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Georgia Initiates Laws Severely Curtailing Civil and Political Rights
Georgia’s ruling party proposed on January 28 a new package of legislation that would criminalize core civic activity and erect sweeping barriers to political participation.
If adopted, the draft laws would make it a criminal offense to receive foreign funding without prior government authorization, punishable by up to six years in prison. The bill defines a “foreign grant” as any funding or material support received from abroad that authorities deem intended to influence a public authority or a “segment of society” in shaping Georgia’s domestic or foreign policy.
The proposed legislation also takes aim at Georgian groups operating in exile. The laws would, among other things, require government approval before foreign organizations could fund their local branches in Georgia; before foreign-registered entities whose activities primarily relate to Georgia could receive funding; and before foreign actors could hire local experts. In certain circumstances, the authorization requirement would also apply to the provision or receipt of technical assistance, expertise, or knowledge from foreign sources.
The bill further expands the definition of “foreign donor” to include not only foreign nonprofit organizations, foundations, and associations, but also foreign individuals. As a result, even private financial transactions between individuals could fall under government scrutiny. The legislation sets no minimum financial threshold, meaning transfers of any amount could require prior approval. Failure to obtain authorization or to comply with related requirements would trigger criminal liability, including up to six years’ imprisonment.
The package also introduces an eight-year ban on political party membership for anyone previously employed by an organization the authorities deem as representing “foreign interests.” This designation would apply to any organization that receives more than 20 percent of its funding from foreign sources in a calendar year. In practice, this would bar many current and former civil society employees from joining political parties. Notably, the amendments could apply retroactively.
Georgian human rights groups have warned the proposals would have a devastating impact on political freedoms and are fundamentally incompatible with human rights and democratic principles. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has similarly stated that the amendments conflict with Georgia’s international obligations to protect freedom of association.
Georgian authorities should abandon these unjustifiable measures and instead uphold the country’s constitution and international commitments. A vibrant, independent civil society is essential to the protection of civil and political rights in Georgia.
Niger: Military Drone Strike Kills 17 Civilians
(Nairobi) – An apparent Nigerien military drone strike killed at least 17 civilians, including 4 children, and injured at least 13 others at a crowded market in western Niger on January 6, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The strike, which also killed three Islamist fighters, violated laws-of-war prohibitions against indiscriminate attacks and might amount to a war crime.
The attack occurred in the village of Kokoloko in Tillabéri region, about 120 kilometers west of the capital, Niamey, and less than 3 kilometers from the border with Burkina Faso. Residents said the Islamic State in the Sahel (IS Sahel), an Islamist armed group, has been active in Kokoloko and surrounding areas for several years. Islamist armed groups have carried out attacks against the military and civilians in Niger since 2019.
“The Nigerien military attack that killed three Islamist fighters also killed and injured a large number of civilians in a market in violation of the laws of war,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch “The Nigerien authorities should ensure a transparent and impartial investigation into this attack, appropriately prosecute those responsible, and adequately compensate victims and their families.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed fifteen people by telephone, including six witnesses and nine members of domestic and international nongovernmental organizations, journalists, and residents of the Kokoloko area. Human Rights Watch also analyzed and geolocated three videos posted online showing the aftermath, as well as satellite imagery of the location of the strike.
The Nigerien military junta, which took power in a July 2023 coup, did not issue any public comment following the drone strike. Human Rights Watch sent a letter on January 26 to the junta’s cabinet, sharing its findings and requesting responses to specific questions. Human Rights Watch did not receive a response.
Witnesses said that between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on January 6, they saw a drone flying over Kokoloko twice, then drop a munition on the village at about 1:30 p.m., when hundreds of people packed the market.
“I saw the whitish drone flying, then heard something like a whistling before a large explosion,” said a 36-year-old trader who narrowly escaped injury. “The market was hit, and it was full of women and children, women who sell cooked rice, meat soup, and other food; their kids were around, as well as many traders.”
Witnesses also said that at the time of the strike, three IS Sahel fighters without weapons and dressed in civilian clothes with turbans were in the market, while three others were in the village. “That day, at about 9 a.m., I saw six IS Sahel fighters, armed with Kalashnikovs [assault rifles] and a machine gun, arriving in the village and three of them entered the market,” the trader said. “IS Sahel fighters shop in every market of the area, they buy their things and leave.”
Residents said many of the bodies were torn apart and burned. “I counted 17 bodies, mostly women and children,” said a religious leader, 67, who returned to the market at about 6 p.m. that day. “The bodies were charred, making identification very difficult.” They said IS Sahel fighters helped residents collect the bodies which were buried in the village cemetery. “We put the women and children together, in a mass grave, and the men in another grave,” said one man.
The three videos show scorched earth and extensive fire damage to market stalls, some of them still on fire. Fire detection data provided by NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) captured active fires over Kokoloko on January 6 at 1:31 p.m. local time. Low-resolution satellite imagery from January 7 shows new burn marks over Kokoloko that did not appear on imagery the previous morning.
High-resolution satellite imagery from January 20 shows burned areas in various parts of the village along the main road. Witnesses said the air-dropped munition caused the fire, which was intensified by fuel at the market, as well as by stalls made of wood, which allowed the flames to spread rapidly.
Click to expand Image Image © 2026 Planet Labs PBC. Graphic © 2026 Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch was unable to identify the drone or munition used. Since 2022, the Nigerien military has reportedly acquired various types of Turkish-made drones, including Bayraktar TB-2, Karayel-SU, and Aksungur UCAV. These drones can be equipped with sensors that allow for active surveillance with live video feeds and can be equipped with guided munitions.
Videos from the site posted online and reviewed by Human Rights Watch show extensive fire damage to structures that could have been caused by high explosives. Witnesses reported that the wounded had a range of injuries, including burns and wounds from munition fragments.
Following the strike, nearly all of Kokoloko’s 1,200 residents fled to neighboring villages or across the border to Mali. “I spent the first night in a nearby village with my children,” said a woman who lost her cousin, 50, and nephew, 5, in the strike. “Then, we crossed to Mali with almost nothing.”
Human Rights Watch obtained a list compiled by residents with the names of 17 civilians killed and 13 injured. Those killed included 11 women, ages 29 to 50; 2 men, 32 and 55; and 4 children, 5 to 10. Among those injured were 4 women, ages 28 to 45; ;7 men, 23 to 62; and 2 children, 14 and 15.
Witnesses said residents found the bodies of the three fighters and IS Sahel took care of their burial.
Under international humanitarian law, also called the laws of war, parties to an armed conflict must distinguish at all times between combatants and civilians and never target civilians. Attacks that use a means or method of combat whose effects cannot be limited as the laws of war require, and that therefore strike military objectives and civilians without distinction, are unlawfully indiscriminate. Even if several Islamist fighters were present, the drone strike on the crowded market in Kokoloko with at least one explosive weapon was indiscriminate. If those who ordered or carried out the strike did so with criminal intent—that is, deliberately or recklessly—they would be responsible for war crimes.
According to the nongovernmental group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), in 2025 the Tillabéri region recorded the “highest number of fatalities from attacks on civilians” in central Sahel by IS Sahel, the Nigerien military, and the Al Qaeda-linked armed Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen, or JNIM).
In September 2025, media reported that Nigerien military airstrikes hit a weekly market in Injar village, Tillabéri region, killing over 30 civilians in an attack on suspected militants. In January 2024, media reported that Nigerien military drone strikes against Islamist armed groups killed several civilians in Tiawa village, also in Tillabéri region.
“Foreign governments supporting Niger’s military should press the authorities to adopt measures to avoid harming local populations,” Allegrozzi said. “The government needs to provide services to help people recover from injuries and trauma and provide adequate compensation to victims and their families.”
Yemen: Houthis Arbitrarily Detain, Disappear Christians
(Beirut) – Houthi authorities have arbitrarily arrested over 20 Christians in Yemen over the last three months, Human Rights Watch said today. The Houthis should immediately release them, along with the hundreds of others they are arbitrarily detaining across the areas of Yemen under their control.
“Rather than addressing the alarming rates of hunger that Yemenis are facing, the Houthis seem to only know how to arrest and detain people,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Houthis should stop detaining people, including members of the marginalized Christian community, and ensure that everyone in their territory have adequate access to food and water.”
Human Rights Watch spoke to two members of the Christian minority in Yemen who were collating information about the arrests and reviewed information shared online, including statements and social media posts.
Starting in late November and early December 2025, the Houthis began a campaign of arbitrary detention against Christians in Yemen. One Yemeni Christian interviewed and the National Council for Minorities in Yemen said that the Houthis initially arbitrarily detained seven Yemeni Christians at the start of December, and then later expanded their arrests on December 24, Christmas Eve. Another person from the Christian community said that two Christians had also been detained in late November.
Both people interviewed said that as of January 12, Houthi authorities had arbitrarily detained over 20 Christians from Sanaa, Ibb, and other governorates under Houthi control. One person interviewed knew of 24 people who were detained, while the other person knew of 21.
The first person said his number is based on his “communications with official Christians,” but that there may have been more detentions that he is unaware of. The national council stated that “dozens” have been detained as part of the campaign. Most of the detentions they described would appear to meet the definition of enforced disappearance.
“People were detained from streets, others from their houses,” the second person said. He added that in the cases they were aware of, authorities had not presented arrest warrants to any of those they were arresting. “The forces didn't introduce themselves, we don't know who they were. They raided houses, broke doors, and arrested people by force.” The people interviewed said that no reason has been given to detainees that would warrant their arrest.
The first person interviewed said that as far as he knew, none of those detained had any communication with their families, nor had the authorities provided their families with information about their whereabouts when asked. He said that some of those detained suffer from health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, that require medical care. He did not know whether they had received the care they needed.
The other person said he knew of two people who had been able to contact their families with short phone calls, but the others had not had any contact. “We are hidden communities, marginalized and targeted by all authorities in Yemen, including religious authorities,” he said. “[We are] pursued and persecuted by clerics and authorities, spread across various regions of Yemen.”
Enforced disappearances, in which the authorities detain a person and then refuse to acknowledge their whereabouts or situation when asked, are serious crimes under international law and are prohibited at all times under both international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, there were previously an estimated 41,000 Christians in Yemen, including Yemenis, refugees, and expatriates from abroad. However, the commission stated in 2025 that “the community has shrunk to only a few thousand” in recent years due to many fleeing as a result of the conflict. Exact figures are impossible to determine due to the lack of a census and the fear by many religious minorities of persecution.
In 2016, Human Rights Watch reported on the then-beginning conflict’s impacts on the Christian community, including attacks on individuals and Christian institutions. Since then, Houthi authorities, as well as other Yemeni authorities, have continued to abuse religious minorities in Yemen, including Christians, Jews, and Baha’is. As recently as 2023, Human Rights Watch documented the Houthis’ arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of 17 members of Yemen’s Baha’i community, building on years of the Houthis’ systematic arrests of Baha’is.
The Houthis’ arrests of Christians also come on the heels of the Houthis’ arrests of hundreds of people across Houthi-controlled territory over the last year and a half, including UN workers, members of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and others exercising their right to free speech.
“The Houthis have made many claims that they are the champions of justice against Western oppression, and yet their continuous violations against their own people demonstrate the hollowness of these claims,” Jafarnia said. “Those who oppose injustice abroad should not be carrying out injustice at home.”
Greek Coast Guard Under Scrutiny for Migrant Deaths
On February 3, a devastating collision between a Greek Coast Guard vessel and a migrant boat occurred off the Greek island of Chios. The collision, which resulted in 15 deaths and 24 people injured, including 11 children, raises serious questions about the actions of the Greek Coast Guard at sea.
Although officials were quick to blame the migrant boat and smugglers for the accident, the disaster fits a broader, well-documented history of reckless behavior by the Greek Coast Guard.
Authorities claim the migrant boat rammed the coast guard vessel, while survivors describe a scene of chaos where the much larger coast guard vessel conducted dangerous maneuvers in the dark of night, with some claiming it passed on top of the migrant boat.
The Greek Coast Guard has repeatedly faced allegations of dangerous conduct at sea and failing to protect life. The Chios disaster echoes the 2023 Pylos shipwreck, where more than 600 people drowned in what survivors described as a towing attempt by the Coast Guard that caused their boat to capsize. By November 2025, criminal charges related to the wreck had been brought against 21 Coast Guard officials.
In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece over the 2014 Farmakonissi shipwreck for failing to protect life during the Coast Guard’s fatal attempt to tow a migrant boat toward Türkiye and for failing to conduct an effective investigation into the resulting deaths of 11 women and children.
The Chios collision also took place amid a smear campaign against migrant rights defenders. On February 5, Greece adopted a law linking humanitarian work with criminal conduct. Government officials portrayed humanitarians as accomplices who encourage perilous journeys and put lives in danger, accusing them of manipulating survivors of the Chios shipwreck to make false allegations against the Coast Guard. United Nations Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor expressed concern that the law “demonise[s] civil society,” violating Greece’s international obligations.
It is vital that the investigation opened by the Chios prosecutor be thorough, independent, and impartial. While the justice system seeks truth and accountability for this latest tragedy, it is crucial that the Greek authorities address structural problems in the authorities’ response to migrant boats in the Aegean Sea to avoid further loss of life.
Restore and Bolster Congressional Oversight of DHS, ICE, and CBP
Congress approved five of six federal funding bills this week, delaying funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over concerns regarding recent immigration crackdowns, including killings and other abuses. Congress is now negotiating possible reforms for DHS and two of its agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The American Immigration Lawyers Association and rights organizations from across the country have compiled a list of 10 legislative proposals to include in the bill. They include Congressional investigations into deadly use of force and killings, stopping racial profiling, ending qualified immunity for immigration enforcement officers, halting warrantless arrests, and putting a stop to detaining families. Congress should consider at least some of these policy recommendations and produce—with no excuses—a robust set of reforms to strengthen oversight and rein in the rampant abuses that have led to this point.
Thousands have taken to the streets to protest the recent killings and other abuses in Minneapolis and across the US. They are speaking out against the ways in which immigration enforcement officials conceal their identities, break down doors without judicial warrants, and target people for arrest based on their perceived nationality and the color of their skin. Many of these arrests are violent, leading to deaths, injury, and at times detention of US citizens. Detained people are often abused, neglected, and deprived of their due process rights.
Human Rights Watch investigations, over various administrations and many years, have documented abusive actions by ICE and CBP. There has been little to no accountability for agents and other officials implicated in unlawful killings, other physical and verbal assaults, or sending immigrants to be arbitrarily detained and tortured in third countries. All of this has made communities fearful and undermined public safety.
It is long past time for Congress to exercise meaningful oversight of DHS and secure accountability for human rights abuses. In 2025, Congress increased the DHS budget by $165 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but the Trump administration has drastically reduced staffing in oversight offices at the agency, eliminating internal oversight mechanisms. In drafting the DHS funding bill, Congress should prioritize oversight of enforcement operations and detention and create accountability for human rights violations.
Congress should not allow DHS to continue using abusive tactics with impunity.
Australia’s Albanese Should Raise Israeli Crimes During Herzog Visit
In the wake of the Bondi Hannukah attack, the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in three decades, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit, to “engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives.”
President Herzog is Israel’s head of state, with a constitutional and ceremonial role. Although Herzog’s trip is focused on the Bondi attacks and the antisemitism many Australian Jews have been experiencing, it is impossible to ignore violations by the government Herzog represents.
On October 13, 2023, Herzog stated in reference to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, “it’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true, this rhetoric about civilians who were not aware and not involved. It is absolutely not true.” Herzog is hardly a champion of human rights.
He is not the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or the former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. However, based on Herzog’s October 13 statement, he was recently one of a handful of Israeli leaders accused of “direct and public incitement to commit genocide” in a United Nations Commission of Inquiry report.
In 2023, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel has violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in which it referred to statements by Herzog and other senior Israeli officials as evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent. This case is ongoing.
Herzog’s visit also comes at a time when Israeli authorities are expelling humanitarian agencies from Gaza, where Palestinians face dire humanitarian conditions. In the West Bank, settlements are being expanded, and settler attacks and violence against Palestinians are rising.
While showing appropriate concern for the Jewish community, the Australian government should not shy away from denouncing and pushing for an end to the Israeli government’s longstanding serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Australia should look to whether its domestic laws could be used to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed in Israel and Palestine, and make clear that as an ICC member it stands ready to carry out the court’s arrest warrants across its docket.
Australia’s Albanese Should Raise Israeli Crimes With Herzog
In the wake of the Bondi Hannukah attack, the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in three decades, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit, to “engage with members of the Jewish community who are grieving the loss of 15 innocent lives.”
President Herzog is Israel’s head of state, with a constitutional and ceremonial role. Although Herzog’s trip is focused on the Bondi attacks and the antisemitism many Australian Jews have been experiencing, it is impossible to ignore violations by the government Herzog represents.
On October 13, 2023, Herzog stated in reference to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, “it’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. It is not true, this rhetoric about civilians who were not aware and not involved. It is absolutely not true.” Herzog is hardly a champion of human rights.
He is not the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, unlike Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or the former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. However, based on Herzog’s October 13 statement, he was recently one of a handful of Israeli leaders accused of “direct and public incitement to commit genocide” in a United Nations Commission of Inquiry report.
In 2023, South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel has violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in which it referred to statements by Herzog and other senior Israeli officials as evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent. This case is ongoing.
Herzog’s visit also comes at a time when Israeli authorities are expelling humanitarian agencies from Gaza, where Palestinians face dire humanitarian conditions. In the West Bank, settlements are being expanded, and settler attacks and violence against Palestinians are rising.
While showing appropriate concern for the Jewish community, the Australian government should not shy away from denouncing and pushing for an end to the Israeli government’s longstanding serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Australia should look to whether its domestic laws could be used to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes committed in Israel and Palestine, and make clear that as an ICC member it stands ready to carry out the court’s arrest warrants across its docket.
Burkina Faso’s Junta Pulls the Plug on Political Life
On January 29, the junta’s Council of Ministers approved a decree dissolving all political parties in the country and a draft law repealing the legislation governing their operations and financing. The minister of territorial administration, Émile Zerbo, said the action is part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state,” following what the junta describes as “abuses” and “division of citizens” caused by the multiparty system.
This is the latest in a series of attacks on the political opposition that began immediately after junta leader President Ibrahim Traoré seized power in September 2022. Despite promises to return to civilian rule, Traoré instead consolidated his authority and suspended political parties. Following nationwide consultations that were widely boycotted by opposition parties and civil society groups, Traoré announced in May 2024 that the junta would remain in power for an additional five years. In April 2025, he stated that Burkina Faso was “no longer in a democracy,” but rather in a “progressive people’s revolution.”
Since the coup, the junta has also carried out a relentless assault against perceived political opponents, civil society organizations, the media, and peaceful dissent, shrinking the country’s civic and political space. The military authorities have used a sweeping emergency law to arbitrarily arrest, forcibly disappear, and unlawfully conscript critics, dissidents, judges and journalists.
The dissolution of political parties comes amid Burkina Faso’s deepening Islamist insurgency, underscoring how the country’s armed conflict is unfolding alongside a sharp contraction of political space.
“The military are putting democratic institutions on trial using the pretext of terrorism,” said Ahmed Newton Barry, a journalist and former president of the Burkinabè national electoral commission who is currently in exile. “The junta believes that the fight against terrorism is incompatible with democracy, but counterterrorism efforts should not undermine civil liberties and the rule of law.”
The dissolution of political parties marks a significant escalation in the country’s democratic backslide. Burkina Faso’s international partners, including the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union, face a clear choice: remain passive as democratic institutions disappear, or signal decisively that, unless the junta’s trajectory changes, continued repression will carry political, economic, and diplomatic costs.
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.