This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the 61st regular session of the UN Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue with the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine held on March 12, 2026.

HRW Oral Statement - ID with Independent Expert on Albinism - HRC61

Rights-Respecting Democracies Should Unite to Preserve Fundamental Freedoms

Watch Human Rights Watch's press conference for the release of World Report 2026, held February 4, 2026 in Washington, D.C.

For several days now, the authorities in Iran have tried to block the internet, to suppress the news. But despite this internet blackout, we are receiving very concerning reports of large scale killings by the security forces of protesters.

Iranian authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown on protesters across the country since December 28, 2025, marked by security forces’ unlawful use of force and firearms and mass arbitrary arrests.

Urgent Support for Survivors Needed After US Aid Cuts

In Vietnam, more than 160 political prisoners are currently locked up simply for exercising their basic rights. Rights bloggers and activists face police harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and interrogation on a daily basis. Activists face long stints of pre-trial detention, without access to lawyers or family in a one-party police state that tolerates no dissent.