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Civil Society Groups Seek Urgent UN Action on Yemen

More Than 60 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 60…
UN General Assembly Hall
News

Yemen: Houthi Forces Attack, Displace Villagers

End Attacks on Civilians; Allow Aid Access

(Beirut) – The Houthi armed group has fired artillery and ballistic missiles indiscriminately into populated areas of Yemen’s Marib governorate resulting in civilian casualties, including women and children, and causing a new wave of civilian…
A truck searches for victims under the rubble. The house was destroyed by a Houthi missile in Al-Amoud in al-Jubah district, Marib governorate pictured on October 29, 2021.  
News

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

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

Expo 2020 Dubai: How Would an Honest Yemen Pavilion Look?

As the UAE whitewashes its abuses in the country, Yemeni victims face an uphill battle for justice

When I see the extravagance and spectacle of Expo 2020 in Dubai, I immediately think of Yemen, the poorest Arab nation sitting around 1,000 kilometers away, and the unspeakable suffering that the UAE shares…
UAE 2020 Expo
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

UN Rights Body Should Stand with Yemeni People

Renewing Vital Mandate Essential to Support Victims, Stem Abuse

The latest report by the United Nations Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) on Yemen details “over six years of unnecessary suffering” by people in the country. First established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, the group is the only international,…
202103mena_yemen_marib5
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Yemen: Key Human Rights Concerns for UN Envoy

Press Parties to End Abuses

(Beirut, September 12, 2021) – The new United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, should make human rights concerns front and center as he begins his work, Human Rights Watch said today. The Swedish diplomat succeeds Martin Griffiths, who…
Aid is delivered in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen, September 2018
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

Saudi Arabia: Yemeni Workers at Risk of Mass Forced Returns

Face Possible Return to Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis, Loss of Critical Remittances

(Beirut) – Saudi authorities have since July 2021 began to terminate or not renew contracts of Yemeni professionals, which could force them to return to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Human Rights Watch said today. Saudi authorities should suspend…
An aid worker gives a food ration to a woman in Sanaa, Yemen, July 19, 2020
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

Health Workers Abandoned in Yemen’s Covid-19 Fight

Houthi Authorities Still Hinder Vaccination of Medical Staff

Health workers in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen have recently reported that they face significant barriers to obtaining vaccines, and existing vaccines may expire before they are used. By failing to take all available measures to address the Covid-…
A medical worker wearing full protective gear stands at the gate of the intensive care unit of a hospital, where coronavirus (Covid-19) patients are treated in Sanaa, Yamen, on June 15, 2020.
News

Yemen: Houthis Subject Model to Unfair Trial

Yemeni Model and Actress Accused of Indecent Act; Threatened With Virginity Test

  Update 11/19/2021: On November 7, 2021, Houthi authorities sentenced Intisar al-Hammadi, a Yemeni actress and model, and another woman to five years in prison each on charges of committing an indecent act. Two other women accused in the same…
Intisar al-Hammadi
News

Yemen: Houthis Risk Civilians’ Health in Covid-19

Stop Spreading Disinformation; Ensure Access to Testing, Health Care, Vaccines

(Beirut) – Houthi authorities in Yemen have suppressed information about the dangers and impact of Covid-19 and undermined international efforts to provide vaccines in areas under their control, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the start of the…
Medical workers attend to a Covid-19 patient in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, June 14, 2020. 
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
News

Tunisia Jails Repatriated Women With Suspected ISIS Ties

Ensure Humane Treatment, Due Process, Medical Care

(Tunis) – Families of women and children with ties to suspected members of the Islamic State group (ISIS) who were recently repatriated to Tunisia say that all of the women are in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. Some have faced abuse, have…
The Palace of Justice in Tunis, Tunisia, on January 29, 2019.