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  • Libya: No Impunity for ‘Black Saturday’ Benghazi Deaths
    Jun 13, 2013
    Press release
    Libyan authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the violent clashes in Benghazi on June 8, 2013, that left 32 people dead. The authorities should also hold those who violated the law accountable, the group said.
  • US: Policy Recommendations on Counterterrorism
    May 21, 2013
    Press release
    On May 23, 2013, US President Barack Obama will give a speech at the National Defense University on counterterrorism policy. Human Rights Watch has long reported on US counterterrorism policy, and has recently made a number of recommendations that address issues on the president’s agenda.
  • Syria: Visit Reveals Torture Chambers
    May 17, 2013
    Press release
    Government security branches in Raqqa city hold documents and potential physical evidence indicating that detainees were arbitrarily detained and tortured there while the city was under government control. Human Rights Watch researchers visited the State Security and Military Intelligence facilities in Raqqa, now under the de facto control of local armed opposition groups, in late April 2013.
  • Bahrain: Detained Activists Allege Torture
    May 14, 2013
    Press release
    Bahraini authorities should immediately investigate allegations that officials are torturing activists in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should ensure that no evidence secured by torture is used against detainees.
  • Bahrain: F1 Ignores Rights Abuses Ahead of Race
    Apr 17, 2013
    Press release
    International racing bodies responsible for scheduling the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix from April 19 to 21, 2013, have taken no steps to address human rights abuses that appear to be directly linked to the event.
  • US: Bipartisan Study Shows Need to Investigate Torture
    Apr 16, 2013
    Press release
    A bipartisan study finding “indisputable” evidence of torture for which the highest United States officials bear responsibility should spur the US government to thoroughly investigate detainee abuse since September 11, 2001, and provide redress to victims.
  • Saudi Arabia: Free Detainee in ‘Eye-for-an-Eye’ Case
    Apr 13, 2013
    Press release
    Judicial authorities in Saudi Arabia should take urgent steps to end the indefinite detention of a man who can’t raise the money to compensate an attack victim. In addition to the criminal sentence, he also faced a Qisas, or “equal retaliation” judgment, which under Saudi law stipulates a direct “eye-for-an-eye” physical punishment or payment of compensation to the victim.
  • Mali: Two Torture Victims Die in Detention
    Apr 11, 2013
    Press release
    Two ethnic Tuareg men who had been arrested on February 15, 2013, and tortured by Malian soldiers in the town of Léré, Timbuktu region, have died in detention at the Central Prison in Bamako.
  • UAE: Don’t Deport Tamil Refugees to Sri Lanka
    Apr 6, 2013
    Press release
    United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should not deport 19 Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka because they would be at serious risk of torture and persecution upon return. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has recognized all 19 as refugees, but the UAE authorities have told the group they must leave the country by April 11, 2013.
  • Mali: Soldiers Torture Detainees in Léré
    Mar 26, 2013
    Press release
    The government of Mali should investigate allegations that Malian soldiers tortured seven suspected supporters of Islamist armed groups in Léré, near Timbuktu.
  • UN Report Highlights Abuse as ‘Drug Treatment’
    Mar 3, 2013
    Press release
    A United Nations report about torture and other abuses in healthcare settings points to the need for donors to withdraw funds to compulsory drug detention centers, Human Rights Watch and Harm Reduction International said today.
  • Libya: Focus on Justice System in Paris Meeting
    Feb 12, 2013
    Press release
    The international ministerial meeting in Paris on security in Libya on February 12, 2013, should include building a strong justice system as an integral part of its discussions. The Paris meeting, hosted by the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, will bring together senior Libyan officials and foreign ministers from the US, UK, Italy, Denmark, Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as representatives of the UN and EU.
  • Senegal: Hissène Habré Court Opens
    Feb 8, 2013
    Press release
    The inauguration of a special court in Senegal marks a turning point in the long campaign to bring to justice the former dictator of Chad Hissène Habré.
  • Lebanon: Stagnation on Reforms in 2012
    Feb 7, 2013
    Press release
    Lebanon failed to enact needed reforms in 2012 to stem abuse during arrest and detention, promote women’s rights, and protect migrants and refugees, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference for its World Report 2013.
  • Kyrgyzstan: Stop Extradition to Uzbekistan
    Feb 4, 2013
    Press release
    An appeals court in Bishkek should stop the extradition of a former Imam to Uzbekistan, where he would be at serious risk of torture.
  • Egypt: Publish Fact-Finding Committee Report
    Jan 24, 2013
    Press release
    President Mohamed Morsy should mark the second anniversary of Egypt’s January 25, 2011 uprising by publishing and acting upon the findings of a fact-finding committee on accountability for security force abuses.
  • North Korea: Launch a UN Commission of Inquiry
    Jan 21, 2013
    Press release
    Members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) should vote to establish a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea when the matter comes up before the February-March session of the council, said Human Rights Watch today. A detailed memo released by Human Rights Watch, Q&A on a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on North Korea, explains why a commission is urgently needed, how it could be established, what it should examine, and how it will support the efforts of the UNHRC to press for Pyongyang’s compliance with international human rights standards.
  • US: Zero Dark Thirty and the Truth About Torture
    Jan 11, 2013
    Press release
    The movie Zero Dark Thirty, which depicts the hunt for Osama bin Laden, wrongly suggests that torture was an ugly but useful tactic in the fight against terrorism.
  • Nepal: A Warning to Rights Abusers
    Jan 4, 2013
    Press release
    The arrest in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2013, of a Nepali army colonel suspected of torture sends a warning to those accused of serious crimes in Nepal and elsewhere that they cannot hide from the law forever. Nepal failed to prosecute anyone for torture during the decade-long civil war in the nearly seven years since it ended.