Last week, the Taliban ordered an internet ban across several of Afghanistan’s northern provinces. On September 30, they fully shut down the internet. This ban yet is another way for the Taliban to control women and girls.

US President Donald Trump issued a memorandum last week directing law enforcement to investigate a sprawling, imaginary conspiracy to foment political violence, with no evidence to substantiate these claims. This is a serious threat to human rights and democratic institutions.

United Nations member states meeting this week on the plight of Rohingya Muslims should commit to urgent action to protect them from persecution and violence. Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and across Asia continue to face grave threats.

A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations in China and abroad. This is a blatant effort to control people’s thoughts and expression about China.

The Tanzanian government has repressed critics and opponents of the ruling party ahead of the October 29, 2025 elections. Authorities need to stop muzzling dissenting voices and the media. Read more: https://bit.ly/486DQpv

Police fired on and killed four people in Leh, the capital of India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh, this week after protests over demands for statehood turned violent. Authorities should impartially investigate and punish those responsible for violence.

Repression of free speech is no laughing matter. Comedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which falls during the seventh anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder, should use their platform to defend free speech in Saudi Arabia.

UN expert on human rights in #Mali urges Gov't to reconsider decision to leave Intl Criminal Court. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel... @kajakallas.bsky.social: Sorry, but where is @eudiplomacy.bsky.social's statement regretting #Mali's, #BurkinaFaso's & #Niger's decision, calling them to remain in ICC?

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the disappearance of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum should fulfill the promise her predecessor broke and ensure there is a serious investigation that leads to truth and justice.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump repeated unfounded claims that vaccines or Tylenol cause autism. These statements risk pulling policymakers’ focus from the rights-respecting policies children with autism need and deserve.

NEW: Predatory lending by microfinance institutions in Cambodia is driving land dispossession and human rights abuses against Indigenous communities. Read more from HRW: www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

In the 1950s, the false “refrigerator mother” theory fueled stigma & denied children with autism support. Today, Trump & Kennedy repeat unfounded claims linking vaccines or Tylenol to autism—risking more fear, blame & discrimination. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Algerian authorities should end excessive control over civil society groups and parliament should enact a new associations law based on international human rights. A preliminary draft bill currently under consideration would further undermine freedom of association www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Egypt’s Parliament Should Open New Era of Consultation www.hrw.org/news/2025/09... my latest dispatch on Sisi's rare move to decline the ratification of the flawed CPC draft.

US President Donald Trump made too many false claims about world affairs at the UN General Assembly to seriously address them, says @fborello.bsky.social. HRW reacts to Trump's #UNGA80 speech ⤵️

The #EU - #Vietnam trade deal was supposed to advance rights. Instead, it advanced repression. As #EUTrade Chief @marossefcovic.bsky.social flies to Hanoi, @hrw.org urges him to demand labor rights reforms, release of jailed activists, accountability for #EVFTA breaches: hrw.org/news/2025/09...

This week, the military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed a joint statement announcing their countries’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. This decision will jeopardize access to justice, putting all civilians at greater risk.

Move by #BurkinaFaso #Mali & #Niger to leave Int'l Criminal Court exposes their leaders' disdain for justice & fear of accountability. #EU & #AU should urge them to remain Court members & to commit to justice for all victims of serious crimes. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09... @joaocravinho.bsky.social

NEW: The Syrian transitional government has promised accountability for March 2025 violence, but it has provided little transparency on examining the role of senior military or civilian leaders. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

"The UN has always had shortcomings, but it’s essential globally to monitor human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, protect refugees, and promote international accountability," said @fborello.bsky.social following Trump's speech at #UNGA80.

Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Zhang Yadi, an advocate for Tibetan rights who had been studying in France. She could face 5 - 15 years if convicted of offenses related to "undermining national unity." www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

🚨🧵 @hrw.org on Trump's #UNGA80 speech: -- He made too many false claims about world affairs to seriously address them. What is serious is Trump’s obvious lack of respect for international organizations that promote human rights, like the UN, which the US played a central role in creating. 1/x

Finally free! Alaa Abdel Fattah has been released after nearly a decade of unlawful imprisonment in Egypt. There are many like him still imprisoned in Egypt for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. Egypt’s government should release all those wrongfully detained.

As world leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly, they should commit to protecting the UN from powerful governments seeking to defund and undermine the organization’s capacity to promote human rights and international justice.

The United States’ recent expulsions of third-country nationals to Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan have exposed people to a risk of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and refoulement. These deals risk violating international law.

Joint investigation into atrocities in coastal #Syria in March exposed widespread abuses by government forces & aligned armed groups. Transitional authorities had promised accountability - but instead offered little transparency on its actions. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09... @eudiplomacy.bsky.social

Sinai Foundation for Human Rights & @forensicarchi.bsky.social released a groundbreaking report today detailing, for the first time, details on a mass grave in North Sinai where the Egyptian military buried hundreds most likely killed in extrajudicial killings. sinaifhr.org/show/627

🚩Saudi govt is using the Riyadh Comedy Fest to deflect attention from its brutal repression The festival takes place on the 7th anniversary of Khashoggi's murder Lineup includes: Jimmy Carr, Pete Davidson and others @mazjobrani.bsky.social @sammorril.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Incredible news today that Sisi pardoned Alaa Abdel Fattah, Egypt's most prominent political prisoner who has been imprisoned more or less continuously since 2014. He should be released once Sisi’s decision is published in the Official Gazette www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Earlier this year, Rights & Wrongs told the story of how Roger, a Venezuelan citizen with no criminal record, ended up detained in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. Today, we're re-sharing his story with a stunning update. 🔊⤵️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/47Vi341 Apple: https://apple.co/4nijEWx

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has reportedly issued a presidential pardon for the imprisoned Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. He is set to be released once Sisi’s decision is published in the Official Gazette. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

A federal judge has blocked the removal of unaccompanied Guatemalan children, at least 76 of whom the Trump administration attempted to expel overnight. Human rights and US law do not allow the government to whisk children seeking protection away without due process. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Brazil passed a landmark law this week to protect children online — the ECA Digital will compel tech companies with services used by children to prioritize privacy and safety by default. A victory for children’s rights!📱🌐 #StudentsNotProducts

Japan takes a step forward: the Japan Association of Athletics Federations issued a new Human Rights Policy and Code of Conduct to combat abuse in sports, ahead of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. 🇯🇵🏃‍♂️   Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...   #WorldAthletics #AthletesAgainstAbuse

Germany’s government is set to make major social security cuts, and replace the only recently-created “Citizen’s Income” with a more punitive “New Income for Jobseekers”. These plans will increase poverty. Human rights can help guide the debate back to what matters. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

#EU: new #India strategy, same old silence on repression EU leaders should reflect on long-term cost of overlooking #Modi's authoritarian drift, link closer ties to rights progress: hrw.org/news/2025/09... #EUIndia @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @kajakallas.bsky.social

Everyone means everyone. We believe in free speech, across all media, everywhere in the world.

"There can be no doubt that states are bound under the Genocide Convention, which Israel is violating, to take action now." HRW's Omar Shakir discusses this week's UN Commission of Inquiry report and the growing consensus among experts about Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza:

Two Salvadoran human rights defenders are being held incommunicado in prison after being arrested for peacefully protesting in May.   Foreign governments should step up their condemnations of abuses in El Salvador and press the Bukele administration to drop unsubstantiated charges.

EU Commission's proposal in front of #Israel's crimes in #Gaza is already very little, very late But "waiting for #Germany" shouldnt be an option @aussenminister.diplo.de @germanyintheeu.bsky.social: Either you back VdL's proposal or you lock EU in complicit silence euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

🌎 Latin America remains the world’s most dangerous region for environmental defenders, per a new report from @globalwitness.org. In 2024, at least 146 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared. Over 80% of them were in Latin America. ⤵️

“Land and environmental defenders – those protecting our forests, rivers, and lands across the world – continue to be met with unspeakable violence. They are being hunted, harassed, and killed – not for breaking laws, but for defending life itself.” -Laura Furones, @globalwitness.org

NEW: Israeli forces occupying parts of southern Syria since December 2024 have carried out a range of abuses against residents, including forced displacement, which is a war crime. Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

#Israel forces occupying southern #Syria have destroyed homes, forcibly displaced civilians, in absence of immediate threat. These are war crimes. @kajakallas.bsky.social: #EU should press for accountability & seek sanctions on officials responsible of violations. www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

US President Donald Trump has ordered National Guard troops to Memphis, Tennessee, saying he is doing so “because of the crime that’s going on.” Local police report crime rates in Memphis are at a historic 25-year low. This is a dangerous and unwarranted decision.

The third anniversary of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran is a stark reminder — concerned governments should pursue justice for serious human rights violations and crimes during and since the 2022 protests.

New UN Commission of Inquiry report reinforces the consensus among experts around Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. As the Israeli govt escalates its assault on Gaza City & destroys Gaza’s remaining civilian infrastructure, states have a duty under Genocide Convention to act.

"Israel has committed genocide in #Gaza" - concludes UN Commission of Inquiry. All states have legal obligations to end the genocide & punish those responsible. "The absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity" www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel... #HRC60

Congolese military forces and a coalition of abusive militias are threatening the security of civilians in South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. All governments in the region should prioritize safe passage for civilians to escape fighting.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, has been convicted of plotting a coup. The historic ruling is the first time a former president was tried for an attempted coup in Brazil, showing nobody should be above the law.