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Middle East and Northern Africa Iran: Rights Crisis Escalates Faces and Cases from Ahmadinejad’s Crackdown This paper documents the dire situation for human rights defenders and key dimensions of the human rights crisis in Iran today. Released ahead of Ahmadinejad’s arrival at the opening ceremonies of the UN General Assembly, the paper highlights Iran’s status as the world leader in juvenile executions. Iran is known to have executed six juvenile offenders so far in 2008, and more than 130 other juvenile offenders have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution. September 18, 2008 Libya: Rights at Risk Despite modest improvements in recent years, Libyans and foreign residents in Libya continue to suffer from serious violations of human rights. The continued arrests and incarceration of political prisoners, some of them “disappeared”; the torture of detainees; the absence of a free press; the ban on independent organizations; and violations of women’s and foreigners’ rights plague the country as it tries to reintegrate with the international community. The country is dominated by one leader, who tolerates no unsanctioned criticism of his rule or Libya’s unique political system. September 2, 2008 Also available in 
Printer friendly version Child Soldier Global Report 2008 Summary The Child Soldier Global Report documents military recruitment legislation, policy and practice in more than 190 countries worldwide – in conflict and in peacetime armies – as well as child soldier use by non-state armed groups. This summary provides an overview of facts and figures. May 20, 2008 Printer friendly version The Netherlands: Discrimination in the Name of Integration Migrants’ Rights under the Integration Abroad Act In the past years, the authorities in the Netherlands have introduced a series of measures with the stated aim of better integrating its migrant population. One of these measures is the integration test administered to would-be family migrants from some countries before they can join spouses or family members in the Netherlands. This report documents how the overseas integration test is discriminatory, in that citizens from certain countries are exempt altogether, and the test, coupled with increased financial requirements, targets primarily would-be family migrants from two of the three largest “non- western” migrant communities in the Netherlands – Moroccans and Turks. May 15, 2008 Libya: Rights at Risk Despite some improvements in recent years, in Libya serious rights abuses persist. The absence of a free press, the ban on independent organizations, the torture of detainees, and the continued incarceration of political prisoners, some of them “disappeared,” remain matters of deep concern. To date, international engagement with the oil-rich country has focused on counter-terrorism and business ties. Human Rights Watch welcomes improved relations between Libya and other governments, but not at the expense of human rights and the rule of law. January 3, 2008 Also available in
Printer friendly version Down to Business The Human Rights Council’s Backlog of Work As it enters its second year, the Council must take hold of the many situations that “require the HRC’s attention,” and take action of some sort to address them. The HRC’s efforts to address these situations will provide an important indication of its ability to fulfil the purpose for which it was created. The Council must seize this opportunity to demonstrate its relevance and responsiveness to human rights victims in these countries and beyond. September 10, 2007 Printer friendly version The Poisoned Chalice A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper on the Decision of the Iraqi High Tribunal in the Dujail Case The Dujail trial, which concluded on July 27, 2006, concerned crimes that occurred in the aftermath of an assassination attempt against then-President Saddam Hussein in Dujail in July 1982. Saddam Hussein and three others were found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed after the trial chamber’s judgment was affirmed on appeal in December 2006. This 34-page briefing paper documents factual and legal errors in the judgment. June 22, 2007 Also available in
Off the Record U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the “War on Terror” This 21-page briefing paper, published by six leading human rights organizations, includes the names and details of 39 people who are believed to have been held in secret US custody abroad and whose current whereabouts remain unknown. The briefing paper also names relatives of suspects who were themselves arrested and detained, including children as young as seven. The list of missing people includes nationals from countries including Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan and Spain. They are believed to have been arrested in countries including Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan, and transferred to secret US prisons operated by the CIA. June 7, 2007 Human Rights Council Membership Requires Steps to Address Violations A Briefing Paper by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and Human Rights Watch In this 13-page briefing paper, Human Rights Watch and the EIPR said that Egypt’s terrible human rights record made that country a poor choice for membership. They nevertheless welcomed the Egyptian government’s public pledges to improve its practices domestically and to strengthen the capacity of the council. May 25, 2007 Also available in
From a Flood to a Trickle Neighboring States Stop Iraqis Fleeing War and Persecution Iraq’s neighbors are refusing entry, imposing onerous new passport and visa requirements, and building barriers to keep refugees out. In certain cases, they are also expelling Iraqis back to Iraq.This briefing paper focuses on new restrictive measures taken by Jordan and Egypt to prevent more refugees from coming. Syria, which is hosting about 1 million Iraqis, denied visas to Human Rights Watch researchers seeking to document their situation. Saudi Arabia is building a US$7 billion high-tech barrier on its border to keep Iraqis out, while Kuwait is categorically rejecting Iraqi asylum seekers. April 17, 2007 Also available in
The UAE's Draft Labor Law: Human Rights Watch’s Comments and Recommendations The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently considering revisions to its main labor law. Like other countries in the Gulf, the UAE is heavily reliant upon the labor of migrant workers, primarily from South Asia. According to figures from 2005, 95 percent of the UAE’s labor pool, some 2.7 million workers, are migrants, many of whom work in the construction and domestic service industries. Meaningful reforms in the new labor law would have a significant and positive impact across South Asia and the Gulf and, if the final version of the law integrates key labor protections, it could become a leading model for the region. March 25, 2007 Also available in
More Business Than Usual: The Work Which Awaits the Human Rights Council In this first year of its existence, the Council is understandably preoccupied with institution building. But human rights violations haven’t been suspended while the Council focused on these tasks; in fact they have worsened in many locations. The Council’s attention to institution building has created a growing backlog of work that deserves the HRC’s attention. March 12, 2007 Printer friendly version Monopolizing Power Egypt’s Political Parties Law This 17-page briefing paper outlines the sweeping powers that Egypt's Political Parties Law grants to the Political Parties Committee, a body dominated by the president and the ruling party, to license and suspend political parties. The law gives President Mubarak and the ruling party broad authority to choose who may compete against them and under what terms. In this paper, Human Rights Watch says that reform of this law is particularly important given the possibility that the government might bring back party-list voting, which would require voters to choose parties rather than individuals. January 4, 2007 Also available in
The “Hoax” That Wasn’t The July 23 Qana Ambulance Attack During the Israel-Hezbollah war, Israel was accused by Human Rights Watch and numerous local and international media outlets of attacking two Lebanese Red Cross ambulances in Qana on July 23, 2006. Following these accusations, some websites claimed that the attack on the ambulances “never happened” and was a Hezbollah-orchestrated “hoax,” a charge picked up by conservative commentators such as Oliver North. These claims attracted renewed attention when the Australian foreign minister stated that “it is beyond serious dispute that this episode has all the makings of a hoax.” December 19, 2006 Also available in
Denying the Right to Education This briefing paper documents how the government barred at least 12 students from university registration this past year, despite the fact that graduate programs had accepted them on the basis of successful competitive entrance examinations. The briefing paper also documents the cases of another 54 students who were allowed to register only after agreeing to sign statements that they will refrain from peaceful political activities. October 25, 2006 Also available in 
Managing Migration Means Potential EU Complicity in Neighboring States’ Abuse of Migrants and Refugees European Union efforts to shift responsibility for migration to countries beyond EU borders threaten the human rights of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Current EU migration polices are largely focused on keeping migrants and asylum seekers outside EU borders. However, these policies have failed to ensure that the rights of migrants and asylum seekers are respected, particularly in neighboring transit countries to the east or across the Mediterranean. This paper concentrates on the less well-known “external” dimension of the EU’s efforts, which rely on a mixture of assistance and pressure in order to shift responsibility for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers to transit countries, such as Ukraine or Libya, and regions of origin. October 17, 2006 “Genocide in Iraq - The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds” Report Summary Human Rights Watch´s comprehensive report “Genocide in Iraq - The Anfal Campaign Against the Kurds,” originally published in July 1993, details the systematic and deliberate murder of at least 50,000 and possibly as many as 100,000 Kurds. The killings occurred between February and September 1988. “Genocide in Iraq” shows that the Kurdish victims were targeted on the basis of their ethnicity. This is a summary of the reports findings. August 14, 2006 Printer friendly version Libya: June 1996 Killings at Abu Salim Prison In the summer of 1996, stories began to filter out of Libya about a mass killing in Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison. The details remained scarce, and the government initially denied that an incident had taken place. Libyan groups outside the country said up to 1,200 prisoners had died. June 28, 2006 Also available in
Printer friendly version Morocco: Prosecution of Independent Newsweeklies A series of prosecutions of independent weeklies, the most outspoken and critical sector of the Moroccan news media, show the continuing limits on press freedom in that country. The courts over the past year have convicted at least four weeklies, or their journalists, on criminal charges of libel, publishing “false news,” or “insulting” a foreign head of state, and are trying a fifth for “undermining” the institution of the monarchy. May 8, 2006 Also available in
Questions and Answers on the Danish Cartoons and Freedom of Expression When Speech Offends On September 30, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed that its editors said they solicited as part of an experiment to overcome what they perceived as self-censorship reflected in the reluctance of illustrators to depict the Prophet. The cartoons were highly offensive to Muslims because Islam is understood to prohibit graphic depictions of the Prophet and because most of the depictions were extremely derogatory, for example, by associating him, and by implication all Muslims, with terrorism. February 15, 2006 Also available in
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