Human Rights Watch and 27 human rights, religious, and civil liberties groups strongly urged President Obama to veto the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 if it impedes his ability to close Guantanamo, by restricting the Executive Branch's authority to transfer detainees for repatriation or resettlement in foreign countries or for prosecution in federal criminal court.
Human Rights Watch writes to urge Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett to veto Senate Bill 850, which would maintain life without parole sentences as an option for child offenders. The bill would codify excessive sentences for children that are inconsistent with international human rights law to which all US states are bound.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and board of pardons, urging them to commute the death sentence of Terrance Williams. Williams was 18 years old at the time of his crime. In addition, juries in Pennsylvania are not informed that the alternative to the death sentence is a life without parole sentence (and that life with parole is not an option).
HRW writes in strong support of the TRUST Act, which would advance public safety by limiting the response to ICE holds of unauthorized immigrants to those convicted or charged by a District Attorney of serious or violent offenses, and by making clear to immigrant communities that mere contact with local law enforcement, including by victims and witnesses, will not lead to reporting to ICE.
Human Rights Watch wrote in support of Amendment 548 in the proposed Massachusetts state budget, which would end to the practice of administering electric shocks as behavior modification to people with disabilities in the state. This pratice, which is used only at the Judge Rotenberg Center, fails to respect the dignity of individuals with disabilities and is tantamount to torture .
Human Rights Watch and 45 other organizations sent a letter to Secretary Janet Napolitano today, urging the Department of Homeland Security to develop strong, comprehensive standards to implement the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in immigration facilities.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta urging the administration to redouble its efforts to facilitate the repatriation and or appropriate resettlement of those detainees already cleared for transfer and to implement as soon as possible the Periodic Review Board (PRB) process to facilitate identification of additional detainees for repatriation or resettlement.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the New York City Police Department's surveillance and profiling of Muslims based solely on religion and ethnic origin.
Human Rights Watch is in strong support of H.R. 3605, the Global Online Freedom Act of 2011. This bill is an important tool in preventing repressive governments from enlisting U.S. companies in their effort to transform the Internet into a tool of surveillance and repression.
