• Syria: Allow UN Aid Directly Over Borders
    Written statement
    Apr 19, 2013
    South Africa should respond to the stark new picture of Syria’s humanitarian crisis by working with Brazil and India for improved access to humanitarian aid, including over Syria’s borders.
  • Universal Periodic Review: Joint HRW submission on Cameroon with Affirmative Action, Alternatives Cameroun, ADEFHO, Camfaids, Evolve, Humanity First, IGLHRC
    Written statement
    Apr 18, 2013
    This submission, by Affirmative Action, Alternatives-Cameroun, the Association for the Defense of Gay and Lesbian Rights (ADEFHO), Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), Evolve, Human Rights Watch, Humanity First Cameroon, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), highlights shortcomings in Cameroon’s human rights record related to its treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. It is based on research conducted in Cameroon in 2009 and 2010 by ADEFHO, Alternatives-Cameroun, Human Rights Watch, and IGLHRC and published in our 2010 report Criminalizing Identities: Rights Abuses in Cameroon based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and on follow-up investigations conducted between 2010 and 2012.
  • Mali: End Child Labor in Gold Mines
    Press release
    Apr 18, 2013
    The Malian government should take immediate action to address child labor in mining instead of denying it. Human Rights Watch published an in-depth report on the issue in December 2011, but Malian authorities attacked this research at a news conference earlier in April 2013 and rejected well-documented evidence that child labor is used in the country’s mines.
  • Statement before the CRPD Committee on the Day of General Discussion on Women and Girls with Disabilities
    Written statement
    Apr 17, 2013
  • Somalia: New Al-Shabaab Attacks are War Crimes
    Press release
    Apr 16, 2013
    The attacks claimed by the Islamist armed group al-Shabaab on the Mogadishu regional courthouse and on an aid workers’ convoy on April 14, 2013, were grave violations of the laws of war. At least four legal professionals were killed, including a judge and three lawyers.
  • Burundi: New Law Would Muzzle Journalists
    Press release
    Apr 12, 2013

    The adoption of a new media law by Burundi’s National Assembly on April 3, 2013, is an attempt to curtail free speech and independent journalism. The Senate and president should reject this version of the draft law, which would undermine Burundians’ hard-won struggle for fundamental freedoms.

  • Will Kenya's new president respect international court?
    Commentary
    Apr 12, 2013
    Kenya's new president missed the opportunity on day one to declare unequivocal commitment to the International Criminal Court and his administration should do so as soon as possible, says campaign group
  • 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.
  • Mali: Two Torture Victims Die in Detention
    Press release
    Apr 11, 2013
    Two ethnic Tuareg men who had been arrested on February 15, 2013, and tortured by Malian soldiers in the town of Léré, Timbuktu region, have died in detention at the Central Prison in Bamako.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Soldiers on Trial for Abuses
    Press release
    Apr 11, 2013

    The opening in Côte d’Ivoire on April 11, 2013, of trials against soldiers allegedly implicated in crimes against civilians is a positive development, but little progress has been made in investigating the most politically sensitive cases involving government forces.

  • Waiting for Minds to Change in Cameroon
    Commentary
    Apr 9, 2013
    “There’s no reason to despair,” Cameroonian president Paul Biya told journalists in January 2013. They had questioned him, at a Paris news conference, on Cameroon’s startling level of arrests and prosecutions for same-sex conduct – by some accounts, the highest number of “homosexuality” prosecutions in the world. “Minds are changing,” Biya reassured the journalists. He mentioned a recent case appeals court ruling overturning the conviction of two transgender people, Jonas K. and Franky D., who had been sentenced to five years in prison.
  • Chad: Don’t Welcome Back Al-Bashir
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2013
    The government of Chad should arrest President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan or bar him entry to the country.
  • Kenya: Q&A on Recent Developments on the International Criminal Court
    Q & A
    Apr 8, 2013

    On April 9, 2013, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta was sworn in as Kenya’s president, following a Supreme Court decision rejecting challenges to the March 2013 election. Kenyatta, along with the deputy president-elect, William Samoei Ruto, both face trial (in two separate cases) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of committing crimes against humanity during Kenya’s 2007-2008 post-election violence.

  • Kenya: New Leadership Should Uphold Rights and Obligations
    Press release
    Apr 8, 2013

    President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, who are being sworn in April 9, 2013, should ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today. Their new government should also uphold and protect the bill of rights in Kenya’s constitution, Human Rights Watch said.

     

  • Is justice gaining a foothold?
    Commentary
    Apr 8, 2013
    Former Guatemalan strongman Efraín Ríos Montt went on trial in Guatemala City late last month on charges of genocide relating to the massacres of indigenous Mayan people during his rule.
  • In Darfur, Money Won’t Buy You Human Rights
    Commentary
    Apr 5, 2013
    Darfur desperately needs help – but not just to repair damage from the horrific conflict that erupted in 2003, which killed 300,000 people, destroyed hundreds of villages and pushed 2 million people to camps inside Darfur and across the Chadian border. Darfur also desperately needs to overcome the marginalization and underdevelopment that helped fuel the conflict.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Unrealized Promises for Impartial Justice
    Press release
    Apr 3, 2013
    The Ivorian government has not yet delivered on its promises of impartial accountability for the serious international crimes from the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should step up support to judges and prosecutors handling these cases so that victims from both sides can finally see justice.
  • Ethiopia: Muslim Protesters Face Unfair Trial
    Press release
    Apr 2, 2013
    The prosecution of 29 Muslim protest leaders and others charged under Ethiopia’s deeply flawed anti-terrorism law raises serious fair trial concerns. The trial is scheduled to resume in Addis Ababa on April 2, 2013, after a 40-day postponement.
  • Ghana: People With Mental Disabilities Face Serious Abuse
    Commentary
    Mar 31, 2013
    This week’s high-level ministerial meeting about gender equality in international development assistance should promote the rights and needs of women with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. Specifically, governments should address the marginalization of women with disabilities in the declaration to be adopted on July 1, 2010.
  • What Are the BRICS Building?
    Commentary
    Mar 30, 2013
    The Chinese call it jin zhuan, or golden brick. The Russians have suggested calling it briuki, an acronym meaning trousers in Russian. And what about the ambiguous S? It originally was just a plural for the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, places where a Goldman Sachs analyst was urging greater investment. Now it stands for South Africa, which joined in 2010 despite having an economy roughly on the order of China’s sixth-largest province.
  • 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.
  • Mali: Soldiers Torture Detainees in Léré
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2013
    The government of Mali should investigate allegations that Malian soldiers tortured seven suspected supporters of Islamist armed groups in Léré, near Timbuktu.
  • Russia wants BRICS partners to ignore its transgressions
    Commentary
    Mar 26, 2013

    Official communiqués on the BRICS summit in Durban are promising new initiatives on trade, economic development and technical co-operation. But Russia wants more from its partners than just trade. With concern rising in Europe over the worst crackdown on Russian democracy since the Soviet Union collapsed more than 20 years ago, Vladimir Putin is coming to Africa to find supporters of its world view.

  • DR Congo: Victims, Activists Respond to Warlord’s Surrender
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2013

    Congolese human rights activists and victims of abuses allegedly carried out by Bosco Ntaganda’s troops have expressed support and relief at the rebel leader’s transfer to the International Criminal Court.

  • BRICS: Take Concrete Steps to Help Syria’s People
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2013
    The BRICS countries should call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian-populated areas in Syria, and insist that cluster munitions and incendiary weapons should not be used. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are meeting in Durban for the annual BRICS summit on March 26 and 27, 2013.
  • DR Congo: Warlord Ntaganda at ICC a Victory for Justice
    Press release
    Mar 25, 2013
    The Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda’s first appearance before the International Criminal Court on March 26, 2013, will be a major achievement on the path to ending human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Time for Brics to stop sitting on the fence over Syria atrocities
    Commentary
    Mar 22, 2013
    Brics should call for the Syrian government to permit the delivery of humanitarian aid across its borders, including from Turkey
  • DR Congo: Bosco Ntaganda’s Trail of Atrocities Ends at the ICC
    Press release
    Mar 22, 2013
    The Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda is on a plane to The Hague, where he will face justice at the International Criminal Court, almost seven years after the court issued its first arrest warrant against him.
  • Cameroon: Rights Abuses in ‘Homosexuality’ Prosecutions
    Press release
    Mar 21, 2013
    Cameroon prosecutes people for consensual same-sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world, four human rights organizations said in a report released today. At least 28 people have been prosecuted for same-sex conduct in Cameroon since 2010. Most cases are marked by grave human rights violations, including torture, forced confessions, denial of access to legal counsel, and discriminatory treatment by law enforcement and judicial officials.
  • Zimbabwe: End Police Crackdown on Civil Society
    Press release
    Mar 19, 2013
    The government of Zimbabwe should immediately end the police crackdown on civil society groups, which has intensified as the country prepares for national elections.
  • DR Congo: Congolese Warlord Should Face Justice
    Press release
    Mar 18, 2013
    The Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced that Bosco Ntaganda, a Congolese rebel leader wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, surrendered himself to the United States embassy in Kigali, Rwanda.
  • World Bank: Investigate ‘Development’ Project Abuses
    Press release
    Mar 18, 2013
    The World Bank’s board should support an internal investigation into allegations of abuse linked to a World Bank project in Ethiopia. The Inspection Panel, the World Bank’s independent accountability mechanism, has recommended an investigation into whether it has violated its policies in a project linked to the Ethiopian government’s resettlement program, known as “villagization.”
  • Chad: Don’t Welcome Back Al-Bashir
    Press release
    Mar 15, 2013
    The Chadian government should arrest President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan or bar him entry to Chad.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of Ghana's UPR
    Oral statement
    Mar 14, 2013
    Human Rights Watch welcomes the recommendations in the UPR report and Ghana’s commitment to implementing reforms to protect the rights of people with disabilities. But our research in Ghana found a significant number of serious human rights abuses that must be addressed immediately.
  • 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.

  • Exchanging Daughters for Livestock: Child Marriage In South Sudan
    Commentary
    Mar 10, 2013
    Aguet, from South Sudan, was forced at age 15 to marry a 75-year-old man. Her family received 80 cows as dowry in exchange. “I resisted the marriage,” she told Human Rights Watch. But her uncles beat her and the marriage went ahead. Aguet dropped out of school and went to live with her husband, who now also beats her.
  • UN Human Rights Council: General Debate on Somalia
    Oral statement
    Mar 8, 2013
  • South Sudan: End Widespread Child Marriage
    Press release
    Mar 7, 2013
    The government of South Sudan should increase efforts to protect girls from child marriage. The country’s widespread child marriage exacerbates South Sudan’s pronounced gender gaps in school enrollment, contributes to soaring maternal mortality rates, and violates the right of girls to be free from violence, and to marry only when they are able and willing to give their free consent.
  • Child and Forced Marriage in South Sudan
    Commentary
    Mar 7, 2013
    To be forced into marriage and pregnancy as a child--when your own life has barely begun--is a serious violation of human rights. Far from creating a nurturing and safe space, child marriage is a driver of poor maternal health, violence, poverty, and pain.
  • Involuntary Treatment: The Invisible Health Care Crisis
    Commentary
    Mar 5, 2013
    In his new report, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez, the UN’s leading expert on torture, has drawn attention to severe abuses, such as neglect, mental and physical abuse and sexual violence, against people with mental or intellectual disabilities in health-care settings.
  • Somalia: Woman Alleging Rape Cleared, Journalist Convicted
    Press release
    Mar 3, 2013
    An appeals court’s ruling to uphold the conviction of a journalist who interviewed a woman alleging rape by government forces is a major setback for freedom of the media in Somalia. The woman, who had also been convicted of “insulting the government” and other alleged crimes, was found not guilty.
  • Cameroon: Three Years in Prison for Love... Impunity for Hate
    Commentary
    Feb 28, 2013
    "This will be bloody." So reads a text message received by a Cameroonian lawyer in October 2012. "Tell your accomplice that nowhere in this country will [his children] have peace." Over the last four months, two Cameroonian lawyers have received a series of death threats by email and SMS. The messages have become increasingly vitriolic, with threats to kill the lawyers, their children, and their clients.
  • Sudan: Doctors Perform Amputations for Courts
    Press release
    Feb 27, 2013
    Credible sources in Sudan have reported that government doctors amputated a man’s right hand and left foot by court order in Khartoum on February 14, 2013, in violation of the absolute prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishments, four human rights groups said today.
  • Sudan: Crackdown on Political Opposition
    Press release
    Feb 26, 2013
    Sudanese authorities should charge or release six members of opposition parties who have been detained in poor conditions by Sudanese security, most of them for weeks, without access to lawyers or adequate medical care.
  • Angola: Scores Detained, Convicted After Forced Evictions
    Press release
    Feb 26, 2013
    The Angolan police have arrested dozens of people who were victims of forced eviction and the demolition of their homes in early February 2013. They had lived in Maiombe, a peripheral neighborhood in Luanda, Angola’s capital. On February 23, security forces barred a delegation of the main opposition party, National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), from meeting with and providing assistance to the community, and beat some of the delegates.
  • 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.

  • Mali: Prosecute Soldiers for Abuses
    Press release
    Feb 21, 2013
    The Malian government should urgently investigate and prosecute soldiers responsible for torture, summary executions, and enforced disappearances of suspected Islamist rebels and alleged collaborators since the fighting in northern Mali resumed in January 2013. Mali’s international partners should bolster accountability efforts and civilian protection in the north to help prevent further abuses.
  • Zambia: Safety Gaps Threaten Copper Miners
    Press release
    Feb 20, 2013
    Workers in the copper mining sector in Zambia remain vulnerable to abuse. New Human Rights Watch research found that the government of President Michael Sata, who promised to prioritize labor rights when he took office in September 2011, has made some improvements in supporting the oversight of the mines, but there remains inadequate enforcement of national labor laws designed to protect workers’ rights.
  • Equatorial Guinea: Visiting Leaders Should Press for Rights
    Press release
    Feb 18, 2013
    Latin American and African officials participating in a cross-regional meeting in Equatorial Guinea should press their host, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasago, to undertake serious human rights and democratic reforms ahead of planned parliamentary elections in May, 2013. President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, among other officials, is anticipated to attend the Africa-South America Summit scheduled for February 20-23.
  • 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”).
  • Letter to Paul Biya, president of the Republic of Cameroon
    Letter
    Feb 13, 2013
    We are writing to call your attention to a series of death threats received in the last four months by Alice Nkom and Michel Togué, two Cameroonian human rights lawyers who defend clients charged with homosexuality under Cameroon’s article 347 bis. We are deeply concerned by the apparent lack of state action in response to these serious threats.
  • Cameroon: Stop Turning Blind Eye to Death Threats
    Press release
    Feb 13, 2013
    The government of Cameroon should immediately take action against a series of death threats made over the last four months to two lawyers who represent clients accused of homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to President Paul Biya. Alice Nkom and Michel Togué, Cameroonian human rights lawyers, began receiving death threats in October 2012, in the form of emails and text messages, assailing the lawyers for their work defending clients charged with homosexuality. Consensual same-sex conduct is criminalized under the Cameroonian penal code’s article 347 bis, and at least 28 people have been prosecuted under the law since 2010. Nkom and Togué are among the only lawyers courageous enough to take up these cases in a country where homophobia is pervasive.
  • Q&A: Laurent Gbagbo and the International Criminal Court
    Q & A
    Feb 12, 2013

    Laurent Gbagbo is the former President of Côte d’Ivoire. He has been charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with four counts of crimes against humanity: murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane acts, and persecution. The crimes were allegedly committed by forces under his control during post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire, between November 28, 2010 and mid-May 2011. He has been charged as being responsible for these crimes as an indirect co-perpetrator or, in the alternative, because he contributed to the commission or attempted commission of crimes “by a group of persons acting with a common purpose.” The confirmation of charges hearing against Gbagbo—the first former head of state to be in ICC custody—brings victims one step closer to learning the truth behind his role in the post-election violence.

  • Civil Society Letter to the President of Chad Regarding Sudanese President al-Bashir's Travel to Chad
    Letter
    Feb 12, 2013
  • Somalia: Second Journalist Detained Without Charge
    Press release
    Feb 11, 2013
    Somali authorities should immediately charge or release Daud Abdi Daud, a journalist who has been in custody since February 5, 2013. On February 11, he was transferred from police custody to Mogadishu Central Prison. Daud Abdi, who works for Kulmiye Radio, is secretary general of the Somali Media for Environment, Science, Health, and Agriculture.
  • An end to violence against women starts with SA’s boys and men
    Commentary
    Feb 10, 2013
    It’s an occupational hazard when you work on women’s rights, to routinely face women who have been subjected to unspeakable violence, horrible beyond anything you could imagine. As a young lawyer in South Africa in the 1990s, one of first my clients was stabbed by her estranged husband. I held her hand as she bled to death on the pavement. When I worked as the director of the Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre to End Violence Against Women in Johannesburg, I, and the other lawyers who provided legal advice at the centre, saw women every day looking for help to protect themselves from rape, beatings and other violence. Many of our clients arrived at the office with the signs of violence clearly visible on their bodies and their faces.
  • Senegal: Hissène Habré Court Opens
    Press release
    Feb 8, 2013
    The inauguration of a special court in Senegal marks a turning point in the long campaign to bring to justice the former dictator of Chad Hissène Habré.
  • Kenya: Ensure Violence-Free Polls
    Press release
    Feb 8, 2013
    The Kenyan government’s limited progress on promised reforms and failure to address ongoing and past human rights abuses have contributed to tensions across Kenya prior to national elections on March 4, 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The authorities should take urgent steps, including the arrest and fair trial of all those who directly incite or organize violence, to help ensure the elections are peaceful, free, and fair.
  • Zimbabwe: No Hasty EU Retreat on Sanctions
    Press release
    Feb 6, 2013
    The European Union (EU) should require tangible human rights reforms and free and fair elections before lifting targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe. The EU is expected to review its policy toward Zimbabwe in the coming two weeks.
  • François Hollande’s ‘Change’ Is More of the Same on Côte d’Ivoire
    Commentary
    Feb 6, 2013
    Les mêmes causes produisent les mêmes effets (“The same causes produce the same effects”). It’s a phrase I’ve heard Ivorian lawyers, taxi drivers, and civil society leaders utter repeatedly in recent months to describe Côte d’Ivoire’s uneven prospects for reconciliation so long as President Alassane Ouattara’s government makes little progress toward impartial justice and addressing abuses by the security forces. But the phrase applies just as aptly to the failure of Côte d’Ivoire’s most important partner, France, to publicly make human rights issues a priority in its diplomatic relationship.
  • Somalia: Woman Alleging Rape, Journalist Convicted
    Press release
    Feb 5, 2013
    A Somali court’s conviction of a woman who alleged rape by security forces, and a journalist who interviewed her, is a serious setback for ending sexual violence and protecting press freedom, five human rights and media organizations said today. The government should drop its groundless case against the journalist and the woman, and immediately order the release of the journalist, the organizations said.
  • US: Act to Protect Children in Conflict
    Press release
    Feb 5, 2013
    The United States government should promptly carry out the recommendations of a United Nations committee of experts to improve protection of children abroad from armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released a report and recommendations to the US government on February 5, 2013.
  • DR Congo: War Crimes by M23, Congolese Army
    Press release
    Feb 5, 2013
    M23 rebels and Congolese army soldiers raped scores of women and committed other war crimes during the rebels’ occupation of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2012. Ongoing talks among parties to the conflict, countries in the region, and the United Nations should ensure that any agreements include holding those responsible for war crimes to account and that rebel commanders with abusive records do not serve in the Congolese army.
  • Mali: Malian Army, Islamist Groups Executed Prisoners
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Malian government forces summarily executed at least 13 suspected Islamist supporters and forcibly disappeared five others from the garrison town of Sévaré and in Konna during January 2013. Islamist armed groups in Konna executed at least seven Malian soldiers, five of whom were wounded, and used children as soldiers in combat.
  • World Report 2013: Challenges for Rights After Arab Spring
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    The euphoria of the Arab Spring has given way to the sobering challenge of creating rights-respecting democracies. The willingness of new governments to respect rights will determine whether those uprisings give birth to genuine democracy or simply spawn authoritarianism in new forms.
  • South Africa: Challenges to Fundamental Rights
    Press release
    Jan 31, 2013
    (Johannesburg) – In 2012, South Africa faced one of its most challenging years for protecting human rights since the birth of constitutional democracy in 1994, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013. Three worrisome developments in particular emerged. The adoption of the Protection of State Information Bill by the National Council of Provinces in 2012, that would most likely be approved by the National Assembly in 2013, threatens freedom of expression and the free exchange of information. The tragic killings at Lonmin Platinum Mine in August 2012 amounted to the failure to uphold and protect security of the person and the right to life. Thirdly, the proposed Traditional Courts bill would be a blow to the right to equality if it is promulgated into law.
  • South Sudan: Threats to Free Speech
    Press release
    Jan 31, 2013
    (Nairobi) – South Sudan should urgently step up efforts to protect freedom of speech and assembly, Human Rights watch said today in releasing its World Report 2013. The government should investigate and prosecute attacks on protesters, activists, and journalists and pass laws protecting free expression.
  • UK Should Show Leadership on Sexual Violence in Somalia
    Commentary
    Jan 31, 2013
    The new Somali government, in power since September and much feted by international donors, seems to think they can silence the discussion of sexual violence by the security forces by clamping down on women reporting rape and journalists. The UK - a key donor to Somalia - needs to send an urgent message to the contrary before Saturday's hearing date.
  • UK Should Show Leadership on Sexual Violence in Somalia
    Commentary
    Jan 31, 2013
    A Somali woman who said she was raped by state security forces, a journalist who interviewed her, her husband, and two others who tried to assist her, have been charged with multiple crimes, including insulting a government body. They face a court hearing on February 2. The journalist is sitting in a Mogadishu prison right now. All of them – including the woman herself – could face years of prison in the war-torn city if they are convicted.
  • Letter to EU Foreign Ministers regarding their meeting with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud this week in conjunction with the EU Foreign Affairs Council
    Letter
    Jan 30, 2013
  • Letter to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton regarding her meeting with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
    Letter
    Jan 30, 2013
  • Fear Looms Large as Zimbabwe Elections Near
    Commentary
    Jan 29, 2013
  • Somalia: Alleged Rape Victim Charged
    Press release
    Jan 29, 2013
    Somali authorities should drop politically motivated charges against five people including a journalist and a woman who alleged she was raped by state security forces.
  • Nigeria: Funds Released for Lead Cleanup
    Press release
    Jan 29, 2013

    Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to immediately release funds to clean up lead-contaminated villages in Nigeria will save untold lives. Releasing the funds clears the way for at least 1,500 children in urgent need of life-saving medical treatment in northern Nigeria to receive care.

  • Somalia: Free Journalist, Others Unlawfully Detained
    Press release
    Jan 22, 2013
    Somali authorities should immediately release a journalist and three others linked to the case of a woman who reported being raped by state security forces, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Human Rights Watch said today. The detainees have now been held for more than a week – one for 12 days – without charge.
  • Mercury Convention "Must Be Brought to Life"
    Commentary
    Jan 21, 2013
    This weekend, more than 140 governments agreed on the text for a new legally binding convention on mercury, a highly toxic metal. It has taken three years and many compromises to get here. What often seemed like a dry and bureaucratic process – delegates arguing over nuance during long night sessions – has very real implications for millions of people around the globe.
  • Letter to French President Hollande on situation in Mali
    Letter
    Jan 21, 2013
  • 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.
  • Letter to the Chairperson of the African Union
    Letter
    Jan 21, 2013
  • AU Summit: Rights Key for Addressing Crises
    Press release
    Jan 21, 2013
    The African Union (AU) should make human rights central to its discussions about crises situations in Africa at its summit meeting this week in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the AU chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Ordinary Summit begins on January 21, 2013, and AU heads of state are due to meet on January 27 and 28 in Addis Ababa.
  • Mercury Treaty Will Help Protect Right to Health
    Impact
    Jan 19, 2013
    The international mercury treaty just agreed sends an important signal that governments must do more to address the threat of mercury to the right to health, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 19, 2013, 140 governments created the treaty after five rounds of intense talks, which began in 2010.
  • Ghana: Ensure Justice for Key Ivorian Suspect
    Press release
    Jan 18, 2013
    Ghanaian authorities should ensure fair, credible justice for an Ivorian militia leader arrested on January 17, 2013. The former leader of the Young Patriots militia, Charles Blé Goudé, is accused of serious crimes allegedly committed under his command during Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010-2011 violent post-election crisis.
  • Letter from African Civil Society to AU Commission Chairperson on Combatting Impunity
    Letter
    Jan 17, 2013

    We, the undersigned African civil society organizations and international organizations with a presence in Africa, wish to congratulate you on your election as Chairperson of the African Union Commission. We wish you well during your tenure and trust that your leadership will seek to further address key challenges facing the African continent to promote respect for the rule of law and human rights in order to serve the best interests of the people of Africa.

  • 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.
  • Six things U.S. can do to help Somalia
    Commentary
    Jan 16, 2013
    When the new Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, took office in September, the United States encouraged him to “usher in a new era of governance that is responsive, representative, and accountable.” This week, President Hassan Sheikh is in Washington to discuss how to get this done.
  • Mali: Islamists Should Free Child Soldiers
    Press release
    Jan 15, 2013
    Islamist armed groups occupying northern Mali should immediately release all child soldiers within their ranks and end the military conscription and use of those under 18. With France carrying out aerial bombardment since January 11, 2013, to block the Islamists from advancing farther south, rebel groups should remove children immediately from training bases in or near Islamist military installations.
  • Eritrea: Mining Investors Risk Use of Forced Labor
    Press release
    Jan 15, 2013
    International mining firms rushing to invest in Eritrea’s burgeoning minerals sector risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take strong preventive measures. The failure of the Vancouver-based company Nevsun Resources to ensure that forced labor would not be used during construction of its Eritrea mine, and its limited ability to deal with forced labor allegations when they arose, highlight the risk.
  • Sudan: End Crackdown on Civil Society
    Press release
    Jan 13, 2013
    Sudan should immediately rescind its decision to shut down four civil society organizations in Khartoum in December 2012. The government should allow independent groups to operate freely and conduct peaceful protests.
  • Somalia: Free Journalist, Others Linked to Rape Allegation
    Press release
    Jan 12, 2013
    The Somali authorities should release a journalist and two other people linked to a woman who alleged being raped by state security forces. Police in Mogadishu have detained freelance journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim without charge for prolonged interrogations since January 10, 2013.
  • Discrimination, Inequality, and Poverty—A Human Rights Perspective
    Commentary
    Jan 11, 2013
    Despite recognition in the Millennium Declaration of the importance of human rights, equality, and non-discrimination for development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) largely bypassed these key principles. The fundamental human rights guarantees of equality and non-discrimination are legally binding obligations and do not need instrumental justifications. Discrimination can both cause poverty and be a hurdle in alleviating poverty. Even in countries where there have been significant gains toward achieving the MDGs, inequalities have grown. The MDGs have supported aggregate progress—often without acknowledging the importance of investing in the most marginalized and excluded, or giving due credit to governments and institutions which do ensure that development benefits these populations. Recognition of this shortcoming in the MDGs has brought an increasing awareness of the importance of working to reverse growing economic inequalities through the post-2015 framework, and a key element of this must be actively working to dismantle discrimination.
  • Last chance to take action on Mercury poisoning
    Commentary
    Jan 10, 2013
    Aminata D. is a self-confident, energetic 11-year-old girl who lives in southern Mali. When I meet her at the Worognan gold mine, she tells me that she never goes to school. Instead, she works in gold mining, using toxic mercury on a daily basis. She describes her work to me: "Once the ore is panned, you put a bit of mercury in. You rub the ore and the mercury with your two hands. Then, when the mercury has attracted the gold, you put it on a metal box and burn it."
  • Zimbabwe: Rights Reforms Needed Before Elections
    Press release
    Jan 10, 2013
    Zimbabwe’s “unity government” is failing to carry out reforms in the country’s Global Political Agreement that are vital for the country to hold credible, free, and fair elections in 2013, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
  • Mercury Treaty: Last Chance to Address Health Effects
    Press release
    Jan 10, 2013
    A proposed international treaty to address the damaging effects of mercury should include specific provisions to protect the health of children and other vulnerable populations, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments are to meet in Geneva beginning January 13, 2013, for a fifth and final round of talks for the treaty. Mercury is a toxic metal that attacks the central nervous system and is particularly harmful to children.
  • 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.
  • Civil Society Crackdown in Ethiopia
    Commentary
    Jan 4, 2013
    On 1 January 2013, Ethiopia took up its seat on the United Nations Human rights Council. The uncontested election – Africa put forward five countries for five seats – has raised some eyebrows, given the country’s own poor rights record. Elected member countries are obliged to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’. Yet, in Ethiopia, hundreds of political prisoners languish in jails where torture is common and a crackdown on the media and civil society is in full swing.
  • Liberia Takes Action on Cross-Border Attacks into Côte d’Ivoire
    Impact
    Jan 3, 2013
    In June, Human Rights Watch reported that dozens of former Ivorian and Liberian combatants loyal to the previous Ivorian government were using Liberia as a base to launch raids into Côte d’Ivoire. There, they targeted civilians perceived as supporting President Alassane Ouattara. We reported that since July 2011, attackers killed at least 50 people during these raids and displaced thousands more.
  • Barack Obama: Dump These 8 Unsavory Allies
    Commentary
    Jan 2, 2013
    If Obama wants to bolster his legacy in his second term, he can and should get tough on some of the United States' most unsavory friends and allies. Here are eight leaders to start with.
  • Ending the cycle of abuse in Congo
    Commentary
    Jan 2, 2013
    On Nov. 19, armed men from a rebel group called the M23 were looking for a prominent civil society leader in a village outside Goma, a provincial capital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He'd been in hiding for several weeks after receiving text messages threatening him for his public denunciations of M23 abuses. When the rebels didn't find him, they shot his colleague, killing him.