Rights & Wrongs

When Robert Taylor bought land and began to build a home in St. John Parish in Louisiana, he envisioned a compound that would house his family for generations to come. But living in this 85-mile stretch of land along the banks of the Mississippi River that is home to some 200 fossil fuels and petrochemical operations has taken its toll. Known as Cancer Alley, Taylor now hopes his grandchildren don't have to live in the "Sacrifice Zone." Learn what has happened since we first aired this episode - and how AI hosts would have told the story. Human Rights Watch request for comment in advance of publication. [https://www.hrw.org/media/106489] Comment received from Denka Performance Elastomer LLC. [https://www.hrw.org/media/106490]

Donald Trump built his reelection campaign off big promises – among them, the mass deportation of migrants, retaliation against political opponents, deploying the military to crush dissent, and allowing states to decide abortion rights. Having won a second term as the President of the United States, the question is, now what?   Ngofeen Mputubwele  talks to three Human Rights Watch experts from the front lines of advocacy in the United States. Tirana Hassan, Tanya Greene and Sarah Yager discuss not only the threats looming over human rights in the United States and abroad, but how they maintain their hope that rights can be protected and promoted.   Tirana Hassan: Executive Director of Human Rights Watch  Tanya Greene: Director of Human Rights Watch’s US Program  Sarah Yager: Washington Director at Human Rights Watch

Gen. Sri Rumiati served as a policewoman in Indonesia for decades, but her life’s work became centered around protesting a policy of the state security forces. When she was summoned for military service, she was shocked to learn that she was required to take a virginity test. The Indonesian military and police held the misogynistic belief that female soldiers and officers needed to be chaste and that they could test for virginity by examining a woman’s hymen, an abusive practice that has no scientific basis.  The policy lasted for decades, until a Human Rights Watch report and tireless advocacy by activists like General Rumiati moved the immovable. Indonesia’s military and police forces stopped requiring virginity tests.  Andreas Harsono: Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch  Sri Rumiati: Retired police general & activist  Meenakshi Ganguly: Deputy director of the Asia Division at Human Rights Watch

In the late 1960s, the United Kingdom made a deal allowing the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia, one of 58 islands that make up the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The UK, which had colonized the islands in the 1800s, claimed there was “no permanent population” in Chagos. But that was a lie. Several hundred Chagossians lived on those islands. They were all forcibly removed by 1973 and have been campaigning to return ever since. In 2024, the UK announced it would relinquish its last colony in Africa, recognizing the sovereignty of Mauritius. What does this mean for the Chagossians? Will they finally be able to return home?      Mausi Segun: Executive Director of the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch   Ellianne Baptiste: Second-generation Chagossian

Finn Lau, a Hong Kong activist, was taking his daily walk along London’s River Thames when Chinese government thugs beat him up. Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was filing paperwork at a Saudi consulate in Turkey when Saudi government assassins murdered and dismembered him. And Bi-2, a dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band, narrowly avoided being forcibly sent to Russia while on tour in Thailand. All had fled repression and thought they were safe in exile. But increasingly, governments are reaching beyond their borders to target critics – is anywhere safe?    Sarah Yager: Washington Director at Human Rights Watch