Historical Organization
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Details
Organization Timeline
Anti-Muslim mass violence spreads in Gujarat
📅 28 February 2002Coordinated attacks against Muslims began across towns and cities in Gujarat after the Godhra train burning. Human Rights Watch documented killings, displacement and allegations of official...
Human Rights Watch documents the anti-Muslim backlash in We Are Not the Enemy
📅 14 November 2002Human Rights Watch published an investigation into post-September 11 hate crimes against Arabs, Muslims and people perceived to belong to those groups. It documented violence and failures in...
Human Rights Watch challenges the proposed school headscarf ban
📅 27 February 2004Human Rights Watch called for rejection of France’s proposed ban on conspicuous religious symbols in state schools, arguing that it would disproportionately exclude Muslim girls and infringe religious...
Discrimination in the Name of Neutrality challenges headscarf restrictions on public employees
📅 26 February 2009Human Rights Watch released research on headscarf bans affecting teachers and civil servants in German states. Drawing on women’s experiences, it argued that restrictions excluded Muslim women from...
Human Rights Watch challenges the Swiss minaret ban as discriminatory
📅 4 December 2009After the 29 November referendum, Human Rights Watch called the ban on constructing new minarets discriminatory and contrary to religious freedom. It challenged the portrayal of Islam as a dangerous...
Survivor testimony supports demands for accountability for violence against Rohingya Muslims
📅 22 April 2013Human Rights Watch released All You Can Do Is Pray, based on field research and survivor testimony about violence against Rohingya and other Muslims in Rakhine State. It concluded that abuses amounted...
A nationality ruling threatens Dominicans of Haitian descent with exclusion
📅 23 September 2013The Constitutional Tribunal's ruling TC/0168/13 retroactively restricted access to Dominican nationality for descendants of certain migrants. It disproportionately affected people of Haitian...
Human Rights Watch calls for justice after anti-Muslim violence
📅 19 June 2014Following violence in Aluthgama and surrounding areas, Human Rights Watch urged Sri Lankan authorities to investigate attacks and hold those responsible accountable. Its intervention challenged...
Human Rights Watch challenges expanded emergency powers
📅 24 November 2015Human Rights Watch warned that France’s expanded emergency powers threatened rights after the Paris attacks. It questioned broad searches and restrictions imposed with weakened safeguards. The...
Human Rights Watch demands protection for citizenship-law protesters
📅 16 December 2019Human Rights Watch called on Indian authorities to follow international standards for policing assemblies during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. It warned of possible excessive force...
Rights group calls for an end to anti-Muslim violence and discriminatory citizenship policy
📅 9 April 2020Human Rights Watch urged India to reverse its discriminatory citizenship policy and investigate violence and abuses linked to the protests. It connected the Citizenship Amendment Act and proposed...
Human Rights Watch challenges systemic discrimination one year after Delhi violence
📅 19 February 2021Human Rights Watch called attention to discriminatory laws and policies and biased investigations nearly a year after the Delhi violence. It argued that prejudice in state institutions enabled attacks...
Human Rights Watch defends Muslim women’s educational choice
📅 15 February 2022Human Rights Watch argued that the Karnataka hijab dispute was being driven by divisive communal politics and that women should be able to decide how to dress. Its intervention connected...
Human Rights Watch opposes summary punishments of Muslims
📅 7 October 2022Human Rights Watch condemned a rise in summary punishment targeting Muslims, including property demolitions and public flogging. It urged authorities to end abusive practices and respect legal...