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Evicted from Their Office, Al Jazeera Works from a Front Yard in Tunisia

Authorities Arbitrarily Target Media and Critics

I first met Lotfi Hajji some 15 years ago, after Tunisian authorities under President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali had refused a request by Al Jazeera, the Qatar-funded pan-Arab television station, to accredit the Tunisian journalist as their local…
Al Jazeera correspondent Lotfi Hajji reporting from Tunis after Tunisian authorities evicted the pan-Arab television network from its offices, November 5, 2021. 
News

Tunisia: Attack on Director of LGBT Group

Police Officers Suspected; Investigation Needed

Two police officers apparently brutally attacked the director of a Tunis-based LGBT rights group on October 21, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack on Badr Baabou took place against a backdrop of mounting abuses targeting LGBT activists by…
Badr Baabou, director of Damj Association for Justice and Equality, following his assault by suspected police officers in Tunisia. © 2021 Badr Baabou
News

Germany: Include Trans People in Coalition Agreement

Existing Gender Recognition Procedure Violates Human Rights

Germany’s political parties negotiating coalition agreements to create a new government should make a commitment to change the law on legal gender recognition, so that it is based on self-determination, not so-called expert reports, Human Rights Watch…
A demonstrator on a march in Oldenburg, Germany, on Christopher Street Day 2021, holds a sign with the inscription “I am ‘Trans’ and that's good!” September 21, 2021. © 2021 Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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Human Rights and the New German Government

When it comes to human rights, the new German government faces enormous tasks. Our Human Rights Watch team has seven key points that the incoming government should tackle during its legislative period.
News

Germany: Put Rights at Center of Coalition Talks

Human Rights Watch Writes Letter to Parties

(Berlin – October 20, 2021) – The three German parties entering negotiations on the formation of the next government should put human rights at the heart of their agenda, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has written to the parties –…
Session of the German lower house of Parliament, Bundestag, in Berlin, February 1, 2018.
News

German Postcode Lottery Grants

Equitable Health Care, Covid-19 Vaccine for Conflict Zones; Digital Communications

(Berlin, October 19, 2021) – The German Postcode Lottery is supporting the work of Human Rights Watch in two major areas with more than half a million euros. A €250,000 grant will be used to ensure more equitable access to health care and vaccines for…
Displaced Syrian children read a poster, outlining 7 steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus disease, at a camp for the internally displaced near Dayr Ballut, near the Turkish border in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province on March 22, 2020, during a campaign to prevent the spread of the virus.
News

Tunisia: President’s Repressive Policies Abrogate Rights

Dozens Placed Under Arbitrary House Arrests

(Tunis) – Arbitrary and politically motivated acts of repression have proliferated in Tunisia since July 25, 2021, when President Kais Saied suspended parliament, Human Rights Watch said today. He also lifted parliamentary immunity, dismissed the head…
Tunisian President Kais Saied raises his fist to bystanders as he walks along the avenue Bourguiba in Tunis, Tunisia, August 1, 2021.
News

Tunisia: President’s Seizure of Powers Threatens Rights

A Dangerous Move Capitalizes on Popular Frustration

(Tunis) – Tunisian President Kais Saied should safeguard the human rights of all Tunisians and reverse any repressive measures taken since announcing July 25 measures that largely concentrate powers in his office, Human Rights Watch said today. On…
Kais Saied during the sworn ceremony in Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia on October 23, 2019.
News

German Flood Deaths Highlight Climate Change Risks for People with Disabilities

Inclusive Climate Action and Planning Needed after 12 Perish

On July 15, twelve people with disabilities living in a group home drowned in floods in Sinzig, Germany, because they did not manage to evacuate in time. This is not the first time people with disabilities in group homes died during a climate…
The “Lebenshilfe-Haus” or ‘assisted-living facility”, where twelve people with disabilities drowned in floods on July 15, 2021.
News

Germany: Inaction on Heat Plans Threatens Health

Pregnancy Risks Left Out of Climate Change Planning

We have corrected the online version of this report to include an additional state government response on heat health action plans received by Human Rights Watch after the requested deadline but prior to publication. Germany has delayed…
A woman shields herself from the sun with an umbrella on a hot summer day in Cologne, Germany, July 25, 2019. 
News

Germany’s New Surveillance Laws Raise Privacy Concerns

Police Handed Enhanced Powers to Infiltrate Phones and Computers

The German parliament amended two laws on June 10th granting enhanced surveillance powers to segments of the federal police and intelligence services. They allow the use of spyware to hack into phones and computers circumventing encryption used by…
The logo of the messenger app Whatsapp is seen on the screen of a smartphone on April 28th, 2021 in Berlin, Germany.
News

Tough Challenge for German Leadership in Libya Talks

Chancellor Angela Merkel took the initiative almost two years ago to resolve the Libya crisis by creating a joint effort called The Berlin Process. Germany has positioned itself as mostly neutral putting it in a favorable position to broker political…
Fighters of Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) during clashes at the Ain Zara frontline, in the southern suburbs of capital Tripoli, with the forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
News

Merkel Should Steer EU on Covid-19 Intellectual Property Waiver

With the G7 Summit around the corner and debates about waiving intellectual property rules for Covid-19 vaccines and other health products heating up, all eyes will be on Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel has stood in the way of the waiver, making it…
A woman receives the AstraZeneca vaccine for Covid-19 at an apartment building in Bengaluru, India, April 24, 2021.
News

Germany: New Supply Chain Law a Step in the Right Direction

Law’s Gaps Should be Fixed by Next Government

(Berlin) – A new law on human rights in supply chains adopted by the German Parliament on June 11, 2021, ushers in a long-awaited shift to mandatory company compliance rules in Germany, Human Rights Watch said today. The German parliament acted…
A 9-year old girl collects sand at a mining site in Uganda.
News

Europe’s Worrying Surge of Antisemitism

Protect European Jews and Uphold Right to Peaceful Protest

A Rabbi attacked in the street. A synagogue daubed with a swastika. Hate shouted from a loudspeaker in a Jewish neighborhood. These are only a few of the alarming incidents of antisemitic hatred witnessed in Europe last weekend, including in the UK…
police officers stand guard at synagogue in germany as antisemtism on rise
News

Middle East/North Africa: End Violent Punishment of Children

Human Rights Watch Introduces Country Index Based on Laws, Policies

(Beirut) – Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should outlaw the violent discipline of children, Human Rights Watch said today, introducing an index categorizing countries in the region based on their laws and policies. The MENA…
2020 Dadu Shin for Human Rights Watch