The 25-day detention by Hamas authorities of the journalist Paul Martin seriously violated his due process rights.

Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign relations chief, should raise human rights concerns with Syrian officials during her visit next week and seek specific commitments to improve their record, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Lebanese government should investigate the seizure of a human rights lawyer's passport by General Security, a group of 16 Lebanese and international human rights organizations said today.

The Yemeni government’s acknowledgment that an airstrike killed more than 42 civilians in December 2009 is a stark reminder of the need for careful targeting when using such counterterrorism measures.

Iran should stop infringing on women’s rights and take immediate steps to meet Iranian women’s demands for full equality. Iranian women’s rights activists have issued a call for freedom and gender equality in Iran in connection with International Women’s Rights Day on March 8.

The Iranian Judiciary should immediately release six women arrested in January and early February 2010, apparently in connection with their peaceful activities on behalf of the Mourning Mothers.