• Libya: Unacknowledged Deaths
  • Burma's Reform Is Still on Parole
    Commentary
    May 2, 2012

    In Burma this week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged foreign countries to lift sanctions. At the same time, it was wise of him to keep pushing Burma to release its remaining political prisoners. The fate of these wrongfully imprisoned people, too often overlooked as we celebrate those who have been released, can tell us much about the Burmese government's intentions with regard to reform. 

  • Burma: Ban Should Press for Lasting Reforms
    Press release
    Apr 28, 2012
    United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should emphasize the need for genuine reforms to address Burma’s still dire human rights situation, Human Rights Watch said today. Ban will visit Burma for several days beginning April 29, 2012 to discuss with Burmese officials a range of issues including political reform, development and humanitarian needs, and refugee issues.
  • Letter to Permanent Representatives of HRC Member States on the Upcoming UPR Session on Bahrain
    Letter
    Apr 24, 2012
    Bahrain’s second UPR review also takes place following an extensive independent investigation into alleged serious human rights violations by the government in suppressing large anti-government protests that began in mid-February 2011. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), comprising a team of five renowned international jurists, concluded, in its 489-page report released in late November, that a lack of accountability had led to what the Commissioners called a “culture of impunity” for widespread and systematic violations of international human rights law as well as Bahraini law.
  • Letter to Ambassadors of UN Security Council Member States in Favor of Enlarging MINURSO's Mandate
    Letter
    Apr 12, 2012
    Human Rights Watch urges the Security Council, when it reviews the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) this month, to extend it to incorporate human rights monitoring in Western Sahara and in the Polisario Front-run refugee camps near Tindouf.
  • Joint Letter Regarding the Libya Resolution Amendments Vote at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council
    Letter
    Apr 10, 2012

    The undersgned non-governmental organizations want to express their dismay regarding the results of the vote that toook place during the adoption of the resolution on "Assistance to Libya in the field of Human Rights" (A/HRW/19/L39/Rev.1), at the 19th session of the Human Rights Council on 23rd March 2012.

  • Turkmenistan: Damning UN Report Shows Need for Urgent Action
    Press release
    Mar 30, 2012
    The Turkmen government should urgently heed the calls by the UN Human Rights Committee to improve its abysmal rights record.
  • 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.
  • UN Rights Council: Sri Lanka Vote a Strong Message for Justice
    Press release
    Mar 22, 2012

    The United Nations Human Rights Council’s adoption of a resolution on Sri Lanka demonstrates strong international support for accountability for abuses committed in Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. 

  • Statement at the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Afghanistan
    Oral statement
    Mar 21, 2012

    The key issues in Afghanistan emphasized in this statement are the following: declining international aid and political engagement; the need for an inclusive decision-making process; the need for accountable security forces; violence against women and "moral crimes"

  • Statement at the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire
    Oral statement
    Mar 21, 2012

    In his first report, the Independent Expert highlights important ongoing problems related to criminality, the continued usurping of state functions by the Republican Forces in certain regions, and the need to end impunity in order to restore the rule of law.