Both government and opposition forces and their allies committed extraordinary acts of cruelty that amount to war crimes in
South Sudan since fighting began there in December. A new report,
South Sudan’s New War, documents how widespread
killings of civilians -- often based on their
ethnicity of Nuer or Dinka -- and mass destruction and looting of civilian property, have
defined the conflict.
The
US has launched an air strikes campaign against ISIS militants in Iraq.
Iran may officially mark a Journalists Day, but more and more journalists and bloggers there are being put
behind bars.
Yesterday's convictions of two former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity are
welcome but are long overdue and do not make up for the fundamental failures of the
Cambodia-controlled and United Nations-assisted tribunal, say experts.
What's the top news this week on Human Rights Watch's
website and social feeds?
The US has
authorized air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in an attempt to stem their advance in northern
Iraq. The extremist Islamists have been
abducting, killing and expelling minorities in their campaign, with Iraq's
Christian and
Yazidi communities the latest to be hit by IS violence. Washington also announced airdrops of aid to displaced and isolated minority groups.
