Reports

Pushbacks and Deportations of Afghans from Turkey

The 73-page report, “‘No One Asked Me Why I Left Afghanistan,’ says that Turkey has stepped up pushbacks and deportations to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover there in August 2021. Human Rights Watch also found that that Afghans inside Turkey are being blocked from registering for international protection and that Afghans facing imminent deportation are often given no opportunity to make refugee claims. As of October 20, 2022, the Presidency of Migration Management in Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported 238,448 “irregular migrants whose entrance to our country has been prevented” in 2022, most of them Afghans. Turkey reported deporting 44,768 Afghans by air to Kabul in the first eight months of 2022, a 150 percent increase over the first eight months of 2021.

People in a line

Search

  • Impact of Camp Shutdowns on People Displaced By Boko Haram Conflict in Nigeria

    The 59-page report, ‘“Those Who Returned Are Suffering’: Impact of Camp Shutdowns on People Displaced by the Boko Haram Conflict in Nigeria” documents the effect of the shutdowns, which have disrupted food support for internally displaced people and compelled them to leave the camps.

    photo gallery
    map content
    202211africa_nigeria_idpcamps_cover
  • “Filtration” and the Crime of Forcibly Transferring Ukrainian Civilians to Russia

    The 71-page report, “‘We Had No Choice’: ‘Filtration’ and the War Crime of Forcibly Transferring Ukrainian Civilians to Russia,” documents the transfers of Ukrainian civilians. The transfers are a serious violation of the laws of war that constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity.

    202208eca_ukraine_russia_forcedfiltration_cover
  • Human Rights Watch / ACLU Joint Submission Regarding the United States’ Record Under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

    The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination should direct the United States government to take immediate, tangible measures to dismantle structural racism in the United States, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said today, releasing a joint report to the committee.

    202208us_cerd_report_cover
  • Greece’s Use of Migrants as Police Auxiliaries in Pushbacks

    The 29-page report “‘Their Faces Were Covered’: Greece’s Use of Migrants as Police Auxiliaries in Pushbacks,” found that Greek police are detaining asylum seekers at the Greece-Turkey land border at the Evros River, in many cases stripping them of most of their clothing and stealing their money, phones, and other possess

    202204eca_greece_turkey_pushback_cover
  • Asylum Seekers Abused in the US and Deported to Harm in Cameroon

    The 149-page report, “‘How Can You Throw Us Back?’: Asylum Seekers Abused in the US and Deported to Harm in Cameroon,” traces what happened to the estimated 80 to 90 Cameroonians deported from the United States on two flights in October and November 2020, and others deported in 2021 and 2019.

    photo gallery
    map content
    video content
    202202us_cameroon_deportation_cover
  • Belarus’ and Poland’s Shared Responsibility for Border Abuses

    The 26-page report, “‘Die Here or Go to Poland’: Belarus’ and Poland’s Shared Responsibility for Border Abuses,” documents serious abuses on both sides of the border.

    202111eca_belarus_poland_border_cover
  • International Alternatives to Detaining Immigrants

    The 94-page report “Dismantling Detention: International Alternatives to Detaining Immigrants,” examines alternatives to detention in six countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

    video content
    202111global_altdetention_cover
  • Internal DHS Reports of Abuses by US Border Officials

    The 26-page report, “‘They Treat You Like You Are Worthless’: Internal DHS Reports of Abuses by US Border Officials,” details internal reports made by asylum officers within US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) about the conduct of personnel in the immigration enforcement arms of their same parent agency, the

    202110usp_borderabuse_cover
  • Syrian Refugee Returns from Lebanon and Jordan

    The 72-page report “‘Our Lives are Like Death’: Syrian Refugee Returns from Lebanon and Jordan ,” found that Syria is not safe for return.

    video content
    202110mena_syria_refugee_cover
  • The Degrading Treatment of Migrant Children and Adults in Northern France

    The 81-page report, “Enforced Misery: The Degrading Treatment of Migrant Children and Adults in Northern France,” documents repeated mass eviction operations, near-daily police harassment, and restrictions on provision of and access to humanitarian assistance.

    photo gallery
    map content
    202110eca_france_calais_migrant_cover
  • Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health

    The 100-page report, “‘I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There’: Immigration Detention in Canada and Its Impact on Mental Health,” documents how people in immigration detention, including those fleeing persecution and seeking protection in Canada, are regularly handcuffed, shackled, and held with little to no contact with th

    map content
    202106drd_canada_detention_cover
  • Bangladesh’s Relocation of Rohingya Refugees to Bhasan Char

    The 58-page report, “‘An Island Jail in the Middle of the Sea’: Bangladesh’s Relocation of Rohingya Refugees to Bhasan Char,” finds that Bangladesh authorities transferred many refugees to the island without full, informed consent and have prevented them from returning to the mainland.

    map content
    video content
    202106asia_bangladesh_bhasanchar_cover
  • Children and Families Sent to Harm by the US ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program

    The 103-page report, “‘Like I’m Drowning’: Children and Families Sent to Harm by the US ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program,” is a joint investigation by Human Rights Watch, Stanford University’s Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health Program, and Willamette University’s Child and Family Advocacy Clinic.

    map content
    202101americas_mexico_us_border_cover
  • Violence and Discrimination Against LGBT People in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and Obstacles to Asylum in the United States

    The 138-page report, “Every Day I Live in Fear”: Violence and Discrimination against LGBT People in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and Obstacles to Asylum in the United States, documents violence experienced by LGBT people in the three Northern Central American countries collectively known as the Northern

    video content
    202010lgbt_central america_us_cover
  • Salary Abuses Facing Migrant Workers Ahead of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022

    The 78-page report, “‘How Can We Work Without Wages?’: Salary Abuses Facing Migrant Workers Ahead of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022” shows that employers across Qatar frequently violate workers’ right to wages and that Qatar has failed to meet its 2017 commitment to the International Labour Organization (ILO) to protect mig

    video content
    Qatar report cover