Human Rights Watch, along with 17 rights organizations, on Monday published an open letter to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), urging it to renew and strengthen respective mandates for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus.  [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday raised concerns over proposed constitutional amendments in Kazakhstan, warning that the reforms could significantly weaken fundamental human rights protections.   HRW stated some of the proposed provisions would enable excessive and undue restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The draft restricts marriage to a “union between a man and a [...]

A military drone strike in western Niger killed at least 17 civilians, including four children, and injured at least 13 others when it hit a crowded market on January 6, according to an investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Monday. The afternoon strike in Kokoloko village in the Tillabéri region killed three Islamic State [...]

Slovenians on Sunday voted in a referendum against a new law legalizing euthanasia, following mounting pressure from critics of the law. Around 53 percent of voters rejected the law, while 47 percent voted in favour. This result means the parliament cannot vote again on a bill addressing the same issue within the next 12 months.   [...]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Monday warned that by 2050, the hottest refugee camps could face nearly 200 days of extreme heat stress per year, posing serious risks to health and survival.   Filippo Grandi, outgoing UN Commissioner for Refugees, said “extreme weather is putting people’s safety at greater risk; it is disrupting access to [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday released a report documenting widespread obstetric violence faced by women giving birth in public healthcare facilities in Sierra Leone.  In its 80-page report, “No Money, No Care: Obstetric Violence in Sierra Leone,” HRW interviewed over 50 postpartum women who suffered health complications because of delayed and denied care due to [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday called on Italy to end its migration cooperation agreement with Libya, saying the arrangement “has proven to be a framework for violence and suffering, and should be revoked, not renewed.” The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the countries, first signed in February 2017, was part of Italy’s broader strategy [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday convicted Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman, better known as Ali Kushayb, a former Sudanese militia chief, of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in massacres and atrocities in Darfur region in 2003 and 2004. Guilty verdicts included for the war crimes of torture, murder [...]

The Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday said that over 1,000 people have been executed in Iran in 2025, warning that this represents a dramatic escalation that violates international human rights law.   The UN experts wrote: “With an average of more than nine hangings per day in recent weeks, Iran [...]

The UN Independent International Commission of Ukraine on Monday reported to the UN Human Rights Council that Russian armed forces have targeted civilians using short-range drones along the Dnipro River. The commission found that Russian forces pursued victims with drones and dropped explosives on them. These drones have also targeted ambulances and other emergency services. [...]