Human Rights | WPN World People News

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s overcrowded and unsanitary prisons are at grave risk of Covid-19 outbreaks that threaten the health and lives of detainees, guards, and the broader population, Human Rights Watch said on April 17. 2020.

Saudi Arabia’s mass trial of 68 Jordanian and Palestinian residents raises serious due process concerns amid accusations of abuse, Human Rights Watch said on April 14,2020. In March 2018, Saudi authorities carried out a wave of arrests targeting a group of long-term Palestinian and Jordanian residents in the country based on vague allegations of links with an unnamed “terrorist organization.”

Following reports of the rescue of a boat with hundreds of Rohingya people that had been drifting at sea for two months, Athena Rayburn, Save the Children’s Rohingya Response Advocacy Manager, said:

Cameroon’s government should publish the findings of an investigation into the massacre of 21 civilians, including 13 children and a pregnant woman, on February 14, 2020, Human Rights Watch said on April 16, 2020.

A thick layer of smog envelopes India's capital New Delhi.

A policeman verifies a driver's permission to be moving around the city in April 2020.

Zimbabwe government measures to combat COVID-19 should include urgently providing continuous and affordable access to sufficient safe water to people across the country. Long before the coronavirus pandemic, much of Zimbabwe suffered a severe water and sanitation crisis. On March 30, 2020, Zimbabwe, like many countries, ordered a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.

The United States government should recognize the increased risk COVID-19 poses in Venezuela and urgently designate Venezuelans in the US for temporary protection, Human Rights Watch said on April 15, 2020. Companion bills have been introduced in the US House and Senate that would designate Venezuelans in the US for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, but neither has passed the full Congress.

Poland’s Parliament will consider regressive legislation this week that would restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights and put the lives and well-being of women and adolescents at risk, Human Rights Watch said on April 14, 2020. The legislation is scheduled for reading on April 15 or 16, 2020 as the country remains under a COVID-19-related state of emergency that bans group gatherings.

Governments should take urgent action to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and care for those most affected without sacrificing human rights. In its new 40-question checklist on the Covid-19 crisis, Human Rights Watch seeks to guide governments as they respond to the challenges presented by the pandemic.