#Hrw

The Houthi armed group on October 18, 2026, used explosives to severely damage a critical road into Yemen’s besieged city of Taizz, putting civilian lives and welfare at increased risk.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been reelected as Brazil’s president, should use his new term to tackle chronic human rights problems.

“It is as if a tsunami had hit the city,” said a resident who returned to Sudan’s El Fasher only to find it destroyed and largely abandoned after the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) October 2025 takeover.

A South Korean government proposal would allow medication abortion in South Korea in 2027, but overly restrictive regulations will continue to impair the right of women and girls to safe and affordable abortion services, Human Rights Watch said today.…

Mexico’s Senate should amend legislation approved by the Chamber of Deputies on October 20, 2026, to ensure that people with disabilities can appoint supporters to make legal decisions by April 1, 2027, as originally planned.

Ugandan authorities’ obligation to conduct an effective investigation into the brutal killing of a Rwandan dissident requires examining all evidence that points to a possible politically motivated killing, Human Rights Watch said today.

A court in Tajikistan has sentenced Asadullo Boboev, an opposition activist deported from Germany in June, to 17 years in jail.

The European Parliament on October 22, 2026, awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials.

The Vietnamese authorities should immediately release three activists associated with the overseas Viet Tan organization who went missing in Cambodia, and drop all charges against them, Human Rights Watch said today.

A United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on October 7 calling for concrete action against systemic racism should have been an opportunity for governments to demonstrate their commitment to racial justice.

The Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), which controls eastern and southern Libya, has executed at least 31 people since late August 2026 following grossly unfair military trials.

Images from ongoing student protests in France of heavily armed riot police using tear gas, stun grenades, batons, rubber bullets, and rough restraint techniques on children have sparked national and international concern.

During its October 6 review by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Kazakhstan pledged new legislation to make domestic violence a standalone crime – a timely commitment.…

Police in Türkiye carried out a dawn raid on the widely watched, independent news channel Halk TV on October 14, signaling its takeover by a government-appointed administrator who promptly ordered the station to end its live broadcast.

Cambodia’s Supreme Court on October 14 denied opposition activist Voeung Samnang’s request to serve his two sentences concurrently, meaning he will spend 11 years in prison.

A care facility in Kanchanaburi, Thailand made headlines in early October when photos of conditions in the facility went viral, including images allegedly depicting metal cages that confine residents to their beds.

Formula One’s decision this week to bring a Grand Prix to Rwanda in the early 2030s could be an important moment for Africa. But agreement between Formula One and Rwanda also brings significant human rights risks.

Syrian authorities have imposed admissions rules that bar women from most programs at two new state universities focused on defense and security, with applications closing on October 19, 2026.

Indonesian police in September began investigating Feby Indirani, the author of the short story collection Memburu Muhammad (Hunting for Muhammad), for alleged blasphemy.

Malian armed forces and their allies have since July 2026 responded to mounting attacks by Islamist and separatist armed groups with abusive counterinsurgency operations in central and northern Mali