Latest Human Rights Watch News

Turkey bears responsibility for possible war crimes in Syria, Human Rights Watch says

Feb. 29, 2024 05:17 AM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that Turkey bears responsibility for some of the abuses and possible war crimes committed in Syria, mostly against Kurdish residents in northern Syria. The New York-based watchdog said the abuses were committed by Turkish forces and...

Biden hopes cease-fire, hostage deal to pause Israel-Hamas war can take effect by next Monday

Feb. 26, 2024 23:00 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that he hopes a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week. Asked when he thought a cease-fire could begin, Biden said: “Well...

St. Vincent upholds laws criminalizing gay sex in Caribbean island nation in setback for activists

Feb. 16, 2024 16:14 PM EST

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A top court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines upheld laws on Friday that criminalize gay sex, a blow to activists who have long decried the violence the LGBTQ+ community has faced on the conservative Caribbean archipelago. The ruling by St. Vincent’s...

Foreign aid drops sharply as Taliban abuses jeopardize the Afghan health system, group says

Feb. 12, 2024 08:56 AM EST

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Human Rights Watch said Monday that Afghanistan’s public health system has been hit hard following a sharp reduction in foreign assistance, coupled with serious Taliban abuses against women and girls, jeopardizing the right to healthcare of millions of Afghans. ...

Rights group sees retaliation as the motive for jailing an Egyptian presidential challenger

Feb. 08, 2024 10:07 AM EST

CAIRO (AP) — A leading human rights group dismissed on Thursday the conviction of a prominent Egyptian political activist as an act of retaliation for his decision to challenge President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in last year’s presidential election. On Tuesday, a Cairo misdemeanor...

Major automakers may be using Chinese aluminum produced with Uyghur forced labor, rights group says

Feb. 01, 2024 21:20 PM EST

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Automakers including Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota are failing to ensure they are not using forced labor as part of their China supply chains, a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch says. The U.S.-based nonprofit linked some of the...

Journalists, lawyers and activists hacked with Pegasus spyware in Jordan, forensic probe finds

Feb. 01, 2024 10:51 AM EST

Israeli-made Pegasus spyware was used in Jordan to hack the cellphones of at least 30 people, including journalists, lawyers, human rights and political activists, the digital rights group Access Now said Thursday. The hacking with spyware made by Israel's NSO Group occurred from...

Rock band critical of Putin is detained in Thailand, fearful of deportation to Russia

Jan. 30, 2024 13:42 PM EST

BANGKOK (AP) — Members of a rock band that has been critical of Moscow’s war in Ukraine remained locked up Tuesday in a Thai immigration jail, fearful that they could be deported to Russia as a reported plan to let them fly to safety in Israel was apparently suspended. The...

At least 60 civilians were killed in Burkina Faso last year in military drone strikes, watchdog says

Jan. 25, 2024 10:41 AM EST

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Burkina Faso’s security forces last year killed at least 60 civilians in three different drone strikes, which the group says may have constituted war crimes. The West African nation’s government claimed the strikes...

Sri Lanka passes bill allowing government to remove online posts and legally pursue internet users

Jan. 24, 2024 21:59 PM EST

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved an internet regulation bill that was highly criticized as a move to stifle speech in an election year while the Indian Ocean island nation copes with an economic crisis that required an international bailout....