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Southern Africa: Grave Rights Abuses, Impunity Persist
(Johannesburg) – Southern African countries committed serious human rights violations throughout 2025, creating vicious cycles of abuse and impunity, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
Security forces in Angola, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe used excessive and at times lethal force, and arbitrarily arrested and detained protesters. The authorities severely restricted freedom of expression, association, and assembly, and attacked journalists and human rights defenders. Neither the African Union nor the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took sufficient steps to address these and other violations, or to ensure that member countries complied with their regional human rights obligations.
“Southern African governments are, in many cases, failing to meet their international legal obligations to bring those responsible for human rights violations to justice, creating an environment for abusers to thrive,” said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Southern African governments need to promptly and impartially investigate and prosecute alleged rights violations.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The World Report 2026 highlights the failure of Southern African countries to prioritize human rights protections and justice for victims of abuses. For instance:
Security forces responded to protests with excessive force, resulting in deaths and injuries in Angola and Mozambique. While Angola announced investigations into protesters’ deaths and Mozambique opened hearings into the police role in the post-election violence, the results of the investigations have not been made public. There is still no justice or accountability in Eswatini for the security force crackdown on the 2021 pro-democracy protesters. There were renewed tensions in Angola’s Cabinda exclave and an intensified Islamist insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region, both of which caused more displacement, increased abduction of children, suspension of humanitarian activities, and further degradation of public health services and aid provisions. The governments of Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have threatened freedom of expression and media freedom. They have detained and judicially harassed journalists, human rights defenders, government critics, and opposition members, with some facing fabricated charges. South Africa did not protect human rights defenders and whistleblowers at risk, some of whom were killed.The right to the highest attainable standard of health was an important concern in Eswatini, Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa. The Southern African governments failed to stop vigilante groups from preventing foreign nationals from accessing education and health care. Hazardous mining practices harmed communities in Zambia.The SADC should focus on human rights issues in its engagements with member countries and improve measures for monitoring and ensuring that members meet their human rights obligations.
Americas: Trump’s Influence Prompts Abuses
(Mexico City) – Some Latin American and Caribbean governments are violating rights of noncitizens at the Trump administration’s behest, while others are using Trump’s policies and rhetoric as cover for abuses against their own citizens, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The Trump administration’s brazen military assault on Venezuela in early 2026 may consolidate the country’s repressive government so long as it serves US political and business interests. During 2025, several governments limited access to asylum and abused migrants deported from the United States. Some Latin American governments have increasingly pursued security policies based on mass arrests, military deployment to fight “terrorism,” and excessive force. While the US government has often criticized systematic human rights violations in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, it has turned a blind eye to grave abuses in El Salvador, Ecuador, and Peru that restrict journalists and human rights groups.
“During its first year in office, the Trump administration has had an unquestionably negative influence over Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Latin American governments have a responsibility to defend democracy and make sure it delivers for their people, regardless of who sits in the White House.”
Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua repress virtually all forms of dissent, arresting critics and opponents and forcing many into exile. In Venezuela, authorities released some detainees in early 2026, but many people remain imprisoned for political reasons. Latin American governments should push for the release of all political prisoners in these countries and promote peaceful transitions to democracy, Human Rights Watch said. They should also oppose ongoing US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, which have killed over 120 people in what amount to extrajudicial executions under international human rights law.Organized crime groups pose a threat to human rights, with the most extreme case in Haiti, where criminal groups control 90 percent of Port-au-Prince, have expanded into other parts of the country, and have committed thousands of killings.Governments including those in El Salvador and Ecuador have committed grave human rights violations in responding to organized crime. In Brazil, a police raid in Rio de Janeiro resulted in 122 killings, part of a larger pattern of abusive use of force. In Mexico, the government has combined expanded intelligence gathering with measures that open the door to mass arrests, such as mandatory pretrial detention. Under President Gustavo Petro’s “total peace” strategy in Colombia, armed groups and organized crime have expanded their control. Governments including Honduras, Peru, El Salvador, and Ecuador have unjustifiably suspended rights for long periods in their fight against crime. Panama and Costa Rica have arbitrarily detained third country nationals deported from the United States. El Salvador subjected Venezuelans the Trump administration moved there to enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, and systematic torture. The Dominican Republic has escalated deporting Haitians, returning them to danger, in violation of international human rights law. As the United States gutted foreign aid for human rights groups and independent media, El Salvador, Peru, and Ecuador passed laws that allow arbitrary shutdowns of human rights groups and media outlets. Argentina has created an increasingly hostile environment for independent media. Guatemala’s attorney general arbitrarily arrested government officials, human rights defenders, and critics. El Salvador detained prominent human rights critics, including the anti-corruption lawyer Ruth Lopez.“Human rights groups and independent journalists remain a key bastion to protect democracy in the Americas,” Goebertus said. “Governments should have their backs as they work at grave risk to promote human rights and expose corruption and abuse.”
Ukraine: Civilians Perennial Targets of Russian Attacks
(Kyiv, February 4, 2026) – Civilians in Ukraine experienced serious conflict-related violations over the past year, with more targeted and indiscriminate Russian attacks driving up civilian deaths, injuries, and destruction, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
Millions of Ukrainians remain displaced inside and outside the country, many struggling to access essential services or earn a living. Russian forces continue to carry out systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians, abuses that constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity. In occupied areas, Russian authorities stepped up efforts to entrench their control and impose Russian laws, in violation of international law.
“2025 was the deadliest year for civilians in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, while the U.S.-initiated peace efforts have not brought any critical breakthroughs,” said Yulia Gorbunova, senior Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Any diplomatic path to ending the war in Ukraine must center justice and the protection of civilians, and no amnesty should be granted for grave crimes committed during this war.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented at least 14,534 civilian deaths and over 38,000 injuries. Civilian casualties rose by 27 percent in the first 10 months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Most occurred in the Khersonska and Donetska regions, where Russian drone operators deliberately targeted civilians with short-rangedrones in attacks that constitute war crimes. Russian forces escalated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Russia, which is not party to the International Mine Ban Treaty, used antipersonnel mines extensively in Ukraine. Ukraine has also used antipersonnel mines, including those received from the United States in 2024. Russia holds thousands of Ukrainian POWs and unlawfully detained civilians in inhumane conditions, and subjects them to systematic torture and ill-treatment. In occupied areas, Russian authorities continued to coerce residents into acquiring Russian citizenship by restricting their right of access to health care, education, and other services. Occupation authorities unlawfully conscript Ukrainians into the Russian military, impose the Russian curriculum, restrict remote Ukrainian schooling, and subject children to indoctrination. Occupation authorities also unlawfully seized thousands of private properties. Approximately 3,7 million Ukrainians remain internally displaced. Another 5,7 million live abroad as refugees, most in Europe. While the EU extended temporary protection until March 2027, support will gradually decline. In the United States, suspension of the Uniting for Ukraine program left many Ukrainians at risk of losing legal status.In January, Ukraine became the 125th state party to the International Criminal Court, though with a clause temporarily limiting the ICC’s jurisdiction over war crimes allegedly committed by Ukrainian nationals for a period of seven years. By November, the Council of Europe’s Register of Damages for Ukraine had received over 70,000 claims across 14 categories, though the funding source for compensation remains unsettled. High-level corruption scandals, threats against anti-corruption activists and journalists, and conflicts between law enforcement agencies further fueled domestic instability. The government’s attempt to weaken the independence of two key anti-corruption bodies sparked domestic and international outcry, prompting authorities to roll back the problematic legislation.“Ukraine’s democratic and rule of law institutions should be safeguarded in times of war and in times of peace,” Gorbunova said. “Protecting due process, independent journalism, and robust anti-corruption mechanisms is vital to the country’s resilience and its EU integration.”
Any peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia should prioritize justice and accountability, Human Rights Watch said.
In November, the European Commission rated Ukraine’s reform progress as the best in three years, and recommended further steps, though progress on EU accession remained stalled due to Hungary blocking talks.
Central Africa: Civilians at Risk in Eastern Congo
(Nairobi) – Abuses against civilians by government forces and armed groups have become rampant in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. The Central African governments of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and the Central African Republic have further restricted civil and political rights.
“People in Central African countries have faced increasing risks in the past year, whether under attack or forcibly displaced in eastern Congo, or facing suppression of basic rights elsewhere in the region,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Regional and international bodies need to push Central African governments to protect civilians and uphold democratic space.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The conflict between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and Congolese armed forces has resulted in further atrocities in eastern Congo. The M23 has committed numerous war crimes, including killings and sexual violence. The Congolese army and its Wazalendo allies, as well as other armed groups, have also carried out war crimes.Abuses marred the lead-up to local and legislative elections in Burundi and presidential elections in the Central African Republic. Opposition candidates in both countries were prevented from running, and voters in Burundi were intimidated and pressured at the polls.Authorities in all four countries cracked down on the media, free speech, and the right to peaceful assembly. In Congo, both the authorities and the M23 targeted journalists, critics, and activists. A military court sentenced former President Joseph Kabila to death in absentia on politically motivated charges. In Rwanda, the opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was rearrested in connection with an ongoing trial of members of her party.International justice mechanisms made significant progress in Central African cases in 2025. The International Criminal Court convicted two anti-balaka militia leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic. Roger Lumbala, a former Congolese rebel leader and minister charged with crimes against humanity for crimes committed in Congo, is on trial in France.Central African governments should uphold the rule of law and respect fundamental freedoms, including during armed conflicts, Human Rights Watch said. Concerted international pressure is needed to ensure that governments protect their populations and uphold their obligations under international law, including by holding those responsible for grave crimes accountable.
UK Government Repeatedly Undermined Rights in 2025
(London, February 4, 2026) – The Labour government in the UK, during its first full year in authority has carried out punitive immigration policies that have emboldened the far right, an authoritarian crackdown on protest rights, and a failure to adequately address an ongoing and worsening cost of living crisis, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
“What we witnessed in 2025 was a government backsliding on human rights at an alarming rate,” said Yasmine Ahmed, UK director at Human Rights Watch. “This government promised the rule of law would be central to its administration, but from restrictions on protest at home to its foreign policy on Gaza, it feels like human rights are quickly put on the chopping block if it proves politically expedient.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The Government’s approach to immigration has played a key role in mainstreaming anti-migrant rhetoric that has been weaponized by the far right. Repressive anti-protest laws and the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation undermined freedom of expression, assembly, and association.The government has failed to adequately address the cost-of-living crisis.The government failed to consistently center human rights in its foreign policy, including on Israel/Palestine, where it took some steps to address Israel’s atrocities, but continued to license military equipment that Israeli forces have used to carry out war crimes in Gaza. The government failed to provide Chagossians with full reparations for UK crimes of forced displacement in the context of a purported decolonization process that transfers sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.The UK government should respect its domestic and international obligations to uphold human rights and repeal or amend legislation that poses a direct threat to the rights of people both at home and abroad.
“I think a lot of people are shocked by the authoritarian direction this government has taken,” Ahmed said “Not only is it cut-and-pasting some of the worst and most regressive policies of the previous administration, but in areas like protest rights it is going even further. Do Labour MPs want their legacy in government to be of a party that made Britain a less democratic, less free country? I very much doubt it, and I hope they change course in 2026.”
Türkiye: Government Targets Main Opposition
(Istanbul, February 4, 2025) – The Turkish government deepened its assault on the main opposition party during 2025, while at the same time pursuing an end to the four-decade conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
“The Erdoğan government has spent the past year attempting to remove political opponents and rivals and pursuing a barrage of lawsuits against the main opposition party,“ said Benjamin Ward, acting Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This clear assault on democracy and political participation undermines the moves to end the conflict with the PKK.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Government negotiations with the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan resulted in the armed group beginning a process to disband and disarm, with the potential to bring an end to a longstanding conflict characterized by grave human rights violations including summary killings and enforced disappearances, village burnings, and forced displacement by government forces.The authorities arrested and detained the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the main opposition party’s presidential candidate, and in November, the Istanbul prosecutor indicted him and 401 others on corruption charges in a trial due to begin on March 9, 2026. TV news outlets and journalists reporting the arrest of İmamoğlu and assault on the political opposition have faced multiple sanctions including fines, broadcast suspension, criminal prosecution and arrest of journalists and editors. In October, a draft law was leaked that proposed criminalizing conduct deemed “contrary to biological sex” as well as its so-called promotion, and access to gender-affirming care outside strict new limits. While no draft law has yet been officially proposed, there are concerns that the government has not ruled out such measures. The human rights defender Osman Kavala has been in prison for over eight years and politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ for over nine years, in defiance of binding European Court of Human Rights’ judgments ordering their release.EU: Rights Failings Undermine Democracy, Rule of Law
(Brussels, February 4, 2026) – European Union institutions and member states’ failure to prioritize human rights undermines the rule of law, democratic space, and rights protection at home and abroad, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
A focus on deterring migration, combined with the normalization of anti-gender, anti-migrant, and anti-democratic narratives, inconsistent enforcement of the rule of law, shrinking space for civil society, and accusations of double-standards in its foreign policy have undermined the bloc’s fundamental values.
“From migration to the rule of law to foreign policy, the EU is neglecting human rights and accountability in ways that harm democracy and leave people vulnerable to abuse,” said Benjamin Ward, acting Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “In the face of an unstable world and threats in Europe, it’s vital for that the EU to consistently stands up for core human rights values.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The European Commission proposed a Returns Regulation that would expand the use of detention for asylum seekers and migrants, remove safeguards against unsafe deportations, and pave the way for so-called return hubs in countries outside the EU. Several member states restricted or suspended access to asylum procedures without any substantive response from EU institutions, while the European Commission moved toward making it easier for member states to swiftly reject asylum applications without meaningful review.Member states continued to backslide on rule of law commitments. Despite long-standing rule of law breaches by the Hungarian government, the EU Council failed to take decisive action to hold Hungary to account. During 2025, Hungary withdrew from the International Criminal Court and hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted on an ICC warrant, without arresting him for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.The influence of far-right parties and the emulation of their anti-rights policies by mainstream parties fueled discrimination against marginalized communities, including migrants, Muslims, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The Commission adopted and worked to renew existing strategies focused on protecting groups facing discrimination, including women, LGBT people, and racialized communities. But proposals like a Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive, which aims to close significant legal gaps in protection against discrimination based on religion, disability, age, and sexual orientation, remain stalled.Despite some progress to improve economic, social, and cultural rights protections, implementation lags among member states, leaving 93.3 million people (21 percent of the population) at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024. Unemployment was a key factor.The EU adopted further sanctions on Russia and Russian officials over human rights violations and crimes committed in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU states reaffirmed commitments to accountability for war crimes committed in Ukraine, but unlike in previous years, the European Council failed to express its support for the ICC’s proceedings on Ukraine. The response to the Israel military’s atrocities in Palestine remained the most divisive issue for EU governments and their reluctance to act amid Israel’s atrocities increased after the ceasefire announcement in October.The EU prioritized engagement on security, trade, and migration control with repressive leaders in Türkiye, Tunisia, Egypt, Gulf states, China, and India, to the detriment of upholding human rights in these countries.In addition to a chapter on EU-wide developments, the World Report 2026 includes individual chapters on France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Spain.
“The EU can and should be a force for good in the world and for people living inside the bloc,” Ward said. “That can only happen if its institutions and member governments take their treaty obligations to protect and promote human rights seriously and apply them consistently.”
Russia: Crackdown on Dissent Escalates
(Brussels, February 4, 2026) – In the fourth year of its full-scale war against Ukraine, the Kremlin further escalated the crackdown on Russian civil society, targeting critics both inside the country and in exile, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. Aiming to stifle all forms of dissent, authorities expanded censorship and surveillance, increasingly used “undermining state security” charges, and streamlined prosecutions of critics designated as “foreign agents.”
“Russian authorities scaled up repression against civil society activists and other critics. They also intensified their harmful ‘traditional values’ crusade that targets migrants, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and encroaches on women’s reproductive rights,” said Benjamin Ward, Europe and Central Asia acting director at Human Rights Watch.
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s densely populated areas with explosive weapons, killing and injuring civilians and damaging vital infrastructure. Russian short-range drone strikes on Ukraine caused more civilian casualties than any other type of weapon. Russian authorities committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by systematically torturing and ill-treating thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians. In occupied areas of Ukraine, Russian authorities continued to coerce residents into Russian citizenship and military service, seize private property, and impose Russian curricula and language in schools.The number of political prisoners rose to 1,217 (including 108 women), compared to 805 at the end of 2024. In 2025, courts imposed the first criminal sentences for supposed participation in the so-called International LGBT Movement, a designated “extremist organization.” Prosecutors also brought new “LGBT extremism” charges against people, including book publishers.Authorities sharply escalated criminal prosecutions over alleged noncompliance with “foreign agents” legislation, launching 72 criminal cases in the first half of 2025. Prosecutors also banned 78 organizations as “undesirable,” including prominent rights groups. In November, Human Rights Watch was designated “undesirable.” In May, a Moscow court sentenced leading Russian election monitoring activist Grigory Melkonyants to five years in prison over his supposed involvement with an “undesirable organization.”Authorities continued their assault on migrants’ rights. Law enforcement conducted raids, during which they subjected migrants to ill-treatment. In 2025, surveillance legislation on the “register of controlled persons” and an “experiment” to monitor labor migrants in Moscow and the Moscow region took effect. In April, a ban on enrolling foreign children in public schools without proof of legal status and Russian language proficiency took effect, creating a systemic, discriminatory barrier to children’s right to education. Eighty-seven percent of migrant children who applied were denied enrollment.Russia should release all political prisoners and rescind all laws incompatible with fundamental human rights, including laws that censor criticism of the war and laws against so-called “foreign agents,” “undesirable” organizations, and “gay propaganda.” Russia should also rescind legislation that discriminates against migrants and their children, Human Rights Watch said.
West Africa: Further Crackdowns by Military Juntas
(Nairobi) – Leaders in several West African countries increased crackdowns on freedoms as they strengthened their hold on power in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
In Nigeria and the Sahel, Islamist armed groups and government forces and their allies repeatedly attacked civilians and civilian infrastructure at a time when the Sahel juntas have expelled regional and international bodies and weakened institutions that provide accountability for abuses.
“Leaders of military juntas in the Sahel region ramped up efforts to stifle free speech and other freedoms with little regard for transitioning to promised democratic rule,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Greater regional efforts are needed to press the authorities in West Africa to open up political and democratic space and protect people’s human rights.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Authorities in Niger and Mali have recommended extending their transition periods to democratic rule by five years and banned multiparty politics, while Chad abolished presidential term limits.Governments have continued their crackdown against free speech, dissent, and the media. In Burkina Faso and Mali, journalists, activists, and critics of the junta were arbitrarily detained, forcibly disappeared, or unlawfully conscripted, while political figures and opponents were targeted for their speech. In Nigeria, the authorities have arrested and prosecuted journalists and social media users, often under the broadly applied cybercrimes act. In Niger, former President Mohamed Bazoum remains arbitrarily detained without trial. In Chad, the former prime minister and opposition leader Succès Masra was sentenced to 20 years in prison on politically motivated charges.Two Islamist armed groups, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, or JNIM) and the Islamic State in the Sahel Province, massacred civilians in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Burkinabè armed forces, pro-government militias, Malian armed forces, and the allied Russia-backed Wagner Group, now called the Africa Corps, summarily executed ethnic Fulani civilians.In Nigeria, deadly attacks against civilians in Borno State signaled a resurgence of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad faction of Boko Haram, while in the Northwest, killings, kidnappings, and violent raids by bandit gangs persisted amid government failures to protect communities or hold those responsible accountable.Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso continued their strategy of disengagement by finalizing their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States and announcing their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, severely jeopardizing access to justice for victims of abuses.The African Union and other regional and international bodies need to make greater efforts to keep civilians safe from attack and human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said.
Horn/East Africa: War Crimes, Election Repression
(Nairobi) – Civilians in Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia are bearing the brunt of abusive armed conflicts in which the warring parties frequently and often deliberately target them, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. Governments across the region have clamped down on already restricted civic and political space around protests and ahead of elections.
“Brutal attacks against civilians by unaccountable military forces and armed groups are becoming normalized in the Horn and East Africa, as global and regional actors are unwilling to act against those responsible and their backers,” said Mausi Segun, executive Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Regional and international actors should sanction abusive actors and hold them to account and protect independent oversight of human rights in these countries.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Widespread laws-of-war violations with rampant impunity are taking place in Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces, battling the military for control of the country, attacked Darfur’s largest displacement camp, besieged North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, and went on a rampage when it captured the city in October, carrying out widespread killings. Sudanese Armed Forces and their allies, notably when retaking key cities and towns, intentionally targeted civilians and indiscriminately bombed civilian infrastructure.Conflict renewed in parts of South Sudan with a dire impact on civilians. In Upper Nile, government aerial bombardments in populated areas, including with incendiary bombs, which may constitute war crimes, killed and injured hundreds of civilians and caused considerable displacement. Following yet another postponement of South Sudan’s elections, the government heavily restricted fundamental rights and freedoms and arbitrarily detained and charged opposition party leaders with serious crimes.Government forces and Fano militia in Ethiopia’s Amhara region committed war crimes and other serious abuses, while Eritrean forces in the Tigray region committed abuses against civilians in areas under their control. With elections scheduled for June 2026, the authorities targeted journalists and independent media and sought to legalize its clampdown on rights organizations.Governments in the region committed widespread repression of civic space notably around protests and elections.
Kenya’s security forces brutally repressed protests using lethal force and committed other serious abuses against protesters.In Tanzania and Uganda, ahead of general elections slated for October 2025 and January 2026 respectively, the authorities jailed key opposition leaders, cracked down on journalists and protesters, and restricted free expression rights.Tanzania’s authorities responded with lethal force and other abuses, including nationwide internet restrictions, to election day protests.Despite a Supreme Court ruling that they are unconstitutional, Uganda reauthorized trials of civilians before military tribunals, targeting political opponents.Despite mandates to prevent and mitigate conflict, the African Union and regional bodies, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, took no meaningful action to help protect civilians, prevent abuses, or hold abusers accountable.
Brazil: Revamp Public Security Policies
(São Paulo) – Brazilian authorities should adopt new public security strategies that dismantle criminal organizations and their alleged links with state agents, enhance independent criminal investigations, and spur reforms to make police more effective at upholding the law, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Brazilians cited violence as their main concern in recent polls, and security is expected to be a major issue in the electoral campaign for president, governors, and legislators, who will be elected in October.
“Public security strategies based on unchecked use of lethal force by police have failed again and again to make Brazilian neighborhoods safer, and instead have resulted in more violence and insecurity,” said César Muñoz, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. “Candidates in the upcoming elections should put forward proposals to effectively protect people’s rights, which are threatened by organized crime but also by police in many low-income, predominantly Black communities.”
Between January and November 2025, police killed 5,920 people. Black Brazilians are three-and-a-half times more likely to become a victim than white people. While some police killings are in self-defense, many others are extrajudicial executions. Abuses committed by police, as well as corruption within the force, make communities distrust law enforcement and less likely to report crimes and collaborate with investigations. Public security strategies that lead to shootouts also put officers at risk. Official data show that between January and November 2025, 171 police officers were killed and another 119 died by suicide, a rate much higher than the rest of the population that reflects exposure to violence and inadequate mental health support, among other factors. Investigations into police killings are often deficient. For instance, police failed to take crucial investigative steps to determine the circumstances of the killing of at least 122 people, including 5 police officers, during the deadliest raid in Rio de Janeiro’s history, on October 28, 2025. Rio de Janeiro is one of the seven states, together with the federal district, that still have official forensic units fully subordinate to civil police, a set up that does not accord them the independence necessary to do effective work, particularly in cases of alleged police abuse. The Supreme Federal Court has ruled that prosecutors should lead investigations into suspected unlawful killings by police. A resolution adopted by the National Council of Public Prosecutors instructed prosecutors to ensure those investigations comply with international standards, including adequate forensic analysis.Candidates should put forward security and justice proposals grounded on human rights and scientific evidence that improve coordination between federal and state agencies, and target arms trafficking, money laundering, and criminal organizations’ income streams, Human Rights Watch said.
Australia: Abusive Refugee, Migration Policies Expand
The Australian government expanded its abusive refugee and migrant policies in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
Despite 2025 election pledges to uphold international refugee law, the government initiated a plan to deport refugees and migrants it labels “noncitizens” to the Pacific island of Nauru and passed new laws that deny them the right to basic procedural fairness.
“The Australian government’s Nauru deportation deal escalates rights violations against refugees and migrants,” said Annabel Hennessy, Australia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Australia undermines its global reputation as a rights-respecting democracy by outsourcing its obligations to refugees and migrants to third countries.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Australia has seen increasing racism. In December, two gunmen killed 15 and injured at least 42 in a mass shooting of people celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Sydney. Rights violations against children in the youth justice system went unaddressed. Three Australian jurisdictions have removed the international law principle from their legislation that children should only be detained as a last resort.Australia’s state of Victoria passed landmark legislation to establish the nation’s first treaty with Indigenous peoples. The treaty is a historic step for upholding Indigenous peoples’ rights, including their right to self-determination.In its foreign policy, Australia has pursued an uneven approach to protecting and promoting international human rights. It has pledged to prioritize accountability for Afghan victims of human rights violations, and in December announced a sanctions framework for Afghanistan. It has also enforced targeted human rights sanctions on a number of individuals and foreign entities including from Russia, Iran, and Israel. However, few concrete measures were taken to press the Chinese government on grave human rights violations or confront its extraterritorial targeting of critics abroad, including Australian nationals.Australia remains the only Western democracy without a national human rights act or charter. The Australian government should promptly introduce a new national human rights act, Human Rights Watch said.
US: Trump Administration’s Pervasive Attacks on Rights
(Washington, DC) – US President Donald Trump’s second term has been marked by widespread human rights violations and sustained attacks on core pillars of accountable, democratic governance in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. The country has quickly fallen into a dangerous slide toward authoritarianism that impunity for serious abuses will only hasten.
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
“The Trump administration’s second term has been marked by a relentless and pervasive assault on rights and freedoms,” said Tanya Greene, US program director at Human Rights Watch. “The Trump administration is not only rolling back hard-fought protections of recent decades; it is actively dismantling foundational pillars of US democracy.”
The following were among key human rights challenges in the United States during 2025:
The Trump administration initiated a brutal and wide-ranging campaign of immigration raids and mass arrests, including large federal deployments that have terrorized immigrant communities across the country. It summarily removed people, including asylum seekers, to third countries in deliberately punitive efforts, including the enforced disappearance of Venezuelan nationals to a notorious Salvadoran prison where they were arbitrarily detained and tortured.The Trump administration undertook wide-ranging efforts to undermine government accountability, dismantled civil rights and other anti-discrimination protections, and threatened civil society groups with specious criminal investigations and politically motivated removal of charitable tax status.The Trump administration undermined the right to health with steep funding cuts to health care subsidies that millions of people in the United States depend on for access to health insurance. Stripping millions of people of health insurance will help pay for tax cuts for wealthy households and large corporations.Restrictions on access to abortion care have spread in states. The Trump administration attacked Planned Parenthood, undermining healthcare access for more than a million people, and cut funding to reproductive health programs, staff, and research.On the global stage, US foreign policy has also been marked by a brazen disregard for US human rights obligations, and a sharp turn away from efforts to make promoting human rights a meaningful focus of US diplomacy.
In particular, the Trump administration:
Abruptly terminated nearly all US foreign aid, including funding that supported human rights defenders, local civil society groups, and life-saving humanitarian assistance.Withdrew from multilateral forums central to global human rights protection, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, and the Paris Climate Agreement.Gutted the US State Department’s institutional capacity on human rights and published a grossly distorted version of the department’s annual report on human rights around the world. Escalated hostility toward independent accountability and global justice efforts, including imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court officials, a UN expert, and three leading Palestinian human rights organizations.Carried out multiple unlawful lethal military strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and nearby parts of the Pacific Ocean, killing dozens of people.“This administration’s foreign policy mirrors its domestic assault on rights,” said Sarah Yager, Washington director addressing foreign policy at Human Rights Watch. “The same contempt for the rule of law fueling attacks on rights at home is driving extrajudicial killings at sea that are in brazen defiance of international law.”
China: Repression Deepens, Extends Abroad
(Bangkok) – The Chinese government intensified its repression across the country in 2025, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
President Xi Jinping mobilized the government to impose strict ideological conformity and loyalty to him and the Chinese Communist Party. Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other communities with distinct identities, including members of unofficial churches, face the most severe suppression of rights. Government repression of Hong Kong has also escalated.
“The Chinese government under Xi Jinping has amassed an increasingly disastrous human rights record, expanding and deepening its crackdown on fundamental freedoms,” said Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Foreign governments have largely been unwilling to push back against the threats the Chinese government poses to the international human rights system, let alone within China.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Xi Jinping visited Tibet in August and Xinjiang, where many Uyghurs live, in September, largely to demonstrate his government’s strong control. The government is expected to pass a draft law to justify repression of minorities, facilitate intensifying ideological control, and foster control abroad. Thousands of Uyghurs remain unjustly imprisoned. The government has banned celebration of Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday in Tibet.Repression has escalated quickly five years since authorities imposed the draconian National Security Law on Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s last active pro-democracy party, the League of Social Democrats, disbanded. For the first time, authorities used the national security law to prosecute a Hong Kong-based family member of a critic based abroad, the pro-democracy leader Anna Kwok. Numerous pro-democracy leaders remain in jail, including Jimmy Lai, founder of the shuttered Apple Daily newspaper.The Chinese government’s campaign to “sinicize” religions—retooling them so they propagate Party ideology—has led to intensified crackdown on “house churches,” Protestant congregations that resist joining the official church. In April, a court in Shanxi province reportedly sentenced over a dozen people affiliated with the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church for “fraud.” In October, authorities also arrested nearly 30 affiliates of Zion Church including its pastor.The authorities have arbitrarily detained and imprisoned people for exercising their basic rights. As diaspora communities grow vocal against government abuses, Beijing has intensified efforts to silence them, harassing their families and friends in China, and imprisoning those who return, acts known as transnational repression. Recent examples include the arrest of France-based student activist Tara Zhang Yadi and the threatening of filmmakers to shut down the IndieChina film festival in New York.The Chinese government should immediately end its crimes against humanity and other abuses in Xinjiang, revoke Hong Kong’s national security laws, allow independent observers access to Tibet and Xinjiang, and free detained human rights defenders throughout China, Human Rights Watch said.
Thailand: Government Backsliding on Rights
(Bangkok) – The Thai government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has done little to improve respect for human rights in the country, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
A new election was scheduled for February 8, 2026. Major concerns include judicial intervention in politics, repression of free expression, and a mixed record in regard to refugees and asylum seekers.
“Prime Minister Anutin should take concrete measures to reverse Thailand’s backsliding on human rights,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Successive Thai governments pledged to promote and protect human rights, yet repression and abuse continue unabated.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Thailand should use its membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council, starting in 2025, to promote human rights both at home and abroad, Human Rights Watch said.
Nepal: Protests Over Corruption, Inequality, and Social Media Ban
(Bangkok) – Nepal was rocked by disorder and arson after police killed 19 protesters during the September demonstrations that toppled the government, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026. An interim government mandated to conduct fresh elections in March was sworn in under the leadership of former chief justice Sushila Karki, who has pledged action on corruption and a judicial inquiry into the violence.
“The failure of successive governments to hold people accountable for human rights abuses and widespread corruption have undermined the rights of all Nepalis and led to repeated abuses,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Nepali authorities should take immediate steps to uphold the rule of law, whether crimes are committed by members of security forces, violent mobs, or by corrupt politicians.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Forty percent of Nepal’s population is aged under 18, yet economic opportunities are few, forcing many to migrate abroad in search of work. Successive governments have failed to expand Nepal’s Child Grant, a social security program that currently benefits less than 10 percent of children.Progress on justice for human rights violations committed during the 1996-2006 conflict stalled after victims’ groups rejected the commissioners appointed to the transitional justice bodies, saying they were unqualified and lacked political independence. Nepal’s citizenship laws continued to discriminate against children of Nepali mothers by limiting their ability to obtain citizenship. Millions of Nepalis are estimated to lack citizenship documents because they cannot prove that their father is Nepali. Nepali migrant workers often take out informal loans at exorbitant interest rates to pay recruitment fees; once abroad, they face abuses by foreign employers and domestic recruitment agents, including wage theft, contract violations, sexual violence, and death and chronic illness linked to unsafe working conditions. Dalits and other marginalized communities continued to face discrimination.The interim government should fulfill its mandate by ensuring that the September violence, and also recent allegations of corruption, are thoroughly investigated, the findings made public, and perpetrators appropriately prosecuted, while preparing to conduct fair and peaceful elections. Nepal’s next government should address victims’ concerns about the transitional justice process, to ensure it meets Nepal’s obligation to provide accountability and reparation. The new government should also expand the Child Grant, so that all Nepali Children enjoy the right to social security.
Indonesia: Perks for Military, Lawmakers Spark Dissent, Protests
(Bangkok) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto adopted policies in 2025 that benefitted military officers and lawmakers, generating widespread opposition and public protests, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2026. Security forces responded by detaining thousands demonstrating nationwide against rising economic inequality, while the military, combatting a separatist insurgency, cracked down on Indigenous Papuans and secured plantations and mining operations in the six Papua provinces.
“The Prabowo administration has increasingly deployed military officers in civilian affairs and offered benefits to lawmakers when many Indonesians are suffering economically,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of addressing the concerns raised by critics and protesters, the Indonesian authorities have brought baseless criminal charges, cracked down on demonstrations, and targeted Indigenous people, religious minorities, and journalists.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
The following were other key developments in Indonesia during 2025:
In August, hundreds of thousands of people in 107 cities nationwide protested low wages and unemployment after Prabowo announced new perks for lawmakers. Protesters issued 17+8 demands, 17 short-term and 8 long-term reforms directed at the president, legislature, military, and others.Indigenous community leaders and environmental activists faced threats and arbitrary arrests. Especially at risk were those opposing mining companies and oil palm plantations, both of which produce products, such as electric vehicle batteries and palm oil, that are in global demand.Fighting between government forces and separatist insurgents increased in five Papuan provinces during the year, resulting in civilian deaths and mass displacement. The government’s deployment of troops to protect its food estate project in Merauke, South Papua, forcibly displaced Indigenous communities, permitted deforestation, and threatened biodiversity.Extremist Islamist groups attacked minority religious communities in Padang, West Sumatra, and Sukabumi, West Java.The Alliance of Independent Journalists recorded 60 cases of violence against journalists and media between January 1 and August 31, including intimidation, beatings, and cyber-attacks. Most alleged perpetrators were military and police officers.As a former general, President Prabowo should be able to restrain the military, instead of giving them free rein to improperly interfere in civilian democratic rule. In particular this means ensuring that security force personnel implicated in serious abuses in the past or more recently face justice.
North Korea: Unrelenting Repression, Hunger, Inequality
(Bangkok) –In 2025, the North Korean government increased surveillance, information controls, and restrictions on market activity despite deepening food insecurity and inequality, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian government, among the world’s most repressive, was implicated in human rights abuses abroad, including abductions, enforced disappearances, and overseas deployment of North Korean workers under abusive conditions.
“Over the past year, while ordinary North Koreans struggled to obtain food and other necessities, Pyongyang expanded censorship and surveillance, cracked down on border crossings, and limited market activity,” said Lina Yoon, senior Koreas researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Governments engaged with North Korea should focus on human rights, including with regard to international security, food shortages, and support for groups abroad defending North Koreans’ rights.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Food insecurity worsened with official trade remaining below pre-Covid-19 levels, increased restrictions on market activity, and rising prices. Some people had to cut back on food while the government prioritized weapons development.In September, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that Kim Jong Un had increased the use of surveillance, forced labor, and severe punishments over the past decade to maintain “total control” over the population. The UN General Assembly in December 2024 and the Human Rights Council in April 2025 again adopted resolutions condemning North Korea’s grave human rights violations.Reports from Ukrainian special forces and South Korean intelligence revealed that injured North Korean soldiers who were sent to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine were sometimes executed by their own units. Soldiers are instructed to commit suicide rather than risk capture, which North Korean state media glorifies as heroic sacrifice.Chinese authorities forcibly returned at least 26 North Koreans in 2025, bringing the total number since 2020 to at least 1,076, unlawfully putting returnees at high risk of torture, forced labor, sexual violence, wrongful imprisonment, and possible execution.Funding cuts by the United States to independent broadcasting into North Korea, together with the South Korean government’s decision to scale back programming aimed at North Koreans, shut out vital sources of uncensored information, leaving North Koreans increasingly isolated.The North Korean government should end collective punishment, forced labor, and “unconditional” shoot on sight orders at the border; ensure that people have adequate access to food, health care, and employment; and allow independent monitoring, including by UN human rights mechanisms, Human Rights Watch said.
Pakistan: Suppression of Free Speech, Civil Society
(Bangkok) – In 2025, Pakistani authorities deployed vague and overbroad laws to intensify their crackdown on media freedom, political opposition, and civil society groups, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
“Pakistani authorities have increased suppression in violation of Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government should focus on addressing longstanding human rights issues and stop muzzling those who bring attention to them.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
Government threats and attacks on the media throughout 2025 created a climate of fear among journalists and civil society groups. Journalists faced harassment, arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, and physical attack for reporting critical of the government or militant groups.Pakistani authorities enforced blasphemy law provisions that have provided a pretext for violence against religious minorities, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and prosecution. A Human Rights Watch report documented how blasphemy laws have been exploited for blackmail and profit, and have targeted the poor and minorities in unlawful evictions and land grabs. In October, the Pakistan government announced plans to reform the country’s blasphemy law by introducing procedural safeguards.The government continued its campaign of expelling Afghan refugees, confirming in July that even Afghans who had been recognized as refugees for decades would face deportation. Throughout 2025, the authorities used violence and intimidation to coerce at least 531,700 Afghans to leave Pakistan.Nongovernmental organizations reported intimidation, harassment, and surveillance by government authorities. The government used its policy of regulating international nongovernmental organizations to impede the registration and functioning of international human rights and humanitarian groups.Pakistani authorities should remove arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression, amend discriminatory laws that promote violence against religious minorities, and halt mass deportations of Afghan refugees, Human Rights Watch said. Pakistan’s allies should press the government to revise laws, policies and practices to improve respect for human rights.
Japan: New Prime Minister Should Address Rising Xenophobia
(Bangkok) – Japan’s first woman prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, should promote new legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2026.
The unprecedented number of migrant workers living and working in Japan, along with record numbers of foreign tourists made immigration and xenophobia core themes of July’s upper house election. After becoming prime minister in October, Takaichi created a new cabinet post on issues involving foreign nationals in Japan.
“As Japan’s demographic changes, Prime Minister Takaichi should ensure that everyone’s rights are protected by passing an anti-discrimination law and creating an independent national human rights body,” said Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch. “The new government should also take on the leadership role that Japan should play in promoting human rights in the region and globally.”
In the 529-page World Report 2026, its 36th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Philippe Bolopion writes that breaking the authoritarian wave sweeping the world is the challenge of a generation. With the human rights system under unprecedented threat from the Trump administration and other global powers, Bolopion calls on rights-respecting democracies and civil society to build a strategic alliance to defend fundamental freedoms.
In addition to the lack of a general anti-discrimination law, Japan has no legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, or age. Japan also does not have a national human rights institution. Japanese civil society groups have long urged the enactment of anti-discrimination laws as well as the establishment of an independent human rights institution.
The following were other key developments in Japan during 2025:
Japan’s asylum and refugee determination system remains strongly oriented against granting refugee status. In 2024, the Justice Ministry received 12,373 applications for asylum but recognized only 190 people as refugees. The ministry also categorized 335 people as needing humanitarian assistance and 1,661 people were granted protection under Japan’s expanded refugee definition, allowing them to stay in Japan.In May, the Tokyo High Court issued a landmark ruling that the investigation and prosecutions in the Ohkawara Kakohki Co. case—a typical example of “hostage justice”—were illegal. Three individuals, including the company president, were wrongfully detained for nearly a year on false charges.In June, the Japanese National Diet revised the Basic Act on Sport, requiring national and local governments to adopt measures against physical, sexual, verbal, and other abuse. Child abuse, including corporal punishment, remains widespread in sports at all levels.The Japanese government should address its weak systems for the protection of human rights by enacting comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and setting up a national human rights institution, Human Rights Watch said.