• Nigeria: Massive Destruction, Deaths From Military Raid
    May 1, 2013
    Satellite images reveal massive destruction of civilian property from a military raid on April 16 and 17, 2013, in the northern Nigerian town of Baga, undermining the military’s claim that only 30 houses were destroyed. The Nigerian government should thoroughly and impartially investigate allegations that soldiers carried out widespread destruction and killing in the town.
  • Malaysia: Violence, Cyber Attacks Threaten Elections
    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.
  • Argentina: Investigate Police Action at Hospital Protest
    May 1, 2013

    Argentina should conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into allegations of excessive use of force by the City of Buenos Aires Metropolitan Police to disperse a demonstration at a public psychiatric hospital.

  • 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.
  • US: Fulfill Promises to Close Guantanamo
    April 30, 2013
    US President Barack Obama should move swiftly to fulfill newly repeated promises to end indefinite detention without trial at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
  • Yemen: Court Orders Investigation of Ex-President
    April 30, 2013
    A Yemeni court order to investigate former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and 11 aides in connection with a March 2011 massacre of anti-government protesters is a step toward justice. On April 27, 2013, a trial court in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, ordered the probe of Saleh and other former ranking officials – including his nephews Yahya Saleh and Tareq Saleh.
  • China: Activist’s Imprisoned Nephew Needs Effective Care
    April 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.
  • Iran: Government Trampling Workers’ Rights
    April 30, 2013
    The Iranian government is increasingly violating workers’ rights to peaceful assembly and association. Dozens of labor and independent trade union activists are in prison for speaking out in defense of workers.Human Rights Watch called for the government to end the crackdown and free labor rights advocates in anticipation of International Workers’ Day on May 1, as part of a joint campaign by Iranian and international rights groups to highlight the plight of workers.
  • Canada: Safety of Indigenous Women Under UN Scrutiny
    April 30, 2013
    The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted today the report on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Canada’s human rights record, which included a large set of questions, recommendations, and comments from countries across the world about violence against indigenous women and girls. The attention should spur Canada to take decisive action to address the hundreds of murders and disappearances of indigenous women and girls over the last four decades, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Iraq: Cancel Revocations of TV Station Licenses
    April 30, 2013
    Iraq’s media commission should immediately reverse the license suspensions for ten satellite television stations and allow them to continue broadcasting. A senior official has admitted the suspension was not according to any law, nor could the commission produce any evidence of direct incitement to violence by any of the stations, leading to the conclusion that the suspension was arbitrary.
  • UAE/UK: Cameron Should Demand Torture Inquiry
    April 30, 2013
    Prime Minister David Cameron should demand a thorough and independent investigation by the UAE authorities into credible allegations of torture by three British nationals.
  • Russia: Security Forces Shut Down Protest at Sochi Olympic Site
    April 30, 2013
    Police and private security forces forcibly dispersed a group of residents protesting construction at a proposed power plant site in the Hosta district of Sochi on April 29. The security forces injured some protestors while aggressively dragging some of them off of a temporary bridge being built to enable machinery access the site.
  • Pakistan: Ensure Election Security from Taliban Attacks
    April 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.
  • South Africa: ‘Secrecy Bill’ Improved But Still Flawed
    April 29, 2013
    South Africa’s “secrecy bill,” adopted by the National Assembly on April 25, 2013, lacks essential protections for whistleblowers.
  • Most Popular on Twitter - Top Tweets of the Week
    April 26, 2013

    The most popular tweets of the week from @hrw and our researchers.

  • Syria: New Air, Missile Strikes Kill Civilians
    April 26, 2013
    New Syrian government air and missile strikes are causing high civilian casualties in opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo in violation of the laws of war. A Human Rights Watch team in northern Aleppo province has investigated recent attacks that killed scores of civilians and destroyed dozens of civilian homes without damaging any apparent opposition military targets.
  • UAE: Cameron Should Press Rulers on Torture
    April 26, 2013
    British Prime Minister David Cameron should challenge the deteriorating human rights record of the United Arab Emirates during a state visit by the country’s president to Britain next week, a coalition of seven international human rights organizations said today. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan will begin a rare state visit to the United Kingdom on 29 April, but the high-profile trip comes at a time when abuses in the Gulf state are escalating, according to rights groups.
  • Guantanamo Bay and Indefinite Detention - Hunger Strike Continues
    April 25, 2013
    More prisoners have joined a hunger strike at the US-run detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, bringing the reported total to 93 out of 166 held at the facility.
  • Uganda: No Justice for April 2011 Killings
    April 25, 2013
    Police and prosecutors in Uganda have turned a blind eye to the killings of at least nine people by security forces during protests in April 2011. Human Rights Watch issued a video in which relatives of the victims explain the impact on their families and their struggle to secure justice and compensation.
  • Bangladesh: Tragedy Shows Urgency of Worker Protections
    April 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.
  • Russia: Voters’ Group First Victim of ‘Foreign Agent’ Law
    April 25, 2013
    The decision of a Moscow court on April 25, 2013, to fine an independent nongovernmental organization and its leader is an alarming indicator for the future of civil society in Russia.
  • Mexico: Abolish “Arraigo” Detention from Constitution
    April 25, 2013
    Mexico’s congress should reject a proposed constitutional change on preventive detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The proposed change, which would reduce the maximum preventive detention period from 80 days to 40, would not meet international human rights standards. Instead, Mexico’s Congress should move to eliminate the practice, known as “arraigo,” Human Rights Watch said.
  • Chad: Don’t Welcome ICC Fugitive
    April 25, 2013
    The government of Chad should arrest Abdelraheem Mohammed Hussein, the defense minister of Sudan. He is expected to attend a conference in Chad on April 25 and 26, 2013, according to news reports
  • Turkey: Justice Central to Kurdish Peace Process
    April 25, 2013
    Justice for the thousands of state-perpetrated killings and disappearances of Kurdish civilians in the 1990s should be an essential part of the peace process under way in Turkey. Human Rights Watch released a video outlining the events of that era, with family members whose loved ones were killed describing the lack of justice ever since.
  • Afghanistan: Urgent Need for Safe Facilities for Female Police
    April 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.
  • Taiwan: Reinstate Moratorium on Death Penalty
    April 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.
  • Iraq: Executions Surge but No Action on Reform
    April 25, 2013
    A striking increase in executions in Iraq points out the failure of Iraq’s justice system to meet international fair trial standards.
  • Sri Lanka: Commonwealth Should Relocate November Meeting
    April 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.
  • Argentina: Reject Interference with Judicial Independence
    April 24, 2013

    The Argentine Congress should reject proposals by the Fernández de Kirchner administration to reform the justice system because they would undermine judicial independence, Human Rights Watch said today.

  • Iraq: Investigate Deadly Raid on Protest
    April 24, 2013
    Iraqi authorities should ensure that a promised investigation into a deadly raid on April 23, 2013, in Haweeja, near Kirkuk, examines allegations that security forces used excessive and lethal force.
  • China: EU Commitments Demand Tough Response
    April 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.
  • Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era
    April 24, 2013
    The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.
  • Indonesia: Civilian Courts Should Try Abusive Soldiers
    April 23, 2013
    The Indonesian government should urgently amend its laws so that military personnel accused of human rights abuses are tried in civilian courts.
  • Kenya: New Leaders Should Put Rights First
    April 23, 2013
    Kenya’s new administration should take urgent steps in four key areas to address longstanding human rights challenges, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The administration should ensure that abusive security forces are held to account, protect independent voices, accelerate key police and land reforms, and cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Arms: New Campaign to Stop Killer Robots
    April 23, 2013

    Civil society will lead the way to press governments to ban fully autonomous weapons

  • Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights
    April 23, 2013
    The April 19 agreement between Serbia and Kosovo offers a landmark opportunity to improve human rights protection in both countries.
  • Sudan: Despite Pledge, Many Political Prisoners Remain
    April 22, 2013
    Sudan has released 24 civilian political prisoners following president Omar al-Bashir’s recent pledge to “free all political detainees,” but at least 100 remain, Human Rights Watch, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, and the Human Rights and Development Organization (HUDO) said today. The remaining political prisoners, most from the country’s conflict-hit peripheries, should also be released, the groups said.
  • Kuwait: Ex-Lawmaker on Bail in ‘Insulting Emir’ Case
    April 22, 2013
    Kuwait’s Court of Appeal released a former member of parliament on bail on April 22, 2013, in his appeal of a five-year sentence for insulting the emir.
  • EU: Ending Sanctions Undercuts Burma’s Rights Progress
    April 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.
  • Human Rights Watch Names New Board Co-chairs
    April 22, 2013
    Two leading human rights supporters will co-chair the board of Human Rights Watch beginning in October 2013. Joel Motley, managing director at Public Capital Advisors, and Hassan Elmasry, managing partner at Independent Franchise Partners, will succeed board chair James F. Hoge, Jr.
  • Lebanon/Syria: End Indiscriminate Cross-Border Attacks
    April 22, 2013
    All parties to the conflict in Syria should stop indiscriminate cross-border attacks on inhabited areas in Lebanon.
  • Burma: End ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims
    April 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.
  • Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan: Abuses in International Spotlight
    April 22, 2013
    Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan’s highly repressive policies are coming up for rare international scrutiny on April 22 and 24, 2013. United Nations member countries gathering at the Human Rights Council in Geneva under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure should seize the opportunity to expose and denounce the ongoing repression in both countries and press for concrete steps to end abuses.
  • Tajikistan: Investigate Attack on Opposition Leader
    April 20, 2013
    Tajik authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the brutal beating of an opposition leader.
  • Saudi Arabia: End Prosecution of Human Rights Lawyer
    April 19, 2013
    Saudi authorities should immediately halt the 18-month prosecution of a Jeddah-based human rights lawyer.
  • World Bank: Commit to Rights in 2030 Vision
    April 19, 2013
    The World Bank’s “vision” statement will be undermined if it fails to recognize the importance of human rights, nine organizations warned. The human rights and development groups called on President Jim Kim to make a firm commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights in all of its activities.
  • Guatemala: Genocide Trial Suspension
    April 19, 2013
    The abrupt suspension of the genocide trial of former de facto head of Guatemala, Efraín Ríos Montt, raises serious concerns about victims’ access to justice, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • World Bank: Uphold Rights to End Poverty, Economic Exclusion
    April 19, 2013
    The World Bank Group should uphold human rights as it works to create a world free of poverty and economic exclusion, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the Group’s president, Dr. Jim Kim.
  • Mali: End Child Labor in Gold Mines
    April 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.
  • Bahrain: F1 Ignores Rights Abuses Ahead of Race
    April 17, 2013
    International racing bodies responsible for scheduling the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix from April 19 to 21, 2013, have taken no steps to address human rights abuses that appear to be directly linked to the event.