Human Rights | WPN World People News

Iranian workers are facing mounting economic and political challenges to realizing their labor rights, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Activists (HRA), an Iranian human rights documentation group said, ahead of International Workers’ Day on May 1, 2022.

Refugees from Ukraine, particularly women and girls, face heightened risks of gender-based violence, trafficking, and other exploitation due to lack of systematic protection and security measures in Poland.

Protesters detained during demonstrations in Minsk, Belarus, are released from prison.

Russian authorities should stop broadcasting programs featuring images of and interviews with captured Ukrainian soldiers that expose them to public curiosity, Human Rights Watch said on April 28, 2022. Such treatment of prisoners of war, or POWs, violates protections under the Geneva Conventions intended to ensure dignified treatment of captured combatants on all sides.

A man washes clothes next to a road used by a bauxite mining consortium in Guinea, West Africa. Local community members said that the construction of mining roads blocked rivers and streams, diverting their course and reducing water levels in local wells.

The Pakistan government should amend provisions of the criminal law that treat murder and other serious offenses as private disputes, Human Rights Watch said on April 26, 2022. These legal provisions, called “blood money” laws, allow and at times compel victims of serious crimes or their families to “forgive” suspects and drop criminal charges, typically out of fear of retaliation or in exchange for financial compensation.

An Egyptian court sentenced two singers to a year in prison and fines on March 28, 2022, on charges that violate their right to freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said on April 27, 2022. The government should announce that it will not enforce the court judgment and will take steps to repeal the cybercrime law articles criminalizing free expression.

It is crucial for President Emmanuel Macron to make human rights a priority of both his domestic and his foreign policy in his second term, Human Rights Watch said on April 25, 2022.

Russian forces now occupying most of Ukraine’s southeastern port city of Mariupol should ensure that civilians remaining in the city can leave in safety to Ukraine-controlled territory if they choose, Human Rights Watch said on April 26, 2022. Older people, people with disabilities, and those who are sick or injured require special attention.