Human Rights

US: Detention Hazardous to Immigrants’ Health

New evidence has emerged of dangerously subpar medical care in United States immigration detention at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to increase its use, Human Rights Watch and Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in...

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Ukraine: Prison Sentence for Academic in Separatist Region

A military tribunal in the separatist-held area of Ukraine’s Donetsk region convicted a professor with pro-Ukrainian views on trumped-up charges of illegal weapons possession on May 3, 2017, Human Rights Watch said on May 06. The court sentenced the...

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US: Religious Freedom Order Opens Way for Bias

An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on May 4, 2017, opens the way to overriding regulations that protect women’s health, Human Rights Watch said on May 05. While media attention has largely focused on the order’s efforts to roll back...

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Algeria/Morocco: Syrians Stranded at Border

Algerian and Moroccan border authorities appear to be blocking two groups of Syrian asylum seekers from leaving the border area near the Moroccan city of Figuig, Human Rights Watch said on May 05. The Syrians, including women and children, have been...

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Morocco: Scrap Prison Terms for Nonviolent Speech

Morocco’s recent overhaul of its speech laws leaves intact the country’s famous red lines on critical speech, as well as other provisions that could land people in prison solely for peaceful expression, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on...

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Indonesia: ‘Gay Porn’ Arrests Threaten Privacy

An Indonesian police raid targeting gay men in Surabaya, Indonesia, on April 30, 2017, threatens the rights of the country’s already beleaguered lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, Human Rights Watch said on May 04. The police...

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In Ethiopia, UN rights chief urges authorities for greater freedoms; space for critical voices

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High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (centre) addresses a press conference in Addis...

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Morocco: Scrap Prison Terms for Nonviolent Speech

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Newsstand in Rabat, Morocco.

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Philippines: UN Members Should Denounce Killings, Abuses

United Nations member countries should denounce the Philippines’ brutal “war on drugs” that has killed more than 7,000 people since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in June 2016, Human Rights Watch said on May 03. The Philippines will appear for...

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Somalia: Rights Priorities for New Government

Somalia’s new government should ensure that the security forces are accountable and improve protection of the most vulnerable people, Human Rights Watch said in a 10-point report on human rights priorities on May 02. The London conference on security...

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