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Kurdish women turn braids into symbol of resistance after Syria atrocities - explainer

Across global demonstrations and in thousands of videos posted online, Kurdish women and their allies have begun braiding their hair in honor of a female Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces fighter.

DEMONSTRATORS HOLD a placard featuring a braided hair as a symbolic act of resistance and solidarity with Kurdish women in Syria, during a protest supporting Syrian Kurds after recent clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 24, 2026.
Members of the Baha'i faith hold flowers as they demonstrate outside a state security court during a hearing in the case of a fellow Baha'i man charged with seeking to establish a base for the community in Yemen, in the country's capital Sanaa April 3, 2016

Iranian regime weaponizes judicial systems against Baha'i minority, Human Rights Watch claims

Buildings and streets of Jenin refugee camp, November 19, 2025.

Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of war crimes in West Bank expulsions

A child sits holding a sponge at a car wash, amid ongoing fuel shortages caused by a blockade imposed by al Qaeda-linked insurgents in early September, in Bamako, Mali, October 31, 2025.

Mali army killed 31 villagers in attacks on insurgent area, HRW says


US expert: HRW report against Iran sanctions not ‘credible’

HRW tells Post it stands by report cited by sympathizers of Iran's regime

ranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the cabinet meeting, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2020.

HRW accepts Saudi funds to not criticize repression of gays

‘Human Rights Watch accepted a sizable donation from a Saudi billionaire shortly after its researchers documented labor abuses at one of the man’s companies’

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Despite 'Year of Tolerance,' human rights violations abound in Middle East

The latest World Report from Human Rights Watch makes for gloomy reading.

An Afghan woman weeps at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan July 23, 2016

Human Rights Watch chief slams China over being barred entry to Hong Kong

Beijing has previously criticized HRW over its investigations on surveillance technology and re-education camps in Xinjiang

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Human Rights Watch accuses Israel, Facebook of crackdown on free speech

Facebook has also been involved in recent years in limiting incitement on its platform in the US, EU countries and elsewhere, with an ongoing debate about whether it has struck the right balance.

OMAR SHAKIR, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director, looks up before a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem in September

HRW raises alarm about future of Lebanese hospitals

Rights group: If government does not act quickly, medical professionals may no longer be able provide treatment

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Human Rights Watch head slammed for tweet on Iran’s attack on Saudi

The Head of HRW called Iran's attack on Saudi Arabia “far better than the Saudi crown prince’s attacks on Yemen.”

Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth speaks during a interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, April 9, 2018

Human Rights Watch's Shakir defiant as Israel deports him: I'll be back

Omar Shakir’s deportation marks the end of one of the most controversial fights ever between Israel and one of its human rights critics.

Human Rights Watch Israel-Palestine Director Omar Shakir speaks in Israel before being deported on Monday, November 25, 2019

HRW official to be deported by November 25 after High Court Chief ruling

Official appealed for wider High Court panel to block deportation

OMAR SHAKIR, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director, looks up before a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem in September

Did Israel sledgehammer its reputation as a functioning democracy?

And, are Israel’s ongoing conflicts with international bodies endemic to being viewed as the ‘occupier’?

OMAR SHAKIR, Human Rights Watch Israel and Palestine director, looks up before a hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem in September