Author: Maya Mortenson October 13, 2026 HRRC calls for the United States to halt the public execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. We further support the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. Jeffrey and Sheryll Pearson look at the portrait of their son, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, before the Purple Heart and Defense of Freedom award ceremony on Fort Hood, Texas, April 10, 2015. The event honored the 13 people killed and more than 30 injured in a gunman’s 2009 shooting rampage on

Author: Roman Gnaegi, DSocSci October 13, 2026 Health workers with mothers during an immunization campaign at a primary health center [Image source: HarunaSylvester/Wikimedia Commons] Introduction: Why should we regard health workers as human rights defenders? Health workers—meaning all those who “primarily work with the intent to advance health” such as doctors, nurses and midwives—act as human rights defenders when they ensure that all people, no matter their backgrounds,

October 12, 2026 NOTE: The writer prefers to use lower case “c” and “p” to challenge the authority of the Chinese communist party (Ccp). HRRC condemns Starbucks for operating in Xinjiang, despite serious allegations and evidence of genocide of the Uyghurs. We also urge other international firms to halt all operations or business expansion in the region. Starbucks Urumqi video, featuring dance and music performance to give visitor an authentic and exotic experience and selling

Author: Felipe Chitic-Luis October 8, 2026 HRRC condemns continued attacks against human rights defenders, Indigenous and Afro-descendant leaders, and community journalists in Colombia, and urges authorities to ensure that new protection measures translate into effective protection on the ground. Protest in Colombia [Image credit: Alejandro Cortés/Flickr] Colombia recorded 401 attacks on human rights defenders in the first half of 2026, up 17% from the same period in 2025, ac

Author: Laura Pettigrew October 8, 2026 [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons] Introduction In 2024, 23.4% of United States (U.S.) adults experienced mental illness and 5.6% experienced serious mental illness. Adults who identify with two or more races have the highest rate of mental illness at 35.5%, followed by Native Americans/Alaska Natives at 25.9%, and non-Hispanic White Americans at 25.1% (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). Native Americans/Alaska Natives had the

Author: Pragya Verma October 8, 2026 HRRC expresses concern about further returns to Myanmar amid ongoing conflict and protection risks. HRRC stands with people in their right to have meaningful access to protection and calls on the Malaysian government to ensure appropriate safeguards for individuals before further returns. A Rohingya widow with her children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [Image credit: ODI Global/Flickr] Malaysia began repatriating Myanmar nationals, including w

Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan October 7, 2026 HRRC commends the recognition of voice rights by the Tokyo court as an important step towards protecting individuals from the unauthorized use of AI-generated imitation and exploitation. We urge governments and digital platforms to develop clear safeguards that protect the rights of celebrities, along with the general public. Tsude Kenjiro at Red Carpet of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2023 [Image credit: Dick Thomas Johns

Author: Jim Hamilton October 7, 2026 A protester condemning the regime in Iran [Image credit: Taymaz Valley/Flickr] Introduction The conflict between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States (U.S.), and its allies has intensified and expanded Iran’s longstanding system of judicial repression. Since the conflict began in late February 2026, thousands of Iranians have been arrested on politically motivated charges. Judicial proceedings have accelerated, due process prote

Author: Maria Fe Mendoza October 6, 2026 HRRC calls on Peru to ensure that all children and adolescents have access to age-appropriate, evidence-based sex education and effective protection mechanisms against sexual violence. As Peru changes its approach to sex education, protecting students requires not only accountability after abuse occurs, but also sustained prevention, safe reporting mechanisms, and access to information that helps children and adolescents recognize viol

Author: Adia May October 6, 2026 Russian textbooks delivered by the occupying authorities to a school in Borova, in Ukraine's Kharkivska region. [Image credit: Human Rights Watch] Introduction When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Russia inherited more than just a fractured state. It had to find an answer to the unresolved question of national identity: what narrative would explain who Russians were and what their state had done. Malinova (2018) coined this as a search fo

Author: Maya Mortenson October 5, 2026 HRRC supports Bill AB 1267, which sets 18 as the minimum marriage age in California. We call for the United States to implement a federal law that raises the minimum marriage age to 18 for the whole country. California Governor Gavin Newsom and supporters after signing bill to ban child marriage. [Image credit: CA Assemblymember Gail Pellerin] On September 30th, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Bill AB 1267 into law establishing

Author: Faryal Fatima October 4, 2026 HRRC supports the challenge to the Trump administration’s sanctions on the International Criminal Court. We condemn the administration’s attack on international law, civil society organizations, and independent judicial institutions. President Trump signs and Executive Order at the White House [Image credit: White House] On September 23, a coalition of 38 civil society groups united to file an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief

Author: Aahana Nagwekar October 3, 2026 HRRC urges Bangladesh’s new government to uphold its promises to the Bangladeshi people, keeping necessary rights groups in place, and steering away from abusive organizations. Former Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina in 2023 [Image credit: DelwarHossain/Wikimedia Commons] Bangladesh's new government took office, promising a break from the abuses of the Sheikh Hasina era. Critics say it is already retreating. Human Rights Watch says thre

Author: Erina Bazán López October 2, 2026 HRRC calls upon the Spanish government to immediately halt all evictions of vulnerable households without alternative housing, enshrine indefinite rental contracts with mandatory extensions into binding law, drastically reduce and freeze rental prices, expropriate residential assets hoarded by vulture funds and large corporate holders, and restore the constitutional right to decent housing as a guarantee rather than a commodity. Prot

Author: Felipe Chitic-Luis October 2, 2026 HRRC urges the U.S. authorities to ensure that deportations to Haiti comply with international human rights standards, including due process and the principle of non-refoulement. Haitians deported from the United States wait to be registered after arriving at Cap-Haïtien International Airport, Haiti, August 27, 2026. [Image credit: Nathalye Cotrino/Human Rights Watch] Since the United States ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for