April Attack Killed 80 Civilians; Aid Delivery Hindered Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – US military strikes on the Ras Issa Port in Hodeidah, Yemen, on April 17, 2025, caused dozens of civilian casualties and significant damage to port infrastructure, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack should be investigated as a war crime. As […]
Syria: Türkiye-backed Armed Groups Detain, Extort Civilians
New Syrian Government Should Ensure Accountability Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Syrian National Army (SNA) factions that fought the Assad government with backing from Türkiye continue to detain, mistreat, and extort civilians in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. These fighters are being integrated into Syria’s Armed Forces, with their commanders appointed to key government […]
Stopping Israel’s Attack on Civil Society, Justice and Human Rights: A Call to Action
( Human Rights Watch ) – With the start of Israeli Knesset’s summer session on May 4, the undersigning organizations observe with grave concern the series of legislative initiatives and policy measures, currently making their way through the legislative process, that pose existential threats to the survival and mandate of human rights organizations in Israel. […]
US: Don’t Forcibly Transfer Migrants to Libya
Deportations Would be Unlawful, Subject Detainees to Horrific Conditions ( Human Rights Watch ) – (New York) – The United States should not forcibly transfer migrants to Libya, where inhumane detention conditions are well-documented, including torture, ill-treatment, sexual assault, and unlawful killings, Human Rights Watch said today. Based on numerous media reports citing US officials, […]
Lebanon: Indiscriminate Israeli Attacks on Civilians must be Investigated as War Crimes (HRW)
Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Two unlawful Israeli strikes on the northeastern Lebanese town of Younine between September and November 2024, which killed 33 civilians, 15 of them children, were apparent indiscriminate attacks on civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. At least one of the attacks used an air-dropped bomb equipped with a United States-produced […]
Iran must Unconditionally Release Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi
Release All other Arbitrarily Detained Rights Activists Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities are threatening to return the human rights defender and Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi to prison to serve the remainder of her unjust sentence as a means to pressure her to cease her rights advocacy, Human Rights Watch said today. […]
Gaza: Israeli Military War Crimes While Occupying Hospitals
Denial of Care, Deadly Forced Evacuations, Destruction of Medical Facilities Israeli military forces caused deaths and unnecessary suffering of Palestinian patients while occupying hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the current hostilities, amounting to war crimes. The Israeli military’s denial of water and electricity left sick and wounded people to die, while soldiers mistreated and forcibly […]
Iraq’s Climate Crisis is a Human Rights Crisis
Sarah Sanbar Iraq Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division ( Human Rights Watch ) – By any metric, Iraq’s environment is under severe pressure. Lakes, rivers, and marshlands are shrinking, and in some cases entirely disappearing. Sandstorms are increasing in frequency and severity, resulting in hospitalizations and the grounding of flights. Decades of conflict-related […]
Syria: End Coastal Killing Spree, Protect Civilians
Summary Executions, Indiscriminate Shootings, Outrages on Personal Dignity. ( Human Rights Watch – (New York) – Summary executions and other atrocities have taken place in Syria’s coastal region following insurgent attacks on Syrian security forces and during subsequent government security operations, with the Alawite community bearing the brunt of the violence, Human Rights Watch said today. […]