In this cauldron of discontent, certain politicians are flourishing and even gaining power by portraying rights as protecting only the terrorist suspect or the asylum seeker at the expense of the safety, economic welfare, and cultural preferences of the presumed majority. They scapegoat refugees, immigrant communities, and minorities. Truth is a frequent casualty. Nativism, xenophobia, racism, and Islamophobia are on the rise... World Report 2017
World Report 2017 summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff undertook in 2016, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in focus. Oppose Sessions Nomination
The Senate will soon vote on President-elect Trump’s nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for US Attorney General. Sessions has a record of opposing the very same laws and tools the Attorney General is called upon to use in defense of rights. US residents: call your Senator and tell them to help #StopSessions. The Plight of Those Related to ISIS Fighters
As the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) continues, people are discussing reconciliation between Iraq’s Shias and its Sunnis, some of whom have been perceived to support ISIS... Barack Obama’s Shaky Legacy on Human Rights
As Donald Trump prepares to take office, many fear a new hostility to human rights on the part of the United States. But the truth is, a careful review of Obama’s major human rights decisions shows a mixed record...
2016 in Numbers
Editor's Picks from Around the World
Europe/Central Asia Turkey's Alarming Deterioration of RightsIn the last six months of the year, the government carried out mass arrests of journalists, closed multiple media outlets, and jailed elected opposition politicians. Middle East/North Africa Rights Left off Saudi Arabia's Reform Agenda
Saudi authorities in 2016 announced an ambitious roadmap for economic and developmental growth, but proposed changes did not include critical human rights improvements. Asia North Korea's Rights Catastrophe Deepens
Under its leader Kim Jong-Un, the North Korean government exerted control over the population by using arbitrary arrest and torture, detention, and forced labor in a range of prison camps, and public executions for a variety of ‘crimes.’
