In a historic move, the Government of Kenya has paid 16 million Kenyan shillings (approx. USD $124,000) in compensation to four of the eight survivors of sexual violence in Petition 122 of 2013, marking the first time in Kenya’s history that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are receiving official compensation for the harm they endured. […]
The U.S. House of Representatives vote to approve the Trump administration’s proposed rescissions package – clawing back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending, including $8 billion for foreign aid – will have immediate, profound, and devastating consequences on global health, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today. “The rescission bill and broader cuts to global […]
Ukraine has endured 2000 attacks on the country’s health care system, according to documentation and monitoring by human rights and humanitarian organizations. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 Ukraine has experienced: “This brutal milestone and pattern of attacks clearly illustrates the Russian Federation’s aim to eliminate Ukrainians’ access to life-saving medical care and create […]
The Israeli government’s restrictions on medical supplies entering Gaza have led to preventable suffering and death, according to a new study published today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Global Human Rights Clinic (GHRC) at the University of Chicago Law School. “Throughout this war, Israel’s limits on life-saving medical supplies – such as […]
July 9, 2025
Attacks on Health Care, Persecution of Health Workers
At every point in their effort to provide care in Gaza, volunteer health care professionals face systematic practices and policies that directly impact their ability to prevent suffering and loss.
What does international law say about access to medical supplies in conflict zones? What is the obligation of parties to a conflict to ensure access to health care supplies? Medical supplies are never to be used strategically in warfare. In times of conflict, all parties to the conflict must both “allow and facilitate rapid and […]
In May 2025, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) sent a team of forensic experts to Mosul in northern Iraq to conduct a workshop on survivor-centered justice for judges from towns that experienced crimes firsthand committed by the self-declared Islamic State (IS or ISIL). Mosul, located in the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq, served as the […]
On the legality of the arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Chemical Weapons case (question of personal immunity) This document shares detailed information about the upcoming hearing before the French Cour de cassation, during which a panel of judges will hear arguments about whether former President of Syria Bashar al-Assad should be legally immune […]
On July 4, 2025, the French Cour de cassation will hold a landmark hearing to determine the legality of the arrest warrant issued for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This hearing represents a pivotal moment in the global fight against impunity for crimes under international law, including chemical weapons attacks constituting war crimes and crimes […]
In response to the U.S. government-facilitated agreement signed today by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda, which aims to bring peace to the conflict-affected region of eastern DRC, the following statement is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, executive director at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which has worked in […]
