajith Sunghay had invited the young students to discuss what human rights means to them. In turn, they shared their pain and hopes, sending messages to the world demanding an end to the war so that they could return to their homes safely. “We want to show solidarity with them, […]

“It was a priority for me to come to Guatemala at a crucial moment in its history, and to support the country in its efforts to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, to fight against corruption and establish a clear and transformative human rights agenda,” Volker Türk said in a statement.  Preserving democracy The UN rights chief […]

Volker Türk said the move constituted a restriction on freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive, and impart information. The High Commissioner continues to condemn violence in the South Asian country amid protests and is encouraging students and local authorities to exercise restraint, following reports of dozens of deaths and injuries. Paramilitary units […]

When Mr. Mandela addressed the Assembly in October 1994, he received a hero’s welcome. History was unfolding as he took his place on the dais in the white leather chair reserved for Heads of State and Government. Cheers erupted as he approached the podium. A collective standing ovation rose across the Assembly Hall. Indeed, the […]

(New York) – Sri Lankan authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said today. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even […]

(New York) – The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have yet to restore critical funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Human Rights Watch said. Both governments should act immediately to reinstate their support to the agency, the largest relief organization […]

(The Hague) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is set to issue an advisory opinion on July 19, 2024, with significant consequences for human rights protections in Palestine under Israel’s 57-year occupation, Human Rights Watch said today. The expected advisory opinion stems from a December 2022 request by the United Nations General Assembly to the […]