Burkina Faso Criminalizes Same-Sex Conduct
Junta Leader Should Send New Family Law Back to Assembly for Revision Burkina Faso’s Transitional Legislative Assembly passed a law on September 1, 2025, that makes consensual same-sex relations a criminal offense, a major setback for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Under this new law, people found guilty of homosexuality could […]
Home of Prominent Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Bombed
Authorities Should Impartially Investigate, Prosecute Perpetrators In the early hours of August 30, unidentified perpetrators bombed the home of Job Sikhala, a prominent critic of Zimbabwe’s government. Video shared on social media and reviewed by researchers shows damage to Sikhala’s house, including to the windows, facade, roof, and a car parked outside. Sikhala reported that […]
Bye-bye Arusha Accords as Burundi solidifies one-party rule
Burundi’s recent legislative elections delivered a final blow to political pluralism in the small Central African country. The ruling party won all contested seats in the National Assembly and the Senate. Local elections wrapped up last week, ending an electoral cycle that started in June. While the Constitutional Court validated the outcome, it reflects not […]
Zimbabwe: Rights Activists Acquitted After Year-Long Trial
Stop Using Criminal Justice System to Repress Peaceful Activism A Zimbabwe court’s acquittal of three human rights activists on disorderly conduct charges more than a year after their arrest highlights the authorities’ misuse of the criminal justice system against dissidents, Human Rights Watch said today. Zimbabwean authorities should end politically motivated arrests and prosecutions of human […]
Mauritania: Years of Migration Control Abuses
EU, Spain Support Fueled Crackdowns, Ignored Abuses; Reforms Beginning Mauritanian security forces committed serious human rights violations between 2020 and early 2025 against migrants and asylum seekers. The European Union and Spain, bilaterally, have continued to outsource migration management to Mauritania, despite its rights violations. Recent steps by the Mauritanian government may improve protection for […]
Standing with Sex Workers: Why This Case Matters
South Africa Court to Rule on Constitutionality of Criminalizing Sex Work At the beginning of September, South Africa’s Western Cape High Court will hear a case that could finally end the criminalization of sex work in the country. It’s a moment decades in the making, which could bring real gains for the safety, dignity, and […]
US-Nigeria Weapons Sale Requires Rights Safeguards
Congress Should Condition Deal on Military Accountability, Rights Compliance The US State Department approved another potential multi-million-dollar weapons sale to Nigeria on August 14, citing support for the country’s efforts to fight terrorism and illicit trafficking. Yet the announcement is conspicuously silent on the Nigerian military’s record of serious human rights abuses and on what […]
Chad: 20-Year Sentence for Opposition Leader
Succès Masra Found Guilty of Inciting Violence, Being Complicit in Murder The guilty verdict and 20-year sentence imposed on August 9, 2025, on Succès Masra, leader of Chad’s main opposition party, is the culmination of a trial based on politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said today. Masra, the former prime minister, is an ardent critic […]
Niger Junta Dissolves Justice-Sector Unions
Pattern of Political Repression Targets Freedom of Association, Judicial Independence The military junta in Niger announced on August 7 the dissolution of four main justice-sector unions, undermining workers’ rights to freedom of association and the independence of the judiciary. The dissolution of the justice-sector unions follows a pattern of repression by Niger’s military junta. Since […]
Cameroon Doubles Down on Excluding Opposition Candidate from Elections
Maurice Kamto’s Appeal Rejected, Dozens of His Supporters Detaine On August 5, Cameroon’s Constitutional Council backed the electoral commission’s decision to bar Maurice Kamto, a key opposition leader and challenger to incumbent President Paul Biya, from the country’s upcoming presidential elections. The move threatens the credibility of the electoral process and has triggered yet another crackdown on […]
