• Immigration reform overlooks asylum-seekers
    Commentary
    Apr 26, 2013
    "Work authorization is not meant to get you rich, it's to let you live," said an Egyptian asylum-seeker who fled to the United States after a radical group beat him and tried to kidnap his wife and daughter. After fleeing persecution in their home countries, asylum-seekers like this man in New Jersey face a new type of maltreatment in the United States: The U.S. government won't let them work during what is often a drawn-out asylum process.
  • Blocking Syrian Refugees Isn’t the Way
    Commentary
    Apr 23, 2013
    The refugee burden that Syria’s neighbors are shouldering is heavy and should not be borne alone. But keeping people fleeing for their lives in buffer zones inside Syrian borders risks trapping rather than protecting them.
  • Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Bangladesh
    Written statement
    Apr 18, 2013
    Bangladesh’s human rights situation has seen little improvement since its first UPR review in 2009. A key undertaking in the 2009 UPRwas to take a “zero tolerance” stand against abuses by security forces, and bring an end to impunity. Yet extrajudicial killings by the country’s security forces continue with impunity.
  • Universal Periodic Review: Joint HRW Submission on Germany, with Forum Menschenrechte
    Written statement
    Apr 18, 2013
    Germany is State party to most of the core international human rights standards with the exception of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The German Government continues to refuse ratification. This submission further explores the respect of human rights law by the Federal Republic of Germany, ahead of its UPR.
  • Somalia's Displaced: The Reform Test
    Commentary
    Apr 11, 2013
    The harsh experience of Somalis driven to seek shelter in Mogadiushu 's unsafe camps should be an urgent priority for the country's new government and its foreign donors.
  • UAE: Don’t Deport Tamil Refugees to Sri Lanka
    Press release
    Apr 6, 2013
    United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should not deport 19 Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka because they would be at serious risk of torture and persecution upon return. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has recognized all 19 as refugees, but the UAE authorities have told the group they must leave the country by April 11, 2013.
  • No free pass for Jordan on refugees
    Commentary
    Mar 27, 2013
    The United States should provide aid to the refugees but ensure that no aid money goes to or through the Jordanian government as long as Jordan sends some refugees back to face death - even as it welcomes others.
  • Somalia: Protect Displaced People at Risk
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2013
    Members of state security forces and armed groups have raped, beaten, and otherwise abused displaced Somalis who have arrived in Somalia’s capital fleeing famine and armed conflict since 2011, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The new Somali government should urgently improve the protection and security of Mogadishu’s internally displaced population.
  • Why have we forgotten about Libya?
    Commentary
    Mar 25, 2013
    All civilians deserve protection, but some civilians deserve more protection than others. Or so it seems in Libya today.
  • Fleeing Syria: Insights on Lebanon’s open border
    Commentary
    Mar 24, 2013
  • Jordan: President’s Visit Shouldn’t Ignore Refugees in Peril
    Commentary
    Mar 22, 2013

    During his visit Friday to Jordan, there’s little doubt President Obama will praise it for its hospitality toward some 350,000 Syrian refugees. While praise and support for Jordan’s reception of many Syrian refugees is deserved, the president should not give Jordan a free pass when it comes to its forcible returns of Palestinian refugees to Syria.

  • Jordan: Obama Should Press King on Asylum Seeker Pushbacks
    Press release
    Mar 21, 2013
    Jordan is routinely and unlawfully rejecting Palestinian refugees, single males, and undocumented people seeking asylum at its border with Syria, said Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic (the Harvard Clinic).
  • Libya: Stop Revenge Crimes Against Displaced Persons
    Press release
    Mar 20, 2013
    The Libyan government should take urgent steps to stop serious and ongoing human rights violations against inhabitants of the town of Tawergha, who are widely viewed as having supported Muammar Gaddafi. The forced displacement of roughly 40,000 people, arbitrary detentions, torture, and killings are widespread, systematic, and sufficiently organized to be crimes against humanity and should be condemned by the United Nations Security Council.
  • Israel: Detained Asylum Seekers Pressured to Leave
    Press release
    Mar 13, 2013

    Israeli authorities are threatening detained Eritrean and Sudanese nationals, including asylum seekers, with prolonged detention to pressure them to leave Israel, Human Rights Watch and the Hotline for Migrant Workers said today.

  • Kyrgyzstan: Locate Missing Uzbek Refugee
    Press release
    Feb 25, 2013
    An Uzbek refugee has been missing from Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, since February 18, 2013.
  • The Netherlands: Halt Plan to Deport Somalis
    Press release
    Feb 21, 2013

    The Dutch government should not deport Somalis to any part of south-central Somalia, including Mogadishu, until security improves substantially, and the UN refugee agency has issued new guidelines.

  • Colombia: Landmark Ruling for Land Restitution
    Press release
    Feb 20, 2013
    A Colombian tribunal’s order to restore stolen land to 32 displaced families is a major step in carrying out the country’s land restitution law, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities should take vigorous measures to protect the beneficiaries of the ruling in Córdoba department, who have been subject to threats and intimidation.
  • HRW submission on Angola to UN Human Rights Committee
    Written statement
    Feb 15, 2013
    This memorandum provides an overview of Human Rights Watch’s main concerns with respect to the human rights situation in Angola. We hope it will inform the Committee’s preparation for its review of the Angolan government’s compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“the Covenant”).
  • Kuwait: Rights Setbacks Amid Political Crisis
    Press release
    Feb 12, 2013

    (Kuwait City) – Human rights conditions deteriorated in Kuwait in 2012 during an ongoing political crisis, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference for its World Report 2013. The security forces used what appeared to be excessive force to disperse stateless bidun residents and anti-government demonstrators on multiple occasions, and authorities briefly banned protests in October. 

  • Lebanon: Stagnation on Reforms in 2012
    Press release
    Feb 7, 2013
    Lebanon failed to enact needed reforms in 2012 to stem abuse during arrest and detention, promote women’s rights, and protect migrants and refugees, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference for its World Report 2013.
  • Libya: Slow Pace of Reform Harms Rights
    Press release
    Feb 6, 2013
    Libya is still plagued by serious rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and deaths in detention nearly a year-and-a-half after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference for its World Report 2013.
  • Malaysia: Stop Forced Returns to China
    Press release
    Feb 3, 2013

    Malaysia’s secret forced return to China of six Uighurs with pending asylum claims on December 31, 2012, was a grave violation of international law, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the Malaysian government today.  

  • Letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Concerning Forced Return of Uighurs
    Letter
    Feb 1, 2013
  • UAE: Backsliding on Human Rights
    Press release
    Jan 31, 2013
    The Human Rights situation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deteriorated rapidly during 2012, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Italy: Summary Returns to Greece Violate Rights
    Press release
    Jan 22, 2013
    Italy is summarily returning unaccompanied migrant children and adult asylum seekers to Greece, where they face a dysfunctional asylum system and abusive detention conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today. Stowaways on ferries from Greece, including children as young as 13, are sent back by Italian authorities within hours without adequate consideration of their particular needs as children or their desire to apply for asylum.
  • Kenya: Don’t Force 55,000 Refugees Into Camps
    Press release
    Jan 21, 2013
    The Kenyan authorities should halt their plan to forcibly move 55,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers from cities to overcrowded and underserviced refugee camps. Citing a number of grenade attacks in 2012, the authorities contend the move will improve Kenyan national security and lead to the return of Somali refugees to Somalia.
  • Another Greek Crisis That Needs the EU’s Attention
    Commentary
    Jan 19, 2013
    Last year was very tough for Greece, and there are few prospects that 2013 will be easier. Millions of people have been directly affected by the sweeping austerity measures arising from the economic crisis. The country is convulsed by political tensions, with the rise of the far-right Golden Dawn party the most worrying example. And there are severe social problems, linked in part to the huge influx in recent years of irregular migrants from outside the European Union.
  • Egypt: Don’t Force Palestinians Back to Syria
    Press release
    Jan 18, 2013
    Two Palestinians being held at the Cairo airport, apparently refused entry to Egypt, are at risk of deportation to Syria. The man and his son would face indiscriminate violence and possible persecution if returned to Syria.
  • Kenya: Discrimination Against Rift Valley Displaced
    Press release
    Jan 17, 2013
    The Kenyan government has discriminated based on ethnicity in assisting displaced people from the Rift Valley. The discriminatory practices are stoking inter-ethnic tensions ahead of the March 2013 elections.
  • Last of the Nuba, again?
    Commentary
    Jan 4, 2013
    Central government forces in Sudan, under the country’s longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, use tactics against communities it believes support the SPLA-North that were characteristic of the conflict: indiscriminate bombing, assaults on civilians by soldiers and allied militia, and obstructing humanitarian aid.
  • Thailand: Don’t Deport Rohingya ‘Boat People’
    Press release
    Jan 2, 2013

    The Thai government should immediately halt its plan to deport 73 ethnic Rohingya back to Burma.