Rights suppressed, threatened worldwide, group says

BY LAUREN IRWIN - 01/12/24 - THE HILL

Destruction from Israeli aerial bombardment is seen in Gaza City, on Oct. 11, 2023. After 11 weeks of war in Gaza, the Israeli military campaign against Hamas now sits among the deadliest and most destructive in history. The Palestinian death toll is approaching 20,000 and satellite data shows that one-third of structures across the tiny enclave have been destroyed. 

(AP Photo/Adel Hana, File) ADEL HANA AP

Last year, human rights were suppressed and challenged around the world as wars waged on and began, climate-fueled disasters increased, economic inequality worsened and discrimination against marginalized communities continued, Human Rights Watch (HRW) declared.

In a new report, the global nongovernmental organization focused on human rights called on governments internationally to protect and defend human rights “with the urgency, vigor, and persistence needed” to address existential challenges posted for people around the world.

“We only have to look at the human rights challenges of 2023 to tell us what we need to do differently in 2024,” the report said.

The report highlighted the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian people as Israel continues its operations against Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack. More than 23,000 people have been killed and civilians have been displaced and are at risk of infection and starvation because of the war.

The report called out governments that have spoken out against certain international crises, like the war between Russia and Ukraine, and not crimes committed by other governments, including Chinese “crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.”

“When governments pick and choose which obligations to enforce, they perpetuate injustice not only in the present but in the future for those whose rights have been sacrificed,” HRW wrote.

The report criticized the actions of various governments around the world — including the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Vietnam, Australia and countries in Europe — that have triggered “the nefarious use of vague laws” that target climate activists and deter efforts to confront the crisis.

Deadly wildfires swept parts of Canada and Europe, and governments struggled to respond to the world’s hottest year on record. Storms wreaked havoc on millions in Bangladesh and Libya, HRW wrote.

Despite the deterioration of human rights last year, HRW said progress was made on many fronts, thanks to institutions that “challenge those who wield political power.” The group called on governments international to increase support for groups that solidify human rights protections.

“These human rights crises demonstrate the urgency of all governments applying longstanding and mutually agreed principles of international human rights law everywhere,” HRW wrote. “Upholding human rights consistently, across the board, no matter who the victims are or where the rights violations are being committed, is the only way to build the world we want to live in.”

Tunisia government shows further regression in terms of human rights: HRW reports

January 12, 2024 

Tunisian President Kais Saied 

[TUNISIAN PRESIDENCY/Anadolu Agency]


The Tunisian government showed further regression in terms of human rights and the rule of law during 2023 in the absence of genuine checks and balances on President Kais Saied’s power, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today in its World Report 2024.

HRW’s report says, in 2023, Tunisian authorities intensified their repression against the opposition and other critical voices, imprisoning several dozen people on dubious and manifestly political charges.

The report adds that President Kais Saied continued to wield almost unchallenged power after eliminating nearly all institutional checks and balances on executive power.

Beginning in February, Tunisian authorities stepped up politically motivated arrests and prosecutions of opposition figures of various political tendencies, lawyers, activists and journalists, the report says.

At least 40 opponents or individuals deemed critical of the authorities were behind bars as of December, with most of them accused of “conspiracy against state security” or dubious terrorism related charges, often merely for their peaceful speech or activism.

At least 27 lawyers faced civil or military prosecution as of September.

During 2023, the Tunisian police, military, National Guard, including the coast guard, committed serious abuses against Black African migrants, HRW reports.