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UN Rights Body Should Reinstate Scrutiny on Sudan

HRW Statement at the 32nd Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Madam President, Recent events in Sudan have highlighted the fragile nature of the transition, and the extent to which it was premature for the Human Rights Council at its recent session to allow scrutiny of Sudan to lapse. Within weeks, on…
A crowd of protesters in the street
News

UN Should Create New Yemen War-Crimes Investigation

Saudi Arabia and UAE Fight for Impunity in Yemen Conflict

Last month, the Netherlands’ ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had “failed the people of Yemen” by rejecting the renewal of an investigation into alleged human rights abuses and war crimes…
People stand in front of a damaged building
News

Support Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Sudan

Open letter to Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council

Dear Excellencies, dear colleagues, We are writing to urge you to support a special session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the human rights situation in Sudan, and to create a mechanism, such as a fact-finding mission, to monitor and report…
News

UN rights body should not end scrutiny of Sudan

Item 10 Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on Sudan - HRC48

Thank you, Madam President.  Hopes that the 2019 transition would usher a new era into Sudan continue to be dashed. The transitional authorities have taken some positive measures, including the ratification of key international treaties,…
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chairs a cabinet meeting in the capital Khartoum, Sudan on September 21, 2021. 
News

Sudan’s Rights-Abiding Transition is Under Threat

Sudan and the UN Human Rights Council Should Work Together to Deliver Reforms

Next week Sudan’s human rights record will be discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council. The session comes at a critical time for Sudan, which is still in a difficult transition period following the ousting of ex-president Omer al-Bashir in…
Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chairs a cabinet meeting in the capital Khartoum, Sudan on September 21, 2021. 
News

Saudi Arabia: ‘Image Laundering’ Conceals Abuses

New Human Rights Watch Campaign Against Whitewashing Rights Violations

(Beirut) – The Saudi government has spent billions of dollars hosting major entertainment, cultural, and sporting events as a deliberate strategy to deflect from the country’s image as a pervasive human rights violator, Human Rights Watch said today.…
Nicki Minaj
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UN Human Rights Council Should Continue Scrutiny of Sudan

Item 10 Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Sudan - HRC45

Now in its second year of a three-year transition, Sudan faces enormous challenges.  Protests have continued across the country over lack of progress on accountability and reform. In some instances, government forces used lethal violence to…
A mural reading, "The Revolution will go on" is seen on a wall in Khartoum, Sudan, June 18, 2019.
News

UN: Release Saudi Dissidents, Activists

29 Countries Call for Accountability for Torture, Khashoggi Killing

(Geneva) – Saudi Arabia should release all political dissidents and women’s rights activists, provide accountability for past abuses, and end persistent discrimination against women, 29 countries said today. The statement, delivered by Denmark at the…
201911MENA_SaudiArabia_Repression_main
News

Saudi Arabia: Prominent Detainees Held Incommunicado

Safety Concerns for Activists, Ex-Crown Prince, Cleric

(Beirut) – Saudi Arabia has denied some prominent detainees contact with their family members and lawyers for months, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter requesting access to the country and private prison visits with detainees. The situation…
Prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul had been on hunger strike for six days before Saudi authorities finally allowed her parents to visit on August 31, according to family members. Al-Hathloul had spent almost three months before that in incommunicado detention.
News

UN Rights Council Should Ensure Continued Scrutiny of Sudan

Item 10 Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Sudan

Thank you, Madam President. Sudan’s political transition remains fragile. Protests have continued across the country, calling for faster reform and civilian rule. On June 30 in Omdurman, at least one protester was shot dead and many injured,…
Delegates sit at the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 24, 2019.
News

Human Rights Council should urgently address impunity for summary executions

Item 3 interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on summary executions - 9 July 2020

Thank you, Madam President. Human Rights Watch welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur and the recommendation to adopt a strong political declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians from the harm arising from the use of explosive…
Delegates sit at the opening of the 41th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 24, 2019.
News

Saudi Arabia: New Mass Corruption Arrests

Previous Campaign Marred by Lack of Due Process, Torture Allegations

  (Beirut) – Saudi Arabia’s new mass arrest of 298 government employees on suspicion of corruption raises human rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi…
Women walk past a poster of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during Janadriyah Cultural Festival on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia February 12, 2018.
News

Human Rights Council Should Take Action on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and India

Item 4 General Debate – Oral Intervention

Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government, Egyptians continue to face some of the worst human rights abuses in decades. The government’s zero-tolerance policy to peaceful dissent means that civil society organizations are under continuous attack,…
News

Five Human Rights Issues That Defined 2019 for Australia

As we approach the last days of the decade, it’s important to reflect on the fight for human rights, the setbacks and successes over the past year in Australia and around the world. Our list isn’t ranked, and far from exhaustive – we…
A Uighur woman picking up school children rides past a picture showing China's President Xi Jinping joining hands with a group of Uighur elders at the Unity New Village in Hotan, in western China's Xinjiang region.
News

UN Rights Council Should Ramp Up Engagement on Sudan

Human Rights Watch Oral Intervention under Item 10: Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Sudan

Thank you. Sudan has seen dramatic changes since protests that started mid-December led to the ouster of Sudan’s president for 30 years, Omar al-Bashir, in April. A transitional government took over in August. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and…
News

Accountability Mechanism on Venezuela Key for Political Progress; Robust HRC Attention Needed to Myanmar, Kashmir, Sudan, Cambodia, Rights of Migrants

Human Rights Watch Oral Intervention under Item 2: General Debate on UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Update

Thank you, Mr. President, High Commissioner, Venezuela is facing the most profound human rights crisis at the current time in Latin America. It combines a brutal crackdown on dissent with arbitrary arrests and torture of government opponents,…

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