Read about the impact of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) in the United States and around the world in our 2024 Annual Report.

The following quote is attributable to Houssam al-Nahhas, MD, MPH, health and human rights researcher for Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and a Syrian physician:  “The new Syrian government’s establishment of a National Transitional Justice Commission and a National Commission for the Missing represents key steps forward for survivors and families of the victims of […]

*This press release is cross-posted from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), of which PHR is a Steering Committee Member. GENEVA – In 2024, attacks on health care in conflict reached the highest level ever recorded since the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) began reporting over a decade ago. The SHCC’s new report – Epidemic of Violence […]

Executive Summary Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH), have documented widespread, systematic and deliberate conflict related sexual violence (CRSV) in the Tigray region. Evidence gathered by PHR and OJAH, through a systematic review of medical records, shows that CRSV was used as a […]

The Myanmar military junta’s years of unlawful attacks on healthcare facilities and health workers have severely hindered the emergency response to the devastating earthquake on March 28, 2025, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights said today. A month after the earthquake, the junta has continued to obstruct access to life-saving services in opposition-held […]

In response to United Nations (UN) reports that Israeli forces killed 15 medical and humanitarian workers and buried them in a mass grave in southern Gaza, the following statement is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, executive director at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR):   “The reported killings and burial of 15 health and humanitarian workers […]

Following the Trump administration’s decision to end guidance protecting “sensitive locations” such as health care facilities from immigration enforcement actions, a new guide published today provides information to health care workers about how to navigate the new enforcement landscape while upholding ethical duties.  “Health Care and U.S. Immigration Enforcement: What Providers Should Know,” jointly published […]

I will never forget when violence broke out during Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014. On a very cold winter day in Kyiv, confrontation between police and protesters escalated. I watched a bus burn in front of me on a central street. Even then, it seemed to me like an omen. Those of us who […]

A staggering 1762 attacks on health care facilities, workers, and infrastructure have been perpetrated since Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago, according to new data published today by a group of human rights and humanitarian organizations. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls on global actors to hold perpetrators of these crimes to account, as well […]

In response to mounting conflict and the M23 militia seizing additional cities and towns in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the following statement is attributable to Karen Naimer, JD, director of programs at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR):  “Health and humanitarian workers and facilities are under assault in eastern DRC as M23 forces […]

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a global human rights organization that works at the intersection of science, medicine, and the law to document mass atrocities and human rights violations, and advocate for justice and accountability. PHR recognizes that health professionals, with their specialized skills, ethical duties, and credible voices, are uniquely positioned to address […]

In response to the escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the following quote is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, executive director of PHR:  “Civilians in DRC are again caught between regional rivals fighting for power and mineral resources, and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in recent weeks alone, […]

Former president Bashar al-Assad’s exodus from Syria represents a milestone opportunity for justice, accountability, and healing following more than 13 years of war and atrocities he oversaw, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.   “This week is a momentous occasion for which Syrians have waited decades. Since he came to power, Bashar al-Assad directed a […]

As military confrontation between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government intensifies in the country’s northwest, all parties to the conflict must abide by international humanitarian law (IHL) and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health care facilities, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.  Syrian opposition forces based in northwest Syria launched a military […]

Russia’s widespread and systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid have harmed health care workers and endangered patients, according to a first-of-its-kind report published today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and Truth Hounds. Ninety-two percent of 2,261 Ukrainian health care workers surveyed report experiencing power outages at their health care facility due to attacks on […]

Широкомасштабні та систематичні атаки Росії на енергетичну інфраструктуру України завдають серйозної шкоди медичним працівникам і наражають пацієнтів на небезпеку, як зазначено в опублікованому сьогодні звіті організацій Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) і Truth Hounds. За результатами опитування українських медпрацівників, 92% з 2 261 людини повідомили про відключення електроенергії в їхніх закладах охорони здоров’я внаслідок атак […]

Russia’s direct attacks on health facilities, as well as strikes on energy infrastructure with reported impact on health care facilities, have impeded health care delivery and endangered patients and health care workers alike.

The recent military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah is resulting in widespread and mounting harms to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, health workers, patients, and the broader health system. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) joins the deans of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut (AUB) to call for immediate […]

One year after the international community shut down a United Nations monitoring mechanism, health workers in Ethiopia say the crisis in their country is far from over.

More than 1000 attacks have now been recorded on health workers, patients, hospitals, and other medical infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) since October 7, 2023, more reported attacks on health care than any other conflict over a 10-month period on record, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today. PHR calls for independent investigations […]

The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), of which PHR is a part, has released a report (available in English and Ukrainian) documenting 394 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in Ukraine in 2023. The ongoing conflict, initiated by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has left nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s […]

Russia’s attack today on Okhmatdyt National Children’s  Hospital in Kyiv – the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine – continues the systematic assault on Ukraine’s health care system, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said.  “Russia’s strategy in Ukraine includes attacking babies and children. Domestic and international actors should intensify efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for these […]

The Paris Appeals Court’s decision to uphold the international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for his role in the August 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed more than 1,400 people and injured thousands more in the Damascus suburb Ghouta, affirms that no one is immune from prosecution for egregious war crimes and crimes […]

“Imagine providing critical care to patients with no access to medications or equipment, while your salary is withheld, your basic needs are unmet, and the very place you call home is no longer safe. Hospitals are routinely attacked by combatants. Insidious acts of sexual violence persist, and places of healing are turned into death traps. […]

PHR submissions to the Fourth Cycle, 47th Session of the Human Rights Council (4 – 15 November, 2024): Submission for Universal Periodic Review of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Submission for Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia