European Union-produced surveillance technology has been used in dozens of countries worldwide as well as by countries in Europe. Many of these governments unlawfully or arbitrarily surveil activists or journalists, violating their rights to privacy, undermining free expression and association, and threatening their personal security and lives. The European Union hosts many of the surveillance companies working worldwide: The majority of EU member state have at least one surveillance technology company operating inside its borders. In a 2024 report by Google’s Threat Analysis Group on the commercial surveillance industry, all but two companies mentioned are based in the European Union.

Now that Maung has learned about the history of the Rohingya community, he begins working towards an escape route. He hopes to leave the refugee camp and get an education so that he can advocate for his community. But his freedom of movement is limited and educational resources are scarce. This week, host Ngofeen Mputubwele

Now that he’s arrived in Bangladesh, Maung finds himself stuck in an in-between. He’s safe from the violence he faced in his home state of Rakhine, Myanmar, but there are restrictions on his freedom of movement, limiting his education and leaving him to grapple with the history that brought his community to the world’s

When Maung and his  family, his neighbors, strangers, cross the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh, they are officially refugees. But there’s no rest for the weary, and the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees escaping to Bangladesh have to build a refugee camp for themselves. As Maung helps his family assemble a

Government Forces Carry Out Ethnic Cleansing Against Fulani People

Maung Sawyeddollah grew up in a small town in Myanmar where, for years, life felt ordinary. That was before the rumors began. Social media fueled sectarian division, communities turned against each other. Then the soldiers arrived. It was a balmy night in August 2017 when Maung first heard the sound of gunfire. His family

Welcome to The Great Unrooting, a five-episode narrative podcast special season of Rights & Wrongs that explores what it means to lose home — and what it takes to start again. Anchored in the story of Maung, a Rohingya refugee now living in New York, the series traces his journey of flight, survival, and rebuilding and

This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the 61st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine held on March 12, 2026.