Social issues

The United States government's decision to "reengage" with the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council is a big step toward the multilateral support for human rights that President Joe Biden promised in his major foreign policy speech. Yet key details remain to be worked out for how the Biden administration

(New York) – The International Criminal Court’s member countries elected Karim Khan as prosecutor after an unprecedented vote, Human Rights Watch said today.

(Geneva) – The trial of a former Liberian rebel leader arrested in Switzerland for alleged war crimes during Liberia’s first civil war will start its second important phase on February 15, 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch issued a Question-and-Answer document on the trial on February 12.

On December 3, 2020, the criminal trial of Alieu Kosiah, a former Liberian rebel commander, began in the city of Bellinzona, Switzerland, in the country’s Federal Criminal Court.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) last week handed down a historic ruling confirming that the court’s prosecutor has the power to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine. After half a century of impunity since the Israeli occupation began, the ICC decision finally offers some real hope

On February 4, Judges at the International Criminal Court described a litany of horrors as they concluded that Dominic Ongwen, a leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, is guilty of 61 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda. Girls and women had to choose

Update: On February 8, 2021, the International Criminal Court announced that it had postponed the start of the trial to February 16.

The opening of the trial of Alfred Yékatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona will take place on February 9, 2021 at the International Criminal Court.

(New York) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) judges’ decision on February 5, 2021 confirming the court’s jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine opens a long-awaited path to justice for Israeli and Palestinian victims of serious international crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. The judges’ decision responds to a request

Six years ago Canada was among a group of countries that took the lead to adopt a crucial United Nations resolution to promote reconciliation and justice after decades of war and persecution in Sri Lanka. The human rights situation on the island is again deterioriating, and it is crucial for

After four years of watching former United States President Donald Trump cozy up to friendly autocrats, it was heartening to hear President Joe Biden vow to stand up for democracy and human rights around the world. Human rights were central to the vision he articulated in declaring that “America is

(The Hague) – The conviction of Dominic Ongwen on February 4, 2021 is a major step for justice for widespread atrocities committed by the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda, Human Rights Watch said today. The guilty verdict at the International Criminal Court (ICC) shows that rights abusers

(Washington, DC) – United States President Joe Biden has issued a presidential memorandum that is an important first step to repair harm to sexual and reproductive health and rights, but more executive and legislative action is needed, Human Rights Watch said today. The memorandum, issued on January 28, 2021, rescinded regressive