Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is the main inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for addressing situations of human rights violations. The Council also receives thematic and country-specific reports from a series of independent expert mechanisms, including special procedures, as well as from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Since the Council’s inception in 2006, Human Rights Watch has been involved in strengthening its capacity to promote and protect human rights worldwide and be more responsive to the needs of victims of rights violations. We work to cast a light on the activities of the Council, hold its members accountable for their actions and advance compliance with its objective of addressing “situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations” around the world.
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Europe/Central Asia“The floor was dirty with blood and mud .... It was difficult to breathe. If we put our head to the side, they beat us....” This is just one quote from dozens of testimonies by victims of police torture and ill-treatment Human Rights Watch recorded in Belarus in August, after mass protests erupted there over highly contested presidential elections and the authorities’ arrest of close to 7,000 people in just 4 days.Belarus: UN rights body should ensure accountability for rights abuses
September 18, 2020
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Asia
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Equatorial Guinea: UN Review Should Highlight Abuses
Critics Intimidated, Arbitrarily Detained, Beaten
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News
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Accountability for Rights Violations Remains Essential in Burundi
Item 4 Interactive Dialogue with Commission of Inquiry on Burundi
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Belarus: UN rights body should ensure accountability for rights abuses
Urgent debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus
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UN rights body should monitor abuses, ensure accountability in Philippines, Saudi Arabia, China
Item 2 General Debate on High Commissioner's Update - HRC45
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UN: Release Saudi Dissidents, Activists
29 Countries Call for Accountability for Torture, Khashoggi Killing
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EU Member States Should Act on Philippines Abuses
Support at UN Human Rights Council Crucial to Establish International Inquiry
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UN: Human Rights Council Should Act on Philippines
Over 60 Groups Urge UN Body to Ensure Accountability
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Open letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the situation in Belarus
Civil society organizations call to convene a Special Session to address human rights violations committed in the leadup, during and after the August 2020 Presidential elections
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What China’s Foreign Minister Should Expect in Europe
Beijing’s Growing Repression Needs a Global Response
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Commission of Inquiry on Burundi Vital in Prompting Meaningful Human Rights Progress
Joint Letter to the Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council
