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August 29, 2019 News

Lebanon: Migrant Family Detained

Longtime Residents Facing Deportation, Separation

(Beirut) – Lebanon’s General Security has detained a Sudanese-Sri Lankan family of seven, including four children under age 18, threatening to deport the parents to different countries for lacking residency papers, the Anti-…

People wave a Lebanese national flag during a protest in Central Beirut December 11, 2006.

April 20, 2018 News

Lebanon: Mass Evictions of Syrian Refugees

Expulsions by Municipalities Appear Discriminatory, Lack Due Process

(Beirut) – At least 13 municipalities in Lebanon have forcibly evicted at least 3,664 Syrian refugees from their homes and expelled them from the municipalities, apparently because of their nationality or religion, while another 42,000…

A clothesline in an informal tent settlement in Bar Elias, Bekaa Governorate, Lebanon. Refugees evicted from the Rayak air base area settled here in January 2018. The refugees say there was no procedure, no written notice, no opportunity to discuss or cha

May 30, 2016 News

Sudan: Hundreds Deported to Likely Abuse

(Nairobi, May 30, 2016) – The Sudanese authorities deported at least 442 Eritreans, including six registered refugees, to Eritrea in May 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. Sudan denied the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) access to…

Eritrean refugees in Sudan’s Shagarab refugee camp

July 28, 2015 News

EU: Migrants Seeking Opportunity or Refugees Seeking Protection?

(Brussels) – Human Rights Watch today issued a question-and-answer document that looks at the nationalities of the people risking their lives on boats on the Mediterranean to reach the European Union. It examines whether the majority of…

Un buque de la Armada irlandesa Le Eithne, participa en una operación de rescate como parte del operativo Frontex Tritón, el 6 de junio de 2015

July 28, 2015 News

Why do People Risk Their Lives to Cross the Mediterranean?

Questions and Answers

The European Union (EU) is facing unprecedented numbers of refugees and migrants arriving by boat. In 2014, 220,000 people arrived, almost double the combined total of 121,000 from 2011 through 2013. During just the first six…

July 2, 2015 News

UK: Flawed Policy on Eritrean Refugee Claims

Government’s New Position Based on Unreliable Evidence

(London, July 2, 2015) – The United Kingdom’s Home Office should issue new guidance to staff screening Eritrean refugee claims that reflects the continued real risk of persecution and other abuses there, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the…

June 24, 2015 News

EU: Bold Steps Needed on Mediterranean Crisis

Increase Refugee Resettlement, Asylum Seeker Relocation

Update, June 26, 2015 At the European Council meeting June 25, EU leaders agreed to “in principle” to resettle 20,000 refugees from abroad and relocate 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece. Leaders…

June 19, 2015 News

EU: Rights Abuses at Home Drive Mediterranean Crisis

Migrants Detail Horrors That Caused Them to Flee

(Brussels) – Human rights abuses in their home countries are the driving force behind the surge in boat migration in the Mediterranean to reach Europe, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. EU leaders should put human rights at the heart of…

June 10, 2015 News

Eritrea: Scathing UN Report

Commission Cites Possible Crimes Against Humanity

(Nairobi) - Eritrea should implement the recommendations of a year-long United Nations Commission of Inquiry that concluded that serious human rights violations in Eritrea may amount to crimes against humanity. The commission released its 484-page report…

September 24, 2014 News

Israel: High Court Voids Migrant Holding Law

Court Also Limits Detention of New Arrivals

(Washington, DC) – Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled on September 22, 2014 that the law establishing a facility where Israel is holding thousands of asylum seekers and migrants is void, Human Rights Watch said today. The ruling gives the government 90…

September 2, 2014 News

Lebanon: Migrant Workers’ Children Expelled

Directive Tearing Families Apart

(Beirut) – Lebanon is expelling locally born children of migrant workers and in some cases their mothers, ten nongovernmental organizations working in Lebanon said today. A recent decision by General Security, Lebanon’s security agency in charge of…

February 7, 2013 News

Lebanon: Stagnation on Reforms in 2012

Missed Opportunities in Women’s Rights, Torture Prevention, Migrant Protection

(Beirut)– Lebanon failed to enact needed reforms in 2012 to stem abuse during arrest and detention, promote women’s rights, and protect migrants and refugees, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference for its World Report 2013. The Lebanese…

March 23, 2012 News

Lebanon: Stop Abuse of Domestic Workers

Investigate Recent Suicide; Enact Labor, Immigration Protections

(Beirut) – Lebanese authorities should act quickly to reform restrictive visa regulations and adopt a labor law on domestic work to address high levels of abuse and deaths among migrant domestic workers, a group of eight concerned civil society groupssaid…

December 9, 2010 News

Egypt: End Traffickers’ Abuse of Migrants

Rescue People Held for Ransom From Sinai Hideouts, Prosecute Captors

(New York) - Egyptian authorities should rescue migrants held for ransom and abused by human traffickers in the Sinai desert, Human Rights Watch said today. The government has neither prosecuted the traffickers nor closed down their detention sites,…

November 25, 2010 News

Lebanon: Heed Concerns at Human Rights Review

Government Rejects Proposals Affecting Women, Refugees, Migrants During UN Review

(Beirut) - Lebanon rejected a large number of important recommendations about the rights of women, refugees, migrants, and homosexuals during its UN Human Rights Council review, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch expressed concern after…

September 16, 2010 News

Lebanon: Judiciary Failing to Protect Domestic Workers

Indifference, Lengthy Procedures, and Restrictive Sponsorship System Defeat Justice

(Beirut) - Lebanon's judiciary is generally failing to hold employers accountable when they violate the basic rights of migrant domestic workers, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should adopt a plan to ensure that these…

December 16, 2009 News

2009 a Bad Year for Migrants

Deaths, Labor Exploitation, Violence, and Poor Treatment in Detention

(New York) - Many governments' policies toward migrants worldwide expose them to human rights abuses including labor exploitation, inadequate access to health care, and prolonged detention in poor, overcrowded conditions, Human Rights Watch said today in…

December 19, 2008 News

Egypt: Don’t Return Eritrean Asylum Seekers at Risk

Allow UNHCR Access to Detained Migrants

(New York) Egypt should under no circumstances deport Eritrean asylum seekers now in detention without first allowing the UN refugee agency access to assess their refugee claims, Human Rights Watch said today. Egyptian authorities are currently…

December 17, 2008 News

Middle East: Move Quickly on Labor Reforms for Migrant Women

Millions of Domestic Workers Lack Adequate Legal Protection

Governments in the Middle East should act quickly in 2009 to fulfill longstanding promises to protect migrant women’s rights, said Human Rights Watch today, ahead of December 18, 2008, International Migrants’ Day. A number of governments have promised…

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