Washington Center For Human Rights
From DC to the World
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority terminated enforcement action against MBaer Merchant Bank AG, finding that the bank had an extreme lack of anti-money laundering controls and sanctions risk management. The move came after the bank supervisors found that the Zurich-based merchant bank had taken on board high-risk clients, without adequate mitigation controls. MBaer filed […]
CategoriesWar CrimesOne of the most violent episodes of ethnic violence in the region took place in a village called Bogoro in the Ituri province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Ituri (FRPI) militia, as well as their allies, targeted Hema civilians. Over 200 individuals lost their lives and most of the victims were women, children […]
CategoriesWar CrimesThe RSF War Crimes El Fasher charges were once more given new urgency when the Rapid Support Forces stormed in the North Darfur capital at the end of October 2025, concluding an eighteen-month siege that had already decimated civilian infrastructure. The attack led to mass exodus and a series of alleged atrocities, especially on civilians […]
CategoriesUncategorizedThe No-code AML revolution is taking place on the background of an increasing regulatory pressure and compliance cost. Banking entities are coping with a growing reporting requirement, real-time transaction trace requirements and cross-border transparency systems that have sped up since 2025. The old systems used by traditional anti-money laundering, which tend to be based on […]
CategoriesSlaveryFragmented archives also continue to pose one of the most thorny challenges with regard to trying to understand the Black Caribbean in history. The colonial governments had the account of property, trade and punishment that was meticulously recorded but they minimized the enslaved and the ex-slaves to the sidelines in the ledgers. The outcome is […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe Konkan Railway Corporation Limited network is spread over a distance of 741 kilometers along the western coast of India and has connected Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka in an economic and geographically challenging terrain. This corridor has overtime become one of the most monitored sites of victim transit in the whole of the country because […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe recent anti-trafficking awareness initiative in Saskatchewan is an indication of a calculated change in the understanding of modern slavery in the public. Instead of relying on the criminal prosecution or sensationalized images of exploitation, the province has been putting the experiences of survivors at the center to uproot the longstanding misconceptions. The campaign recast […]
CategoriesUncategorizedArab Parliament rates West Bank land decisions as full-fledged war crimes after a decision by the security cabinet of Israel to pass sweeping changes in terms of land registration and property sales in occupied territory. The actions, which were approved on February 8, 2026, lift historical limitations on the sale of privately owned land to […]
CategoriesWar CrimesGory Messages by Russian Generals have become one of the most upsetting intelligence leaks connected to the third and fourth years of the war in Ukraine. Later communications have been reported on as early as 2023 using intercepted communications that describe graphic abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war, including mutilations and summary executions in a […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe Persistent AML Shadows at Swedbank has re-appeared in the regulatory environment in Sweden at the point of time when a major investigation in the U.S. has been closed down. In early 2026, the Financial Supervisory Authority of Sweden launched a formal examination into how the bank complied with anti-money laundering requirements, and focused on […]
CategoriesUncategorizedThe AML Overhaul in UAE has gone into a decisive implementation stage since the authorities are preparing to face the 2026 mutual evaluation with the financial action task force. And since February 2024, the United Arab Emirates no longer changes to technical compliance to prove demonstrable enforcement, especially in specific non-financial businesses and professions after […]
CategoriesSlaveryThe debate on corporate responsibility in global supply chains in Australia has reached a decisive stage in the auspices of From Reporting to Accountability. It is the push by the Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Chris Evans to ensure that the country changes the current approach of its Modern Slavery Act by its transparency model to an enforceable […]
CategoriesHuman TraffickingThe fact that France decided to conduct dual investigations on alleged financial crimes and human trafficking involving the late Jeffrey Epstein is a major development as far as the European response to the scandal is concerned. The investigations, headed by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, utilize files of the U.S. Department of Justice, which are published […]
CategoriesTerror FinancingThe operation of Hadin Kai by army troops against insurgents in Nigeria reached a new financial stage as insurgently acquired N37 million at a Forward Operating Base at Chabbal in the state of Borno. The seizure of the mobile phones, together with five suspects and the seizure of numerous mobile phones, serves as a clear […]
CategoriesAnti Money LaunderingThe designation of Kenya as a High-Risk Tag by the EU is a defining scene in the financial framework of Kenya. The European Commission officially placed Kenya on its revised anti-money laundering list on June 10, 2025, which is consistent with Kenya remaining on the Financial Action Task Force greylist since February 2024. These two-fold […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe Israeli government has approved a very controversial plan that would see large parts of the occupied West Bank declared “state property” if Palestinians are unable to prove ownership. The plan was tabled by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Defence Minister Israel Katz, all of whom belong to the far-right party, […]
CategoriesAdvocacyOver 70 rights groups have called on the European Union to reject a proposed regulation that seeks to significantly step up the deportation of undocumented migrants, fearing that it could lead to public spaces being used as tools of aggressive immigration enforcement, similar to the model used in the United States by Immigration and Customs […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe five countries in Europe have accused Russia of poisoning and murdering the opposition leader Alexey Navalny in 2024. The five countries claim that the findings of the lab tests allegedly revealed the presence of the potent neurotoxin epibatidine in tissue samples taken from Navalny’s body. The five countries—the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, and […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe acquittal of the six Palestine Action activists who were charged with the offense of aggravated burglary of the British defense firm Elbit Systems has rekindled the debate on the United Kingdom’s toughening stance towards political protest. Despite the jury acquitting the defendants of the most serious charges and failing to reach a verdict on […]
CategoriesAdvocacyU.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that the future nominee of the Democratic Party for the presidency should reevaluate the military assistance that the U.S. government provides to Israel, as the unconditional support has led to catastrophic human rights abuses in Gaza. Ocasio-Cortez was asked by Haaretz journalist Hagar Shezaf during a panel at the Munich […]
CategoriesAdvocacyDemocratic lawmakers in the US Congress unveiled a new bill that would completely eliminate the statute of limitations for federal civil sex abuse cases. The proposed legislation is called Virginia’s Law, after Virginia Giuffre, who accused the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates of sexually abusing and trafficking her during the 1990s […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe European Parliament has voted to make sweeping changes to European Union asylum policies that critics have argued could significantly erode the fundamental right to asylum. Among the key changes are the adoption of a single EU-wide list of so-called “safe countries of origin.” Human rights groups contend that all of these steps mark one […]
CategoriesAdvocacyVideo footage confirmed by the Human Rights Watch indicates New South Wales police used excessive force against demonstrators during protests against Israeli President Herzog’s visit to Australia on the 9th of February, 2026. For instance, the footage suggests police officers punched demonstrators who were lying down,beat and chased others who were kneeling and praying, and […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe sentencing of Jimmy Lai, a prominent advocate for democracy in Hong Kong and the founder of the widely read pro-democratic tabloid Apple Daily, to 20 years in prison by the Hong Kong High Court constitutes the worst violation of the rights to a free press in the city. The sentence is the most severe […]
CategoriesAdvocacyIn an unusually stark warning, the United Nations has called on the UK and France to stop the controversial “one in, one out” asylum system, cautioning that it may entail serious violations of international human rights law. It urged the countries to reconsider the implementation of such a scheme. The warning follows a 20-page letter […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe second term of US President Donald Trump has been marked by an epidemic of abusive and systematic violations of human rights and undermining of democratic foundations of governance, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has asserted in its 529-page report, World Report 2026, which covers more than 100 countries and reveals that the US has embarked […]
CategoriesAdvocacyAn estimated 4.5 million girls worldwide are in danger of undergoing FGM in 2026, a warning issued by the UN regarding the practice. These young girls include those who are younger than five years old, portraying the risk that young children are still subjected to with regard to this practice. The warning was given in […]
CategoriesAdvocacyHunted by government drones, Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) commander Jaal Marroo rarely stays in one place. Wanted by Ethiopian authorities and forced into constant movement, the rebel leader operates from remote forest hideouts across Oromia — Ethiopia’s largest region and home to an estimated 40 million people. The government has designated Marroo, a former student […]
CategoriesAdvocacyHuman Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that global civil and political rights are facing their gravest threat in decades, citing a “democratic recession” accelerated by the reelection of U.S. President Donald Trump and a widening authoritarian surge worldwide. In its annual global report, HRW said nearly three-quarters of the world’s population now lives under autocratic […]
CategoriesAdvocacyOmar Shakir, the Israel/Palestine director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), has resigned in protest over the new leadership’s refusal to publish a report that found Israel’s denial of the right of return to Palestinian refugees to be a crime against humanity. Shakir spent over a decade at HRW before his resignation. He said that the […]
CategoriesAdvocacyFive years into the escalating conflict that has devastated Nigeria’s North East, the conflict’s civilian toll, particularly children, remains catastrophic. What started as an insurgency by Boko Haram has escalated into a humanitarian crisis that involves several armed groups, massive displacement, and attacks on schools and communities. While there have been some government and international […]
CategoriesAdvocacyIt has been five years since the military in Myanmar took control of the government and arrested the country’s elected leaders. The political, humanitarian, and economic crises in Myanmar have continued to worsen. It is estimated that violence, displacement, and the military-dominated electoral process have consolidated authoritarian rule instead of restoring civilian-led rule, leaving the […]
CategoriesAdvocacySouth Korea in 2025 was at a critical juncture between the strength of its democracy and the influence of the state of emergency rule that followed the martial law crisis on December 3, 2024. Although the country’s institutions managed to resist the challenge to their authority, issues such as security laws, discrimination, and intimidation of […]
CategoriesAdvocacyIn the first 18 days of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, more than 7,000 Palestinians were killed, including nearly 3,000 children, even as international calls for a ceasefire mounted. Yet rather than confronting the scale of civilian suffering, senior Western officials—particularly in the United States—moved quickly to question the credibility of Palestinian casualty […]
CategoriesAdvocacyUnverified estimates of protest-related deaths in Iran have circulated widely since the January 8–10 crackdown, shaping global public opinion in ways that extend far beyond Iran itself. These figures have not only fueled calls for foreign military intervention but have also been deployed—often implicitly—to relativize and downplay the ongoing genocide in Gaza. At the center […]
CategoriesAdvocacyHuman rights are not permanent guarantees. The freedoms people now regard as universal were assembled piece by piece after the catastrophes of the 20th century, when states accepted—often reluctantly—that power must be restrained by law, institutions, and a shared understanding of human dignity. That postwar architecture is now under severe strain. Long weakened by China […]
CategoriesAdvocacyOn January 25, 2026, the government forces in South Sudan ordered the evacuation of civilians, humanitarian staff, and United Nations personnel from opposition-controlled zones in Jonglei state in preparation for an impending military operation. The operation targets counties such as Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo, among others, and is taking place against the backdrop of intensified […]
CategoriesAdvocacyA human rights group, Dawn, has issued a stark warning to New York state and local officials, claiming that investing public funds in bonds issued by Israel violates international law and fiduciary duties. The group cautioned that these investments could expose officials and beneficiaries to “substantial legal, ethical, and financial risks.” On Friday, Dawn submitted […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe move by Georgia to put off talks with the European Union (EU) on accession until 2028 has led to a disturbing deterioration in human rights standards, including brutal suppression of protests, restrictive laws, and attacks on civil society. The decision, announced by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on November 28, 2024, follows criticism by […]
CategoriesAdvocacyA Chinese citizen who recorded footage of alleged human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region has been granted asylum in the United States, following an immigration judge’s ruling that he has a “well-founded fear” of persecution if he is sent back to China. Guan Heng, 38, secretly recorded detention centers in northwestern China in 2020, […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe families of two Trinidadian nationals who lost their lives in a US missile strike in October have sued the US government for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing. This comes after a missile strike targeting a civilian vessel in the Caribbean resulted in the deaths of Chad Joseph, 26, and Rishi Samaroo, 41, along with […]
CategoriesAdvocacyFederal immigration enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over the weekend, marking the second fatal killing by federal immigration authorities in the city this month. The incident has intensified concerns about the unchecked use of force by federal agencies and the apparent obstruction of state-led investigations into potentially unlawful deaths. State […]
CategoriesAdvocacyProtests broke out in Iran on 28 December 2025, following a dramatic fall in the Iranian currency. The fall contributed to the already high inflation rates, making living conditions difficult for Iranians. The protests, which began as a result of a strike by Iranian shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, soon turned into a […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has confirmed it will provide Israeli authorities with the personal details of some of its Palestinian and international staff operating in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory. The decision has triggered widespread anger among medical professionals, activists, and humanitarian observers, who warn that Israel […]
CategoriesAdvocacyKenya’s string of you-led protests that have been happening since 2024 has turned out to be one of the biggest tests of President William Ruto’s administration, owing to entrenched inequality in terms of economics, arrested democratization, and mistrust of public institutions. What began as a demonstration against planned taxes has now become a full-blown movement. […]
CategoriesAdvocacyIn a landmark ruling announced on January 26, a Japanese district court held the North Korean government legally liable for gross violations of human rights perpetrated against Koreans and Japanese citizens who were inveigled into going to Pyongyang as a result of its “repatriation” campaign under its “Paradise on Earth” banner. The court ordered North […]
CategoriesAdvocacyStudent-led rebellion in Bangladesh in mid-2024 constitutes direct defiance of the traditional and longstanding tradition of the patronage-well-entrenched-corruption-modeled authoritarianism under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. In seeking jobs to be hired on the merit of the individuals, there has been a national rebellion. The demonstrations that gripped the country were […]
CategoriesAdvocacyA Pakistani court handed a Pakistani human rights activist, a lawyer by profession, and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, a 10-year sentence for “anti-state social media posts.” The sentencing has been handed down in a country where the government has been intensifying the suppression of dissent, particularly through legal means like the Prevention of Electronic […]
CategoriesAdvocacyThe authorities in Georgia are misusing the restrictions on the right to assemble in public places by holding those who engage in peaceful protests arbitrarily. This has become an almost unsurmountable barrier to the right to protest peacefully. Since the law was passed, the police have instituted dozens of legal proceedings against peaceful protesters for […]
CategoriesAdvocacyMore aggressive activities carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement organization, such as the arrest of toddlers, detention of citizens of this country, and a fatal shooting carried out by a customs agent, all paint a sorry picture of how enforcement of the law is being allowed to take place with impunity and little […]