California is embedding age verification directly into digital devices

Starting from next year, all Apple and Android devices sold in California will have to classify users by age during initial setup.  Due to the so-called “California effect,” it will cause other jurisdictions – both within the US and globall

Haiti: Drone Strikes Put Residents at Risk

(Washington, DC) – Haitian security forces and private contractors working with them have conducted extensive and apparently unlawful lethal drone strikes, Human Rights Watch said today. The strikes, at least some of which appear to be deli

Mali: Armed Islamist Group Executes Truck Drivers

(Nairobi) – An Al-Qaeda-linked armed group summarily executed ten long-haul truck drivers and two teenage apprentices in late January 2026 in southwestern Mali, Human Rights Watch said today. The killings, in an attack on a fuel convoy, are

Ghana's Parliament Revives Dangerous Anti-LGBT Bill

Lawmakers in Ghana have reintroduced a draconian bill that jeopardizes the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. On February 17, the Ghanaian parliament formally received the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values

Australia: Gender Equality Essential for National Security

(Sydney) – The Australian government should strengthen gender-focused approaches across all crisis responses, Human Rights Watch said today following International Women’s Day. The authorities should acknowledge that gender equality is esse

Statins do not reduce heart disease – and they have a high rate of side effects

Despite decades of statin use costing approximately $25 billion annually in America alone, heart disease remains the leading cause of death, suggesting the cholesterol hypothesis that drives statin prescriptions is fundamentally flawed. Stu

Exposed: A network of WHO Collaboration Centres operating within nations controls public health

Lucinda van Buuren, a registered nurse and founder of World Council for Health Australia, has uncovered a network of WHO Collaborating Centres operating in Australia, which are institutions designated by the WHO to advance its mandates and

Lebanon: Israel Unlawfully Using White Phosphorus

(Beirut) – The Israeli military unlawfully used artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions over homes on March 3, 2026, in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch verified and geolocated seven

Vitamin B12 Deficiency is probably the commonest cause of dementia and probably the easiest to cure

Vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to affect 3-5% of the population, with some suggesting it could be as high as 10%. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a condition that can cause physical and mental symptoms.  Symptoms that are common with and are

Vietnam’s Courageous Women Behind Bars

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, the Vietnam Women’s Union launched a nationwide campaign called “long-dress week” (tuan le ao dai) to “promote the beauty of Vietnam’s women.” Between March 1 and 8, women have been ur

Germany: Proposed Bill Would Weaken Right to Social Security

(Berlin, March 5, 2026) – The German government’s legislative proposal to replace the existing basic income program for job seekers with a more punitive program would harm human rights and risks breaching the German constitutional guarantee

European Commission is expanding its dictatorship

The European Commission has been gaining power at the expense of not only the Member States but also other European Union (“EU”) institutions.  One area where the Commission has been taking assertive steps is foreign policy. It has created

Are We in a Free Speech Recession?

For years, debates over hate speech laws have been framed as moral disputes about civility and protection. Increasingly, however, they are becoming legal and political battles over the limits of “free” expression in democratic societies.  A

Türkiye: Leading Opponent of Erdoğan on Trial

(Istanbul, March 3, 2026) – The Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu will stand trial on March 9, 2026, as the central defendant in a politically motivated mass corruption prosecution, Human Rights Watch said today. Mo