Newsroom

Breaking news and updates on human rights in the U.S. and around the world

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A crowd of thousands of people, each holding a candle with their head bowed in silence, fills a public square at night.
(CC/Etan Liam)

Press Release

Hong Kong: ‘Dismaying’ Tiananmen Convictions Part of Campaign to Erase Chinese History

Hong Kong’s National Security Law is being used to punish people for peacefully remembering one of the darkest chapters in…

August 21, 2026

A man in a suit and tie wearing glasses speaks into a microphone, leaning forward in a leather chair.
(Private)

Press Release

Zambia: Authorities Must Investigate Fatal Shooting of Former Minister and End Post-Election Crackdown

The reported killing of Mutotwe Kafwaya is deeply alarming.

August 21, 2026

Two men wearing black with their faces covered holding rifles stand in front of the rubble of a destroyed building.
(Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Press Release

Palestine: Hamas Must Stamp Out Extrajudicial Executions and Ensure Justice for Victims

Hamas must end extrajudicial executions of suspected collaborators with Israel.

August 20, 2026

Indigenous leaders in Ecuador at a protest
(RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP)

Press Release

Ecuador: Three Years After the Yasuní Referendum, Sanctions Against Its Defenders Highlight the Deterioration of Civic Space

Ecuadorian authorities must refrain from actions that hinder the right to freedom of association and obstruct the defense of human…

August 20, 2026

People on a beach with ships in the back.
(ADNAN BECI/AFP via Getty)

Press Release

Italy: Disastrous Offshore Agreement With Albania Must Serve as a ‘Wake-Up Call’ to End EU’s Cruel Migration Plans

The offshore detention of migrants under the Italy-Albania Agreement is jeopardizing people’s safety, liberty and human rights.

August 20, 2026

a series of vertical black and white images of a street crowded with pedestrians, seen from above from a surveillance camera, with red boxes around people's heads.
(Celina Hilbert)

Press Release

Argentina: Unchecked Deployment of AI-Driven Surveillance Reinforces a Techno-Authoritarian Infrastructure of Social Control

The Argentina government's use of surveillance technologies has had a chilling effect on rights to privacy and freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

August 18, 2026

A middle-aged man walking through the hallways of a court building.
(Yabloko)

Press Release

Russia: Anti-War Politician Lev Shlosberg Sentenced to 11 Years and One Month in Prison Amid Mounting Pressure on His Yabloko Party

The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Lev Shlosberg and quash his conviction.

August 17, 2026

(Género y Derechos)

Press Release

Americas: Regional Conference on Population and Development Must Uphold International Commitments on Gender Equality

Amid a relentless wave of attacks on the rights of women, girls and adolescents, the Montevideo Consensus must continue to…

August 17, 2026

The Iraqi flag flies on an enormously tall flagpole above a barely visible cityscape of low, nondescript, cream colored buildings and electric wires against a sky gray with dust.
(Qassem Al-Kabbiq/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Iraq: Government Must Chart a New Course by Ending Impunity and Upholding Human Rights

Iraq’s government must deliver on its human rights commitments.

August 17, 2026

Israeli troops and settlers standing outside a home.
(Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Israel/OPT: Siege of Palestinian Homes in Qusra Marks Relentless Escalation in State-Backed Settler Violence

The three Palestinian families under siege have been threatened, harassed and attacked by Israeli settlers from nearby outposts for months.

August 14, 2026

Headshots of three men
(Liubov Yemets/Gwara Media; Resul Rehimov/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; Demand Rights at COP)

Press Release

Azerbaijan: Health of Imprisoned Government Critics at Risk as Another Political Activist Faces Extradition Threat

Azerbaijani authorities must ensure that all prisoners have immediate access to adequate drinking water, ventilation and medical care.

August 11, 2026

A tall cathedral-looking building with a Lebanese flag on top. A soldier looks up at it.
(Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Press Release

Lebanon: Abolition of Death Penalty a Landmark Victory Affirming Justice Must Be Rooted in Human Rights

Lebanon’s decision to abolish the death penalty marks a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country.

August 11, 2026