Human Rights Watch: News
02 Dec 2024
BelgiumBelgium 1st country to give sex workers formal employment contracts
Belgium has made history by becoming the first country to offer formal employment contracts to sex workers.
01 Dec 2024
BelgiumIn world first, Belgium grants sex workers maternity, employment benefits
Belgium has become the first country in the world to offer the same employment benefits to sex workers as any other profession.
07 Nov 2024
Abu DhabiWhy Chris Hemsworth's UAE tourism ad is inviting flak
Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, famous for playing Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is facing backlash for appearing in an advertisement promoting Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination.
11 Jul 2024
Abu Bakr al-BaghdadiISIS leader al-Baghdadi's widow given death sentence by Iraqi court
An Iraqi court has sentenced Asma Mohammed, widow of the late Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to death.
05 Jun 2024
Amnesty InternationalRights organization accuses Israel of using white phosphorus in Lebanon
Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights organization, has accused Israel of deploying white phosphorus incendiary shells on residential buildings in southern Lebanon.
30 May 2024
Amnesty InternationalHong Kong court convicts 14 democracy activists for subversion
A Hong Kong court has found 14 of 16 activists and politicians guilty of subversion in the largest trial under the Beijing-imposed national security law (NSL).
28 Aug 2023
AfghanistanGlobal outrage as Taliban bars female students from studying abroad
Days after the Taliban government in Afghanistan allegedly stopped scores of female students from leaving the country to study in Dubai, global rights organizations and activists have expressed dismay over the move.
16 Jun 2023
Narendra ModiModi's US visit: Protests planned over India's human rights issues
Human rights groups in the United States (US) have allegedly planned protests ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit over the reported "deteriorating human rights situation" in India.
18 Jul 2022
AfghanistanTaliban tell women officers to send male relatives as replacements
Almost a year after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, women officials have reportedly been asked to stay at home and send their male relatives as replacements.
14 Apr 2022
IndiaIndia also concerned over 'human rights issues' in US: Jaishankar
Reacting to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent remarks on a "rise in human rights abuses" in India, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India, too, is entitled to have its own views and concerns over the human rights situation in the US.
25 Jan 2022
US State DepartmentBurkina Faso coup: Military dethrones President Kaboré, seizes power
The army of Burkina Faso on Monday announced that it had overthrown President Roch Kaboré, suspended the constitution, and closed the country's borders.
19 Aug 2021
BangladeshBangladesh disputes study into alleged forced disappearances
Bangladesh on Wednesday disputed a Human Rights Watch investigation into disappearances of government critics and others as built on questionable, uncorroborated allegations that security forces were involved.
30 Jan 2021
IranHuman rights NGO urges Iran to end persecution of Baha'is
A Delhi-based human rights organization, on Saturday, urged Iranian authorities to end all forms of persecution of its Baha'i citizens.
12 Jan 2021
United Nations (UN)Antonio Guterres to seek second term as UN Secretary-General
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he will be seeking a second term as chief of the world organization.
29 Dec 2020
Saudi ArabiaSaudi women's rights activist gets nearly 6-year jail term
Prominent women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was sentenced to nearly six years in jail by a Saudi court on Monday, her family said.
28 Oct 2020
Qatar AirwaysForeign women strip-searched at Doha Airport, Qatar promises investigation
Days after the invasive examination of women at Doha Airport triggered global headlines and threatened Qatar's diplomatic relationship with Australia, the Arab country has promised an investigation, reports said on Wednesday.
10 Sep 2020
XFire at Beirut port month after blast that killed 190
A massive fire broke out at the port of Beirut in Lebanon on Thursday, a month after a deadly explosion jolted the city. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.
06 Feb 2020
TencentIs China under-reporting coronavirus cases, deaths amid outbreak?
The official tally of confirmed cases of coronavirus surged past 28,000 on Thursday, while the death toll reached 563 in China.
23 Dec 2019
Saudi ArabiaJamal Khashoggi murder: Saudi court hands death penalty to 5
Over a year after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, a court in Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death in connection with the incident.
04 Jul 2019
MalwareTourists visiting China are being forced to install 'data-stealing' malware
If you are a privacy freak (like me), visiting China shouldn't be on your travel bucket list.
24 Mar 2019
Mali115 reported dead after militia attack on central Malian village
Militia fighters descended on a village in central Mali before dawn Saturday, killing at least 115 people in the latest deadly attack blamed on an ethnic militia, local authorities said.
07 Jan 2019
Saudi ArabiaSaudi teen escapes family, trapped in Bangkok airport, seeks help
An 18-year-old Saudi Arabia teen has sought help from people across the globe and human rights organizations to prevent her deportation to Kuwait, as she fears for her life.
24 Nov 2018
BahrainBahrain votes for new parliament but Shiite-dominated opposition absent
Polls opened in Bahrain today to elect a new parliament, but absent from the ballot is the Shiite-dominated opposition, whose most prominent figures are serving lengthy prison sentences.
03 Aug 2018
Pakistan NewsPakistan: 12 girls' schools burnt down in Gilgit-Baltistan
Twelve girls' schools have been burnt down by unidentified persons in coordinated attacks in Pakistan's restive Gilgit-Baltistan, Geo News reported, quoting police officials.
25 Apr 2018
Alibaba GroupChinese tech firms apologize for sexist job adverts
Chinese tech firms are under scanner after a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report slammed them over gender-discriminatory job ads.
20 Apr 2018
ReutersTwo Indian photojournalists part of Reuters Pulitzer Prize winning team
Every photo tells a story and a Reuters team of photojournalists did exactly that when they captured the plight of nearly 600,000 Rohingya refugees desperately trying to flee Myanmar and come to Bangladesh in 2017.
29 Mar 2018
VenezuelaDeadly riots, fire in Venezuela prison kill nearly 70
Deadly riots and fire in a Venezuelan prison in Valencia killed at least 68 people yesterday.
14 Dec 2017
DNAReport: China is collecting DNA samples from insurgency-hit Xinjiang's residents
A new report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that China is collecting DNA and biometric data from residents of the Xinjiang province.
18 Nov 2017
AustraliaChinese still believe 'therapy' can help 'convert' gays
Australia might be on its way to legalizing same-sex marriage, but coming out is still a nightmare for most across the globe.
17 Nov 2017
Crime Against WomenReport: Myanmar military committed mass rapes of Rohingya women
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report has accused the Myanmar military of gang-raping several women and girls belonging to the Rohingya Muslim community.
14 Nov 2017
IndiaNot much has changed in the five years since Nirbhaya
A rape incident needs to stand out to get noticed in India.
27 Oct 2017
SyriaUN blames Assad regime over chemical attack that killed 80
A UN report has blamed the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad for a chemical attack on a rebel-held town on April 4 that killed 80 people.
22 Sep 2017
PhilippinesPhilippines: Thousands protest President Duterte's 'dictatorship'
Filipinos seem to be growing increasingly unhappy with President Rodrigo Duterte's tough handed approach towards law and order.
09 Sep 2017
PhilippinesPhilippines controversial anti-drug president's son named in $125mn narcotics scandal
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest son Paolo has denied involvement in a $125 million drug smuggling operation.
04 Sep 2017
BangladeshMyanmar urges Rohingyas to help hunt insurgents, as situation deteriorates
Myanmar has urged members of the Rohingya Muslim community to cooperate with authorities searching for insurgents who launched coordinated attacks on security posts on August 26.
18 Jul 2017
IndiaIs India intolerant? Internet shutdown 29 times in 2017
As per Brookings Institution report, India lost over Rs. 6,548 crore in business due to Internet shutdowns in the past 3 years.
20 Jun 2017
North KoreaUS student Otto Warmbier released by North Korea dies
22-year-old US college student Otto Warmbier, who was released after spending 17 months as a prisoner in North Korea, has passed away in a Cincinnati hospital.
10 May 2017
IndiaJ&K- Prisoner allegedly stripped, brutalized, kept hungry in police lockup
In a horrifying revelation, a former prisoner in J&K has alleged she was brutalized, stripped, beer bottles inserted into her vagina, and chilli powder sprinkled, while she was in police custody.
06 May 2017
IndiaAssam wants AFSPA to be removed in some areas
The Assam government will review whether the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) could be withdrawn in a phased manner and present its recommendations to the Centre.
07 Apr 2017
MoscowRussia bans "gay clown" memes of President Putin
With a recent ruling by Moscow's Justice Ministry, it is now illegal to portray President Vladimir Putin in makeup, or otherwise implying he is gay.
16 Dec 2016
High CourtEnd Repression of Shia Group in Nigeria: Human Rights Watch
International NGO, Human Rights Watch, called on the Nigerian Government to end the brutal crackdown on Shia Islamic movement.
18 Nov 2016
Russia NewsRussia withdraws from International Criminal Court treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order to remove Russia's signature from the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
03 Oct 2016
Addis AbabaDozens killed in religious festival in Ethiopia
Dozens of people were reported dead in a religious festival in Oromia, Ethiopia on Sunday.
27 Sep 2016
Saudi ArabiaThousands of Saudis sign petition to end male guardianship
More than 14,500 Saudis signed an online petition, calling to abolish the system of male guardianship in Saudi Arabia.
22 Sep 2016
John KirbyStreet clashes in Kinshasa, Congo kill dozens
In the last two days, 44 people have died in street clashes that sparked between security forces and protesters.
17 Sep 2016
PhilippinesFormer hitman claims Philippine President ordered extrajudicial killings
In a testimony, Edgar Matobato, a former assassin, said he was part of 300-member "Davao Death Squad", run on the orders of Duterte, whose work was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers everyday.
10 Sep 2016
TanzaniaTanzania's move towards banning gay rights groups
Tanzania announced that it would ban non-governmental organizations that "promote" the freedoms of "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people".
