Human Rights Press

09/26/2025

Stephen Colbert Honored with RFK Human Rights Award

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has named Stephen Colbert a 2025 Ripple of Hope Award laureate, recognizing the Emmy-winning host for using satire to confront injustice and inspire change.

President Kerry Kennedy praised Colbert as “a shining example of how speaking truth to power with humor can ignite ripples of hope far beyond the stage.”

Colbert, whose Late Show will end in May following CBS’s cancellation, joins past honorees including former U.S. presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden. He will be honored alongside Magic Johnson, Darren Walker, Stefano Lucchini, and Martin Cabrera, Jr. at the organization’s Dec. 9 gala in New York.

https://humanrightspress.com/stephen-colbert-honored-with-rfk-human-rights-award/

06/03/2025

‘Restricted’: Nearly 7 Billion People Worldwide Lack Full Civil Rights

By Human Rights Press Staff
June 3, 2025 | 6:30 PM ET

A new global report warns that only 3.5% of the world’s population—about 284 million people—live in countries that fully protect civil liberties, while nearly seven billion live under governments that restrict or suppress basic freedoms.

The 2025 Atlas of Civil Society, released by German relief group Brot für die Welt, highlights a deep erosion of democracy and human rights across the globe. Using CIVICUS Monitor data, the report ranks countries based on freedom of association, expression, and peaceful assembly.

Only 40 countries, including New Zealand and Nordic nations, are classified as “open.” Meanwhile, 85% of humanity lives under regimes where civil society is “restricted,” “suppressed,” or entirely “closed”—conditions that often involve surveillance, censorship, or violent repression of dissent.

Countries like the U.S., Germany, and Argentina are deemed “impaired,” where rights exist but violations persist. Others, like Turkey and Mexico, fall under “oppressed,” and Russia is among 29 nations labeled “closed,” where criticism is met with fear and punishment.

05/16/2025

Gaza on the Brink: 500,000 Face Starvation Amid Aid Blockade and Bombardment

Human Rights Press

Gaza Strip — Acute hunger and deprivation are escalating in Gaza, where half a million people now face starvation and the entire population is confronting “high levels of acute food insecurity,” according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

In its latest assessment, the IPC warned that essential goods are nearly exhausted and that if Israel’s military operation and blockade continue, “there would be a critical lack of access to supplies and services that are essential to survival.”

Wheat flour now costs up to $520 for a 25-kilogram sack — a staggering 3,000% increase since February. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “alarmed” by the findings, particularly the widespread hunger among children.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF have reported a dramatic worsening of hunger since March 2, when aid was fully blocked. “If we wait until after a famine is confirmed, it will already be too late for many people,” warned WFP chief Cindy McCain.



https://humanrightspress.com/regions/mena/gaza-on-the-brink-500000-face-starvation-amid-aid-blockade-and-bombardment/

05/16/2025

Gaza: Starvation looms for one in five people, say food security experts

“Goods indispensable for people’s survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks…The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” said the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) platform.

In its latest update, the IPC estimated that one in five people in Gaza – 500,000 – faces starvation.

Prices have soared for basics such as a 25 kilogramme sack of wheat flour, which now costs between $235 and $520, representing a 3,000 per cent price spike since February.

“In a scenario of a protracted and large-scale military operation and continuation of the humanitarian and commercial blockade, there would be a critical lack of access to supplies and services that are essential to survival,” the IPC said.

02/26/2025

Badenoch: UK May Need to Exit Human Rights Treaty

humanrightspress.com

In her first major foreign policy speech, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged the UK to reconsider its international agreements, warning that continued restrictions from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) could push the country to exit the treaty.

“If it continues to do so at some point we will probably have to leave,” Badenoch said at an event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank, according to BBC. However, she emphasized the need for a clear plan before making such a move.



Badenoch also called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to increase defence spending by reallocating funds from development aid and welfare, and scrapping the Chagos deal. Her remarks come amid growing pressure from former US President Donald Trump for NATO allies to raise military expenditures.

12/19/2024

Fleeing Persecution: My Fight for Survival and Justice from Kosovo to America

By Arbana Xharra

Twice in my life, the United States has been my salvation, offering refuge and a path to survival during moments of profound crisis and imminent death.

12/19/2024

Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of “Genocide” in Gaza Over Water Crisis

Byline: Human Rights Press Staff
Published: Dec 19, 2024

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza by deliberately depriving Palestinian civilians of sufficient access to water, a claim rejected by Israeli authorities as baseless propaganda.

The 179-page HRW report asserts that Israel intentionally damaged critical water and sanitation infrastructure, obstructing access to water essential for survival. The group says this deprivation has likely caused thousands of deaths, describing it as “tantamount to the crime against humanity of extermination.”

Key Allegations
HRW’s report highlights several actions it attributes to Israeli authorities:

Intentional damage to solar panels powering treatment plants, a reservoir, and a spare parts warehouse.
Blocking fuel supplies for generators and repair materials.
Cutting electricity supplies and targeting repair workers.
HRW Executive Director Tirana Hassan stated, “This is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands from dehydration and disease. It constitutes an act of genocide and the crime against humanity of extermination.”

11/09/2024

UN High Commissioner Raises Alarm Over Post-Election Violence in Mozambique

GENEVA — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, voiced deep concern today regarding escalating violence and human rights abuses in Mozambique following the country’s recent elections. So far, these post-election tensions have resulted in at least 20 deaths and numerous injuries.

“I am deeply alarmed by reports of violence across Mozambique following the elections,” said Türk. “Resolving post-electoral grievances peacefully through inclusive dialogue and independent judicial processes is essential for upholding human rights and the rule of law.”

10/25/2024

EU Refuses to Publish Human Rights Findings on Tunisia Ahead of Controversial Migration Deal

humanrightspress.com
The European Commission has declined to release findings from a human rights inquiry conducted in Tunisia, despite approving a €150 million migration deal with the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Kais Saied. The inquiry, termed a “risk management exercise,” was quietly completed before the deal was signed in July 2023, but its results remain undisclosed.

An investigation by the EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, revealed that while the Commission previously stated there was no need for a formal human rights impact assessment (HRIA), it had, in fact, conducted this internal review. O’Reilly criticized the Commission for its lack of transparency, stating that a formal HRIA would have been more appropriate and public.

https://humanrightspress.com/regions/mena/eu-refuses-to-publish-human-rights-findings-on-tunisia-ahead-of-controversial-migration-deal/

10/20/2024

The Art of Defending Human Rights

“I think art really helps to reinforce ideas, to give clarity about some of the things that are happening today. What I did was to reflect on some of the rights that I think have been violated in Mexico,” said Eva Jiménez Bracamontes, a Mexican illustrator and street artist, of her 28 x 28 m mural painted on the wall of the biggest market in Latin America.

The mural, called “All rights, all people” is located at the ‘Central de Abastos’ market in Mexico City.

Through this painting, she said she wanted to capture the essence of topics relevant to the Mexican reality such as enforced disappearances, the right to food, to education, to culture, migrants, discrimination, and racism, among others.

“Art sensitises you to what you see, to pain, to the concerns of others. And in this way, you can learn to build this society in a more loving and empathetic way,” Jiménez Bracamontes said.

The mural was part of a series of art projects to raise awareness of challenges and to promote human rights in Mexico. The project, run as part of the Human Rights 75 Initiative had UN Human Rights in Mexico, along with key stakeholders such as the United Nations Information Centre and the Delegation of the European Union to Mexico, join forces to show human rights in an illustrative manner.

“Human rights are one of the pillars of the European Union,” said Natalia Barreto Silva, who oversees human rights issues at the Delegation of the European Union to Mexico. “Mexico is a wonderful country, but serious human rights violations occur, which is why it is necessary for international bodies to work together for human rights.”

09/28/2024

U.N. Team to Discuss Investigation into Bangladesh’s Deadly Protests

Asia-Pacific U.N. Team to Discuss Investigation into Bangladesh’s Deadly Protests admin 1 month ago U.N. Team to Discuss Investigation into Bangladesh’s Deadly Protests By Human Rights Press StaffAugust 22, 2024 A United Nations delegation will meet Bangladesh’s interim government and other ke...

09/28/2024

OHCHR: Disrespect for international law is a matter of international peace and security

https://humanrightspress.com/topics/technology-and-rights/ohchr-disrespect-for-international-law-is-a-matter-of-international-peace-and-security/