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

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Press Release

Expansion of Global Gag Rule Will Threaten Lives and Rights of Millions Worldwide

The disastrous policy strangles healthcare systems, censors information and violates the rights to health, information, and free expression.

January 23, 2026

A photograph of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission speaking with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Ursula is a middle-aged, white woman with short grey hair, wearing a button-down white blazer jacket. Modi is a middle-aged South Asian male wearing a black Indian Bandi vest. They are walking and talking in front of India and EU flags.
(Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

EU-India: Crucial Partners Must Prioritize Human Rights at Forthcoming Summit

Where India and the EU fail to speak about human rights, both sides will send a disastrous political signal of…

January 23, 2026

A blurry image, apparently taken surreptitiously from a building above, shows a black armored vehicle with masked men in black carrying weapons driving down a city street.
(Private)

Press Release

Iran: Authorities Unleash Heavily Militarized Clampdown to Hide Protest Massacres

The Iranian authorities have waged a coordinated, militarized clampdown to prevent further dissent and hide their crimes.

January 23, 2026

A middle aged Asian woman with short black hair, looking at a wall of photographs. The photographs are of ethnic Kazakh men who went missing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
(Abduaziz Madyarov/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Kazakhstan: Drop Charges Against Atajurt Activists Facing Up to 10 years in Prison for Peaceful Protest

The Kazakhstani authorities must urgently step back from the reckless misuse of criminal law and drop these baseless charges.

January 22, 2026

Soldiers stand guard at the entrance to a fenced in compound while dark smoke from a fire billows overhead.
(Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

Syria: Human Rights and International Law Must Guide Next Steps in Northeast Syria

All parties to the recent fighting in Syria must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

January 21, 2026

A protester stares at a National Guard member behind a riot shield during a tense moment in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 2025. Masses of demonstrators filled streets, parks, and plazas across the United States to protest President Donald Trump. Organized as part of the nationwide
(David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP)

Press Release

One Year into President Trump’s Return to Office, Authoritarian Practices Are Eroding Human Rights

One year into President Trump’s second administration, the “alarm bells” of authoritarian practice signal a dangerous trajectory.

January 20, 2026

A collage of portraits of prisoners of conscience in Cuba, in front of a yellow and black background.
(Amnesty International)

Press Release

Cuba: One Year After Selective Releases, We Demand the Immediate Release of People Detained for Political Reasons

The Cuban authorities must unconditionally free all prisoners of conscience.

January 20, 2026

A woman with a red scarf and a black face mask holds a sign at a crowded protest that reads
(Kabir Jhangiani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Press Release

India: Death of Kuki-Zo Survivor Exposes Systemic Impunity for Sexual Violence in Manipur

This woman’s death is a devastating indictment of the Indian state’s failure to bring justice to survivors of sexual violence.

January 20, 2026

Imaan Mazari holds two fingers up in the
(Ghulam Rasool/AFP via Getty Images)

Press Release

Pakistan: Authorities Must End Judicial Harassment of Lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatta

This baseless trial of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha is a blatant abuse of Pakistan's justice system.

January 16, 2026

An overhead view of a large compound surrounded by walls and fields, connected by a single road to a nearby town.
(Amnesty International)

Press Release

Cambodia: Victims Must be Protected as Thousands ‘Leave Scamming Compounds’

The Cambodian government must provide support to people escaping scamming compounds and help bring all remaining victims inside to safety.

January 16, 2026

A close-up shot of Sean Binder - a young male with short dark hair, wearing a red tie, white collared button-down shirt, and black blazer.
(Amnesty International)

Press Release

Greece: Seán Binder Acquitted of All Charges

The EU must take note of today’s decision and introduce stronger safeguards against the criminalization of humanitarian assistance under EU…

January 15, 2026

Three images show people mostly wearing black standing on a street outside a morgue where dozens of bodies in black body bags are lined up.
(VahidOnline)

Press Release

Iran: Massacre of Protesters Demands Global Diplomatic Action to Signal an End to Impunity

Verified videos and eyewitness testimony reveal mass unlawful killings on an unprecedented scale amid an internet shutdown in Iran.

January 15, 2026