Ben Ward

Two women visit a Jobcenter in Berlin, Germany, June 25, 2025 © 2025 Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

The German government’s social security bill has its second reading in the Bundestag today. The plans run counter to Germany’s human rights obligations, and will leave more people, including children in low-income families and single mothers, at risk of poverty.
@hrw.org
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Valuable reflections on the parlous state of media freedom in Europe by the coordinator of the Council of Europe's Platform on Journalists Safety, @jpmarthoz.bsky.social

#EU leaders should never belittle role of int'l law or apply it selectively - as they've done since #USA/#Israel's strikes on #Iran & retaliatory strikes on neighboring countries.

It goes against #EU values & its long-term interests.

Our take 👇
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03... @eudiplomacy.bsky.social

To understand the scale of what has happened, my colleagues have put together a timeline of state actions against the CHP since the autumn of 2024 www.hrw.org/sites/defaul...

Türkiye: Leading Opponent of Erdoğan on Trial The Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu will stand trial on March 9, 2026 as the central defendant in a politically motivated mass corruption prosecution, Human Rights Watch said ...

The trial of jailed mayor and opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu, which starts today, follows more than a year of the authorities weaponizing the criminal justice system against the opposition CHP party and its elected officials, harming democracy, @hrw.org research finds
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Greek Court Finds Spyware Executives Guilty An Athens court in a landmark ruling on February 26 delivered the first convictions in Greece’s “Predatorgate” scandal.

A Greek court has found spyware company executives guilty of illegal surveillance activities. The case is an important step towards justice in the "Predatorgate" surveillance scandal. Now those who ordered the surveillance must be held to account, @hrw.org says
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

EU Court Rebukes Hungary Over Radio License Cancellation In an important judgment for media freedom, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on February 26 ruled that Hungary violated EU law when it stripped independent radio station Klubrádió of ...

EU Court has rebuked Hungary's government over its decision to cancel the license of a leading independent radio station. The Orban government's efforts to force Klubrádió off air is part of a wider crackdown on media freedom in the country, @hrw.org says
www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...

Three years ago, at least 94 people, including 35 children, died near Italy in what is known as the Cutro shipwreck.

Humane and rational migration policies are possible, and there is now a rare chance for accountability.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3OwsMud

Greece Continues Its Relentless Assault on Civil Society The recent acquittal of 24 humanitarian workers by a court in Lesbos, in what the European Parliament called the “largest case of criminalization of solidarity in Europe”, should have been a turning p...

The acquittal of 24 humanitarian workers by a Lesbos court in Lesbos should have been a turning point in the Greek govt's assault on civil society. Instead, it has doubled down, @evacosse.bsky.social explains, with a surge in state-led intimidation of civil society
www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

Russia’s War on Ukraine Four Years On On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has been defined by a relentless series of apparent war crimes and crimes against humanity.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, my colleague Yulia Gorbunova reflects on the horrific ongoing impact on civilians and the need for accountability
www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

PM asks Sir Jim Ratcliffe to apologise for saying UK 'colonised by immigrants' Sir Keir Starmer says comments by the businessman and Manchester United co-owner are

Obviously zero reflection in any of this on how operating the largest empire in human history may have turned us into a multicultural nation. We are here because you were there. #Empireland

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

EU ‘caving into the floodgates of anti-migrant rhetoric’ warns Human Rights Watch The EU's obsession with migration has radically shaped its foreign policy — while at home its laws are eroding away asylum, warns Human Rights Watch.

“EU ‘caving into the floodgates of anti-migrant rhetoric’ warns Human Rights Watch”, @philippedam.bsky.social and I speak to @euobserver.com about migration fixation warping EU foreign policy and eroding asylum rights at home euobserver.com/201254/eu-ca...

How Europe Dies

World Report 2026 World Report 2026, Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.

1/n Today @hrw.org publishes its World Report 2026. The full text, the introductory essay, and individual chapters can be accessed here: www.hrw.org/world-report...

What follows below in this thread are links to relevant parts on Europe, produced by the team of which I am part.

#Rights2026

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today called on member states to adopt legislation to “prohibit conversion practices, providing for criminal sanctions and based on a clear and comprehensive definition of the proscribed practices”.
pace.coe.int/en/news/1018...

Greek Immigration Bill Demonizes Civil Society The Greek government has introduced an immigration bill with measures that explicitly link nongovernmental groups and humanitarian workers with criminal conduct, when in reality they are helping peopl...

The Greek Parliament should reject measures in a new immigration bill that explicitly link civil society groups & humanitarian workers with criminal conduct, when in reality they are simply helping people in distress trying to reach Greece, @hrw.org says
www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

80 Angry Journalists | Early International Festival Teaser In 2020, Hungary’s largest independent newsroom, Index.hu, collapsed under growing political pressure. In a historic act of protest, more than 80 journalists…

"They left the building. Not the truth."

A powerful new documentary, 80 Angry Journalists, shows how Hungary’s once-independent news outlet Index was taken over, and how reporters resigned together rather than submit to political pressure.

Trailer⤵️

Protest Is Not a Security Offence The killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents (News, Viewpoint 16 January) offers a stark warning to the UK Government of the danger in treating c...

The killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis offers a stark warning to the UK government of the dangers of treating civic action as a security threat rather than as a fundamental right & cornerstone of democracy, @yasmineahmed.bsky.social & @lydsg.bsky.social explain www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

Italy: Shipwreck Trial Opportunity For Justice (Milan, January 27, 2026) – The trial, due to start this week, of 6 Italian officers for a 2023 shipwreck in which at least 94 people died is an important opportunity for justice for deaths of migrant...

The trial of 6 Italian officers for a 2023 shipwreck in which at least 94 people died is an important opportunity for justice for deaths of migrants and asylum seekers at sea, @hrw.org says

www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

In Hungary, almost half a million older people receive pensions that leave them living below the poverty line.

In a new report, HRW shows how the Hungarian government is failing to ensure older people’s rights to social security and an adequate standard of living.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4jBH4VG

New @hrw.org research out tomorrow on inadequate pensions and older people experiencing poverty in Hungary 🇭🇺

- interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻
- difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕
- lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️

Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social

Slowly but surely, a state can repress its people. Why is the UK channelling Viktor Orbán’s Hungary? | Lydia Gall I know enough about the erosion of civil rights to fear what I now see in the UK. Britons should understand how this ends, says Lydia Gall of Human Rights Watch

When protest is criminalized, democracy weakens. My @theguardian.com op-ed on why UK protest laws should worry us all.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Freedom of assembly is not a gift or privilege governments grant their citizens, it's a right that protects citizens from their governments. @hrw.org report out today about the impact of the UK's increasingly repressive anti-protest laws. www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

UK: Protest Crackdowns Undermine Democracy UK authorities have severely restricted the right to protest, in contravention of their international human rights obligations, creating an environment in which peaceful dissent is increasingly treate...

UK authorities are severely restricting the right to protest, in breach of human rights obligations, creating an climate in which peaceful dissent is increasingly treated as a criminal act and the fabric of democracy is undermined, new @hrw.org research finds
www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

🚨Going out on Thursday January 8:

"Silencing the Streets’: The Right to Protest Under Attack in the UK”.

New, 47-page report @hrw.org.

Reporters can DM me for access to embargoed report, interview requests etc.

Gyula Balog (1959-2025), housing rights and anti-poverty activist, speaking with Human Rights Watch at his home in Budapest, November 2025. On the wall is a map of Amsterdam Island, part of a remote archipelago in the southern Indian ocean, about which Balog was writing a novel. © 2025 Human Rights Watch

In Memory of Gyula Balog (1959-2025), an inspiring housing rights and anti-poverty activist

Here is a brief reflection on behalf of @hrw.org to express our condolences, as Gyula’s friends and colleagues lay him to rest today in Budapest.

Rest in power, Gyula bacsi!

www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...

Truly shocking from a party in government that previously introduced the Human Rights Act. Then it was “bringing rights home“ Now it is apparently about sending them away.

We will all pay the price for this folly.

When Politicians Undermine Europe’s Rights Court, We All Lose The European Court of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights are under attack again.

As European leaders meet to discuss the European Convention on Human Rights, here's a reminder that efforts to weaken the Convention and Court to serve the interests of states on migration will undermine the rights of everyone in the Council of Europe region
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

EU Right-Wing Lawmakers Target Civil Society Nongovernmental groups have sounded the alarm as the European Parliament’s new “Scrutiny Working Group” on funding for nongovernmental groups held its first meeting on November 26. The inquiry is pain...

A new @europarl.europa.eu “Scrutiny Working Group” on funding for NGOs is painted as an effort to boost transparency. But its superfluous mandate, narrow focus and biased composition suggest the real aim is to silence and stigmatize civil society, @hrw.org says

www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...

Russia: Government Designates Human Rights Watch “Undesirable” (Berlin, November 28, 2025) — Russia’s designation of Human Rights Watch as an “undesirable” foreign organization, made public by the Justice Ministry on November 28, is yet another mark of the Kremli...

Russia’s banning of @hrw.org as an “undesirable” foreign organization, made public today, is yet another mark of the Kremlin’s repression. It only redoubles our determination to document the Russian authorities’ human rights violations and war crimes
www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...