The Turkish government’s major crackdown on groups and activists defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people threatens the rule of law and fundamental rights.

The convictions of Kosovo’s former President Hashim Thaçi and three senior former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders for war crimes on September 16, 2026, are an important step toward accountability...

Turkish authorities have cracked down on multiple LGBTQ+ groups and individuals, detaining dozens and raiding association offices and popular hangouts.

Authoritarian regimes persecute critics not only within their own countries’ borders but also abroad. States that harbour dissidents should take more decisive action against the various forms of transnational repression. This also applies to Germany.

Hungary’s government has extended until December 31 the “state of crisis caused by mass migration,” prolonging an emergency regime introduced in 2016 despite the absence of the conditions that could j...

Survivors’ groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina have condemned the announcement that the Serbian government plans to bury the convicted genocidaire Ratko Mladić with “highest military and state honors.” M...

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights today delivered a landmark judgment in the case of Osman Kavala, the human rights defender and civil society leader unlawfully imprisoned in Tür...

The office will have broad powers to investigate suspected misappropriation or unauthorized handling of public assets and, where appropriate, initiate civil asset recovery proceedings or refer matters...

The government’s transphobic code of practice is now up and running. But we’re not going to take it, we’re helping to fight back. Join us

The French government announced a new national plan last week aimed at combating racism, antisemitism, and discrimination. Unfortunately, the plan fails to tackle the systemic and institutional nature...

The French government is expected at any moment to unveil troubling draft legislation to address so-called entryism: the idea that certain groups seek to infiltrate state institutions to influence and...

Sweden is deporting young women to countries where they could face severe gender-based rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today. Media reported that in 2025, at least 92 young adults were set ...

The German government should abandon its plans to gut Germany’s Freedom of Information Act, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposed amendments will threaten core human rights essential to transpar...

Prime Minister Péter Magyar is moving swiftly with policy measures and legislative reform that will hopefully have positive impacts on people’s lives and rights. On May 25, he announced in an intervie...

Turkey is preparing to host the July NATO summit with the Western alliance firmly focused on keeping its most eastern member on side. The increased geopolitical capital that Turkey has enjoyed since R...

Hungary’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on June 30 to abolish the Sovereignty Protection Office, an institution created by the previous Fidesz government to target independent journalists, civil soc...

Around the world, governments are scapegoating LGBT people to build popular support for their erosion of individual rights—often under the guide of protecting children.

The new Hungarian government’s plan to make sweeping changes to key institutions through a rushed 17th amendment to the constitution, risks halting advances to restore the rule of law, Human Rights Wa...

The arrest of at least 209 people in the Turkish capital, Ankara, ahead of the July 7-8, 2026 NATO summit there highlights Türkiye’s ruthless intolerance of freedom of speech and assembly, Human Right...

The UK Home Office is pushing ahead with plans to use AI technology to guess the age of young people arriving at UK borders to seek asylum, starting in 2027. Yet the Home Office’s own tests found the ...

The European Parliament in Strasbourg adopted on June 16 its second motion in a year pressing European Union institutions and governments to address transnational repression.

With Hungary's reversal of its decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Union has an opportunity to extend the significance of this moment for international justice well ...

Human Rights Watch, (RE)Claim et la Maison communautaire pour un développement solidaire appellent les autorités françaises à supprimer trois contraventions utilisées à des fins de « harcèlement policier » contre des « jeunes Noirs et Arabes en France ». 

Judges overturn decision of high court that government proscription of group under Terrorism Act was wrong

As Hungary begins to close the chapter on its anti-LGBT era by dropping criminal charges against Pride March organizers, Türkiye is moving in a sharply opposite direction proposals to jail LGBT people...

Fallout from knife attack and riots accelerated by online posting, current and former officers say

Hungarian prosecutors announced on June 4 that they had dropped charges against a mayor and a civic activist for their roles in organizing 2025 Pride events in Budapest and Pécs.

A court decision ordering the removal of the party chair and leadership of Türkiye’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is the latest deeply damaging blow to the rule of law, ...

Turkish stocks fall 6% on move that could hobble the long-serving president’s most important rivals

The decision by a Norwegian appeals court on May 15, 2026, to block the extradition of a human rights defender, Tommy Olsen, to Greece is a victory for human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. A d...