Angola: Govt Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct

Angola has finally shed the divisive "vices against nature" provision in its law, widely interpreted to be a ban on homosexual conduct. Read more »

Libya: Nightmarish Detention for Migrants, Asylum Seekers

European Union policies contribute to a cycle of extreme abuse against migrants in Libya. The EU and Italy's support for the Libyan Coast Guard contributes significantly to the… Read more »

Sudan: Hundreds of Protesters Arrested

Security officials in Sudan have killed dozens of protesters and rounded up hundreds since widespread anti-austerity protests began on December 19, 2018, four organizations said… Read more »

Morocco: Abandon Attempts to Dissolve Cultural Group

Moroccan authorities should immediately abandon attempts to dissolve the cultural group Racines, over critical comments made by guests on an online talk show it hosted, Human… Read more »

Nigeria: Heightened Insecurity Threatens Rights

Persistent attacks by Boko Haram, intensified conflict between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities, and violent banditry in many northern states dominated Nigeria’s… Read more »

Mauritania: Repressive Laws Restrict Peaceful Speech

Mauritanian authorities used a litany of harsh and overbroad laws on terrorism, cybercrime, apostasy, and criminal defamation to prosecute and jail human rights defenders,… Read more »

Egypt: New Moves to Crush Dissent

Egyptian authorities increasingly relied on counterterrorism and state of emergency laws to crush peaceful dissent during 2018, including by prosecuting journalists and human… Read more »

East Africa: Civic Space Shrinking

Clear patterns of government repression against peaceful protesters, activists, and journalists emerged across the East and Horn of Africa region during 2018, Human Rights Watch… Read more »

Southern Africa: New Leaders Can Do More for Rights

New leadership in key Southern Africa countries renewed hope for greater respect for human rights, but the region's leaders failed to live up to expectations in 2018, Human Rights… Read more »

Libya: Civilians Under Threat From Militias

Unaccountable and violent armed groups maintain a stranglehold on Libya, while civilians pay the price in the divided country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report… Read more »

Rwanda: Hope for Justice for Murdered Rwandan Critic

There is a chance justice may still happen for the killing of Colonel Patrick Karegeya, a Rwandan dissident who was found murdered in his hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa,… Read more »

Zimbabwe: Security Forces Fire On Protesters

Zimbabwe security forces fatally shot at least five people and wounded 25 others during a crackdown on nationwide protests beginning January 14, 2019, Human Rights Watch said… Read more »

Senegal: Submission By Human Rights Watch to the Committee On Economic, Social and Cultural Rights On Senegal

This submission relates to the review of Senegal under the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It focuses on the right to education, exploitation and abuse of… Read more »

Tunisia: Eight Years After It Launched the Arab Spring, Tunisia Still Struggles With the Legacy of Dictatorship

On Monday, Tunisians once again commemorate the anniversary of their 2011 revolution, which also inspired the broader Arab Spring uprisings around the Middle East and North Africa.… Read more »

Sudan: A Bloody Day of Protest

Yesterday's protest in the Sudanese city of Omdurman was particularly bloody. Government security forces responded to peaceful demonstrations with live ammunition, rubber bullets,… Read more »

Egypt: Little Truth in Al-Sisi's '60 Minutes' Responses

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt made several wrong claims in his appearance on January 6, 2019 on the "60 Minutes" TV show in the United States, Human Rights Watch said… Read more »

Sudan: Security Forces Killing, Detaining Protesters

Sudanese security forces have been using live ammunition and other forms of excessive force against protesters and arbitrarily detaining them. Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Voter Suppression, Violence

Widespread irregularities, voter suppression, and violence significantly marred elections on December 30, 2018 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Election officials should ensure… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Campaigning Violently Suppressed

Government security forces across the Democratic Republic of Congo have forcibly dispersed opposition campaign rallies ahead of the December 23, 2018 national elections. Security… Read more »

Kenya: Harassment of Environmental Activists

Kenyan police and the military are harassing and intimidating environmental rights activists in Lamu county, coast region, Human Rights Watch and the National Coalition of Human… Read more »

Kenya: Interview - the Downside of Kenya's Massive Development Project

They are also concerned about the lack of compensation for those who have had to relocate after their land was taken for the project. Some activists have helped community members… Read more »

Eritrea: Human Rights Watch Submission to the Universal Periodic Review of Eritrea

Shortly before this submission was filed, Eritrea and Ethiopia jointly agreed to end the "state of war" between them. (Joint Declaration, Jun. 9, 2018). Assuming they carry out… Read more »

Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Torture Problem and the Court of Public Opinion

Ethiopia's state broadcaster EBC aired a documentary this week, detailing numerous horrendous acts of torture carried out by security services in recent years. Many Ethiopians were… Read more »

Nigeria: End Impunity for Killings of Shia

Nigerian authorities have failed to ensure justice for the killings of hundreds of members of the Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) since 2015, Human Rights Watch said today… Read more »

Egypt: UN - Act On Reprisals By Egypt

The United Nations should ensure an urgent and robust system-wide response to credible reports that the Egyptian authorities have attacked people who engaged with the UN special… Read more »