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Persons with Disabilities in the Context of Armed Conflict

Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Human Rights Watch welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for his thematic report to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly regarding the rights of persons with…
News

Denmark: Flawed Country of Origin Reports Lead to Flawed Refugee Policies

Joint Statement

We, the undersigned analysts, researchers, and other experts on the Syrian context, strongly condemn the Danish government’s decision to remove “temporary protection” for Syrian refugees from Damascus. This decision used our testimonies to the Danish…
Syrian refugees hold banners outside the Swedish Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, protesting Denmark's asylum policies towards those who fled Syria's civil war, September 26, 2012.
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“The lack of action is unexplainable. Protection during armed conflicts and access to essential necessities is our right, not a favor that we are asking for.”

Remarks by Nujeen Mustafa at “A Year after UNSC Resolution 2475: Let’s Define Concrete Steps to Protect People with Disabilities in Armed Conflict" on December 3, 2020

Good morning and good afternoon everyone, My name is Nujeen Mustafa. I was born with cerebral palsy and I use a wheelchair. In 2015, I fled the war from Syria to Germany. Today, I am an advocate for the rights of refugees and people with…
News

Syria: Tell Families of Missing the Fate of Loved Ones

Rights Groups Urge Key Countries to Press for Information

Today, eight Syrian civil society and international human rights organizations called on a number of UN Security Council member states to urgently address the widespread arbitrary detentions, kidnapping, torture and other-ill treatment, and enforced…
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'You Can and Should Do More to Ensure That People With Disabilities Are Included in All Aspects of Your Work – We Can’t Wait Any Longer'

Statement by Ms. Nujeen Mustafa during the United Nations Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria on April 24, 2019

Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon, Mr. President, your Excellencies, Civil Society colleagues, Ladies, and Gentlemen, My name is Nujeen Mustafa and I am 20 years old from Aleppo, Syria. I have cerebral palsy and use a…
News

Statement on Incendiary Weapons, CCW Annual Meeting

Delivered by Bonnie Docherty, Senior Researcher

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson. The exceptional cruelty and ongoing use of incendiary weapons demand a global response. Over the past year, Human Rights Watch has documented thirty new attacks with incendiary weapons across six…
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On Genocide Convention Anniversary, ICC Needed More Than Ever

Human Rights Council Panel commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention

As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, I wish to address the crucial role of the International Criminal Court in realizing its ideals. This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the ICC’s…
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Accountability For Atrocities Remains Essential in Syria

Interactive Dialogue with COI on Syria

Human Rights Watch thanks the Commission of Inquiry for highlighting the devastating and unlawful acts committed by parties on both sides of the conflict during the offensive on Eastern Ghouta between February and April 2018. Over the months leading up to…
A fighter from Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands next to debris of damaged buildings in Raqqa, Syria, September 25, 2017. © 2017 REUTERS
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Past Time to End Impunity for Atrocities in Eastern Ghouta

Urgent Debate on deteriorating situation of human rights in Eastern Ghouta at the Human Rights Council

We express the greatest concern for the situation in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, as it continues to deteriorate significantly. And we welcome this urgent debate. As UN Secretary General Guterres told the Human Rights Council at…
An elderly man walks near a damaged building in the besieged town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta, Syria.
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Syria: Urgent measures needed to avoid civilian casualties

Item 4 Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria

Human Rights Watch supports the findings of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons against civilians. An investigation by Human Rights Watch has established that the Syrian government forces have used nerve agents on…
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters on their way to Raqqa, Syria June 6, 2017© 2017 Reuters
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Human Rights Council: With Human Rights under Threat, a Time for Leadership

Item 2 – Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on his Annual Report

We share the High Commissioner’s concerns about current threats to human rights values, and to the international framework itself. Whether the Council can rise to these challenges will depend on a number of factors. First, leadership: many…
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UN rights body should mandate special inquiry into rights abuses in Aleppo

Human Rights Council Special Session on human rights situation in Aleppo

For weeks, doctors, hospital staff, activists, and journalists in eastern Aleppo have told Human Rights Watch that Russian and Syrian aircraft have relentlessly bombarded opposition-controlled parts of the city in repeated indiscriminate attacks that hit…
Syrian Man Carries Children After Barrel Bomb Attack
News

Human Rights Watch Statement on Latest ISIS Execution Video

(Beirut) – On June 26, 2016, the Islamic State, known as ISIS, released a graphic video, reportedly from Deir al-Zor, Syria, showing its members executing five men said to be media workers. These horrific executions are yet another example of the…