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June 1, 1992

Areas Of Armed Conflict In The Former Soviet Union

The current map of the former Soviet Union is pockmarked with violent conflict, primarily in Transcaucasia, Moldova and Tajikistan. Some of the conflicts are longstanding territorial disputes inherited from the Soviet and pre-Soviet periods; others are born of governmental power struggles that are peculiar to post-putsch politics. The following is a brief overview of the areas of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Republic of Georgia which currently are experiencing violent, organized, armed conflict.
June 1, 1992

Egypt: Court Upholds Closure of Women's Organization

On May 7, 1992, an Egyptian administrative court decided to uphold last year's decree dissolving the Egyptian branch of the Arab Women's Solidarity Association (AWSA), a prominent women's rights organization. The court refused to grant an injunction that would have allowed AWSA to continue operating while it awaits the outcome an appeal on the merits of the government decree. After several delays, the three-judge State Council court rejected AWSA's request for an injunction, finding that the group had "violated the rule of law and public order and morality."
June 1, 1992

Accountability in Namibia

Human Rights and the Transition to Democracy

After nearly 70 years of South African colonial rule, an armed struggle for independence began along the country’s northern border in 1966. South African military and paramilitary forces were deployed to prevent intervention from the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO).
June 1, 1992

Peru Under Fire

Human Rights since the Return to Democracy

The people of Peru are caught in a deadly crossfire between government forces and a brutal insurgent movement, chiefly Sendero Luminoso, as they battle for control of the country.
June 1, 1992

Human Rights in India

Police Killings in Andhra Pradesh

In Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s poorest and least developed states, conflict between government forces and an armed insurgent group known as the Peoples’ War Group, has resulted in massive human rights violations.
June 1, 1992

Hidden Death

Landmines and Civilian Casualties in Iraqi Kurdistan

Decades of internal conflict with the Kurds and another nine years of international strife — first with Iran and then with the U.S.-led coalition — have left much of northern Iraq littered with millions of unexploded landmines.
June 1, 1992

Prison Conditions in Romania

Despite the reforms following the 1989 revolution in Romania, the laws regulating prison life are largely unchanged and many of the prison personnel remain the same. Not surprisingly, with decades of neglect and the current economic crisis, prison facilities are sorely lacking in basic necessities and overcrowding contributes to violence among inmates.
June 1, 1992

Prison Conditions in the United Kingdom

Prisoners in the U.K., which has the highest per capita rate of imprisonment in Western Europe, suffer from unsanitary conditions, extremely poor conditions for remand prisoners, and the lack of useful educational or work activities.
June 1, 1992

Egypt: Court Upholds Closure of Women's Organization

On May 7, 1992, an Egyptian administrative court decided to uphold last year's decree dissolving the Egyptian branch of the Arab Women's Solidarity Association (AWSA), a prominent women's rights organization. The court refused to grant an injunction that would have allowed AWSA to continue operating while it awaits the outcome an appeal on the merits of the government decree.
June 1, 1992

Brutality Unchecked

Human Rights Abuses Along the U.S. Border with Mexico

Examining human rights abuses committed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and its agents during the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws in the four U.S. states that border Mexico, Human Rights Watch finds that beatings, rough physical treatment, and racially motivated verbal abuse are routine during arrests. Unjustified shootings, torture, and sexual abuse, also occur.