• Rwanda’s Rampaging Rebel Force
    Commentary
    Dec 28, 2012

    Despite supporting a brutal rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda is about to take a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Few countries dare challenge the Security Council the way Rwanda does; even fewer get away with it. Yet on Tuesday, despite backing an abusive rebel group that has attacked U.N. peacekeepers in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda will take a two-year seat on the council.  

  • Syria: Strong Coalition Message Against Targeting Civilians
    Press release
    Dec 21, 2012

    The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) sent a clear signal that targeting civilians violates the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today. The coalition’s statement on December 19, 2012, condemned attacks on civilians, regardless of their nationality. 

  • A Letter to the Italian Prime Minister about Palestine and the ICC
    Letter
    Dec 21, 2012
    We write to express Human Rights Watch’s deep concern regarding your December 17 statement made during a meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, in which you call on the Palestinian Authority not to use Palestine's new non-member observer-state status at the United Nations to pursue the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Senegal: Proceedings Against Hissène Habré Draw Near
    Press release
    Dec 19, 2012

    The adoption by the Senegalese National Assembly on December 19, 2012,of laws establishing special chambers within the existing Senegalese court structure heralds the start of criminal proceedings against the former president of Chad, Hissène Habré.

  • ICC: Congolese Rebel Leader Acquitted in Court’s Second Case
    Press release
    Dec 18, 2012

    The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) acquittal on December 18, 2012, of a Congolese rebel leader on all charges should re-energize efforts to prosecute others for atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

  • Rome Statute Ratifications
    Fact Sheet
    Dec 14, 2012
  • Living Up to the Nobel: EU Must Act on Syria
    Commentary
    Dec 10, 2012
    Catherine Ashton's mandate is to provide leadership on foreign policy and human rights. She has failed, however, to ensure a collective EU voice for bringing the crimes in Syria before the International Criminal Court (ICC). On 10 December, as the EU receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, EU foreign ministers meeting back in Brussels should decide to move beyond vague references to “accountability” for crimes in Syria and make clear that they support a UN Security Council referral of the situation to the ICC.
  • Joint Letter to UN Security Council on an International Military Force for Mali
    Letter
    Dec 5, 2012

    As the UN Security Council considers the authorization of an international military force for Mali, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, FIDH, and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect share concerns about the possible human rights challenges such a force could encounter if it is not accompanied by the proper safeguards for civilian protection and human rights monitoring capability.  

  • Guinea: Step Up Efforts to Ensure Justice for Stadium Massacre
    Press release
    Dec 5, 2012

    The Guinean government should increase support to the domestic investigation of the September 28, 2009 massacre, rapes, and other abuses to enable fair, credible prosecutions of the crimes without further delay, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The conclusion is based on extensive research and analysis of the factors holding up the investigation. International partners – including the European Union (EU), United States, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – also should increase pressure and support for justice to be done.

     

  • Palestine: Newest ‘Observer State’ Should Act on Rights Treaties
    Press release
    Nov 29, 2012
    Palestinian leaders should pursue ratification of core international human rights treaties and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Governments that have pressed Palestine to forgo membership in the ICC, including the United Kingdom, or have said that they will impose sanctions on Palestine if it seeks ICC membership, namely Israel, should end such pressure and support universal ratification of the ICC treaty.