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El Salvador Faces Crisis of 80,000 Missing Persons Amidst Gang Violence and Government Inaction

El Salvador Faces Crisis of 80,000 Missing Persons Amidst Gang Violence and Government Inaction

El Salvador is grappling with a severe crisis of missing persons, with President Nayib Bukele estimating that 80,000 individuals are unaccounted for, largely due to gang violence. This figure suggests that one in every 100 Salvadorans is missing. The crisis has been ongoing for at least a decade and a half, with previous reports in 2021 estimating 35,000 disappearances during the post-civil war period, primarily victims of gangs. The government's response has been criticized, particularly after the Legislative Assembly, dominated by the ruling party, rejected a proposed Missing Persons Search Law. This bill aimed to ensure dignified treatment for victims, active participation of family organizations in searches, and the establishment of a national search system. Families, like Carmen and Esmeralda, whose loved ones disappeared, express feelings of abandonment and institutional inaction, often conducting their own searches through collectives like the Search Bloc for the Disappeared. Testimonies from cooper...

El Salvador Issues First Life Sentence Under New Criminal Law Reforms

El Salvador Issues First Life Sentence Under New Criminal Law Reforms

El Salvador has handed down its first life sentence under new criminal law reforms enacted earlier this year. The Third Criminal Court of San Salvador sentenced Carlos Arturo Herrera Castro, 31, to life imprisonment for aggravated homicide and robbery. The crime occurred on May 18 in the Teosinte canton of Arcatao, where Herrera attacked Alexis López Córdova with stones, causing fatal injuries, and then stole his money. Witnesses testified to seeing Herrera counting money near the victim's body and offering them $10 to remain silent. The Attorney General's Office established Herrera's responsibility during the proceedings. These reforms, which took effect in April and became fully operational on May 14, allow for life imprisonment for exceptionally serious crimes such as homicide, rape, and terrorism. Previously, the maximum sentence was 60 years.

Human Rights Watch Offers Leonard H. Sandler Fellowship for Columbia Law Graduates with $70,000 Salary

Human Rights Watch Offers Leonard H. Sandler Fellowship for Columbia Law Graduates with $70,000 Salary

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is accepting applications for the Leonard H. Sandler Fellowship 2027, a one-year, full-time opportunity for Columbia Law School graduates. The fellowship, starting in September 2027, offers a gross annualized salary of $70,000, employer-paid benefits, and reasonable relocation expenses. Eligible applicants must hold a J.D. from Columbia Law School by June 2027. Fellows will typically work from HRW's New York or Washington, D.C. offices, with some remote flexibility possible. The role involves intensive international human rights research, investigation, report writing, advocacy, and media engagement. The application deadline is October 12, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET, and interviews are scheduled for mid-to-late November 2026. Required documents include a CV/resume, a letter of interest, and a brief unedited writing sample in PDF format. HRW encourages citizens of all nationalities to apply but cannot guarantee U.S. work authorization.

California Governor Newsom Faces Calls for Mass Commutation of Death Sentences Amidst Political Ambitions

California Governor Newsom Faces Calls for Mass Commutation of Death Sentences Amidst Political Ambitions

California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing increasing pressure from advocates and international human rights groups to commute all death sentences in the state before he leaves office in January. This call comes despite his 2019 executive order halting executions and his previous statements condemning the state's capital punishment system as a failure and infected by racism. California currently holds the largest number of individuals on death row in the U.S., with 546 men and 18 women. The state has not carried out an execution in two decades, leading to a significant backlog of appeals and a dysfunctional system. In 2022, Governor Newsom signed a law to facilitate overturning sentences affected by racial bias, following an investigation by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office that found systematic exclusion of Black and Jewish people from juries in capital cases. This investigation led to new sentences for twenty defendants and civil lawsuits seeking millions. Legal challenges regarding racial d...

Trump Administration's Silence on Salvadoran TPS Protections Elicits Relief and Uncertainty

Trump Administration's Silence on Salvadoran TPS Protections Elicits Relief and Uncertainty

The Trump administration has remained silent on the future of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 170,000 immigrants from El Salvador, allowing a deadline to pass without a public announcement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated it would make an announcement "at an appropriate time" and that TPS for El Salvador would remain in effect until then. This lack of a decision has been met with relief by some, including Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) of Northern Virginia, who expressed gratitude that protections and work eligibility are holding fast. However, it also creates uncertainty for TPS holders, their families, and employers. Critics, like Ben Johnson of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, argue that the administration is leaving these individuals in limbo. TPS was initially granted to El Salvador due to the aftermath of a civil war and natural disasters in 2001. While El Salvador has become significantly safer under President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gangs, rights activists crit...

Human Rights Watch Seeks Researcher for Global Disability Rights Division

Human Rights Watch Seeks Researcher for Global Disability Rights Division

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is actively recruiting a Researcher for its Disability Rights Division (DRD). This full-time position involves investigating, documenting, and reporting on disability rights issues worldwide, aligning with HRW’s Global Strategy. The successful candidate will be responsible for collecting and analyzing information from diverse sources, including governments, media, NGOs, and individuals, to monitor and document developments affecting people with disabilities. Key duties include drafting reports, briefing papers, and press materials, as well as assisting in the development and implementation of advocacy strategies aimed at reforming abusive laws and practices. The role also requires collaboration with non-governmental organizations, reviewing and editing internal documents, and analyzing emerging issues such as technology, artificial intelligence, and humanitarian crises as they relate to disability rights. The position offers flexibility for remote work within commuting distance of ...

Human Rights Watch Documents Global Threat of Transnational Repression by Governments

Human Rights Watch Documents Global Threat of Transnational Repression by Governments

Human Rights Watch has extensively documented how governments are increasingly reaching beyond their borders to silence, intimidate, and punish critics abroad, a phenomenon known as transnational repression (TNR). This global threat targets human rights defenders, journalists, civil society activists, and others perceived as threats, often including asylum seekers and recognized refugees. Methods of TNR vary but include surveillance, harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention, physical attacks, and threats against family members. In 2024, Human Rights Watch published a report detailing over 75 such cases across four regions over the past 15 years, perpetrated by more than two dozen governments. Examples include the killing of a Rwandan refugee in Uganda, the extradition of a Cambodian refugee who was subsequently detained, and the abduction of a Belarusian activist from a commercial airline flight.

El Salvador to Invest 8% of GDP in Education Starting 2027, President Bukele Announces

El Salvador to Invest 8% of GDP in Education Starting 2027, President Bukele Announces

President Nayib Bukele has announced that El Salvador will allocate 8% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to education, beginning in 2027. This significant investment aims to strengthen the country's educational system and build upon existing efforts. The announcement was made in response to a post by Jaime Saavedra, the World Bank's Director of Human Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, who highlighted the positive results achieved by Salvadoran students in the OECD's 'PISA for Schools' international assessment. President Bukele linked this commitment to the progress already observed in the educational sector. Investment in education, measured as a percentage of GDP, is a key indicator of a country's dedication to funding educational programs, improving school infrastructure, training teachers, and providing learning tools for students. This move reflects an intention to modernize education, expand opportunities for students, and enhance the overall capabilities of the educational system nati...

Human Rights Watch Seeks Senior Researcher for Israel/Palestine to Document Abuses

Human Rights Watch Seeks Senior Researcher for Israel/Palestine to Document Abuses

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is actively seeking a Senior Researcher for its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Division, specifically to focus on Israel/Palestine. This role involves developing and implementing a research and advocacy agenda aimed at improving respect for human rights, encompassing both civil, political, social, and economic rights in the region. The Senior Researcher will be responsible for monitoring and documenting human rights abuses and laws-of-war violations by gathering information from diverse sources, including governments, local media, NGOs, survivors, witnesses, journalists, and security forces. The position also entails writing and publicizing reports, briefing papers, news releases, and submissions to international bodies to disseminate research findings and policy recommendations. HRW emphasizes the need for the researcher to place human rights and humanitarian law issues within their broader political, social, economic, and historical contexts, and to present these concerns to...

Human Rights Watch Reports Organized Gang Attacks in Kenya Ahead of 2027 Elections

Human Rights Watch Reports Organized Gang Attacks in Kenya Ahead of 2027 Elections

Human Rights Watch has reported a series of violent attacks by criminal gangs targeting civil society and opposition gatherings in Kenya, occurring in the lead-up to the 2027 elections. These incidents have reportedly resulted in at least six deaths and dozens of injuries. The attacks include the disruption of a civil society meeting in Nairobi, where approximately 100 men beat participants and stole their belongings. During by-elections in Ol Kalou, armed and masked men allegedly lobbed tear gas, beat, and robbed people, with local media reporting two deaths. Further attacks involved men armed with machetes and arrows at a church service attended by opposition politicians, and a convoy transporting opposition supporters was attacked, leading to at least three deaths. Despite some arrests, Human Rights Watch notes that authorities have not taken meaningful steps to ensure accountability for these abuses, raising concerns about a return to human rights violations that have marred past Kenyan elections.

Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights

Syrian private airport plans spark outcry over mass graves, land rights

By Feras Dalatey DAMASCUS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Syrian government plans to turn a former military airport in Damascus into a hub for private jets are raising alarm among rights groups and residents who say redevelopment could disturb suspected mass graves and override private land claims.

Oxfam International Focuses on Systemic Change to Combat Poverty and Injustice Globally

Oxfam International Focuses on Systemic Change to Combat Poverty and Injustice Globally

Oxfam International, a confederation of independent affiliates, is actively working in over 70 countries with a core mission to fight inequality and end poverty and injustice. The organization's strategic framework emphasizes achieving systemic change through various domains, including just economies, gender justice, climate justice, and governance. Oxfam employs a multi-faceted approach that incorporates feminist practice, local leadership, and people-powered action. This strategy aims to drive significant outcomes such as power shifts, enhanced resilience in communities, and increased agency among vulnerable populations. The organization is dedicated to influencing local and global decisions that impact the poor and collaborates with partner organizations and communities to address the fundamental causes of poverty rather than just its symptoms. Oxfam's vision is a just and sustainable world where people and the planet are central to equitable economies, women and girls are free from gender-based violenc...