Deadly bombings in northeastern Nigeria have heightened concerns about the resurgence of violent attacks by Boko Haram. In the aftermath of this apparent war crime, Nigerian authorities should urgently strengthen protection for civilians.

This week, Israel’s Defense Minister said Israel would occupy the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of people live. That area is around 8% of Lebanon’s territory and is larger than Bahrain, New York City or Singapore. It is twice the size of Gaza.

🚨 Virtual Press Conference!! @hrw.org and @ishr.ch invite media to virtual joint news conference on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 9 am EDT/1500 CET on upcoming election for the UN's NGO Committee - gatekeeper for civil society at the UN. Register here: hrworg.zoom.us/j/84733557530

European policies' focus on China's subsidies & industrial policy is missing a deeper point: that China's political economy is built on "a scaffolding of abuses that enable authorities to reshape economic sectors and to strong-arm communities with minimal resistance." www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

NEW: A UN Security Council resolution on the dispute of the Western Sahara does not ensure that a new framework to end the long-standing issue upholds the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people and is consistent with international law.

NEW: UN Security Council resolution on new framework to deal with impasse around Morocco’s claims to Western Sahara does not ensure that the right to self-determination for the territory’s peoples is upheld and is consistent with international law @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has declared a national energy emergency, “in light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.” The Philippines, along with many Asian countries, is heavily reliant on Middle ​Eastern oil for fuel.

Israel’s attacks in Lebanon—and the threat of more to come—have caused more than a million people to flee their homes. Governments should urgently act to end the potential forced displacement of civilians in Lebanon, ensure their right to return, and prevent further attacks on Lebanese civilians.

A court in China has sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Xie Yang to five years in prison on politically motivated charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” The Chinese government should immediately quash the conviction and free Xie.

Jehad Khaled, a young Egyptian activist, said she felt utter panic when her mother—Hoda Abdel Moneim, 67, a prominent lawyer and human rights defender—was arrested by Egyptian authorities in 2018. Jehad is still advocating for the release of her mother. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bJNNt4

NEW: Iranian forces appear to have deliberately targeted at least two civilian commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, 2026, which would amount to war crimes. The attacks may also contribute to significant global cost increases. Read more: https://bit.ly/3NxItRH

Israeli forces have expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon after indicating an intent to forcibly displace residents, destroy civilian homes and conduct strikes that could target civilians.

#Israel's mass displacement in #Lebanon follows the same strategy used in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria. Forced displacement of civilians, widespread destruction and prevention of return. In short, potential war crimes. My opinion for @AJEnglish: aje.news/gn8v60

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 363 pregnant, postpartum, or nursing women between January 1, 2025, and February 16, 2026, per the Department of Homeland Security. These figures reveal part of the mounting human toll of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“The tit-for-tat attacks by Iran, Israel, and the US on some of the world’s largest oil and gas infrastructure in Iran and the Gulf states risk causing economic and environmental catastrophe.” Warring parties should immediately cease these attacks, says @hrw.org ⤵️ www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to Hungary, an ICC member country, this weekend. If he visits, Hungary should arrest Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC to answer charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

Attacks on critical Middle East energy infrastructure risk causing economic and environmental catastrophe to civilians in Iran and across the Gulf. Warring parties should immediately end any and all attacks targeting civilian energy infrastructure.

The arrest of human rights activist Tommy Olsen by Norwegian authorities is based on a groundless extradition request by Greece. Norwegian authorities should refuse to be a part of targeting rights defenders and release Olsen.

"I chose to speak out for my father and others and that choice cost me a disconnection, maybe forever, from those I love back home." It’s been a decade since HRW's @yalkun.bsky.social last visited Kumul, his hometown in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

This #Eid marks a decade since my last visit to my homeland where Beijing has committed atrocity crimes against Uyghurs. I chose to speak out for my father and others and that choice cost me a disconnection, maybe forever, from those I love back home. www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Bahraini authorities have arrested dozens of people for exercising their right to peaceful expression amid the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Authorities are using the cover of war to justify further violations against the population.

Since January, HRW has documented massacres of protesters and bystanders and their arbitrary arrests and forced disappearances in Iran. With no physical access to the country and severe comms restrictions, read how HRW mitigates harm when publishing open-source analysis.👇 https://bit.ly/4dC8Lwu

Concerns (finally!) without condemnation: #EU statement on #Israel attacks' impact in #Lebanon shows once again the bloc's double-standard & inaction. @eucopresident.consilium.europa.eu: Words remain empty without action to stop killings & mass displacement. www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/lebanon...

Want to hear rare good news? A Belgian court opened a criminal trial against a former Belgian official for his alleged involvement in the killings of Lumumba, the DRC's first PM, & two senior officials during decolonization. Justice delayed shouldn't be justice denied. www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

El Salvador is forcibly disappearing and arbitrarily detaining Salvadorans deported from the United States. Deportation cannot mean enforced disappearance. Read more from HRW:

More than 1 million people in Lebanon are displaced following the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. The Israeli Defense Minister said hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon will not return to their homes until the "safety of [Israel's] northern residents is guaranteed.”

Ten million people were​ left without power in Cuba amid a US-imposed oil blockade. International action is needed to prioritize aid, provide protection for those fleeing the country, and press authorities​ to uphold fundamental human rights.

Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian children and their parents in their car on Sunday. Meanwhile, armed settlers in the West Bank are taking advantage of the fog of war to seize land and advance Israel’s ongoing dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Civilians across the Gulf are at grave risk from ongoing Iranian strikes in response to US and Israeli military attacks on Iran. As of March 16, the attacks resulted in at least 11 civilian deaths and at least 268 injuries, with the majority of victims migrant workers.

"If #EU abandons its principles and laws externally, rather than working to reassert them alongside other middle powers, it will not emerge as global player but will instead be pushed and pulled by predatory powers" - @nathalietocci.bsky.social 👇 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Iranian forces have attacked residential buildings, hotels, civilian airports, and embassies throughout Gulf countries. This is placing civilians, particularly migrant workers, at grave risk across GCC countries. Learn more about the unlawful strikes: https://bit.ly/4s8JQoS

Four years on from the Russian attack on Mariupol’s iconic Drama Theater, there is no accountability for the civilians who were sheltering inside. HRW’s 2024 report clearly identifies Russian units operating in Mariupol during the assault. We must continue to push for justice. ⤵️

Anchored in the story of Muang, a Rohingya refugee now living in New York, HRW’s new podcast season traces his journey of rebuilding at a moment when more people are forcibly displaced than at any point since WWII. 🎙️The Great Unrooting EP1 out now: https://bit.ly/4bLG8M5

A ruling by Ukraine’s Supreme Court recognizing a same-sex couple as a de facto family marks a significant victory for equality. Lawmakers in Parliament should now advance legislation guaranteeing full equality. Learn more:

Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix takes place this weekend in Shanghai. China and many of the countries hosting F1 races have a record of “sportswashing” – using sports to whitewash human rights abuses. F1 should use its leverage with governments to tackle sportswashing and promote human rights.

While many Israelis are taking shelter from missile and drone attacks, armed settlers in the West Bank are taking advantage of the fog of war to seize land and advance Israel’s ongoing dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Reported findings that the US is responsible for the recent deadly school attack in Iran, and that it was based on outdated targeting data, highlight the need for reform and accountability within the US military to minimize civilian harm during conflict. New from HRW: https://bit.ly/4dqo6Aa

Two people who attacked and robbed two gay men in Kenya have been sentenced to prison. This sentencing signifies that violence, harassment, discrimination, and degrading treatment, whether against LGBT individuals or otherwise, is criminal and should be punished as such.

The UN’s call for urgent action at the Lega Dembi mine in #Ethiopia underscores what residents have said for years: children are getting sick, pregnancies are being lost, & pollution persists. It’s time for the government and Midroc to deliver. Read @jkippenberg.bsky.social#Ethiopia: https://bit.ly/4rqmYzS

Egypt: UN experts raise alarm over violations against refugees and migrants www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel... “Practices of arbitrary arrest and deportations continue, with refugee communities being targeted in their homes, workplaces and even in refugee led service centres.”

Libyan authorities should urgently surrender Osama Elmasry Njeem to the @IntlCrimCourt where he is wanted for murder, torture, rape. For too long, those responsible for grave abuses in Libya have been allowed to evade accountability. Time to flip the script. www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Two women are currently in custody in Uganda for allegedly kissing in public. The pair, whom Ugandan police arrested on February 18, are detained under the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, one of the most draconian anti-LGBT legislations in the world.

Russia’s deportation and forcible transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children amounts to a crime against humanity, according to the UN Commission of Inquiry. Putin and another Russian official are wanted by the ICC in connection with these allegations:

As world institutions wobble, The Hague has unexpectedly become the stage for a reckoning long denied in the Philippines. My take in @AJEnglish on the recent hearing at the International Criminal Court in the case of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

New #Sudan coalition on atrocity prevention is welcomed step. Success will be measured by ability to deliver on protecting civilians, deter atrocities & push accountability on top of agenda. And of course, @eudiplomacy.bsky.social should be fully on board. Our take 👇 www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

An Al-Qaeda-linked armed group summarily executed ten long-haul truck drivers and two teenage apprentices in January in southwestern Mali. The killings are apparent war crimes Malian authorities should step up efforts to protect civilians and hold those responsible for abuses to account.

NEW: Haitian security forces and private contractors working with them have conducted extensive and apparently unlawful lethal drone strikes. Dozens of ordinary people, including many children, have been killed and injured in these drone operations.

Nearly seven decades since the 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Chinese government still treats March 10 with vigilance. World leaders should use this moment to challenge China’s enforced silence surrounding Tibet.

NEW: The Israeli military unlawfully used white phosphorus over homes on March 3, 2026, in the Lebanese town of Yohmor. The use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians. Read more: https://bit.ly/4bdqxDt

Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and oppositional presidential candidate, went on trial on March 9 and could face up to 1929 years in prison if convicted.   His trial follows more than a year of weaponizing of the criminal justice system against İmamoğlu's party and other CHP elected officials.