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US Assistance to Saudi-Led Coalition Risks Complicity in War Crimes

The protracted conflict in Yemen has killed almost a quarter of a million people directly or indirectly due to inadequate food, health care, and infrastructure. It has included unlawful attack after unlawful attack, with homes, hospitals, schools, and…
People inspect a damaged building in Sanaa, Yemen.
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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 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

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.
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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: 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

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

Ethiopians Abused on Gulf Migration Route

Trafficking, Exploitation, Torture, Abusive Prison Conditions

(Addis Ababa) – Ethiopians undertaking the perilous journey by boat across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden face exploitation and torture in Yemen by a network of trafficking groups, Human Rights Watch said today. They also encounter abusive prison…
African migrants receive food and water inside a football stadium in the Red Sea port city of Aden in Yemen, on April 23, 2019. © AFP/Getty Images
News

Letter to Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne

Re: Protecting Human Rights in Australia’s Foreign Policy

Dear Minister Payne, Congratulations on your reappointment as foreign minister. Human Rights Watch looks forward to working with you to make protection of human rights a strong pillar of Australia’s foreign policy. We attach a…
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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
News

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

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