Russian authorities are harassing, intimidating, and detaining activists and students ahead of protests planned for January 23, 2021 in solidarity with the detained opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Human Rights Watch said.

Russian authorities are harassing, intimidating, and detaining activists and students ahead of protests planned for January 23, 2021 in solidarity with the detained opposition leader Alexey Navalny, Human Rights Watch said.
US: Electoral Process Needs Time New York – The United States electoral process needs time to tabulate the vote in the November 3, 2020 general election, Human Rights Watch said today. News organizations and social media companies should be vigilant…
Strong Tool Needed to Link Fund Access to Rule of Law Brussels – The European Union should urgently equip itself with a robust tool tying member states’ access to EU funds to respect for core membership obligations, Human Rights Watch…
Shayna Bauchner, Researcher, Asia Division The Myanmar government is again blocking Rohingya Muslims from running for political office. On Monday, election officials barred Kyaw Min, head of the Rohingya-led Democracy and Human Rights Party (DHRP), from running in the national…
Independent Inquiry Needed in Embattled Rakhine State Yangon – Satellite imagery shows that about 200 homes and other buildings were destroyed by fire on May 16, 2020, in Myanmar’s embattled Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch said today. An impartial investigation…
Refugee Camp Restrictions Threaten ‘Critical Services’ Bangkok – The Bangladesh government’s new Covid-19 restrictions on access to aid put Rohingya refugees at greater risk, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The lockdown measures cut humanitarian workers in refugee camps by 80…
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that an outbreak of the viral disease COVID-19 – first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China – had reached the level of a global pandemic. Citing concerns with “the…
New Checklist Offers Guide for Rights-Promoting Response New York – Governments should take urgent action to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and care for those most affected without sacrificing human rights. In its new 40-question checklist on the Covid-19 crisis,…
Government Supporters Go On 3-Hour Rampage at University in Delhi New York – Police in India failed to intervene when alleged supporters of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assaulted university students in Delhi on January 5, 2020, Human Rights…
Police have clashed with demonstrators in parts of the Indian capital, Delhi, during protests over a controversial new law on migrants.
Jerusalem – The Israeli Supreme Court on November 5, 2019, upheld the Israeli government’s authority to deport Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch. The decision now shifts back to the Israeli government; if it proceeds…
Disband All Irregular Paramilitary Forces, Cooperate With Independent Investigations New York – United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-backed Afghan forces have committed summary executions and other grave abuses without accountability, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. These…
Repeal or Amend Laws Criminalizing Speech, Assembly London – Thai authorities over five years of military rule prosecuted numerous peaceful critics of the government to stay in power, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Concerned governments should…
Dhaka, Sept 7 (UNB) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday suggested that the Bangladesh government should end restrictions on Rohingyas’ freedom of movement and access to the internet and online communications. “Government restrictions have intensified following a failed attempt…
Shutdown Infringes Basic Freedoms, Affects Essential Services, Harms Economy New York – The Indian government’s lengthy shutdown of the internet and telephones in Jammu and Kashmir inflicts disproportionate harm on the population and should be immediately lifted, Human Rights Watch…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says almost 700,000 children under five die each year as a result of air pollution. Millions more are being condemned to a life of ill health because of the damage it does to their developing…
Police Detain 1,373 in Moscow, Use Excessive Force Police used brutal force at the July 27 peaceful protest over the exclusion of opposition candidates from upcoming Moscow city assembly elections.
Court Faces Internal, External Challenges on 21st Anniversary New York – Member countries of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should renew their commitment on International Justice Day, July 17, 2019, to defend and strengthen this important justice institution, Human Right…
Immediately End Restrictions in Rakhine, Chin States Bangkok – The Myanmar government should immediately lift internet restrictions imposed on nine townships in Rakhine and Chin States, Human Rights Watch said today. The disruption to internet services since June 21, 2019…
Amy Braunschweiger When colleagues told him the Nicaraguan government had ordered the country’s public hospitals to turn away injured protesters, Dr Josmar Ulises Briones Montalván was shocked. “The duty of a doctor is to save lives,” he said. Briones is…
Beirut – Egyptian authorities should be investigated for the mistreatment of former President Mohamed Morsy, who died on June 17, 2019, after years of insufficient access to medical care, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. The United Nations Human Rights Council,…
(New York) – The Sri Lankan government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of South Asian refugees and asylum seekers from violence. Since the April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday bombings by alleged Islamist militants on churches and hotels that…
The Mozambique authorities should urgently investigate and appropriately prosecute alleged sexual exploitation of Cyclone Idai victims by local officials, Human Rights Watch said today. Hunger and destruction caused by the cyclone have left hundreds of thousands of women vulnerable to abuse. Victims, residents, and…
(New York) – The Bangladesh government should thoroughly investigate the murder of a madrassa student and fairly prosecute all those responsible, Human Rights Watch said. The murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was killed after she filed a complaint of attempted rape, should spur…
‘Hacking’ Charges Could Expand to Standard Investigative Reporting Practices The extradition of Julian Assange from the United Kingdom to the United States for alleged computer-related crimes could have dangerous implications for journalists in the digital age. London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed…
Dhaka, Apr 16 (UNB) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said the government of Bangladesh should “thoroughly investigate” the murder of madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi and fairly prosecute all those responsible for the incident. “The horrifying murder of a…
The Sri Lankan government should drop plans to resume executions, which would end an unofficial 43-year moratorium in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 31, 2019, President Maithripala Sirisena said that a date had been set to resume carrying out…
The Bangladeshi government has expelled scores of Rohingya refugee children from schools in southeast Bangladesh since late January 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. Officials have ordered secondary schools near the refugee settlements in the Cox’s Bazar district to dismiss Rohingya students,…
(New York) – Thailand’s military government has failed to create conditions for a free and fair national election on March 24, 2019, Human Rights Watch said. The process for forming a new government, in which the junta-appointed Senate will have half the…
Imagine a country where practicing Islam is treated as a crime. Where using the everyday greeting of “As-salaam alaikum” is punished. A place so repressive that even listening to a religious sermon at a mosque or reciting a funeral prayer…