• Syrian Kurds Fleeing to Iraqi Safe Haven
    Commentary
    May 14, 2012
    With violence raging in Syria, thousands of people are fleeing to neighboring countries to escape the bloodshed. Although the flow of refugees to Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey has been covered extensively, the Syrians who have fled to Iraq, most of them Kurds, have received less attention.
  • Syria: Activists Arrested, Held Despite Pledge to Annan
    Press release
    May 13, 2012

    Syrian security forces are arbitrarily arresting and holding peaceful activists incommunicado, despite the government’s commitment under Kofi Annan’s six point plan to release everyone who has been arbitrarily detained. People being arrested include peaceful protesters and activists involved in organizing, filming, and reporting on protests and humanitarian assistance providers and doctors, Human Rights Watch said after interviewing dozens of activists, witnesses, and family members.

  • Syria: War Crimes in Idlib During Peace Negotiations
    Press release
    May 2, 2012
    Syrian government forces killed at least 95 civilians and burned or destroyed hundreds of houses during a two-week offensive in northern Idlib governorate shortly before the ceasefire. The attacks happened in late March and early April, as United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan was negotiating with the Syrian government to end the fighting.
  • Syria: Extrajudicial Executions
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2012

    Syrian security forces summarily executed over 100 – and possibly many more – civilians and wounded or captured opposition fighters during recent attacks on cities and towns, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

  • Arab League: Carry Out, Monitor Syria Sanctions
    Press release
    Mar 29, 2012
    The League of Arab States should at its summit in Baghdad that began on March 27, 2012, commit to carrying out and monitoring the implementation of the targeted sanctions against the Syrian leadership it agreed to in November 2011.
  • Written Testimony of Maria McFarland to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the Human Rights Crisis in Syria
    Written statement
    Mar 28, 2012
    The situation urgently requires a coordinated international response including unity in the Security Council; pressure from regional actors in the Arab League and neighboring countries that have already agreed in principle to a number of steps; the engagement of the United Nations; and, if a political settlement were achieved, significant international assistance. The United States needs to work with other countries on this issue, but strong US leadership is also crucial to ensure a meaningful response.
  • Syria: Local Residents Used as Human Shields
    Press release
    Mar 25, 2012

    Syrian government forces have endangered local residents by forcing them to march in front of the army during recent arrest operations, troop movements, and attacks on towns and villages in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. 

  • UN Human Rights Council: North Korea Condemnation Goes Unopposed
    Press release
    Mar 23, 2012
    The United Nations Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea signaled both the gravity of the abuses and the need for the new president, Kim Jong-un, to make major reforms.
  • Russia: Selective Use of Syria Findings
    Press release
    Mar 23, 2012

    Russia should not pick and choose. If it relies on Human Rights Watch’s findings to support its condemnation of abuses by the Syrian opposition, it should pay equal attention to the extensive documentation of violations by government forces and support international efforts to stop those violations.

  • Syria: Government Uses Homs Tactics on Border Town
    Press release
    Mar 22, 2012
    Syrian security forces are committing serious abuses in their military campaign on al-Qusayr, a city of approximately 40,000 in Homs governorate near the Lebanese border. Witnesses describe heavy shelling of residential neighborhoods, snipers shooting residents on the streets, and attacks on fleeing residents. Humanitarian conditions are dire, including food and water shortages, communications blackouts, and virtually non-existent medical assistance.