• China: EU Rights Talks Sliding Toward Irrelevance
    May 25, 2012
    Press release
    The European Union needs to hold China accountable for its human rights obligations under international law or face the prospect that its human rights dialogue with the world’s second largest economy will become irrelevant.
  • Azerbaijan: Eurovision No Party for Peaceful Protesters
    May 24, 2012
    Press release
    The Azerbaijani authorities roughed up and arbitrarily detained at least 30 and possibly more than 70 peaceful protesters today as dozens of local and international journalists looked on.
  • Azerbaijan: Authorities Violently Disperse Peaceful Rallies
    May 22, 2012
    Press release
    Azerbaijan sent an ominous message about the government’s commitment to fundamental freedoms as the police violently dispersed two peaceful protests on May 21, 2012.
  • Azerbaijan: Free Activists, Journalists Held on Bogus Charges
    May 17, 2012
    Press release
    The Azerbaijani authorities should promptly follow the May 15, 2012 release of an opposition activist by releasing others held on politically motivated charges.
  • Russia: A Sunday Stroll for Freedom
    May 16, 2012
    Press release
    Police arrested hundreds of people following clashes with demonstrators at a major protest rally in Moscow on May 6, 2012, the day before Vladimir Putin’s inauguration as president of Russia.
  • ICTY/Bosnia: Start of Mladic Trial Shows Persistence Pays
    May 14, 2012
    Press release
    The opening of the trial of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military commander, is a salient reminder that justice catches up with those accused of atrocity crimes. Mladic’s trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is scheduled to begin on May 16, 2012, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
  • Uzbekistan: No Justice 7 Years after Andijan Massacre
    May 11, 2012
    Press release
    The European Union and the United States should re-examine their relationships with the Uzbek government in light of its atrocious rights record.
  • Kosovo: Draft Criminal Code Undermines Media Freedom
    May 10, 2012
    Press release
    Kosovo’s National Assembly should remove provisions from the draft criminal code that criminalize defamation and compel journalists to reveal their sources.
  • Russia: Investigate Police Use of Force Against Peaceful Protesters
    May 8, 2012
    Press release
    Russian authorities should promptly and effectively investigate reports of excessive use of force against protesters and arbitrary detentions during and following a protest on May 6, 2012.
  • Russia: Reform Domestic Laws on Disability Rights
    May 4, 2012
    Press release
    Russia should move quickly to reform laws and practices that currently prevent the 13 million Russians with disabilities from enjoying equal rights, Human Rights Watch said today. President Dmitry Medvedev signed a federal law on May 3, 2012, formally ratifying the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.