Uzbek authorities should ensure that an appeal hearing that began today for a human rights advocate is fair and independent, Human Rights Watch said. The activist, Farkhad Mukhtarov, was convicted of criminal charges in a trial that appeared to have been politically motivated, and he was denied the right to defend himself fully.

The French Immigration Minister’s proposals to address the needs of unaccompanied migrant children held at transit zones, especially airports, falls short of bringing France into compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba was widely seen as exactly the kind of high-value, low-hanging fruit that would be ideal for a president elected under the banner of "change." But a scathing new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, "New Castro, Same Cuba," will make lifting sanctions against the Castro regime-on travel, remittances, trade-more difficult for President Obama.

Prosecutors, defense counsel, a military judge, several journalists and a handful of non-governmental organization observers like myself convened at Guantanamo Bay this week for what was to be the first hearing for a Guantanamo defendant under the Obama administration's "new and improved" military commissions.

Morocco must reverse its expulsion of Sahrawi rights activist Aminatou Haidar and allow her to enter her country of nationality, Human Rights Watch said today. Spain must intercede with Morocco to ensure her return.

The “Stupak amendment” to the House health care reform bill, which would effectively eliminate abortion access for millions of women, threatens women’s human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to US senators today. The restrictive provision was included in the final health care reform bill that passed the House earlier this month, and similar language is likely to be considered in the Senate.

The new Japanese government should take a leadership role in helping to improve human rights conditions in North Korea.

The Kyrgyz authorities should immediately release the human rights activists Bakhrom Hamroev and Izzatilla Rakhmatillaev and allow them to continue their fact-finding work without further interference.