• US: More Harm Than Good
    May 1, 2013
    Harsh public registration laws often punish youth sex offenders for life and do little to protect public safety, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. A web of federal and state laws apply to people under 18 who have committed any of a wide range of sex offenses, from the very serious, like rape, to the relatively innocuous, such as public nudity.
    Press release
  • Yemen: Halt Execution of Alleged Juvenile Offender
    Mar 8, 2013
    President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi of Yemen should immediately halt the scheduled execution of a man who may have been under 18 at the time of the alleged crime, Human Rights Watch said today. Mohammad Abd al-karim Mohammad Haza`a is due to face a firing squad on the morning of March 9, 2013.
    Press release
  • Yemen: Juvenile Offenders Face Execution
    Mar 4, 2013
    Yemen’s government should stop seeking and carrying out the death penalty for child offenders, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi should immediately reverse execution orders for three alleged juvenile offenders on death row who have exhausted all appeals and could face a firing squad at any moment.
    Press release
  • Saudi Arabia: Halt Execution of Sri Lankan Migrant Worker
    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.
    Press release
  • Iraq: Halt Execution of Yemeni Juvenile
    Dec 9, 2012
    Iraqi authorities should immediately stay the execution of a Yemeni national who was 16 at the time of his alleged offense.
    Press release
  • Egypt: A Year of Abuses Against Detained Children
    Nov 20, 2012
    Egyptian police and military officers have arrested and detained over 300 children during protests in Cairo over the past year, in some cases beating or torturing them, Human Rights Watch said today. Frequently, these children were illegally jailed with adult prisoners, tried in adult courts, and denied their rights to counsel and notification of their families, Human Rights Watch found.
    Press release
  • US: Teens in Solitary Confinement
    Oct 10, 2012

    Young people are held in solitary confinement in jails and prisons across the United States, often for weeks or months at a time.

    Press release
  • US/California: New Hope for Youth Offenders
    Sep 30, 2012

    The law on youth sentencing signed by Governor Jerry Brown of California on September 30, 2012, provides hope for nearly 300 youth offenders sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, Human Rights Watch said today. The new law, Senate Bill 9, will allow people who were under age 18 at the time of their crime to ask the sentencing court to review their case and consider a new sentence permitting parole after serving 25 years in prison.

    Press release
  • US/California: Chance for Justice for Youth
    Aug 16, 2012
    The California State Assembly’s approval on August 16, 2012, of a bill to allow review of life without parole sentences for youth offenders is a step toward justice.
    Press release
  • US Supreme Court: Positive Youth Sentencing Ruling
    Jun 25, 2012
    The Supreme Court decision barring the mandatory sentencing of juvenile offenders to life without parole recognizes children’s capacity for change. It also recognizes their distinct status from adults under international human rights and constitutional law.
    Press release