News | Human Rights Watch

February 20, 2026 Dispatches

Anniversary of Fatal Italy Shipwreck Comes Amid New Tragedies

EU Should Renounce Deadly Border Polices, Prioritize Saving Lives

Relatives of a person who went missing after a migrant boat sank on February 26 on the beach near where the shipwreck took place off the coast of Steccato di Cutro, near Crotone, in Calabria in southern Italy. March 7, 2023.

February 19, 2026 Dispatches

Olympic Ban Raises Thorny Free Speech Issues

Ukrainian Athlete’s Disqualification Spotlights Prohibition on Political Statements

Ukraine’s Vladyslav Heraskevych wearing a helmet honoring Ukrainian athletes killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine during skeleton training at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy, February 9, 2026.

February 19, 2026 Dispatches

Six Years of Denied Justice in Hanau

German Government Fails to Address Systemic Racism

Demonstrators mark the anniversary of a far-right extremist attack on February 19, 2020 in Hanau, Germany, that killed nine persons of predominantly Muslim background, February 17, 2024.

February 19, 2026 Dispatches

Trinidadian Nationals Face Escalating Abuse in Syrian Camp

Conditions Worsen as Trinidad and Tobago Government Delays Repatriations

A woman poses for a portrait in front of a UNHCR tent

February 19, 2026 Dispatches

Sweden Deporting Young People

Forced Out as They ‘Age Out,’ as Families Remain

Exterior of the Swedish Migration Agency's offices in Stockholm

February 18, 2026 Dispatches

Myanmar Expels Timor-Leste Diplomat over War Crimes Case

Universal Jurisdiction Provides Path to Hold Perpetrators to Account

The Timor-Leste embassy in Yangon, Myanmar, February 16, 2026.

February 18, 2026 Dispatches

Senegal Arrests 12 Men Using Punitive Anti-LGBT Laws

Release the Men; Repeal Anti-Gay, Anti-HIV Laws

February 17, 2026 Dispatches

Philippine Supreme Court Grants Property Rights to Same-Sex Couples

Lawmakers Should Pass Legislation to Ensure Equal Rights for All Relationships

Same-sex couples share a slow dance after exchanging vows at a commitment ceremony in Quezon City, Philippines, on February 14, 2026.

February 16, 2026 Dispatches

Greece Continues Its Relentless Assault on Civil Society

European Commission Should Insist on Athens’ Respect for Rule of Law

Greek emergency personnel wait to transfer bodies of dead migrants, following migrant's boat collision with coast guard off the island of Chios, in the port of Chios, Greece, February 3, 2026.

February 13, 2026 Dispatches

Italy’s Harsh Immigration Bill Puts Lives at Risk

Legislation Would Fast-Track Deportations, Endanger Humanitarian Work

The Italian Navy ship Libra in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Albania, April 11, 2025.

February 13, 2026 Dispatches

Global Leaders Should Speak Out on Ethiopia Crisis

African Union Summit Crucial Opportunity to Address Protection of Civilians

People line up outside banks in Mekele as concerns grow over possible renewed fighting between federal and regional forces in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, January 31, 2026.

February 12, 2026 Dispatches

US Greenhouse Gas Deregulation Hurts Reproductive Rights

Climate Injustices Endanger Pregnancy, Newborn Health

Midwife Celena Brown of Commonsense Childbirth in Florida, examines a patient during a pregnancy checkup in Winter Garden, Florida, US, June 25, 2024.

February 11, 2026 Dispatches

Next UN Secretary-General Should Champion Rights

United Nations Faces Crisis Amid Global Retreat on Rights and Democracy

The United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York City, January 15, 2026.

February 11, 2026 Dispatches

US-Nigeria Security Cooperation Should Prioritize Rights

New Working Group Should Center Oversight and Accountability

Lieutenant General Dagvin R.M. A, USAF, General and Commander, United States Africa Command, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, July 22, 2025.

February 11, 2026 Dispatches

Acquittal of Palestine Action Protesters Spotlights UK’s Protest Crackdown

Current Review of Protest Laws Should Include Misuse of Terrorism Legislation

Claire Rogers, mother of Zoe Rogers (C-R), speaks outside Woolwich Crown Court, London, following the acquittal of six Palestine Action activists, February 4, 2026.

Keyword

Country

Topic

Africa
-African Union
-Angola
-Benin
-Botswana
-Burkina Faso
-Burundi
-Cameroon
-Cape Verde
-Central African Republic
-Chad
-Comoros
-Congo (Brazzaville)
-Côte d'Ivoire
-Democratic Republic of Congo
-Djibouti
-Equatorial Guinea
-Eritrea
-Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
-Ethiopia
-Gabon
-Gambia
-Ghana
-Guinea
-Guinea-Bissau
-Kenya
-Lesotho
-Liberia
-Madagascar
-Malawi
-Mali
-Mauritius
-Mozambique
-Namibia
-Niger
-Nigeria
-Rwanda
-Senegal
-Seychelles
-Sierra Leone
-Somalia
-South Africa
-South Sudan
-Sudan
-Tanzania
-Togo
-Uganda
-Zambia
-Zimbabwe
Americas
-Antigua and Barbuda
-Argentina
-Bahamas
-Barbados
-Belize
-Bolivia
-Brazil
-Canada
-Chile
-Colombia
-Costa Rica
-Cuba
-Dominican Republic
-Ecuador
-El Salvador
-Falklands/Malvinas
-Grenada
-Guatemala
-Guyana
-Haiti
-Honduras
-Jamaica
-Mexico
-Nicaragua
-Panama
-Paraguay
-Peru
-Saint Kitts and Nevis
-Saint Lucia
-Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
-Suriname
-Trinidad and Tobago
-Uruguay
-Venezuela
Asia
-Afghanistan
-Australia
-Bangladesh
-Bhutan
-Brunei
-Cambodia
-China and Tibet
-Cook Islands
-Federated States of Micronesia
-Fiji
-India
-Indonesia
-Japan
-Kiribati
-Laos
-Malaysia
-Maldives
-Marshall Islands
-Mongolia
-Myanmar (Burma)
-Nauru
-Nepal
-New Zealand
-Niue
-North Korea
-Pakistan
-Palau
-Papua New Guinea
-Philippines
-Samoa
-Singapore
-Solomon Islands
-South Korea
-Sri Lanka
-Taiwan
-Thailand
-Timor-Leste
-Tonga
-Tuvalu
-Vanuatu
-Vietnam
Europe/Central Asia
-Albania
-Andorra
-Armenia
-Austria
-Azerbaijan
-Belarus
-Belgium
-Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Bulgaria
-Croatia
-Cyprus
-Czech Republic
-Denmark
-Estonia
-European Union
-Finland
-France
-Georgia
-Germany
-Greece
-Holy See
-Hungary
-Iceland
-Ireland
-Italy
-Kazakhstan
-Kyrgyzstan
-Latvia
-Liechtenstein
-Lithuania
-Macedonia
-Malta
-Moldova
-Monaco
-Montenegro
-Netherlands
-Norway
-Poland
-Portugal
-Romania
-Russia
-San Marino
-Serbia/Kosovo
-Slovak Republic
-Slovenia
-Spain
-Sweden
-Switzerland
-Tajikistan
-Türkiye
-Turkmenistan
-Ukraine
-United Kingdom
-Uzbekistan
Global
Middle East/North Africa
-Algeria
-Bahrain
-Egypt
-Iran
-Iraq
-Israel/Palestine
-Jordan
-Kuwait
-Lebanon
-Libya
-Mauritania
-Morocco/Western Sahara
-Oman
-Qatar
-Saudi Arabia
-Syria
-Tunisia
-United Arab Emirates
-Yemen
United States
-Criminal Justice
-Immigrants’ Rights and Border Policy
-National Security
-US Foreign Policy
-Democracy
-Economic Justice
-Racial Justice

Arms
-Cluster Munitions
-Killer Robots
-Landmines
-Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
-Incendiary Weapons
Children's Rights
-Education
-Attacks on Education
-Children Separated from Families
-Children and Armed Conflict
-Child Labor
-Youth Justice
-Migrant and Refugee Children
-Intersex Children
Crisis and Conflict
Disability Rights
-Shackling
Economic Justice and Rights
-Corporate Accountability
-Oil, Mining, and Natural Resources
-Poverty and Inequality
-World Bank, IMF
Environment and Human Rights
-Climate Change
-Deforestation
-Fossil Fuels
Free Speech
-Press Freedom
-Religious Freedom
Health
-Sexual and Reproductive Health
-Detention Centers
-Disasters and Displaced Populations
-Environment and Health
-Health Care Access
-HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis
-Palliative Care
-Attacks on Health
LGBT Rights
Refugees and Migrants
-Asylum Seekers
-Internally Displaced People
-Exploitation, Forced Labor & Trafficking
-Migrants
Rights of Older People
International Justice
-Charles Taylor
-International Criminal Court
-Joseph Kony - Lord's Resistance Army
-Peace and Justice
-Bosco Ntaganda
-Universal Jurisdiction
Sport and Human Rights
Technology and Rights
-Digital Investigations Lab
Terrorism / Counterterrorism
-CIA Activities
-Detention without Trial
-Edward Snowden
-Guantanamo
-Guantanamo - Military Commissions
-Targeted Killings and Drones
Torture
United Nations
-Human Rights Council
Women's Rights
-Forced Marriage
-Gender Based Violence
-Domestic Workers
-Gender Equality
-Reproductive Rights
-Sexual Violence
-Labor Rights
-Sex Work
-Women and Armed Conflict
-Women’s Health

#MeToo
'Remain in Mexico'
2026 FIFA Men's World Cup
Azerbaijan Natural Resources and Human Rights
Beijing Winter Olympics 2022
Boko Haram
Brexit
Chechnya
China's Global Influence
Climate Talks 2017
COP27 - Climate Change Conference
COP28 - Climate Change Conference
COP29 - Climate Change Conference
COP30 - Climate Change Conference
Coronavirus
Crimes Against Humanity Treaty
Crisis in the Middle East
Daily Brief
Disappearances in Yemen
Drugs and Human Rights
Duterte
Education for Syrian Refugee Children
Egypt Crackdown on Civil Society
Encryption
Ethiopian Protests
Europe: Refugees & Migrants’ Rights
Ferguson
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Free Education for all Children
Gender-based Violence at Work
German Election
Global Supply Chains
Guinea's 2009 Stadium Massacre Trial
Hissène Habré
Hong Kong
Honor Killings
Iraq War 20 Years Later
ISIS
Kafala (Visa Sponsorship) System
Kashmir
Land Rights
Liu Xiaobo
Los Angeles Film Club
Mass Surveillance in China
Mediterranean Crisis
Mexico: Lessons from a Human Rights Catastrophe
Middle East Uprising
Nagorno-Karabakh
Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’
Rabaa Massacre
Refugee Summits
Reparations in the United States
Right to Social Security
Rights of Persons with Albinism
Rohingya
Russia-Ukraine War
The Trial of Hissène Habré
Tigray Conflict
Trump Administration and Human Rights
Uganda Elections 2016
US: Trump Presidential Transition
Uyghurs
World Cup 2018
World Humanitarian Summit
World Report 2024 News Releases
World Report 2025 News Releases
World Report 2026 News Releases
Xenophobia
Yahya Jammeh

Protecting Rights, Saving Lives