Human Rights Watch

06/01/2026

Pride is not a threat; hate is.

At Human Rights Watch, we work for a world where all people can enjoy their rights fully. We must not stay silent — LGBT rights are human rights.

Happy ! 🏳️‍🌈

05/29/2026

The United Nations Secretary-General's reported inclusion of Israel's armed and security forces on the annual conflict-related sexual violence blacklist should be followed by action.

It’s up to other governments to take action to halt abuses — ending weapons sales, imposing targeted sanctions, and suspending preferential trade agreements.

05/28/2026

"This is a truly dangerous moment in Congolese political life, where there is a real risk of regression, of a step backward for democracy in this country."

HRW Executive Director Philippe Bolopion urged senior Congolese officials to respect freedom of expression during a recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo:

05/28/2026

Human Rights Watch’s new report presents evidence showing that, since 2024, the Abu Dhabi-based security company, Global Security Services Group (GSSG) hired hundreds of Colombian private military contractors who deployed to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF, which is battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

HRW found evidence that private military contractors were in El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, in October 2025, when the RSF took over the city and committed widespread killings and r**e. The UN International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan has said that these events bore “the hallmarks of genocide.”

Governments, as well as the European Union and African Union, should push for investigations, capable of leading to sanctions, into all those, including UAE officials, against whom there is credible evidence of providing military assistance to the Rapid Support Forces.

Read more: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/25/sudan-colombians-linked-to-atrocities-trained-in-uae-bases

05/27/2026

NEW: The Trump administration has deported thousands of Cubans, many of them older adults, to Mexico, denying them due process and leaving many stranded without access to basic services.

“They’re casting us aside to die,” said Harold A. (pseudonym), a 58-year-old Cuban national.

A new HRW report documents US government abuses against Cubans and other third-country nationals deported to Mexico between January 2025 and March 2026. With no other recourse to obtain permanent residency in Mexico, many Cuban deportees, whose home government refuses to take them back, are trapped in a legal limbo.

The majority of the men HRW interviewed had lived in the US, predominantly in Florida, for years or decades after fleeing Cuba because of political repression or lack of economic opportunities. Many had built businesses, owned homes, and left family members behind in the US. Most are 60 or older and have chronic health conditions requiring ongoing medical treatment.

Read the full report: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/27/cubans-many-in-the-us-for-decades-deported-to-mexico

05/26/2026

Flee the war or lose your home. In occupied Ukraine, Russia is seizing civilian property and locking displaced people out of their own lives.

New Human Rights Watch research shows authorities have introduced a sham process to declare homes “ownerless” and transfer them to municipal control, while pressuring Ukrainian owners to obtain Russian citizenship and return in person if they wish to contest seizures—a nearly impossible demand for those who fled.

These practices violate international law and effectively strip millions of shelter, income, or the means to sustain their lives.

Russia should immediately end these unlawful seizures and comply with its obligations as an occupying power under international law.

Read more:

Russian authorities are unlawfully seizing civilian property belonging to Ukrainians in occupied areas, Human Rights Watch said today. International law prohibits occupying powers from confiscating or appropriating private property unless strictly required by military necessity.

05/26/2026

NEW: Colombian private military contractors, apparently hired by a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company, transited through UAE military bases before being deployed to Sudan to support the abusive Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

This is further evidence indicating that the UAE is assisting or otherwise substantially contributing to the Rapid Support Forces’ capacity to commit war crimes.

Read HRW’s full investigation. ⤵️
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/26/sudan-colombians-linked-to-atrocities-trained-in-uae-bases

05/25/2026

Israeli authorities’ violations of international humanitarian and human rights law have continued and are enabled and fueled by impunity. An impunity granted also by Europe’s inaction, which comes at an unbearable human and economic cost for millions in the region and beyond.

HRW’s Claudio Francavilla calls for concrete actions before the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.

05/22/2026

A video shared by Israel’s National Security Minister Ben-Gvir shows Israeli security forces humiliating detained international activists.

When a senior minister taunts detainees on camera, it is a signal that abuse is not just tolerated but celebrated.

05/21/2026

Do you have a video or photo of someone being killed or who died during the October 29 Tanzanian election?

Upload it to this secure platform and answer the questions, and help Human Rights Watch document what happened: https://bit.ly/4nGM7pX

Je, una picha au video ya mtu akiuawa au aliyefariki wakati wa uchaguzi Tanzania uliofanyika tarehe 29 Oktoba?

Weka picha/video hiyo hapa na jibu maswali yatakayofuata. Wasaidie Human Rights Watch kurekodi kilichotokea. https://bit.ly/4nGM7pX