Last updated: 16 October 2026.
Boston Human Rights publishes sourced, dated information about human rights in Iran, the United States and Africa, and about how people in the Boston area can respond. This page explains the standards we hold ourselves to. Our Methodology explains how we research, and our Corrections policy explains how we fix mistakes.
Independence
We are not affiliated with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the ACLU, the United Nations or any government. We cite those organisations because their research is public and checkable, not because we speak for them. Nothing we publish is legal advice.
Accuracy and attribution
Every factual claim is attributed to a named source and linked where possible. If we cannot link a source, we say why.
Every figure carries a date and the name of whoever produced it.
We do not state what a person thinks, expects or believes unless we are quoting them, with a source.
We separate what is verified from what is alleged. Allegations are attributed to whoever makes them.
Legal terms such as “war crime”, “crime against humanity” and “genocide” are used only with the name of the body that applied them and the stage it represents: allegation, investigative finding or court judgment. Our explainer War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide sets out the distinctions.
Where sources disagree, we show the different figures side by side and explain why they may differ.
One standard for every country
We apply the same tests to every government, including the United States. We cover violations by state and non-state actors alike, and we note when we have not found a response from the party accused.
News, analysis and opinion
News items and explainers report what sources say. Analysis that goes beyond the sources is labelled as analysis. Opinion, if we publish it, is labelled “Opinion” at the top. Calls to action are kept in clearly marked “What you can do” sections.
Right of reply
When we report an allegation against a government, organisation or identifiable person, we look for their public response and include it with its source. If they contact us with a response, we will consider adding it and will say when it was added.
Safety and privacy
Human rights reporting can put people at risk. We do not publish names, faces or locations of detainees, witnesses, victims or their families unless they or their representatives have made them public, and even then only after considering the risk. We do not publish personal contact details of private individuals. Please read our Contact page before sending us sensitive information.
Use of AI tools
Research, drafting, translation and checking on this site are assisted by AI tools. AI output is not treated as a source: every fact must trace back to a named, linked original, and links are checked before publication. Nothing is published until it has been approved by the site’s editor. Machine translations are labelled “machine-translated”.
Images
Most images on this site are original illustrations created for it. They are labelled as illustrations and are never presented as photographs of real events. When we use photographs or maps from others, we use only material that is in the public domain or licensed for reuse, and we credit the creator and licence in the caption.
Advertising
If advertising appears on this site, it is shown by a third-party ad service, it is visually separate from our content, and advertisers have no say in what we publish. See our Privacy Policy for how ads and cookies work.
Corrections
We correct errors promptly and openly. Substantive corrections are noted at the end of the article with the date. See our Corrections policy or write to contact@bostonhumanrights.org.