Syria: Constitutional Declaration Risks Endangering Rights
(Beirut) – Syria’s newly approved constitutional declaration, meant to govern the country’s transitional phase, concentrates power in the executive and could undermine the independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today. The declaration, endorsed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on March 13, 2025, grants the president significant authority, including over judicial and legislative appointments […]
Countries Press UN Rights Council on Accountability in Afghanistan
Last week, a cross-regional group of countries – led by Iceland, with support from Chile and South Africa – called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to act to advance accountability for past and ongoing rights abuses in Afghanistan. Their joint statement urged council members to launch an independent investigative mechanism with a comprehensive […]
Get a Passport or Leave: Russia’s Ultimatum to Ukrainians
A decree Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on March 20, 2025, requires Ukrainian citizens living in the Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizka, Khersonska, Donetska, and Luhanska regions to either “regulate their legal status” or leave. This means they must obtain Russian passports by September 10, or be classified as “foreigners” and subject to foreign residency regulations such […]
Survivors Bring Case to End Japan’s ‘Hostage Justice’
Four survivors of Japan’s “hostage justice” filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on March 24, contending that the Code of Criminal Procedure provisions allowing prolonged pretrial detention and denial of bail violate the Japanese Constitution. Under the hostage justice system, criminal suspects are denied due process and a fair trial, and may be detained for […]
Türkiye: Court Jails Istanbul Mayor
(Istanbul, March 24, 2025) – The formal order by an Istanbul court to detain Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is the latest example of the justice system weaponized to remove a leading opposition politician from the political scene, Human Rights Watch said today. Mayor İmamoğlu’s detention, nominally based on a corruption investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s […]
Global Cooperation Needed to Tackle Air Pollution
Government officials, local authorities, health professionals, and civil society are gathering today at the second global conference on air pollution and health in Cartagena, Colombia. As multilateralism is under threat, this convening is a crucial opportunity for policymakers to make progress on tackling air pollution globally. Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the government […]
Germany: Social Security Failing to Protect Rights
Social security failures coupled with structural gender inequality leave many people in Germany mired in poverty, especially single-parent families and older women. Major gaps remain in the world’s third richest country between the amount of social security support received and the poverty risk threshold. The parties in coalition talks should prioritize strengthening social security protections […]
Nepal: Extend Social Protection for Children in Coming Budget
(Bangkok) – The government of Nepal should use the forthcoming budget to protect the rights of Nepali children by expanding its popular and successful Child Grant program, 24 Nepali and international rights groups said today in a letter to Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel. Only about 10 percent of Nepali children currently receive the Child Grant, […]
Costa Rica: Allow Deported Migrants to Seek Asylum
(Washington, DC) – Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo André Tinoco should use his appearance before the Legislative Assembly on March 19, 2025, to disclose his migration agreement with the United States and confirm that third-country nationals deported from the United States can seek asylum in Costa Rica, Human Rights Watch said today. A total of 200 people, including […]
UN Experts Find Bhutan Illegally Holding Political Prisoners
The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan presents itself to the world as an enlightened land that promotes “gross national happiness,” but the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that the government has locked up people for life without parole for expressing their political opinions. Human Rights Watch and the Global Campaign for the Release […]