Articles by Human Rights Watch
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Azerbaijani authorities escalate crackdown on critics ahead of COP29
“Azerbaijan’s hostility towards independent civic activism raises serious concerns about whether human rights defenders, academics, journalists, and other independent members of civil society will be able to participate meaningfully at COP29″ – HRW
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Egypt: Spate of free speech prosecutions
IFEX joins rights groups sounding the alarm over Egypt’s latest wave of arrests and prosecutions targeting journalists and critics.
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Iran: Alarming surge in executions
87 executions reported after June’s presidential elections, including 29 in one day.
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Eswatini’s Supreme Court retains repressive provisions of terrorism laws
By overturning a High Court decision declaring several provisions of the country’s two terrorism laws invalid, eSwatini’s judiciary is reinforcing the authorities’ tendency to rule by tyranny.
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Georgia: Accountability needed for violent attacks on government critics
“A pattern of harassment and intimidation of activists, independent media, and government critics, if left unpunished, risks emboldening malicious actors to escalate violence in the months before Georgia’s upcoming elections” – HRW
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HRW: International Olympic Committee right to stand against “sex testing”
“Sex testing has often relied on racist gender stereotypes. There is no scientific consensus that higher than typical endogenous testosterone in women confers an athletic advantage. There have never been sex tests for men, meaning sex testing is intrinsically discriminatory against women” – HRW
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New HRW report examines Russia’s legislative assault on civic space
“The Russian government’s dismantling of civic freedoms since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is a dramatic escalation of its sustained assault on fundamental rights spanning more than a decade” – HRW
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EU Rule of Law report downplays threats to civil society
“The EU’s failure to recognize the significance of the problems facing civil society comes at a time when repressive legislation and intensified crackdowns are on the rise in its surrounding neighbourhood.”