Support PHR’s Investigation into the Use of Excessive Force at Peaceful Protests

Through evidence, change is possible.

We Document.

We Document.

We use the power of science and forensic medicine to establish a fact-based record of human rights abuses.

We Empower.

We Empower.

We enable front line human rights defenders to expose violations and hold perpetrators accountable.

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We Advocate.

We use our authoritative voice to protect human rights and end impunity for perpetrators.

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About Us

About Us

We investigate and document human rights violations, give voice to survivors and witnesses,…

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Weapons | “Non-lethal” Weapons Used With Excessive Force

“Non-lethal” Weapons Used With Excessive Force

Law enforcement throughout the world is increasingly responding to popular protests with…

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COVID-19

COVID-19

As the world battles the rapid spread of COVID-19, the disease caused…

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In Focus

Blog

Despite COVID-19, Five Milestones for International Justice

The COVID-19 pandemic has left no community unscathed. In some countries, health workers face personal protective equipment shortages; in others, governments actively exploit the…
Blog

Forced Family Separation During COVID-19: Preventing Torture and Inhumane Treatment in Crisis

Originally published on Just Security The global community has made significant progress in codifying the prohibition of torture in international law. And yet, torture…
Blog

It’s Time to Live Up to Our National Moral Conscience

The image is seared in my brain. The visibly nervous woman, speaking in hushed tones via WhatsApp from Mexico, shows me the sparse items…
Blog

Voices from the COVID-19 Pandemic: “If COVID takes hold, the effects will be devastating.”

Conditions in the Matamoros camp – an informal settlement of 3,000 asylum seekers just across the border from Brownsville, Texas – are poor, with…
Blog

In the DRC, COVID-19 Threatens Hard-won Gains in the Fight against Sexual Violence

Lire en francais. For many years, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been combatting gender-based violence and particularly sexual violence related to the…

Crowd-Control Weapons and Social Protest in the United States

In response to recent protests against racism and police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd by police in May 2020, law enforcement…

Preparing for, Protecting Against, and Treating Tear Gas and Other Chemical Irritant Exposure: A Protester’s Guide

As people around the world take to the streets to protest against police brutality, they are often being met with violent crackdowns by law…
Blog

Voices from the COVID-19 Pandemic: “If one case is found in the camps, thousands could be infected, and it will be difficult to contain the spread of the virus.”

In August 2014, ISIS invaded the Yazidi villages of Sinjar in northern Iraq, killing, abducting, and “disappearing” thousands of Yazidi women, men, and children.…
Blog

As First COVID-19 Death Is Recorded in Rohingya Camps in Bangladesh, Health Workers Brace for Impact

Health workers on the ground in the overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where an estimated 855,000 Rohingya refugees currently reside, have been…
Blog

Justice for Genocide Does Not Stop for COVID-19

Sponsoring hate radio and purchasing large quantities of hand-wielded weapons can result in an arrest on charges of genocide, even more than 25 years…
Statements

100 Days Since the First COVID-19 Death in the United States: An Open Letter to President Trump

Today marks 100 days since the first documented death related to COVID-19 in the United States.[i] Since then, the United States has reported roughly…
Blog

Whistleblower Exposes Dangers of a Politicized Pandemic Response

“Science – not politics or cronyism – must lead the way to combat this deadly virus.” That was Dr. Rick Bright’s guiding principle in…