Ahead of elections in October, the Tanzanian government stepped up restrictions on the media, political opposition and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The government passed legislation that restricts the media, online communication and public…

The Chinese government’s authoritarianism was on full display in 2020 as it grappled with the deadly coronavirus outbreak first reported in Wuhan province. Authorities initially covered up news about the virus, then adopted harsh quarantine measures…

The government of Prime Minister K.P. Oli proposed new laws curtailing free expression, while stalling on promises to implement transitional justice for abuses committed during the civil conflict that ended in 2006.  The government continued…

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the longest-serving ruler in the Arab World, died in January at age 79 after ruling since 1970. Qaboos recommended Haitham bin Tariq, the former culture minister, as his successor and the choice was quickly ratified by the…

The overall human rights situation in Myanmar deteriorated in 2020, including heightened restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Fighting between Myanmar’s military and several ethnic armed groups continued, with government…

Singapore held elections in July, with the ruling People’s Action Party taking 83 out of 93 seats, with 61.2 percent of the popular vote. The opposition Workers’ Party won 10 seats—a record high for the opposition. The government…

Bangladesh’s Awami League-led government doubled down on an authoritarian crackdown on free speech, arresting critics, and censoring media. Arrests under the abusive Digital Security Act (DSA) increased dramatically. Impunity for abuses by security…

By Kriti Sharma and Shantha Rau Barriga  Long before the Covid-19 pandemic grounded much of the world, lockdown, confinement, violence, and isolation was the daily reality for hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities around the world…

By John Raphling and Nicole Austin-Hillery Millions around the world recoiled in horror this year as they watched the video of Minneapolis Police officers kneeling on top of George Floyd, limiting his breathing, as he begged for his life. One of…

By Bill Frelick The Teitiota family from a little-known Pacific island didn’t intend to become a catalyst for expanding the concept of asylum; but they became one anyway. In 2015 New Zealand denied the family’s asylum claim and deported…

By Hugh Williamson A Human Rights Watch expert recently spent days on WhatsApp contacting relatives of two Kurdish men in a remote village in southeast Turkey, who were abducted and later lynched by soldiers. “At first, when I reached them, the…

By Heather Barr Strange men came to the place where Kang Yu-jin (names are pseudonyms) worked; looking for her after her ex-boyfriend impersonated her on social media, posting sexual images and saying she wanted to find men to have sex with. Lee Ye-…

By Katharina Rall While the Covid-19 pandemic dominated the news for much of 2020, climate change—the other global crisis threatening catastrophic impacts on peoples’ lives—has continued to gain ground. The pandemic itself may have…

By Lena Simet and Komala Ramachandra and Sarah Saadoun At the dawn of 2020, our world was already in crisis. High and rising economic inequality meant that someone born with few resources could see their basic human rights, like food and decent housing…

Serbia There was limited improvement in protections of human rights in Serbia in 2020. Journalists faced threats, violence, and intimidation, and those responsible are rarely held to account. Efforts to prosecute war crimes continued to focus on low-…

Spain was hit hard by the public health and economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government took steps to shore up social security support as unemployment and poverty rose. Violence against women rose during a nationwide lockdown imposed to…

Presidential elections scheduled for March were postponed to July due to concerns over unfair campaigning as a result of movement restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Initial proposals by the ruling party to hold the elections in May via a hastily…

Italy was the first country outside China to experience a major outbreak of Covid-19 and to declare a national state of emergency, and impose a strict lockdown, in early March 2020. The coalition government in power since September 2019 reversed some of…

The government used the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext to continue its attacks on rule of law and democratic institutions. The government declared a state of emergency in March, seizing unlimited power to rule by decree without parliamentary and judicial…

Announced changes in law enforcement and crowd control tactics fell short of addressing concerns of abusive and disproportionate use of force by the police, including during demonstrations. Discriminatory police identity checks targeting minority youth…