The Trump administration’s cuts and restructure of the U.S. State Department represent a dangerous attack on human rights and health, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today. The U.S. Congress should urgently review and contest these changes, while working to reinstate these key offices.   The dismantling of multiple U.S. government offices that were central in […]

An ongoing court case aims to finally secure justice for the survivors of sexual violence. This high-profile litigation – officially known as Constitutional Petition No. 122 of 2013 – seeks to hold the Kenyan government accountable for sexual violence in the post-election period.

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 […]

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 […]

Health care workers in DRC have reported a “massive influx of cases” of conflict-related sexual violence among adults and children.

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.

“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

Introduction Read the full report: English, Arabic, Russian Graphic design generously contributed by Sarah Georgakopoulos. [1] This expert report is provided to accompany a Communication submitted to the Human Rights Committee on May 1, 2024 concerning an alleged attack on a hospital in Syria – the Kafr Nabl Surgical Hospital – on May 5, 2019, […]

“If any of you worry about the issues that are going on in the world as you listen to the news every day and you feel somewhat powerless because the problems, the fractures, are too large and too many, I think you and I can take comfort that PHR is playing its part everywhere in […]

The 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva concluded last week. Headed by PHR’s Executive Director Sam Zarifi, JD, LLM, the PHR delegation included Christian De Vos, JD, PhD, director of research and investigations, and Uliana Poltavets, Ukraine emergency response coordinator. The team presented several interventions before the Council, partnered […]

The conflict that started in Tigray, Ethiopia in 2020 continues to cause devastating harm to civilians and the health sector and has led to a large-scale humanitarian and human rights crisis that continues in Tigray and has spread to other regions of Ethiopia. PHR has worked with our medical, public health, and human rights partners […]

After 10 years of war and untold suffering in Syria, the landscape for human rights, justice, and accountability looks bleak. Explore an interactive timeline of the conflict.

Alors que le conflit dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) continue de s’intensifier, le partenaire médical de Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), HEAL Africa, fournit des soins intensifs aux survivants des violences sexuelles et sexistes. Nous avons échangé avec HEAL Africa pour en savoir plus sur la fourniture des services des soins […]

As the conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to escalate, PHR medical partner HEAL Africa is providing intensive care to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.

Today the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts of genocide and take effective action to ensure the provision of “urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” to address the “public health disaster” in Gaza.   “Complying with the ICJ’s provisional […]

In response to reports that the Russian Federation is attempting to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), the following quote is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, LLM, executive director at PHR:  “Russian forces have routinely bombed hospitals, tortured civilians, abducted children, raped women, and destroyed critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Russia’s president is a […]

(New York, September 13, 2023) – We, the heads of over 50 human rights and humanitarian organizations are coming together to sound the alarm about Sudan, where a disaster is unfolding before our eyes. With fighting continuing across the country, brutal sexual violence rising, widespread deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, and journalists and human […]

PHR joins global coalition of civil society to call upon the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (“the Commission,” or ICHREE) for a further term of one year, until September 2024. To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations […]

For more than 35 years, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has worked at the intersection of medicine, science, and law to end human suffering, save lives, and secure justice and universal human rights for all. Read about our impact in our 2022 Annual Report.

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s 52nd session in Geneva concluded this week with some meaningful advances for health and human rights. In addition to the adoption of the landmark resolution on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment (A/HRC/51/L.7), the Human Rights Council (HRC) also renewed the mandates for several important […]

PHR delivered strong statements to world leaders to stop illegal attacks on health care in places such as Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, and demand accountability for human rights abuses.

As Russian artillery shells fall indiscriminately in Ukraine, efforts are under way by the international community to document the resulting human rights violations, including a range of attacks that likely constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. These efforts may indeed be the most robust in recent history. But as the International Criminal Court (ICC) […]

This article was originally published by The New Humanitarian, a news agency specialised in reporting humanitarian crises. Many Syrians are experiencing heart-wrenching flashbacks as we watch the mounting devastation in Ukraine and the millions of refugees fleeing. As a Syrian physician who provided medical care amid the war in my country, it’s especially painful when […]