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Civil Society Groups Seek Urgent UN Action on Yemen

More Than 85 Groups Urge General Assembly to Establish New Investigative Mechanism

(New York) – The United Nations General Assembly should act swiftly to establish an investigative mechanism to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war in Yemen, a coalition of more than 85…
UN General Assembly Hall
News

UN: Deny Rights Council Seats to Major Violators

General Assembly Members Should Not Vote for China, Saudi Arabia

(New York) – United Nations member countries should not vote for China and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s most abusive governments, for seats on the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia’s numerous war crimes in Syria’s…
A view of the United Nations General Assembly, at UN headquarters, October 1, 2018.
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

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

Australia: Protect Human Rights in Foreign Policy

Human Rights Council Seat Demands Greater Leadership

(Sydney) – The Australian government should make the protection of human rights a central focus of its foreign policy, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the recently reappointed Foreign Minister Marise Payne that was released today. …
201906asia_australia_marise_payne
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UN: Expert Seeks Criminal Probe of Khashoggi Murder

Top Rights Body Should Monitor Saudi Abuses

(Geneva) – The United Nations expert’s call for justice for the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi should lead to the creation of a comprehensive system to monitor Saudi rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said. …
Candles lit by activists protesting the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are placed outside Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul. © 2018 Lefteris Pitarakis/AP Photo
News

Khashoggi Case: A Call to Prevent a Cover-Up

France, UK, US Should Reveal Details of Saudi Murder Trial

(New York) – Britain, France, and the United States should issue detailed, public reports on the Saudi trial for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a coalition of seven human rights and press freedom groups said today in an open letter. The three countries…
Candles lit by activists protesting the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are placed outside Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul. © 2018 Lefteris Pitarakis/AP Photo
News

UN: A Call to Free Saudi Women Activists

36 Countries, in Landmark Statement, Also Seek Justice for Khashoggi

(Geneva) – A joint statement by 36 countries on March 7, 2019 calling on Saudi Arabia to improve its human rights record was a landmark step toward justice and accountability, Human Rights Watch said today. The statement, delivered by…
(Left to right) Prominent women's rights activists Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, and Aziza al-Youssef were all detained in May 2018, seemingly in retaliation for their peaceful activities. Al-Hathloul remains in detention.
News

Turkey: Seek UN Inquiry on Khashoggi

Would Have Credibility, Authority to Gather Facts from Saudis

  (New York) – Turkey should formally submit a request to the UN secretary-general to establish an international, independent investigation into Saudi Arabia’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Human Rights Watch said…
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
News

Saudi Arabia: Rights Abuses Under Scrutiny

(Geneva) – Saudi Arabia faced international scrutiny of its human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council on November 5, 2018, as countries pressed for concrete steps to end abuses, Human Rights Watch said today.…
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
News

Turkey: Seek UN Inquiry on Khashoggi

Saudi, Turkish Cooperation Essential to Credibility

(New York) – Turkey should urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a United Nations investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of the prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Committee to Protect…
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
News

UN: Dangerous Double Standard on Children in Conflict

Secretary-General’s ‘List of Shame’ Should Reflect Report Findings

(New York) – The United Nations secretary-general’s new report on children and armed conflict sets a damaging precedent by ignoring or downplaying some countries’ abuses in his annual “list of shame,” Human Rights Watch said today.…
School in Nikishine, eastern Ukraine, damaged during fighting between Ukrainian government and rebel forces from Aug. 2014 to Feb. 2015.
News

Middle East Conflicts Spur Disastrous New Trends for Region

(Beirut) – Lawless armed conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) morphed into disastrous trends for the region in 2017, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its 2018 World Report. “Failed leadership, failed…
Smoke billows behind a building in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on December 3, 2017, during clashes between Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. © 2017 Getty Images
News

Top 5 Reforms Middle East Governments Can Make in 2018

Respond to Youth Demands, Gain Respect in the World

(Beirut) – Middle East and North Africa (MENA) governments can respond to the popular demands of the region’s youth for reform by implementing five changes in 2018 to arbitrary, outdated legal systems that infringe upon citizens’ rights and liberties,…
Demonstration outside Parliament on December 6, 2016, with women in white dresses and wrapped in bandages, calling for the repeal of article 522 of the penal code.
News

Saudi Arabia: Counterterrorism Apparatus Targets Rights Activists

UN Envoy Criticizes Abuses Following Visit

(Beirut) – A United Nations official who recently visited Saudi Arabia has criticized the country’s use of its terrorism tribunal and counterterrorism law to unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers, and peaceful critics, Human Rights Watch said…
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 21, 2016.
News

Fleeing Woman Returned to Saudi Arabia Against Her Will

Taken From Philippines in Transit; Faces Harm, Criminal Charges

(Manila) – A fleeing Saudi woman faces grave risks after being returned to Saudi Arabia against her will while in transit in the Philippines, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi authorities should ensure that Dina Ali Lasloom, 24, is…
A photo of Dina Ali Lasloom’s boarding pass from Kuwait to the Philippines.
News

UN: Violators Undermine Human Rights Council

Russia, Saudi Arabia Should Not Sit on Top Rights Body

(New York) – The candidacies of Saudi Arabia and Russia for the United Nations Human Rights Council are severely compromised because of their widespread unlawful attacks on civilians in Yemen and Syria respectively. The annual election for seats on the 47…
HRC headquarters
News

UN: Suspend Saudi Arabia from Human Rights Council

‘Gross and Systematic’ Violations in Yemen Threaten Council’s Credibility

(New York) – The United Nations General Assembly should immediately suspend Saudi Arabia’s membership rights on the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. A two-thirds majority of the General Assembly may suspend…
Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters in New York on June 22, 2016.
News

Yemen: Set UN Inquiry Into Violations by All Sides

Growing Toll From Indiscriminate Attacks, Cluster Weapons

(Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should create a commission of inquiry to investigate alleged serious laws-of-war violations by all parties in Yemen since September 2014, Human Rights Watch and 22 other human rights and humanitarian…
Men dig through rubble at a residential compound housing employees of the Mokha Steam Power Plant and their families that was struck by six bombs dropped by warplanes of the Saudi-led coalition, killing 57 people in Mokha, Yemen on July 24, 2015.

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