We @hrw.org support this initiative led by friends at @justfairuk.bsky.social and the UK ESCR Network to draw attention to unfulfilled economic, social, and cultural rights promises in the UK. The UK government ratified the ICESCR 50 years ago. It is still not incorporated in domestic law.

Just Fair@justfairuk.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨 Breaking: 76 civil society orgs have written to the UK Gov calling for economic, social & cultural rights to be recognised. 50 years ago today, the UK ratified #ICESCR50 and promised rights including housing, food & health. That promise remains unfulfilled. Read 👇 justfair.org.uk/wp-content/u...

🚨2day 8 UK civil society leaders incl myself @hrw.org issued a joint statement to RAISE THE ALARM about the conviction of 2 fellow leaders Jamal + Nineham in relation to peaceful protest This is an extraordinary further attack on peaceful protest in 🇬🇧 www.hrw.org/sites/defaul...

🚨My latest opinion piece on the conviction of 2 fellow UK civil society leaders Ben Jamal & Chris Nineham over peaceful protest 4 Gaza @thenewarab.bsky.social This is a warning sign for us all. If peaceful Gaza protest is criminal, what’s left of UK freedom? www.newarab.com/node/6906059

If peaceful Gaza protest is criminal, what’s left of UK freedom?

The conviction of UK civil society leaders Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham over peaceful protest for Gaza is a warning sign for us all, writes Yasmine Ahmed.

newarab.com

The UK High Court has upheld the challenge to the banning of Palestine Action under UK terrorism laws. This important judgment provides a shot in the arm for democracy and rights in the UK. HRW's Yasmine Ahmed explains more ⤵️

🚨 New from @hrw.org: #UN member states should select a champion of #HumanRights as the next UN Secretary-General as the UN faces a crisis amid a global retreat on rights & democracy. - by Widad Franco

Next UN Secretary-General Should Champion Rights

United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027.

hrw.org

“It’s imperative that Starmer doesn’t abandon principle in pursuit of profit during his visit to Beijing. At the very least, he needs to publicly press Xi for the release of Jimmy Lai and speak up for the dramatic erasure of freedoms in Hong Kong.” - @yasmineahmed.bsky.social / @hrw.org

Starmer vows to raise issues ‘that need to be raised’ with Xi amid push to free Jimmy Lai

PM may also discuss fate of Uyghurs with Chinese leader on trip aimed at improving economic relations

theguardian.com

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 6mo ago

Starmer arrives in Beijing for three-day China visit – UK politics live

"They left the building. Not the truth." A powerful new documentary, 80 Angry Journalists, shows how Hungary’s once-independent news outlet Index was taken over, and how reporters resigned together rather than submit to political pressure. Trailer⤵️

80 Angry Journalists | Early International Festival Teaser

In 2020, Hungary’s largest independent newsroom, Index.hu, collapsed under growing political pressure. In a historic act of protest, more than 80 journalists…

vimeo.com

Here @lydsg.bsky.social & @yasmineahmed.bsky.social explain what a proposed amendment to the Public Order Act 2023 could do to protest rights Categorizing “life sciences” as “key national infrastructure” could restrict peaceful protests outside pharma companies. www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

UK Government Seeks to Restrict Protests, Including Some Against Pharmaceutical Companies

UK lawmakers are set to vote on January 14 on a proposed amendment to the Public Order Act 2023. If adopted, the change, which is drafted in vague and broad language, would expose people who organize ...

hrw.org

The right to protest is under attack in the United Kingdom.  In a new report, HRW documents that the UK’s Labour government has failed to reverse sweeping anti-protest laws introduced by the previous Conservative government. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qerKB0

Freedom of assembly is not a gift or privilege governments grant their citizens, it's a right that protects citizens from their governments. @hrw.org report out today about the impact of the UK's increasingly repressive anti-protest laws. www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

UK: Protest Crackdowns Undermine Democracy

UK authorities have severely restricted the right to protest, in contravention of their international human rights obligations, creating an environment in which peaceful dissent is increasingly treate...

hrw.org

Jan Kooy@kooyjan.bsky.social · 7mo ago

“The UK is now adopting protest-control tactics imposed in countries where democratic safeguards are collapsing. The UK should oppose such measures, not replicate and endorse them.” - Lydia Gall, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch

🚨 ALERT: 2day @hrw.org released a new report that raises the alarm about the right to protest in the UK This UK Govt has not only failed to repeal sweeping anti-protest laws but has introduced further repressive restrictions 🧵 www.hrw.org/report/2026/...

Silencing the Streets

The 47-page report, “‘Silencing the Streets’: The Right to Protest Under Attack in the UK,” documents that the UK’s Labour government has failed to reverse sweeping anti-protest laws introduced by the...

hrw.org

Oped by @yasmineahmed.bsky.social on UK govt's immigration plans: "We've seen the injustices caused by a hostile environment with the Windrush generation. Instead of learning from that shameful chapter, these proposals risk recreating the same architecture of precarity" www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...

Mahmood’s Immigration Plan Breaks Labour’s Promises

Shabana Mahmood’s newly unveiled asylum and returns policy is being sold as a moment of ‘restoring order’. In truth, it marks a profound retreat from the humane, pragmatic approach Labour promised vot...

hrw.org

The UK’s new immigration plan is a profound retreat from the humane approach Labour promised voters. Labour should recognize the enormous contributions refugees make, and the moral and legal obligation to provide protection. ✍️ HRW's @yasmineahmed.bsky.social Read more: https://bit.ly/4pC73hJ

Good riddance to rubbish policy. The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone. We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.

Today the DWP will publish the terms of reference for its review of PIP. It is vital that changes are properly co-produced with disabled people. This isn’t just about warm words. This is about making sure we get policy right. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Starmer’s disability benefit concessions are not enough, says rebel Labour whip

Exclusive: Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as whip over welfare bill, urges ministers to work with affected people on changes

theguardian.com

A court decision today has given the United Kingdom government a green light to continue to supply F-35 military jet components that are used by Israel in Gaza. This is a sad day for justice, accountability, and for the Palestinian people, who continue to face acts of genocide.

Journalist @antoinettelattouf.bsky.social won her case for unlawful termination against the ABC over the posting of a @hrw.org report on Gaza. Journalists should be encouraged to post factual information about human rights violations not penalized for doing so. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/w...

Australian Court Says Journalist Critical of Israel Was Wrongfully Fired

nytimes.com

This is what moral courage and having principles looks like. Well done to the 108 MPs who have stood up and acted on their conscience 👏

Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · last yr.

The welfare rebellion in full - here are the 108 names on the reasoned amendment

UK Parliamentarians should reject the government’s plan to cut disability benefits, and be clear that budget savings should not come at the cost of the rights—especially the right to social security—of people with disabilities. Human dignity must come first. @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

UK Social Security Plans Will Harm People With Disabilities

While the UK government claims its moves “will protect the most vulnerable,” in reality its plans to cut £4.5 billion in disability-linked benefits by 2030 will have a devastating impact on people’s r...

hrw.org

Human Rights Watch Oral Statement at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Will #Macron & other European leaders recognize #Palestine? Will they not? Whichever it is, it will NOT prevent the #genocide of Palestine's people, nor will it dismantle #Israel 's illegal occupation and apartheid Action, not words, urgently needed 👉🏼 hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Which Palestine is Macron Going to Recognize?

As France prepares to co-host a UN conference in June on Palestine and the two-state solution, President Emmanuel Macron has signaled a willingness to recognize a Palestinian state. He may have good i...

hrw.org

🚨 My latest for @hrw.org in the @thenewarab.bsky.social If the UK is serious about exerting pressure on 🇮🇱, there is a glaringly obvious ‘concrete action’ it can take: A COMPLETE & COMPREHENSIVE ARMS EMBARGO ON ISRAEL NOW ⬇️ www.newarab.com/opinion/with...

Without stopping arms to Israel, UK Gaza ‘concern’ is empty talk

If the UK has any spine on Gaza, it must at least use its political leverage and impose a total arms embargo on Israel, writes Yasmine Ahmed.

newarab.com

Righting the wrongs inflicted on the Chagossians will mean acknowledging the crimes, their right of return, and reparations including restoring the islands so they can live there. Above all the Chagossian people should be meaningfully consulted throughout.

Important post about the UK Mauritius Chagos deal by my colleague @cliveabaldwin.bsky.social ⬇️

Clive Baldwin@cliveabaldwin.bsky.social · last yr.

The UK-Mauritius Chagos deal is public. Will it end the colonial crime of the UK/US forced displacement of the Chagossian people, and provide them with the reparations they are owed ?Here's a look at some issues. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/682f25...

🚨As Laila, mother of @FreedomForAlaa resumes her zero-calorie hunger strike, in protest at her Brit son's unlawful imprisonment in Egypt (he is also on a hunger strike), plz join her & acclaimed authors outside Downing Str @ 6pm 2day for readings in solidarity w Alaa @englishpen.bsky.social

English PEN@englishpen.bsky.social · last yr.

Alaa Abd el-Fattah completed his unjust five-year prison sentence last September. Yet seven months later, he remains in prison. Join us for a vigil in support of Alaa and his mother Laila Soueif, both currently on hunger strike. #FreeAlaa www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

Gaza: Latest Israeli Plan Inches Closer to Extermination www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

Gaza: Latest Israeli Plan Inches Closer to Extermination

The Israeli government’s plan to demolish what remains of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and concentrate the Palestinian population into a tiny area would amount to an abhorrent escalation of its ongo...

hrw.org

The 🇬🇧 UK Gov is in court 2morrow defending the indefensible: its continuing approval of arms exports 2 Israel 🇮🇱 My latest in The Guardian on why the Govt needs 2 stand up for & comply with int’l law even if it upsets Trump ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Is Britain breaking international law over Israel to avoid offending Trump? We may find out in court this week | Yasmine Ahmed

The UK’s arms exports to Israel will be tested again as a Palestinian rights group challenges the government

theguardian.com

The UK is in court 2morrow defending the indefensible: its continuing approval of arms exports to Israel 🇮🇱 My latest in the @theguardian.com on why the Govt needs 2 stand up for & comply with int’l law even if it upsets Trump www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Is Britain breaking international law over Israel to avoid offending Trump? We may find out in court this week | Yasmine Ahmed

The UK’s arms exports to Israel will be tested again as a Palestinian rights group challenges the government

theguardian.com

The 🇬🇧Supreme Court ruling in 'For Women Scotland v. The Scottish Ministers' threatens the rights of trans people & is regressive Time 4 Parl to amend the Equalities Act 2 make clear that sex-based protections apply 2 trans people with a gender recognition certificate 🔽 www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

UK: Court Ruling Threatens Trans People

(London, May 9, 2025) – A United Kingdom Supreme Court ruling on April 16, 2025 threatens the rights of trans people, Human Rights Watch said today. In in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, ...

hrw.org

The US should not even consider forcibly transferring migrants to Libya, where inhumane detention conditions are well-documented, including torture, ill-treatment, sexual assault, and unlawful killings www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

US: Don’t Forcibly Transfer Migrants to Libya

The United States should not forcibly transfer migrants to Libya, where inhumane detention conditions are well-documented, including torture, ill treatment, sexual assault, and unlawful killings.

hrw.org