• Ethiopia: 4 Journalists Win Free Speech Prize
    Dec 20, 2012
    Press release
    Four Ethiopian journalists have received the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award for 2012 in recognition of their efforts to promote free expression in Ethiopia, one of the world’s most restricted media environments.
  • Russia/EU: Moment of Truth Over Human Rights
    Dec 17, 2012
    Press release
    The European Union should urge President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming EU-Russia summit meeting to end the crackdown on Russia’s civil society.
  • Kazakhstan: Growing Crackdown on Free Speech
    Dec 13, 2012
    Press release
    The Kazakh government should end its crackdown on independent media outlets and opposition groups. The authorities appear to be targeting media and opposition groups that most extensively covered violence a year ago in Zhanaozen, in western Kazakhstan, and its aftermath.
  • Iran: Activists Fleeing Assault on Civil Society
    Dec 13, 2012
    Press release
    The space in Iran for civil society has been shrinking since the crackdown following the disputed presidential election in 2009, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Three-and-a-half years after government forces brutally suppressed largely peaceful anti-government demonstrations, hundreds of activists have sought temporary refuge and an uncertain future in neighboring Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan in the face of harassment and detention at home.
  • EU: Enact Controls on Digital Weapons Trade
    Dec 11, 2012
    Press release
    The European Union should enact new controls on internet surveillance technologies that have enabled human rights violations. The European Parliament adopted a new digital freedom strategy in EU foreign policy in the plenary on December 11.
  • Russia: Reject Homophobic Bill
    Dec 10, 2012
    Press release
    Russia’s parliament should reject a proposed bill that would violate Russians’ freedom of expression and discriminate against and stigmatize Russia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
  • Uzbekistan: Free Political Prisoners on Constitution Day
    Dec 5, 2012
    Press release
    The Uzbek government should unconditionally release all of its political prisoners on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the country’s constitution on December 8, 2012, human rights groups said today.
  • Qatar: Poet’s Conviction Violates Free Expression
    Dec 4, 2012
    Press release
    A Qatari court’s life sentence for the poet Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami after a grossly unfair trial flagrantly violates the right to free expression. Putting Ibn al-Deeb on trial badly undermined Qatar’s efforts to present itself as a free speech haven.
  • Russia: Stop Efforts to Ban Human Rights Book
    Dec 3, 2012
    Press release
    The Russian authorities should withdraw their petition to ban a human rights monograph as “extremist.” The case is part of the growing misuse of anti-extremism legislation against civil society activists.
  • Tunisia: Riot Police Fire Birdshot at Protesters
    Dec 1, 2012
    Press release
    Clashes between police and protesters in the northern city of Siliana on November 27 and 28, 2012, injuring more than 210 people, highlight the urgent need to reform Tunisia’s security forces. The government should ensure that the announced independent commission of inquiry investigates any excessive use of force by the riot police during the protests.