• Libya: Amend New Special Procedures Law
    Press release
    May 11, 2012
    Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) should immediately amend a new law that protects from prosecution people who committed crimes if their actions were aimed at “promoting or protecting the revolution” against Muammar Gaddafi. The law also allows authorities to detain people for up to two months if they are considered “threats to security.”
  • If Charles Taylor Can Be Tried for War Crimes, Why Not Kissinger?
    Commentary
    May 10, 2012
  • 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.
  • Sierra Leone: Landmark Conviction of Liberian Ex-President
    Press release
    Apr 26, 2012

    The conviction on April 26, 2012, of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, for serious international crimes during Sierra Leone’s brutal armed conflict provides justice for victims and shows that no one is above the law. Taylor was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone on charges that stemmed from his support for rebel groups there.

  • How to Help Yemen Come Unstuck
    Commentary
    Apr 20, 2012

    Last week's shutdown of Sanaa's airport by security forces seeking to reverse President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi's dismissal of top brass loyal to the ancien regime exemplified exactly where Yemen is stuck.

  • DR Congo: Arrest Bosco Ntaganda for ICC Trial
    Press release
    Apr 13, 2012

    President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately order the arrest of Gen. Bosco Ntaganda and promptly transfer him to The Hague for a fair trial. Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
     

  • Misrata Local Council Response to Human Rights Watch
    Letter
    Apr 11, 2012

    The Misrata Local Council received with great interest the letter from Human Rights Watch to the city’s local council and military council. The letter explicitly accused the revolutionaries of Misrata of perpetrating several violations and crimes that may amount to crimes against humanity. The letter concluded by threatening to hold officials on the city’s local council and military council responsible for these abuses and the failure to stop and prevent them.

  • 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.

  • Libya: Letter to Misrata Councils
    Letter
    Apr 8, 2012
    Human Rights Watch is writing to raise concerns about serious crimes that have been and continue to be committed by armed groups from Misrata, some of them amounting to crimes against humanity. As the civilian and military leadership in the city, we urge you to take immediate steps to halt the commission of these crimes, and to support prosecution of those responsible. We emphasize that senior officials, such as yourself, could be held criminally responsible for ordering these crimes, or for failing to prevent or punish them, by courts including the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
  • Libya: Wake-Up Call to Misrata’s Leaders
    Press release
    Apr 8, 2012

    The leaders of the Libyan city of Misrata could be held criminally responsible for ongoing serious crimes by forces under their command, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the city’s military and civilian leaders. They could be held responsible by authorities that include the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said.