UN rights office sounds alarm over ‘skyrocketing’ Israeli settler violence during olive harvest

Ajith Sunghay said on Tuesday that “settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, support, and in many cases participation, of Israeli security forces – and always with impunity.” In the first half of 2025 alone, there were 757 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage — a 13 per cent increase […]

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Sudan: Over one million return to Khartoum amid fragile recovery

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the returns took place between November 2024 and September 2025, as families made their way back to Khartoum from across Sudan, seeking to rebuild their lives after months of displacement. “The scale of return to Khartoum is both a sign of resilience and a warning,” said Ugochi […]

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Ecuador: Abusive Response to Protests

(Washington, DC) – Ecuadorian police and security forces have restricted freedom of assembly and at times used excessive force in their response to anti-government protests since mid-September, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today.  Since September 18, the country’s largest Indigenous organization has led protests following President Daniel Noboa’s decision to scrap diesel fuel subsidies. While some […]

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Iran: Three Prisoners Dead after Denied Medical Care

(Beirut) – Three women died in Qarchak prison, a Tehran women’s prison notorious for abysmal conditions, between September 16 and 25, 2025, following a lack of medical care, Human Rights Watch said today.  The deaths in custody of Soudabeh Asadi, Jamile Azizi, and 42-year-old political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi highlight Iranian authorities’ violation of prisoners’ right to […]

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Feminist Foreign Policy During a Global Backlash

When governments convene this week in Paris for a conference on feminist foreign policy, there will be a lot to talk about. The French government’s description of the event laments that progress toward gender equality “is not being made fast enough.” That is an epic understatement. We are deep in a global backlash against women […]

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What happens when Afghan women and girls go offline?

At a time when women were already banned from attending schools and universities, Radio Femme has played a crucial role in providing alternative methods of education.   It offers a rare platform for women and girls to learn and continue their studies, with eight teachers delivering lessons in subjects ranging from math to science.   […]

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Mexico’s Supreme Court Steps Forward but Falls Short

When Martha García, a young disability activist and student at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, heard the Supreme Court planned to change a legal precedent that could weaken the right of people with disabilities to engage in the democratic process, she decided to act. On October 13, the Court was expected to issue its […]

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Chad: Constitutional Change Threatens Rule of Law, Democracy

(Nairobi) – Chad’s new constitutional amendment abolishing presidential term limits is a serious setback for the rule of law and democracy, Human Rights Watch said today. The change paves the way for President Mahamat Idriss Déby to remain in power indefinitely, further weakening the prospects for a meaningful, democratic change of government in line with international norms, […]

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For the US, a 180-Degree Turn on Refugees

The Trump administration is poised to mount a two-pronged attack on refugee resettlement. The first prong is quantitative: refugee admissions would be slashed from 125,000 in the fiscal year that just ended to 7,500. The second is qualitative: selecting who among the world’s 42.7 million refugees would be chosen for rescue. The US refugee resettlement […]

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UN Committee Finds France Violated Rights of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has concluded that France has systematically failed to uphold its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, leaving thousands of unaccompanied migrant children exposed to neglect, discrimination, and harm. The findings follow an on-the-ground inquiry in October 2023, during which the CRC […]

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