Lou Charbonneau

US/Israel/Iran: All Parties Should Respect Laws of War The United States and Israel on February 28, 2026 carried out airstrikes on Iran, which retaliated with strikes against Israel and Gulf states. All parties to the conflict are obligated to respect int...

As conflict escalates in the Middle East after the US/Israel strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel and Gulf states, all parties are obligated to respect int'l humanitarian law and prioritize civilian protection.

HRW's statement:

🚨 UN Security Council meeting at 4pm EST today after the US and #Israel launched military strikes against #Iran.

@hrw.org is monitoring. Our focus remains civilian protection & carrying out our mandate by monitoring for any violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Civilians should never pay the price of military action, their protection is essential. All parties to the conflict should respect international humanitarian law and prioritize the protection of civilians. These truths are universal.

@hrw.org is closely monitoring initial reporting that Israel and the United States have launched strikes on #Iran. Our focus remains civilian protection and carrying out our mandate by monitoring for any violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The road to war: An ex-Reuters journalist recalls the chase for WMD in Iraq Louis Charbonneau covered the UN weapons inspections prior to the Iraq war and later became UN bureau chief. He is now UN director at Human Rights Watch.

Commentary | The road to war: An ex-Reuters journalist recalls the chase for WMD in Iraq - www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Trump Iranian missile claim unsupported by U.S. intelligence, say sources President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran will soon have a missile that can hit the United States is not backed by U.S. intelligence reports, and appears to be exaggerated, according to three sources f...

As someone who reported extensively for @reuters.com on the fact that the Bush administration’s claims about #Iraq’s alleged reconstituted nuclear arms program were false, all I can say is … Here We Go Again!! 😵‍💫 🤯 www.reuters.com/business/aer...

As a whole nation remains in shock, horror, and grief, and families are searching for their loved ones in the aftermath of security forces’ massacres on January 8 and 9, Iranian authorities continue to terrorize the population.

Read HRW’s new investigation. ⤵️
www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

With the inaugural meeting happening today at the White House, it's worth revisiting this article on #Trump's Board of Peace by @apnews.com -- "Trump's wide ambitions for Board of Peace spark new support for the United Nations"
apnews.com/article/boar...

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Puts Rights Abusers in Charge of Global Order Since taking office a year ago, the Trump administration has been working hard to undermine the United Nations, especially the UN’s efforts to uphold universal human rights. Now US President Donald Tr...

🚨 @hrw.org's primer for today's inaugural meeting of #Trump's Board of Peace.

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Aims to Put Human Rights Abusers & Suspected War Criminals in Charge of Global Order

Next UN Secretary-General Should Champion Rights United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027.

The threats to the global human rights system demand a courageous leader at the United Nations who will put human rights at the heart of its agenda.

But the selection process gives veto power to the permanent members of the UN Security Council incl. China, Russia, and the US...

Israel Is Quietly Annexing the West Bank The blunder that will imperil any Mideast peace.

“The settler movement has taken advantage of Israelis’ nervousness and the distraction of Gaza to reconfigure the status quo in the West Bank with a breathtakingly ambitious program of spatial engineering,” writes Shira Efron.

Next UN Secretary-General Should Champion Rights United Nations member countries will select a new UN secretary-general this year to succeed António Guterres in January 2027.

🚨 New from @hrw.org: #UN member states should select a champion of #HumanRights as the next UN Secretary-General as the UN faces a crisis amid a global retreat on rights & democracy. - by Widad Franco

Opinion | Trump has a strongman’s contempt for international law The president’s indifference to domestic legal constraints is reflected in his actions outside the U.S.

Trump has imposed sanctions on 8 ICC judges and 3 prosecutors. “The sanctioned ICC staff,” Reuters noted, “now sit on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list, alongside suspected al Qaeda terrorists, Mexican drug traffickers and North Korean arms dealers.” wapo.st/3MsWi3c

The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...

NEW: ProPublica went inside the detention center for immigrant families in Dilley, Texas.

Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of what comes next.

Demokratieaktivist Jimmy Lai zu 20 Jahren Haft verurteilt Der Hongkonger Medienunternehmer und Demokratieaktivist Jimmy Lai muss für 20 Jahre ins Gefängnis. Ein Gericht hatte den 78-Jährigen wegen "Kollaboration mit ausländischen Kräften" und des "Aufruhrs" ...

„Die 20-jährige Haftstrafe für #JimmyLai, 78, kommt faktisch einem Todesurteil gleich; sie ist grausam und zutiefst ungerecht. Sein Fall zeigt, wie entschlossen Peking ist, unabhängigen Journalismus zu unterdrücken & Kritiker der Kommunistischen Partei mundtot zu machen.“ @elainepearson.bsky.social

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

⚡ Urgently needed: humanitarian assistance, in #Gaza and the occupied #WestBank, including East Jerusalem.

💰 Funding required: US$ 1.26 billion
👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Serving 2.4 million people

UNRWA remains irreplaceable delivering life-saving services at scale.

🔗 www.unrwa.org/resources/fa...

In Trump’s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions Trump’s sanctions on U.N. expert Francesca Albanese and the International Criminal Court froze assets and disrupted war crimes investigations. The clash is part of the broader campaign by his administration to strongarm allies, enemies and world bodies into toeing the U.S. line.

In Trump’s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions reut.rs/4rFxVyl

Russian comedian accused of telling offensive joke about Ukraine war veteran is jailed for nearly six years A Russian stand-up comedian was convicted of inciting hatred and jailed for nearly six years on Wednesday over a joke he made about a legless war veteran, which triggered outrage among nationalists and military bloggers.

Russian comedian accused of telling offensive joke about Ukraine war veteran is jailed for nearly six years reut.rs/4qiTh3p

Trump's wide ambitions for Board of Peace spark new support for the United Nations President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to sidestep the United Nations through his new Board of Peace appears to have inadvertently backfired.

“Instead of handing Trump $1 billion checks to join his Board of Peace, governments should work on strengthening the U.N.”

- @loucharb.bsky.social, U.N. director for @hrw.org

Trump's wide ambitions for Board of Peace spark new support for the United Nations President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to sidestep the United Nations through his new Board of Peace appears to have inadvertently backfired.

I spoke to @apnews.com about #Trump's 'Board of Peace': “It’s hardly surprising that very few governments want to join Trump’s wannabe-UN, which so far looks more like a pay-to-play club of human rights abusers and war crimes suspects than a serious international organization."

Starmer stresses Hong Kong’s stability as key to stronger ties in meeting with Xi Meeting focused on shared interests to bolster Sino‑British relations, with Jimmy Lai’s national security case also touched upon in ‘respectful’ discussions.

When pressed by journalists, British PM Keir Starmer said he *mentioned* Jimmy Lai to Xi. He didn't seem to have called for Lai's release: www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...

Sexual Violence Survivors in Haiti Left Without Care Sexual violence by criminal groups is not new in Haiti. However, the intensity and brutality of these attacks are worsening.

🇭🇹 Sexual violence by criminal groups in Haiti is widespread. According to a new @msfincanada.bsky.social report, attacks are becoming more intense and brutal, while survivors face increasingly limited access to care.

Read more: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

#Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ puts rights abusers & war crimes suspects in charge of the global order -- my new opinion piece on @aljazeera.com

By sidelining the UN & human rights, the US president is proposing a club of impunity @hrw.org

👉 www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

A little background reading as I reflect on the Board of Peace…

bsky.app/profile/hrw....

The World Needs Stronger UN, Not Trump-led ‘Board of Peace’ The United States played a leading role in establishing the UN. Now, US President Donald Trump is undermining and defunding large parts of it.

My latest for @hrw.org: - The UN has problems but it’s better than a global Politburo of leaders of abusive governments. Rather than paying billions to join #Trump’s "Board of Peace", states shld strengthen the UN’s ability to uphold human rights.

The Board charter doesn't mention human rights🫤

Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip

Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...

Myanmar: Critical Hearings in Rohingya Genocide Case International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings in the Myanmar genocide case highlight the need for justice for the ethnic Rohingya.

On January 12 the ICJ will hear the merits in the landmark genocide case by Gambia against Myanmar.

Read reflections from @hrw.org, @womenspeacenetwork.org, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, Refugee Women for Peace and Justice, & and @globaljusticec.bsky.social

🧵👇
www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

🚨 @hrw.org’s reaction to the #Trump administration’s decision to “withdraw” from 66 more international programs and agencies (35 of them are UN programs).