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Rumah Jeffery is a community in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, the third largest in the world. They grow food on the land, harvests forest products, fishes in nearby streams, maintains burial grounds, and protects sacred sites. When the timber company Zedtee began logging in the community’s ancestral territory without its consent in 2022, residents tried to stop the damage. They protested and asked the authorities to recognize their customary land. Instead, the Sarawak Forest Department issued an eviction notice, giving residents 30 days to dismantle their longhouse and leave.
Human Rights Watch worked with the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) to document the case, expose the risks, and press authorities, companies, and international buyers to act. Our joint advocacy helped reduce the threat and contributed to policy openings on land, forests, and corporate accountability. |
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The rate of people dying in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody has soared, with at least 52 deaths reported since the start of President Donald Trump’s current administration, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights said in a recent report.
The 73-page report, “Dying in Detention: Rising Deaths in an Expanding US Immigration Detention System,” documents the increasing number of deaths in ICE custody through expert statistical and medical analysis, exposing a rising mortality rate and raising serious questions about the adequacy of the health care provided by ICE and its contracted personnel. |
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The Trump administration’s move to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians has triggered widespread fear among Haitian communities in Florida of family separation, job loss, and deportation to a country engulfed by violence and a humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch and Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center said earlier this month.
“Without TPS protections, Haitians risk being sent back to one of the world’s most devastating human rights crises,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Congress should act swiftly to preserve TPS protections for Haitians and prevent that from happening.” |
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On July 17, 1998, countries around the world adopted the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a day now recognized as International Justice Day. The ICC is the court of last resort for victims seeking justice for the most serious crimes in violation of international law.
On International Justice Day – and every day – governments should build on these efforts and show that they support victims of atrocities. They should denounce attacks on the international justice system, show support for the ICC and those cooperating with it, and take concrete steps to protect those under attack. |
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The United States and Ecuador are deepening their security cooperation against a backdrop of serious human rights violations by Ecuadorian forces, unexplained drone attacks on fishing boats, and the disappearance of several fishermen, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 94-page report, "A Dangerous Partnership: Abuses, Unanswered Questions, and US-Ecuador Security Cooperation," documents serious human rights violations in a rural community on the Colombia-Ecuador border, as well as attacks on and the disappearance of fishermen at sea near the Galápagos Islands.
Each incident either clearly implicates the US-Ecuador security partnership or surfaces questions about responsibility. |
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Our new immersive documentary spotlighting the climate crisis in the Pacific nation of Solomon Islands will premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2. Solwata, our first immersive storytelling project, is narrated by Academy Award–nominated actor Mark Ruffalo.
The 25-minute immersive documentary tells the story of the island communities of Walande, Ngongosila, and Kwai in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, as they confront the difficult questions of whether and how to relocate their homes and lives to the mainland due to devastating tides and rising sea levels. |
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Top Image: Community members including chief Jeffery (center) in front of their longhouse in Rumah Jeffery, Sarawak, Malaysia. © 2024 Luciana Téllez-Chávez/Human Rights Watch
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Tel: 1 (212) 290-4700 | [email protected]
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