Bahrain needs to take urgent steps to end torture and ill-treatment of security suspects during interrogation.

Israel has failed to demonstrate that it will conduct thorough and impartial investigations into alleged laws-of-war violations by its forces during last year's Gaza conflict. An independent investigation is needed if perpetrators of abuse, including senior military and political officials who set policies that violated the laws of war, are to be held accountable.

Scott Long of Human Rights Watch discusses the struggle for gay rights around the world.

New York University's announcement today that it will require all companies to respect the rights of laborers building its campus in the United Arab Emirates is a significant step toward protecting migrant workers there.

On February 3, 2010, the International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals chamber decided to reject the standard used to exclude genocide charges in the ICC's arrest warrant issued on March 4, 2009, for President Omar al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The warrant raises a number of important issues.

Libya’s moves in late January, 2010, to block access to at least seven independent and opposition Libyan web sites based abroad and to YouTube is a disturbing step away from press freedom.

Jordan should stop withdrawing nationality arbitrarily from Jordanians of Palestinian origin.

Dubai sees and markets itself as a tolerant cosmopolitan city where east meets west: where occidental comforts and luxury sit cosily and apparently easily with the Arab-Islamic culture. As many visitors to the UAE notice (and have mentioned to me), alcohol is readily available in hotels and restaurants. Unmarried couples often openly share hotel rooms, and visitors to the UAE say they are rarely, if ever, troubled by the authorities over either issue.