• Members from Arab League observers delegation visit al-Msefra town near Deraa, southern Syria on January 5,2012, in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA.
    © 2012 Reuters
    Syria: Army Shoots Protesters Attempting to Reach Observers

    The Arab League should urgently condemn the Syrian security forces for shooting peaceful protesters who were attempting to reach its observers in the northern city of Jisr al-Shughur, Human Rights Watch said today. In light of these and other blatant violations of the agreement it brokered with the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, the Arab League should report publicly on its findings and assess whether its mission should continue. 

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Syria

  • Syria: Stop Torture of Children
    Feb 3, 2012
  • A Chance for South Africa to do the Right Thing for Syria
    Feb 2, 2012

    Will history repeat itself at the United Nations Security Council? The last time South Africa was called to vote on a resolution on Syria, on October 4 last year, it chose to abstain, along with India and Brazil.

  • Russia Repeats Western Mistakes in Arab Spring
    Jan 23, 2012
    Russia is repeating the mistakes of Western governments during the Arab Spring by continuing to support a longstanding authoritarian ally whose people have clearly expressed the desire for democratic change, Human Rights Watch said in releasing its annual global survey at a Moscow news conference today.
  • Arab League: Report Publicly on Syria Mission
    Jan 20, 2012
    The Arab League should publicly release its Syria monitoring mission’s final report in full and urge the United Nations Security Council to impose targeted sanctions to halt the ongoing killings. They will meet to discuss Syria on January 22, 2012. Human Rights Watch has documented ongoing daily violations by security forces against protesters and steps by the Syrian government to interfere with the work of the mission, including the detention of a wounded protester on January 1, 2012.
  • Letter to the Arab League Secretary-General Regarding the Monitoring Mission in Syria
    Jan 20, 2012
    Human Rights Watch has been monitoring the ongoing human rights violations in Syria since the beginning of antigovernment protests in mid-March. In an effort to assist your assessment of the mission, we are setting out our documentation of recent violations as well as our concerns regarding the work of the monitoring mission. Given that the success of the monitoring mission, including its ability to deter future violations, will depend on the Arab League’s credible and effective reporting on Syria’s compliance with the Arab League plan of December 19, 2011, we urge you to publicly release the Mission’s final report in full, in particular to address ongoing concerns about the opacity of the Mission, and in particular, address concerns that the monitoring mission is being manipulated by the Syrian authorities.
  • Syria: Army Shoots Protesters Attempting to Reach Observers
    Jan 11, 2012

    The Arab League should urgently condemn the Syrian security forces for shooting peaceful protesters who were attempting to reach its observers in the northern city of Jisr al-Shughur, Human Rights Watch said today. In light of these and other blatant violations of the agreement it brokered with the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, the Arab League should report publicly on its findings and assess whether its mission should continue. 

  • Syria: Comply With Agreement
    Jan 6, 2012

    The Syrian government should comply with all the terms of its agreement with the Arab League, Human Rights Watch said today ahead of a January 8, 2012 meeting of the Arab League to discuss its monitoring mission in Syria.

  • Syria: Detainees Hidden From International Monitors
    Dec 27, 2011

    Syrian authorities have transferred perhaps hundreds of detainees to off-limits military sites to hide them from Arab League monitors now in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. The Arab League should insist on full access to all Syrian sites used for detention, consistent with its agreement with the Syrian government.

  • Syria’s guilty men
    Dec 22, 2011
    The United Nations Security Council this week was given a briefing about the situation in Syria by the human-rights commissioner, Navi Pillay. She estimates that since the start of the popular uprising in March 2011, the Syrian security forces have killed up to 5,000 people.
  • Brazil and the Syrian People
    Dec 18, 2011

    With two weeks left in its two-year tenure on the UN Security Council, Brazil has a tremendous opportunity to make its vote count for the Syrian people. With Brazil’s support, the Security Council could overcome eight months of inaction and join the Arab League, Turkey, and dozens of other countries in applying real pressure on the Syrian government to end the bloodbath. 

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