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  • Laos: End Cover-Up in Activist’s ‘Disappearance’
    Press release
    Jun 14, 2013
    Authorities in Laos have failed to seriously investigate or credibly explain the enforced disappearance six months ago of a leading social activist, Sombath Somphone.
  • Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 14 June
    Commentary
    Jun 14, 2013
  • Cambodia: Land Titling Campaign Open to Abuse
    Press release
    Jun 12, 2013
    A land measuring and titling campaign launched and financed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen lacks transparency and accountability and could leave thousands dispossessed from their land.
  • Governments Should Ratify Domestic Workers Treaty
    Press release
    Jun 11, 2013
    Governments should mark June 12, 2013, the World Day against Child Labor, by strengthening legal protections for the 15.5 million child domestic workers worldwide. Governments should ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, which has specific provisions for children, including on education and protection from violence.
  • Sri Lanka: Reveal Fate of ‘Disappeared’ Cartoonist
    Press release
    Jun 9, 2013
    Sri Lankan authorities should challenge a parliamentarian’s claim as to the whereabouts of a political cartoonist who was forcibly disappeared in 2010 and provide information on his fate.
  • China: Crackdown on Anticorruption Activists Escalates
    Press release
    Jun 9, 2013
    More than a dozen anti-corruption activists in Beijing and Jiangxi Province were detained between late March and late May after participating in or organizing demonstrations calling for government officials to publicly disclose their assets, China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Committee to Support Chinese Lawyers, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights Watch, and Independent Chinese PEN said today. The Chinese government should release the anticorruption activists and drop all charges against them, the organizations said.
  • US: Sergeant Bales and the Myth of Military Justice
    Commentary
    Jun 7, 2013
    US Army Sgt. Robert Bales pled guilty this week to murder for a gruesome set of attacks in Afghanistan in 2012 in which he walked off his Kandahar base in the middle of the night and shot 16 Afghan civilians, including 9 children. Sadly—amazingly—reports of killings of “nine children” by US forces are not unique. In Kunar province in 2011, nine children aged 8 to 14 were gunned down by US helicopters while out collecting firewood, reportedly due to a “miscommunication.” (The US commander at the time, Gen. David Petraeus, apologized for the killings.) This followed a similar incident in the same province, in late 2009, when nine children were killed in a night raid, with Afghan government officials alleging that some had been executed. No one in either incident was ever brought to justice.
  • Take Action to Improve Conditions for Dalit Women
    Press release
    Jun 7, 2013
    United Nations member states should focus urgent attention and decisive action to improve conditions for Dalit women, four international nongovernmental organizations said today.
  • Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 7 June 2013
    Commentary
    Jun 7, 2013
    The news at the moment is dominated by the PRISM scandal...
  • India: New Monitoring System Threatens Rights
    Press release
    Jun 7, 2013
    The Indian government should enact clear laws to ensure that increased surveillance of phones and the Internet does not undermine rights to privacy and free expression, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Singapore: Licensing Regime Chills News Climate
    Press release
    Jun 7, 2013
    The Singaporean government should withdraw an onerous new licensing requirement for online news sites. The new rules will further discourage independent commentary and reporting on the Internet in Singapore.
  • Obama Should Talk Rights to Xi at California Summit
    Commentary
    Jun 6, 2013
    U.S. President Barack Obama has been the recipient of a fair amount of practical advice about promoting human rights in China: Be clear and principled in your first meeting; raise individual cases; link human rights to other issues, such as trade, that are important to Chinese leaders; and let those officials know that human rights will come up at every summit and every high-level meeting, whether with the U.S. trade representative, the energy secretary, or the secretary of defense. Above all, he has been told, don't fall into the trap of imagining that unilateral concessions or personal relationships can move policy on issues of strategic importance in Beijing, where government remains a collective and hard-line enterprise.
  • World Environment Day: a day like any other for Abigail Chombo
    Commentary
    Jun 5, 2013
    When basic human rights, like the rights to life, health, food, information, justice, participation and assembly are not respected, the global environmental movement loses a critical ally -- citizens around the world for whom the protection of rights and the environment are one and the same. In violating their rights, the marginalization of many of these people limits their ability to affect positive environmental change.
  • International community must help North Korean defectors
    Commentary
    Jun 5, 2013
  • China: US Should Back Rights Reforms at California Summit
    Press release
    Jun 5, 2013
    President Obama should make human rights central in his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the two countries’ June 7-8 summit in California.
  • Malaysia: Drop Charges Against ‘Blackout 505’
    Press release
    Jun 4, 2013
    The Malaysian authorities should stop prosecuting activists and opposition figures involved in rallies protesting the recent elections.
  • Letter to Dato’ Sri Mohammed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak Re: Arrests under the Peaceful Assembly Act
    Letter
    Jun 4, 2013
  • Tiananmen Square - 24 Years Later
    Commentary
    Jun 4, 2013
    Chinese leaders continue to try to expunge Tiananmen from the history books.
  • Continuing Repression by the Vietnamese Government
    Testimony
    Jun 4, 2013
  • Vietnam: Rights Abuses in the Spotlight
    Press release
    Jun 4, 2013
    The United States government should consider new ways to pressure Vietnam on human rights issues in the wake of a worsening crackdown on dissent in the last year, Human Rights Watch said today. In Washington, DC, the US Congress launched two days of hearings on Vietnam before separate panels in the House of Representatives.
  • Thailand: End Inhumane Detention of Rohingya
    Press release
    Jun 3, 2013
    The Thai government should immediately end the detention under inhumane conditions of more than 1,700 ethnic Rohingya from Burma.
  • Joint ICNK Statement: Fear for the Lives of Nine Refugees Forcibly Returned to North Korea
    Written statement
    Jun 3, 2013
    The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK) is deeply concerned for the lives of nine North Korean refugees who were forcibly returned by China to North Korea.
  • China: New Leadership Should Address Tiananmen Legacy
    Press release
    May 31, 2013
    President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese leaders should demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law by acknowledging the government’s responsibility for the massacre of unarmed civilians 24 years ago, and by allowing commemorations of the anniversary.
  • A price advocates shouldn't have to pay
    Commentary
    May 30, 2013
    Thousands of advocates for the reproductive rights and health of women and girls are gathering in Malaysia this week for the international "Women Deliver" Conference.
  • North Korea: Denial of Rights Forces Back Refugees
    Press release
    May 30, 2013
    North Korea should immediately reveal the whereabouts and well-being of nine North Korean refugees who were forced back to Pyongyang from Beijing on May 28 according to media reports, Human Rights Watch said today, emphasizing that the government must ensure that they are not punished for having fled the country. Under international law, individuals have the right not to be forcibly returned to a place where they face persecution.
  • Burma: Failing to Demobilize Child Soldiers
    Press release
    May 28, 2013
    (New York, May 29, 2013) – Burma has failed to make progress in ending its use of child soldiers nearly one year after signing an agreement with the United Nations (UN) to do so, Human Rights Watch said in a new paper released today.
  • Briefing for the Security Council working group on children and armed conflict regarding the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Burma (Myanmar) and implementation of the joint action plan
    Written statement
    May 28, 2013
  • Burma: Revoke ‘Two-Child Policy’ For Rohingya
    Press release
    May 28, 2013
    Burma’s government should publicly revoke a discriminatory population control regulation that restricts Rohingya Muslims to having two children.
  • Indian Mining: The Human Rights Risks of International Success
    Commentary
    May 28, 2013
    From Australia to Mozambique, Indian mining firms are taking the lead on lucrative, globally important projects. But some of these opportunities come with serious human rights risks that could threaten both the reputation and financial health of Indian companies.
  • Burma: Investors Need Robust Rights Safeguards
    Press release
    May 24, 2013
    American companies investing in Burma should not let new US government reporting requirements lull them into complacency on human rights concerns. The US “Reporting Requirements on Responsible Investment” in Burma went into effect on May 23, 2013.
  • Burma: Japanese Leader’s Visit Should Highlight Rights
    Press release
    May 23, 2013
    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should make improving the human rights situation in Burma a top priority during his visit to the country this week.
  • Obama Rejects Perpetual War, But Questions Remain About Targeted Killings
    Commentary
    May 23, 2013
  • What award winning President SBY should say
    Commentary
    May 23, 2013
    It’s not every day that a world leader whose country frequently makes the news for sectarian violence wins a religious freedom award.
  • Indonesia: Tom Lantos Commission Hearing Testimony
    Testimony
    May 23, 2013
    Indonesia has seen enormous changes over the last 15 years. Human Rights Watch is aware of the general and widespread improvements that have occurred with respect to basic civil and political rights, particularly the flourishing civil society and media.
  • 'Dark future' for women's rights in Afghanistan
    Commentary
    May 22, 2013
    In January 2012, my investigations determined that some 400 women and girls were locked away in Afghan prisons and juvenile detention facilities for the 'moral crime' of running away from home or having sex outside of marriage.
  • Extractive Industries: A New Accountability Agenda
    Commentary
    May 21, 2013
    The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was founded in 2003 with the goal of strengthening governance by increasing transparency over revenues from the oil, gas, and mining sectors. EITI has contributed to much greater disclosures of information and helped spur dialogue in many countries. But EITI has not made progress toward its ultimate purpose of enhancing accountability in resource-rich countries. An independent evaluation commissioned by EITI in 2011 concluded, “EITI has not been a significant driver of change. While transparency has improved, accountability does not appear to have changed much.” The evaluation attributed this problem to the absence of a coherent strategic vision, explaining that without clarity on how publicizing credible data on natural resource revenues would lead to better governance, EITI would not be able to direct its efforts to where they would be most likely to deliver results.
  • Afghanistan: Surge in Women Jailed for ‘Moral Crimes’
    Press release
    May 21, 2013
    The Afghan government should take urgent steps to halt an alarming increase in women and girls imprisoned for “moral crimes."
  • The Real Costs of CIA Cash
    Commentary
    May 21, 2013
    When the New York Times reported recently that the CIA routinely provides cash payments to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, totaling in the tens of millions of dollars, many were surprised. I wasn't among them. The Karzai scandal cycle has developed a certain amount of redundancy: his odd outbursts, his family's endless corruption, the vacillating positions on peace negotiations and about faces on the Taliban one day and the United States the next--it has lost the power to shock. CIA payments are not even at the front of this parade of infamies.
  • Bangladesh’s other workplace catastrophes
    Commentary
    May 20, 2013
  • A Real Life 'Hunger Games'
    Commentary
    May 20, 2013
    Here’s a story to break your heart – thousands of Afghan refugee boys who roam Europe alone, without parents, without enough help from European governments, and at risk of destitution, detention, and death.
  • Sri Lanka: No Progress 4 Years On
    Press release
    May 20, 2013
    Respect for basic rights and liberties has declined in Sri Lanka in the four years since the government defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
  • Burma: Telecoms Risk Complicity in Surveillance, Censorship
    Press release
    May 19, 2013
    International telecommunications companies risk being linked to human rights abuses if they enter the Burmese market before adequate protections are in place, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Burma’s human rights reforms thus far have been inadequate, including in the Internet and telecommunications sector, so companies entering the country should adopt robust safeguards to prevent and address any abuses linked to their operations.
  • Burma: New Doubts About Pace of Reforms
    Press release
    May 18, 2013
    The United States should use the upcoming visit by Burma’s president to ask tough questions about the slowing pace of human rights reforms and insist on implementation of past commitments.
  • China: Submission by Human Rights Watch to the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council
    Written statement
    May 18, 2013
  • China: Revise Disability Regulations for Education
    Press release
    May 18, 2013
  • Thailand: Deliver Justice for 2010 Political Violence
    Press release
    May 17, 2013
    Three years on, the Thai government has failed to fulfill its promise to impartially prosecute all those responsible for the 2010 political violence.
  • India: Protect Bangladesh War Crimes Trial Witness
    Press release
    May 16, 2013
    The authorities in India and Bangladesh should take all necessary steps to protect Shukhoranjan Bali, a long-missing witness in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • North Korea: Stop Crackdown on Economic ‘Crimes’
    Press release
    May 15, 2013
    The North Korean government regularly arrests, abuses, tortures, and imprisons citizens for a variety of economic “crimes”.
  • Vietnam: Drop Charges for Leafleting
    Press release
    May 15, 2013
    Vietnam should drop charges and free two activists arrested in October 2012 for “conducting propaganda against the state.
  • What’s ‘Development’ With Rights Abuses Along the Way?
    Commentary
    May 14, 2013

    A grandmother in Cambodia told me recently, “I just want you to know my story in case something happens and I am gone.” Police and government officials have threatened and harassed “Kunthea” for her protests against government agencies and appeals to the World Bank after she was forcibly evicted from her home by a private company.

  • Thailand: Rebels Target Children in Southern Conflict
    Press release
    May 14, 2013
    Separatist insurgents in Thailand's southern border provinces are committing war crimes by targeting children and other civilians.
  • Burma: Cyclone Threatens Displaced Muslims
    Press release
    May 14, 2013
    Burma’s government should take immediate action to evacuate to higher ground tens of thousands of Muslims displaced last year by ethnic cleansing in Arakan State in advance of a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • China: End Violence Against Sex Workers
    Press release
    May 14, 2013
    China’s punitive laws and policing practices against sex workers are leading to serious abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today.
  • Burma: China-Led Oil, Gas Projects Spark Arrests
    Press release
    May 11, 2013
    Authorities in Burma should drop charges against ethnic Arakanese activists who participated in peaceful protests against Chinese-led oil and gas projects, Human Rights Watch said today. Ten activists are scheduled to face criminal charges in court on May 13, 2013, for demonstrating and holding a peaceful march without a permit on April 18 on Maday Island in Burma’s western Arakan State.
  • Bangladesh: Independent Body Should Investigate Protest Deaths
    Press release
    May 10, 2013
    The Bangladeshi authorities should immediately set up an independent commission to investigate the large numbers of deaths and injuries during the Hefazat-e-Islaam-led protests in Dhaka and elsewhere on May 5-6, 2013.
  • Vietnam: Stop Blocking ‘Human Rights Picnics’
    Press release
    May 10, 2013
    The Vietnamese authorities should stop impeding and abusing people trying to hold “human rights picnics” in public spaces.
  • Philippines: Prosecute Mastermind of Activist’s Murder
    Press release
    May 9, 2013
    Philippine authorities should ensure that those who planned and financed the killing of an environmental activist in 2011 are arrested and prosecuted.
  • Blunder in Burma: Scrapping of EU Sanctions Sends Wrong Message
    Commentary
    May 9, 2013
    Although Burma is shrugging off the burden of five decades of military dictatorship, its transition to democracy is still far from complete. Reform remains precarious, and ethnic violence is rife. But in its eagerness to claim a foreign policy success, the EU is turning a blind eye.
  • Myanmar army continues to live in denial over abuses
    Commentary
    May 9, 2013
    Myanmar's rapidly evolving political landscape produced another symbolic event at the recent Armed Forces Day parade.
  • Despite reforms, Myanmar's ethnic violence continues
    Commentary
    May 7, 2013
  • It’s Time for Burma’s President to Act
    Commentary
    May 7, 2013
  • Afghanistan: Peaceful Protest Suppressed
    Press release
    May 7, 2013
    Afghan authorities should investigate the arrests and possible torture of peaceful protesters by security forces in Kabul.
  • Thailand: Hold Army Accountable for 2010 Violence
    Press release
    May 7, 2013
    The Thai government should revoke a decision to shield military personnel from criminal prosecution for the 2010 political bloodshed, Human Rights Watch said today. A general amnesty proposed by the ruling party that would include those responsible for serious human rights abuses should be rejected.
  • Bangladesh: End Unlawful Violence Against Protesters
    Press release
    May 3, 2013
    With new protests planned in the coming days, the Bangladeshi government should ensure that the security forces immediately end their practice of using excessive force against protesters. The government should appoint an independent commission to investigate the deaths of dozens of protesters, including children, since large-scale street protests began in February, and prosecute anyone responsible for unlawful killings and use of force.
  • China: End Arbitrary Detention in Mental Health Institutions
    Press release
    May 3, 2013
    As China’s first ever Mental Health Law came into force on May 1, 2013, Human Rights Watch said the law has major shortcomings including that it does not eliminate the country’s system of involuntary confinement.
  • Malaysia: Violence, Cyber Attacks Threaten Elections
    Press release
    May 1, 2013
    Malaysia’s ruling party and opposition leaders should rein in their supporters to end intimidation and violence that threaten general elections slated for May 5, 2013.
  • China: Activist’s Imprisoned Nephew Needs Effective Care
    Press release
    Apr 30, 2013
    Chinese central government and Shandong provincial authorities should immediately facilitate effective medical treatment for Chen Kegui, the imprisoned nephew of blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, Human Rights Watch said today. Chen Kegui is receiving only antibiotics for appendicitis, which could lead to a life-threatening result. Failure to provide prisoners access to adequate medical care is cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment that may rise to the level of torture, and violates the right to health and the Standard Minimum Rules on the Treatment of Prisoners.
  • Pakistan: Ensure Election Security from Taliban Attacks
    Press release
    Apr 29, 2013
    Pakistan’s interim government should take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of candidates and political party activists at risk of attack from the Taliban and other militant groups.
  • Bangladesh: Tragedy Shows Urgency of Worker Protections
    Press release
    Apr 25, 2013
    The collapse of an eight-story factory building near Dhaka shows the urgent need to improve Bangladesh’s protections for worker health and safety.
  • Taiwan: Reinstate Moratorium on Death Penalty
    Press release
    Apr 25, 2013
    The government of Taiwan should immediately reinstate its moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 19, the Taiwanese government executed six people who had been convicted on murder charges: Chen Tung-jung, Chen Jui-chin, Lin Chin-te, Chang Pao-hui, Li Chia-hsuan, and Chi Chun-I. The six were executed by a firing squad.
  • Afghanistan: Urgent Need for Safe Facilities for Female Police
    Press release
    Apr 25, 2013
    The government of Afghanistan should take immediate action to ensure that the country’s female police officers have access to separate, safe, and lockable restroom facilities in police stations.
  • Sri Lanka: Commonwealth Should Relocate November Meeting
    Press release
    Apr 24, 2013
    A senior Commonwealth advisory group should recommend the organization shift the venue of its November 2013 Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from Sri Lanka unless the government makes prompt, measurable, and meaningful progress on human rights.
  • China: EU Commitments Demand Tough Response
    Press release
    Apr 24, 2013
    European Union (EU) High Representative Catherine Ashton should publicly raise concerns over ongoing and persistent human rights violations in China when she visits Beijing later this week, Human Rights Watch said today. Ashton’s visit to China will take place on April 25 and 26, and is the Head of the EU’s External Action Service’s first official visit since the new Chinese leadership assumed power.
  • Indonesia: Civilian Courts Should Try Abusive Soldiers
    Press release
    Apr 23, 2013
    The Indonesian government should urgently amend its laws so that military personnel accused of human rights abuses are tried in civilian courts.
  • Burma: the EU has been too quick to lift sanctions
    Commentary
    Apr 23, 2013
    William Hague congratulated the Burmese government last week for its role in spearheading "remarkable changes" in the country. But his upbeat assessment and heady optimism are premature, as is the EU's haste to lift all economic sanctions on Burma except for the arms embargo.
  • EU: Ending Sanctions Undercuts Burma’s Rights Progress
    Press release
    Apr 22, 2013
    The European Union’s premature lifting of all targeted sanctions on Burma means the EU will need a new platform to press the government to improve the country’s still dire human rights situation.
  • Burma: End ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims
    Press release
    Apr 22, 2013
    Burmese authorities and members of Arakanese groups have committed crimes against humanity in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State since June 2012, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
  • Syria: Allow UN Aid Directly Over Borders
    Written statement
    Apr 19, 2013
    Nearly one-third of Syria’s population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid. India needs to raise its voice in their support.
  • Polluting Tanneries in Bangladesh Face Fines
    Impact
    Apr 18, 2013
    For probably the first time, Bangladesh’s government has leveled pollution-related fines against two leather tanneries in Hazaribagh, a Dhaka neighborhood so polluted with waste from its roughly 150 tanneries that residents and workers are plagued by serious health problems.
  • 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.
  • Letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Regarding the Killing of Aminul Islam
    Letter
    Apr 17, 2013
    I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch to follow-up on our earlier letter to you on April 11, 2012 that raised our grave concerns about the killing of Aminul Islam of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS).
  • Bangladesh: Still Waiting for Justice One Year After Labor Leader’s Killing
    Media spotlight
    Apr 17, 2013
    The Bangladesh government should ensure a thorough and swift investigation, and publicly report on the progress made into the disappearance, torture, and killing of prominent labor rights activist Aminul Islam, Human Rights Watch said today in a public letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed.
  • Statement before the CRPD Committee on the Day of General Discussion on Women and Girls with Disabilities
    Written statement
    Apr 17, 2013
  • Protect rights of women, girls with disabilities
    Commentary
    Apr 16, 2013
  • Bangladesh: Crackdown on Bloggers, Editors Escalates
    Press release
    Apr 15, 2013
    The Bangladesh authorities should immediately drop charges against and release four bloggers and a newspaper editor arrested this month.
  • More must be done to aid the victims of India's violence
    Commentary
    Apr 15, 2013

    It took two decades for justice to prevail after bomb attacks in Mumbai in March 1993, which injured hundreds and killed 257. Last month, India's Supreme Court ruled on the final appeals in a long trial process.

    But in another episode of brutality in Mumbai, the wait for justice will be much longer.

  • Kerry, confront China on human rights
    Commentary
    Apr 13, 2013
    This weekend, Kerry will have arguably his best opportunity to demonstrate that commitment to rights in an environment in which tough, effective and audible American diplomacy is needed: China.
  • The Sun Rises on Human Rights
    Commentary
    Apr 12, 2013
    As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making waves.
  • Human Rights Watch Oral Statement on Vietnam to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
    Oral statement
    Apr 11, 2013
    First, let me thank the committee for inviting me to testify. The committee is to be commended for its repeated efforts to draw the world’s attention to Vietnam’s human rights record.
  • Malaysia: Drop Sedition Charges for Opposition Leader
    Press release
    Apr 10, 2013
    Malaysian authorities should drop sedition charges against a political opposition leader that violate rights to free expression.
  • Vietnam: Rights Dialogue Should Produce Concrete Steps
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2013
    The Vietnamese government should use the opportunity of the upcoming US-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue to release political prisoners and make commitments to end the persecution of bloggers, land rights activists, and other peaceful critics.
  • Thailand: Defamation Charges Chill Labor Rights Inquiries
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2013
    Criminal defamation charges against a prominent labor activist violate his right to free speech and will have a chilling effect on investigations of alleged rights abuses by companies in Thailand.
  • China: Kerry Should Prioritize Rights With New Leadership
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2013
    US Secretary of State John Kerry should publicly deliver a strong message in defense of human rights to China’s new leadership when he visits the country later this week.
  • Letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry on his Forthcoming Trip to China
    Letter
    Apr 9, 2013
  • Urgent need for visible rights reform
    Commentary
    Apr 9, 2013

    President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent Walk the Talk on the Indian news channel NDTV was illuminating. He claimed that the now-defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had planned to take over all of Sri Lanka — not just the areas claimed for an independent Tamil nation — but that LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran “wanted the whole country.”

  • 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.
  • Philippines: Manila again drops ball in Human Rights Council
    Commentary
    Apr 4, 2013
    Last June, the Philippine delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council was an embarrassing no-show during an important vote on human rights abuses in Syria.
  • China: Free Anti-Corruption Activists
    Press release
    Apr 3, 2013
    The Chinese government should immediately release four activists detained after calling for requiring government officials to disclose their assets publicly.
  • Letter to United Nations Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities on Upcoming Review of Australia
    Letter
    Apr 3, 2013
  • Italy: Leather Buyers Beware
    Press release
    Apr 2, 2013
    (Barcelona) – Leather buyers at an international leather fair in Italy should only purchase leather goods from tanneries that comply with laws that protect the right to health and labor rights, Human Rights Watch said today as the fair opens in Bologna. Such compliance should include respecting both national and international environmental standards. Tanneries in the Hazaribagh area of the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, do not meet these criteria, Human Rights Watch said.
  • Burma: Satellite Images Detail Destruction in Meiktila
    Press release
    Apr 1, 2013
    The Burmese government should thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those who incited and committed deadly violence in Meiktila in central Burma from March 20 to 22, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Decisive government action to combat impunity, end discrimination, and promote tolerance among religious groups is needed to end the tide of attacks against Muslim communities.
  • Nepal: Climate of Fear Imperils LGBT People
    Press release
    Apr 1, 2013
    The government of Nepal should allow lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups to operate freely and end arbitrary arrests of LGBT people. The government should investigate threats and attacks against LGBT people. Widespread harassment, including by the government, has contributed to a climate of fear among LGBT people and activists in Nepal, and has interrupted vital activities, including HIV prevention work.
  • 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.
  • Cambodia: Supreme Court Keeps Activist Jailed
    Press release
    Mar 29, 2013
    The Cambodian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the trumped-up imprisonment of a land-rights activist should prompt Cambodia’s donors to demand her unconditional release, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Sri Lanka: Probe into LTTE Crimes Should Start with Karuna
    Press release
    Mar 28, 2013
    The Sri Lankan government should act on the call by a government deputy minister to investigate war crimes by examining his own role in serious abuses.
  • Burma: Rohingya Muslims Face Humanitarian Crisis
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2013
    The Burmese government is systematically restricting humanitarian aid and imposing discriminatory policies on Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State.
  • 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.
  • Indonesia: Order an End to Church Demolitions
    Press release
    Mar 25, 2013
    President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia should order local governments not to demolish houses of worship and should revoke discriminatory regulations on religious structures.
  • China's failing policy in Tibet is 'self-defeating'
    Commentary
    Mar 25, 2013
    How badly does the Chinese government really want to stop Tibetan self-immolations? A campaigner suggests that the rhetoric from Beijing does not match the reality of draconian policy programmes.
  • Leadership deficit fuels intolerance
    Commentary
    Mar 25, 2013
    A new report from Human Rights Watch documents how religious minorities, including several Protestant groups, Shia Muslims and Ahmadiyah, are targets of increasingly routine intimidation, threats and violence.
  • Pakistan: Hold Musharraf Accountable for Abuses
    Press release
    Mar 23, 2013
    The Pakistani government should hold the country’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf accountable for human rights abuses when he returns to Pakistan.
  • 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
  • Nepal: Truth & Reconciliation Law Betrays Victims
    Press release
    Mar 22, 2013

    The inclusion of an amnesty provision, which could cover the worst possible crimes, in Nepal’s new Truth, Reconciliation and Disappearance Ordinance, will make it impossible for thousands of victims of gross human rights violations to obtain justice, a coalition of international human rights organizations said today.

  • Indonesia: First Execution in 4 Years a Major Setback
    Press release
    Mar 21, 2013
    Indonesia’s first execution in four years heightens the urgency for the government to take steps toward abolishing the death penalty.
  • UN Rights Body Forms Landmark Investigation Into North Korea
    Press release
    Mar 21, 2013
    The United Nations Human Rights Council took a landmark step by establishing a commission of inquiry for North Korea.
  • Seven days – a week in the life of a Human Rights Watch researcher
    Commentary
    Mar 20, 2013
    Human Rights Watch's Afghanistan researcher focuses on a boy detained for 'moral crimes', a report on torture in Afghan jails, a protest march highlighting violence against women – and dinner in Kabul's best and worst French restaurants.
  • China: Alarming New Surveillance, Security in Tibet
    Press release
    Mar 20, 2013
    The Chinese government’s announcement that it will expand a pervasive new security system throughout the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) despite an already heavy security presence and little evidence of violent threats to the state raises grave concerns about threats to human rights of this intrusive monitoring across the region, Human Rights Watch said today. Officials announced the system’s expansion in the annual TAR work report, which was released on February 7, 2013.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Statement on the Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka
    Oral statement
    Mar 20, 2013
    Since the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution at its March 2012 session calling for action, the Sri Lankan government has taken no significant steps to provide justice for victims of abuse and accountability for those responsible for war crimes and violations of human rights in the country. Instead, over the last year, the Sri Lankan government has continued its assault on civil society, human rights defenders and media. Rather than making substantive moves toward ending impunity and supporting rule of law, the Sri Lankan government has opted for cynical gestures designed to keep the international community at bay.
  • Cambodia: Ieng Sary Death Shows Khmer Rouge Court Failings
    Press release
    Mar 14, 2013
    The death of Ieng Sary, on trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia after indictment for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, means that another senior leader of the Khmer Rouge has not been held accountable for his crimes.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of Sri Lanka's UPR
    Oral statement
    Mar 14, 2013
    During the UPR process in November 2012, Sri Lanka rejected 100 recommendations – nearly half of those proposed by United Nations member states, including many related to accountability and justice issues. Among the rejected recommendations was one to implement the government’s own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations. Instead the government committed only to implement its National Action Plan on the LLRC – which ignores nearly 50 percent of the recommendations made by the LLRC.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of Pakistan's UPR
    Oral statement
    Mar 14, 2013
    HRW appreciates that Pakistan accepted the recommendations to take measures against religious hatred, prevent violence against religious minorities, and hold to account those responsible for such violence. However, Pakistan still faces a range of concerning issues. For example, the government has been unable or unwilling to break the links of Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies with extremist groups. HRW also deeply regrets that Pakistan rejected a number of recommendations to revise discriminatory blasphemy laws.
  • Thailand: Fleeing Rohingya Shot in Sea by Navy
    Press release
    Mar 13, 2013
    Sailors from Thailand’s navy shot at ethnic Rohingya “boat people,” causing at least two deaths, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai government should immediately investigate the incident, and direct the navy to abide by international standards on the use of force.
  • Ensuring witness safety central to rule of law
    Commentary
    Mar 13, 2013
    Across the country, victims of violent crimes, including sexual assault, as well as those who witness it, frequently do not file criminal complaints, cooperate with investigators, or testify truthfully in courts because they fear retaliation. In many rape cases, survivors are threatened or intimidated into settling with the perpetrator.
  • 'Clock ticking' for Indonesia to tackle religious intolerance
    Commentary
    Mar 12, 2013
    As long as its leaders fail to acknowledge or act against the increased violence suffered by religious minorities, Indonesia's reputation as a country that balances diversity and tolerance will be in question, says campaign group
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar
    Oral statement
    Mar 11, 2013
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with Marzuki Darusman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
    Oral statement
    Mar 11, 2013
  • Malaysia 2013 Universal Periodic Review Submission
    Press release
    Mar 11, 2013
  • Human Rights Council: Maintain Scrutiny of Burma
    Press release
    Mar 11, 2013
    The United Nations Human Rights Council should retain its current level of scrutiny of Burma’s still poor human rights situation.
  • Thailand: Justice is key to success for South dialogue
    Commentary
    Mar 8, 2013
    Last week the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra agreed to talks with Ustaz Hassan Taib from the separatist Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C) to seek an end to the armed conflict in the southern border provinces, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in the past nine years.
  • Jakarta Condones Religious Violence
    Commentary
    Mar 6, 2013
    The worst fears of the Shia Muslim community in Sampang in Indonesia's East Java came to pass on Aug. 20, 2012. That morning, hundreds of Sunni militants attacked the community, torching some 50 homes, killing one man and seriously injuring another.
  • Joint letter to Prime Minister Abe on the Visit of Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa
    Letter
    Mar 6, 2013
    In anticipation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s upcoming visit to Japan on 12-15 March 2013, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Movement Against All Forms of Discriminationand Racism (IMADR) are writing to ask you to raise concerns about the poor human rights situation in Sri Lanka with the President and to issue a public statement about your concerns.
  • EU: Press Burma’s President on Rights Reforms
    Press release
    Mar 4, 2013
    European Union leaders should press Burmese President Thein Sein on adopting key rights reforms during his visit this week to Brussels.
  • Why it’s too soon to ease pressure on Myanmar
    Commentary
    Mar 4, 2013
    Myanmar President Thein Sein has been touring Europe touting his country’s unlikely transformation in the past two years from the archetype of authoritarian repression to a supposedly shining example of peaceful transition towards democracy. But how much of this is real reform and how much is window dressing? How much have human rights genuinely improved on the ground in Myanmar?
  • UN Report Highlights Abuse as ‘Drug Treatment’
    Press release
    Mar 3, 2013
    A United Nations report about torture and other abuses in healthcare settings points to the need for donors to withdraw funds to compulsory drug detention centers, Human Rights Watch and Harm Reduction International said today.
  • Bangladesh: End Violence Over War Crimes Trials
    Press release
    Mar 1, 2013
    The Bangladeshi government and the Jamaat-e-Islaami party need to act urgently to ensure that security forces and party supporters do not engage in further acts of violence, which has already led to the death of over 40 people since February 28.
  • China: Advance Rights Reforms at National People’s Congress
    Press release
    Feb 28, 2013
    China’s National People’s Congress should follow through on official statements by putting forward laws to strengthen human rights protections.
  • China: Letter to Xi Jinping outlining issues for reform during China National People's Conference
    Letter
    Feb 28, 2013
    Popular support for significant legal and political reform in China has grown substantially in recent years, and many of your remarks and those of other senior officials in recent months have asserted, in your words, that “the government takes seriously people’s aspirations and demands. This session of the NPC, the first under the new Chinese Communist Party leadership, is an opportunity to demonstrate the extent of these stated commitments to enacting crucial legislative reforms to improve human rights protections in China. We urge that the NPC take immediate legislative action on four major issues on which there is broad support for [reform/legislation], as reiterated in recent months by senior Party and government leaders. These are 1) abolish re-education through labor; 2) abolish the hukou household registration system; 3) adopt a comprehensive domestic violence law; and 4) ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  • Testimony of Tom Malinowski
    Testimony
    Feb 28, 2013

    I was in Burma for a week in January, my second visit in the last year. I am still amazed by how much has changed since the start of reforms in 2011. The political opposition has gone from prison to a place in parliament. Daily newspapers are publishing real news and honest criticism of the government. Activists who just two years ago were serving life sentences for sending emails or telling jokes are now sitting across the table from government ministers, discussing how to identify and release the last remaining political detainees in the country.

  • Indonesia: Religious Minorities Targets of Rising Violence
    Press release
    Feb 28, 2013

    The Indonesian government is failing to protect the country’s religious minorities from growing religious intolerance and violence. 

  • China: New Global Effort to Free Liu Xiaobo
    Advocacy/impact
    Feb 27, 2013
    In a campaign led by the International Committee for Liu Xiaobo with the support of Amnesty International, petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of people around the world were delivered today to Chinese embassies to demand the immediate release of imprisoned Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia. The petitions are part of a campaign created by Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Change.org.
  • In Afghanistan, Women Behind Bars for 'Moral Crimes'
    Testimony
    Feb 27, 2013
    It was winter when I interviewed Tahmina at a Kabul prison for girls. Six to eight girls lived in each room, and although I preferred to interview each of them privately, the girls all wanted to stay together and hear what everyone had to say. So together, we sat on the carpeted floor and listened to Tahmina’s story.
  • Thailand: Investigate Murder of Environmentalist
    Press release
    Feb 26, 2013
    Thai authorities should immediately investigate the murder of Prajob Nao-opas, a prominent environmentalist in Chachoengsao province.
  • Sri Lanka: Rape of Tamil Detainees
    Press release
    Feb 26, 2013
    Sri Lankan security forces have been using rape and other forms of sexual violence to torture suspected members or supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
  • Letter to AICHR Representatives on the Disappearance of Sombath Somphone
    Letter
    Feb 20, 2013
    The enforced disappearance in December 2012 of prominent development educator and Magsaysay Award winner Sombath Somphone at a police checkpoint in Vientiane, Laos, demands urgent action by Asian governments and regional bodies.
  • 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.
  • Laos: End Silence on ‘Disappeared’ Activist
    Press release
    Feb 19, 2013
    Lao authorities have failed to provide information on leading social activist Sombath Somphone since his apparent enforced disappearance in December 2012.
  • Sri Lanka: UN Rights Council Should Launch Inquiry
    Press release
    Feb 19, 2013
    At its March 2013 session, the United Nations Human Rights Council should authorize an independent, international investigation into war crimes committed during the final months of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to council members today.
  • Thailand: Insurgents Should Cease Attacks on Civilians
    Press release
    Feb 14, 2013

    Separatist insurgents in Thailand’s southern border provinces should immediately end deadly attacks oncivilians.

  • Sri Lanka: Letter to Human Rights Council
    Letter
    Feb 14, 2013
    We write to you regarding the upcoming Human Rights Council (HRC) discussion of Sri Lanka.
  • Bangladesh: Post-Trial Amendments Taint War Crimes Process
    Press release
    Feb 14, 2013
    Retroactive legislation that violates fair trial standards undermines the legitimacy of the work of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
  • India: Reject New Sexual Violence Ordinance
    Press release
    Feb 11, 2013
    Legislators in India should substantially amend or replace the new criminal law on violence against women in the forthcoming budget session of the parliament, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. On February 3, 2013, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee signed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2013, amending criminal laws, over protests from human rights and women’s rights groups across the country.
  • Cambodia: Government Muzzles Lawyers
    Press release
    Feb 11, 2013
    The Cambodian government and bar association should drop their efforts to prohibit lawyers from giving media interviews without the permission of the national bar association.
  • Afghanistan: Don’t Prosecute Sexually Assaulted Children
    Press release
    Feb 9, 2013

    The Afghan government should take urgent steps to ensure that rape and sexual abuse of children leads to prosecution of the abusers – not of victims.

  • India: Secret Hanging a Major Step Back
    Press release
    Feb 9, 2013

    The hanging in New Delhi of Mohammad Afzal Guru makes it more urgent for India to reinstate its previous informal moratorium on executions as a step towards abolishing the death penalty.

  • No end in sight to state torture in Afghanistan
    Commentary
    Feb 7, 2013
    As pundits and critics discuss whether the recent Hollywood film offering Zero Dark Thirty wrongly implies justification for torture, a debate about torture that is all too real plays itself out in Afghanistan.
  • India: Child Sex Abuse Shielded by Silence and Neglect
    Press release
    Feb 7, 2013

    The Indian government should improve protections for children from sexual abuse as part of broader reform efforts following the gang rape and murder of a student in New Delhi in December 2012.

  • Sri Lanka: Move Commonwealth Summit
    Press release
    Feb 6, 2013

    The Commonwealth should shift the venue of its November 2013 Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from Sri Lanka unless its government makes prompt, measurable, and meaningful progress on human rights, Human Rights Watch said today in a public letter to Commonwealth Heads of Government. 

  • Open Letter Regarding Sri Lanka Hosting the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
    Letter
    Feb 6, 2013
  • 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.
  • North Korea: Activists Welcome Japan’s Support for Inquiry
    Press release
    Feb 5, 2013

    The International Coalition to Stop Crimes against Humanity in North Korea (ICNK), consisting of over 40 leading human rights organizations and activists, today welcomes Japan’s strong position in favor of the establishment of a new United Nations commission of inquiry on serious human rights violations committed by the North Korean Government at home and abroad.

  • 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.  

  • Afghanistan: Act on UN Torture Report
    Press release
    Feb 3, 2013
    The Afghan government should urgently adopt meaningful steps to end the widespread use of torture in government detention centers.
  • Letter to Malaysian Prime Minister Concerning Forced Return of Uighurs
    Letter
    Feb 1, 2013
  • China: Stop Sentencing Tibetans for “Inciting” Immolations
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013

    Chinese judicial authorities should immediately release two Tibetans who were found guilty in legal proceedings that relied solely on confessions they gave during five months in detention.

  • India: Backsliding on Human Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    India’s human rights situation took serious turns for the worse with respect to civil society protections, sexual violence against women, and the longstanding failure to hold public officials accountable for abuses, Human Rights Watch said today in the release of its World Report 2013.
  • Indonesia: Confront Intolerance in 2013
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Indonesian authorities throughout 2012 failed to defend threatened religious minorities and imprisoned peaceful activists for their political views, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Malaysia: Backsliding on Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Prime Minister Najib Razak’s promised reforms did not significantly improve legal protections for basic liberties in Malaysia, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Nepal: A Year of Backsliding on Rights Commitments
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Nepal’s government failed to take significant steps toward fulfilling numerous key human rights commitments in 2012, Human Rights Watch said today in its annual World Report 2013.
  • China: Government Represses Growing Demand for Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    China’s human rights record remained poor in 2012, with minimal significant progress on political, civil, socio-economic, or cultural rights, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Cambodia: Escalating Violence, Misuse of Courts
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Cambodia’s human rights situation deteriorated in 2012 with increased violence and scripted trials against political and civil society activists, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Burma: Rights Abuses Endanger Reform
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Burma’s human rights situation remained poor in 2012, despite some noteworthy actions by the government to adopt rights-respecting reforms, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013 released today.
  • Global: HRW Submission to the CEDAW Committee
    Written statement
    Feb 1, 2013
  • Bangladesh: Government Backtracks on Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Bangladesh’s human rights situation worsened in 2012 as the government sought to narrow political and civil society space, continued to shield security forces from prosecution for abuses, failed to investigate disappearances and killings, and announced stringent rules to monitor non-governmental organizations, Human Rights Watch said in its 2013 World Report released today.
  • Afghanistan: Rights at Risk as Military Drawdown Advances
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Afghanistan’s human rights situation remained poor, with deterioration in some areas, and growing concerns for the future, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Pakistan: Abuses, Impunity Erode Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Pakistan’s government has failed to act against abuses by the security and intelligence agencies, which continued to allow extremist groups to attack religious minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Philippines: A Year of Pluses, Minuses on Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    The Philippine government adopted landmark human rights legislation in 2012, but failed to make significant progress in holding the security forces accountable for serious abuses, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Singapore: Running in Place on Human Rights
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    Singapore continued its strict controls on free association, expression, assembly, and other basic rights in 2012, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Joint letter to protest the use of cluster bombs in Syria
    Letter
    Feb 1, 2013
    We, the citizens of Japan, deeply regret that a large number of Syrian citizens have been victimized in the recent conflict that has been escalating since March 2011. We hope the conflict to end promptly without further sacrifice in our friendly nation of Syria.
  • Sri Lanka: Human Rights Failings Detailed
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    The Sri Lankan government continued its assault on civil society and failed to take meaningful steps towards accountability for war crimes during the country’s armed conflict that ended in 2009, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2013 released today.
  • Vietnam: Crackdown on Critics Escalates
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    The Vietnamese government is systematically suppressing freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and persecuting those who question government policies, expose official corruption, or call for democratic alternatives to one-party rule, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • Thailand: Rights Challenges Go Unaddressed
    Press release
    Feb 1, 2013
    The Thai government fell short in 2012 in addressing the country’s many serious human rights problems, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2013.
  • 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.
  • China: Re-education Revisited
    Commentary
    Jan 30, 2013
    How much of a reformer is China’s new leader, Xi Jinping?
  • China: Commute Death Sentence in Domestic Violence Case
    Press release
    Jan 30, 2013
    The Chinese government should immediately commute the death sentence against Li Yan, a woman convicted of killing her husband following months of violent abuse
  • Submission on the Fourth Periodic Report of Pakistan to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
    Written statement
    Jan 28, 2013
  • North Korea: Japan’s Backing of UN Inquiry Gives Hope
    Press release
    Jan 25, 2013
    Japan’s official decision to support the establishment of a new United Nations inquiry mechanism on human rights violations in North Korea is an important step toward the establishment of an in-depth investigation into human rights violations committed by the North Korean Government at home and abroad.
  • Thailand: Editor Convicted for Insulting Monarchy
    Press release
    Jan 23, 2013
    The conviction of a prominent Thai magazine editor and his harsh 11-year sentence for “insulting the monarchy” will further chill freedom of expression in Thailand.
  • 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.
  • India: EU Rights Dialogue Should Promote Accountability
    Press release
    Jan 21, 2013
  • Letter to Ambassador João Cravinho Concerning EU-India Local Human Rights Dialogue
    Letter
    Jan 21, 2013
  • The Central Role of Japan in Addressing Human Rights Abuses in North Korea
    Letter
    Jan 21, 2013
  • North Korea: Launch a UN Commission of Inquiry
    Press release
    Jan 21, 2013
    Members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) should vote to establish a commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea when the matter comes up before the February-March session of the council, said Human Rights Watch today. A detailed memo released by Human Rights Watch, Q&A on a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on North Korea, explains why a commission is urgently needed, how it could be established, what it should examine, and how it will support the efforts of the UNHRC to press for Pyongyang’s compliance with international human rights standards.
  • Q & A for Activists on a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on North Korea
    Q & A
    Jan 21, 2013
  • Q & A for Governments on a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on North Korea
    Q & A
    Jan 21, 2013
  • Burma: Halt Indiscriminate Attacks in Kachin State
    Press release
    Jan 17, 2013

    The Burmese army appears to have indiscriminately shelled the town of Laiza in northern Burma’s Kachin State in violation of the laws of war.

  • Bangladesh: Find Abducted Witness
    Press release
    Jan 16, 2013
    (New York, January 17, 2013) – The Bangladeshi authorities should immediately explain what actions they have taken to locate Shukho Ranjan Bali, a witness who defense lawyers and witnesses say was abducted from the gates of the war crimes courthouse in Dhaka on November 5, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. More than two months after his disappearance, there is no news about Bali’s whereabouts or condition. The witnesses say he was last seen in police custody.
  • Rights group: China may not be ready for labor camp reforms
    Commentary
    Jan 16, 2013
    Did the Chinese government announce earlier this week that it would end its notorious detention system known as Re-Education Through Labor (RTL)?
  • Burma: Drop Charges Against Peaceful Protesters
    Press release
    Jan 13, 2013

    Authorities in Burma should drop charges against activists who participated in peaceful protests against government policiesAuthorities in Burma should drop charges against activists who participated in peaceful protests against government policies.

  • 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.
  • A United Nations commission is needed to examine human rights abuses in North Korea
    Commentary
    Jan 11, 2013
    Earlier this week, Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt and United Nations Ambassador Bill Richardson raised eyebrows with a private visit to Pyongyang, North Korea. The United States State Department called the trip “unhelpful.” Schmidt’s visit to Kim il-Song University, during which a student demonstrated how he uses Google to conduct internet searches, seemed like a theatric production in the Potemkin style.
  • Why global labor reforms are vital to protect vulnerable workers
    Commentary
    Jan 10, 2013
    Rizana Nafeek was a child herself -- 17 years old according to her birth certificate -- when a four-month-old baby died in her care in Saudi Arabia. She had migrated from Sri Lanka only weeks earlier to be a domestic worker for a Saudi family.
  • Fixing India’s Rape Problem
    Commentary
    Jan 10, 2013
    The quick official response to the horrific gang rape and murder of a young Indian woman shouldn’t fool us. The country has a long way to go when it comes to justice for rape victims.
  • Mr. Karzai Goes to Washington
    Commentary
    Jan 10, 2013

     

    President Karzai is in Washington this week to meet with President Obama and military commanders at the Pentagon. A main subject of the meetings will be the fate of peace negotiations with insurgent forces and the size of US military forces after a planned military drawdown is completed in 2014. But while the two leaders meet they may want to consider why these topics are still relevant in 2013. 

  • 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.
  • Vietnam: Release Convicted Activists
    Press release
    Jan 9, 2013
    The conviction and prison sentences of 14 activists by the People’s Court of Nghe An province on January ­­­9, 2012, marks a sharp escalation of government attacks on critics
  • Saudi Arabia: Halt Execution of Sri Lankan Migrant Worker
    Press release
    Jan 8, 2013
    On January 9, 2013, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced the execution of Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan domestic worker convicted of killing a baby in her care in 2005 when she was 17 years old. Human Rights Watch strongly condemns the execution.
  • Joint ICNK letter regarding Special Rapporteur on rights in the DPRK
    Letter
    Jan 8, 2013

    Recently, 179 former North Korean political prisoners and defectors, including survivors of severe human rights violations in North Korea, wrote to you to appeal for your government to support an international inquiry into crimes against humanity in the DPRK.

  • The stigma and blame attached to rape survivors in India
    Commentary
    Jan 8, 2013
    Suggesting that women and girls "invite" sexual assault through their clothing or conduct—and therefore blaming the victim— is not uncommon in India. There is talk of legal reform and fast trials but stigma and blaming of survivors of sexual assault will unfortunately live on without concerted efforts to end it.
  • China: Fully Abolish Re-Education Through Labor
    Press release
    Jan 8, 2013

    The Chinese government’s announcement today that it will sometime this year “stop using” the notorious Re-Education Through Labor (RTL) system is a rare positive response to the system’s growing unpopularity, Human Rights Watch said today. While suspending use of RTL would be an important step, the government should aspire to fully abolish the RTL system.

  • India: HRW Letter to Justice Verma, Chair of the Commission on reforms on sexual assault and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India
    Letter
    Jan 5, 2013
  • China: Renewed Restrictions Send Online Chill
    Press release
    Jan 4, 2013

    The Chinese government’s further tightening of internet controls and mandating real name registration threaten security and privacy of internet users. On December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s legislative body, passed the “Decision to Strengthen the Protection of Online Information.” The Decision contains troubling provisions that require internet access and telecommunications providers to collect personal information about users when they sign up for internet access, landline, or mobile phone service.

  • Nepal: A Warning to Rights Abusers
    Press release
    Jan 4, 2013
    The arrest in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2013, of a Nepali army colonel suspected of torture sends a warning to those accused of serious crimes in Nepal and elsewhere that they cannot hide from the law forever. Nepal failed to prosecute anyone for torture during the decade-long civil war in the nearly seven years since it ended.
  • 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.

  • 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.