• Russia: Forced Eviction, No Compensation
    Sep 21, 2012
    The illegal eviction of a family in Sochi casts a dark shadow over preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should intervene immediately to ensure that the Russian authorities provide the family with compensation. At approximately 5 p.m. on September 19, 2012, Sochi time, court bailiffs removed the Khlistov family, whose property was expropriated for Olympic construction without compensation. Bailiffs supervised the demolition of the modest two-story house in the Adler section of Sochi, where Sergei Khlistov has been living for 16 years with his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren, ages 4 and 8. The home sat in the midst of an area of immense construction of Olympic infrastructure and venues underway since April 2011.
  • Breaking Barriers: The Disability Rights Movement in Russia
    Aug 8, 2012
  • Greece: Hate On The Streets
    Jul 5, 2012
  • Russia: Moscow's "March of Millions"
    Jun 13, 2012
    On June 12, Russian political opposition and civic movements held another “March of Millions” mass demonstration in central Moscow. Thousands of protesters gathered at Pushkin Square at noon and walked down the Boulevard Ring to Andrei Sakharov Avenue for a rally and concert by rap and rock musicians who performed a collection of protest songs, “The White Album,” especially for the event. The city administration authorized both the march and the rally. According to media reports, about 50,000 people took part in the event. People of various political convictions joined in the calls for freedom, state accountability, and fair elections. Protesters were especially careful to avoid violating the new restrictive law on public rallies, which sets out exorbitant fines for, among other things, damaging public property. So when marching along the boulevards, protesters took great care to avoid stepping on the grass so as not to give the authorities a pretext to penalize the organizers on those grounds. There was a strong police presence, but no police interference with the protest.
  • Azerbaijan: Media Freedoms in Grave Danger
    May 2, 2012
    Journalists and free-speech advocates voice their alarm at the Azerbaijan government's crackdown in free expression and the European Broadcasting Union's reluctance to speak out publicly against it ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku.
  • Color of the Ocean
    Mar 15, 2012

    A conflicted border guard and a desperate African migrant face off in Color of the Ocean, a thriller that's playing at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London. With HRW's Jude Sunderland and host Amy Costello.

  • The Price of Sex
    Mar 2, 2012

    Filmmaker Mimi Chakarova and HRW's Liesl Gerntholtz discuss The Price of Sex. The film gives a harrowing and intimate view of the sex trade in Eastern Europe. It's playing at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London later this month.

  • Azerbaijan-Eurovision
    Feb 28, 2012
  • Azerbaijan: Forced Evictions
    Feb 27, 2012
    The government of Azerbaijan has forcibly evicted homeowners and demolished their homes for urban development projects in the capital of Baku. Dozens of families have been evicted from the neighborhood where the arena for the May 2012 Eurovision Song Contest is being built. Human Rights Watch has documented the authorities’ illegal expropriation of properties and forcible evictions of dozens of families in four Baku neighborhoods, at times without warning or in the middle of the night. The authorities subsequently demolished homes, sometimes with residents’ possessions inside. The government has refused to provide homeowners fair compensation for the properties, many of which are in highly desirable locations even though Azerbaijani law stipulates that market value should be paid in compensation for a forced sale. In many cases, including in the National Flag Square area, the government has cut services or begun dismantling apartment buildings in which some residents remained. These measures make the buildings uninhabitable and compel residents to leave.
  • Russia: White Ring Protest
    Feb 26, 2012
    The last protest in Moscow before the March 4 presidential vote was held on February 26, 2012. The organizers urged all supporters of free and fair elections to wear white ribbons and form a chain along the sidewalks of the Garden Ring, the main road circling the city center. ‪Protesters had to organize carefully so that they did not form too big groups or spill out on the road, which may have interfered with public order and provided police with legitimate reasons to break up the event.‬ Within just 40 minutes, the chain actually closed full circle with 30,000 people demonstrating amazing solidarity and respect for the law. Some carried ribbons, others held on to huge white sheets, while owners brought their white pets and parents brought their kids along. Friendly drivers were honking non-stop, waving hands, sticking pieces of white cloth or simply white plastic bags from the windows. Even buses and trolleys were covered with posters and ribbons. That Sunday afternoon saw another Moscow, a place full of high spirits and offering hope to all those seeking a truly democratic election.