• 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • UN/Western Sahara: Give Peacekeepers a Human Rights Mandate
    April 17, 2013
    United Nations Security Council members should task the United Nations with monitoring human rights violations in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps around Tindouf, in Algeria, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to all 15 Security Council member countries.
  • Russia: Activist Held Without Bail
    April 17, 2013
    Authorities in Russia should free a civil society activist charged with misuse of government funds pending his trial.
  • Venezuela: Respect Free Speech and Assembly
    April 17, 2013

    The government of Venezuela should not limit citizens’ rights to freely express their views and assemble peacefully in response to the disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. It should respect freedom of the press and all violent incidents should be subject to prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations, Human Rights Watch said.

  • Libya: Ensure Abdallah Sanussi Access to Lawyer
    April 17, 2013
    Abdallah Sanussi, the long-time intelligence chief for Muammar Gaddafi, told Human Rights Watch in a prison visit on April 15, 2013, that he has not had access to a lawyer or been informed of the formal charges against him during almost eight months in Libyan detention. He did not complain of physical abuse and said his conditions in custody have been “reasonable.”
  • Protect rights of women, girls with disabilities
    April 16, 2013
  • US: Senate Immigration Plan Important Yet Flawed
    April 16, 2013
    The US Senate is set to take an important step toward establishing landmark protections for unauthorized immigrants. The plan could grant eventual legal status to millions of people and reduce their vulnerability to human rights abuses. A summary of the proposed bill was made public on April 16, 2013, outlining significant changes to the complex array of immigration laws in the United States.
  • Why So Many Syrians Wish For Rain
    April 16, 2013
    Life in Aleppo is not easy. People here have suffered from shortages of food, electricity and running water, and there has been little humanitarian assistance. The long, cold winter months were particularly rough. The only possible consolation was that there were fewer air strikes because of the cloudy, rainy weather. The government’s jets only seem to fly – and drop bombs – when the sky is blue.
  • US: Ban Fully Autonomous Weapons
    April 16, 2013

    Temporary US restrictions on lethal fully autonomous weapons should be strengthened and made permanent.

  • US: Bipartisan Study Shows Need to Investigate Torture
    April 16, 2013
    A bipartisan study finding “indisputable” evidence of torture for which the highest United States officials bear responsibility should spur the US government to thoroughly investigate detainee abuse since September 11, 2001, and provide redress to victims.
  • Somalia: New Al-Shabaab Attacks are War Crimes
    April 16, 2013
    The attacks claimed by the Islamist armed group al-Shabaab on the Mogadishu regional courthouse and on an aid workers’ convoy on April 14, 2013, were grave violations of the laws of war. At least four legal professionals were killed, including a judge and three lawyers.
  • Ukraine: Reject Discriminatory LGBT Laws
    April 16, 2013
    The Ukrainian parliament should reject two draft laws that would discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and infringe on their free expression rights.
  • Bangladesh: Crackdown on Bloggers, Editors Escalates
    April 15, 2013
    The Bangladesh authorities should immediately drop charges against and release four bloggers and a newspaper editor arrested this month.
  • Some Hard Truths about the UAE's Soft Power
    April 15, 2013
    When President Barack Obama sits down with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates this week, Bill Clinton’s praise will no doubt will still be ringing in his ears. On a visit to American University in Dubai last week, Clinton described Dubai – one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE – as a “model of shared prosperity” in a gushing speech that gave no indication of the country’s poor and deteriorating record on basic human rights.
  • Kuwait: Drop Charges for ‘Offending Emir’
    April 15, 2013
    The Kuwaiti authorities should drop criminal charges against dozens of online activists, journalists, and politicians for legitimately exercising their rights to freedom of expression. The authorities should also withdraw charges and overturn the sentences for at least 10 people already convicted in such cases, as recently as April 15, 2013.
  • More must be done to aid the victims of India's violence
    April 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.

  • UAE: Obama Should Press Crown Prince on Rights
    April 15, 2013
    US President Barack Obama should press the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to reverse the worsening human rights situation in the country, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Obama. Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is scheduled to meet with President Obama in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2013.
  • Kerry, confront China on human rights
    April 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.
  • Saudi Arabia: Free Detainee in ‘Eye-for-an-Eye’ Case
    April 13, 2013
    Judicial authorities in Saudi Arabia should take urgent steps to end the indefinite detention of a man who can’t raise the money to compensate an attack victim. In addition to the criminal sentence, he also faced a Qisas, or “equal retaliation” judgment, which under Saudi law stipulates a direct “eye-for-an-eye” physical punishment or payment of compensation to the victim.
  • Burundi: New Law Would Muzzle Journalists
    April 12, 2013

    The adoption of a new media law by Burundi’s National Assembly on April 3, 2013, is an attempt to curtail free speech and independent journalism. The Senate and president should reject this version of the draft law, which would undermine Burundians’ hard-won struggle for fundamental freedoms.

  • Will Kenya's new president respect international court?
    April 12, 2013
    Kenya's new president missed the opportunity on day one to declare unequivocal commitment to the International Criminal Court and his administration should do so as soon as possible, says campaign group
  • The Sun Rises on Human Rights
    April 12, 2013
    As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is making waves.
  • Libya: Release Ailing Newspaper Editor
    April 12, 2013
    Libyan authorities should immediately drop criminal defamation charges and free Amara Hassan al-Khatabi, editor of al-Ummah daily. Al-Khatabi, who has been in detention since December 19, 2012, is on trial for “insulting” and “slandering” members of the judiciary. His private lawyer was not allowed to visit him while he was detained in prison and says he was transferred to a medical facility due to his fragile health on April 6, 2013, where he remains detained under guard.
  • Egypt: Release Report on Abuse of Protesters
    April 12, 2013
    President Mohamed Morsy of Egypt should immediately release the report by a fact-finding committee he created to investigate police and military abuses against protesters from January 2011 to June 2012. The committee submitted its report to the president in December, but the president has not made it public
  • Saudi Arabia: Huge Obstacles for First Woman Lawyer
    April 12, 2013
    Saudi authorities need to lift the many obstacles facing the first woman to train as a lawyer in Saudi Arabia before she can enter the profession on an equal basis with men.
  • Yemen: Military Changes a Major Transition Step
    April 12, 2013
    President Abdu Rabu Hadi’s removal from military command on April 10, 2013, of senior figures linked to abuse was a key step in Yemen’s post-uprising transition. The president’s appointment of some of these key figures to posts in which they would have diplomatic immunity is a source of concern, however.
  • The Dark Side of Iran's Drug Policy
    April 12, 2013
  • Tunisia: Release TV Station Director
    April 12, 2013
    Tunisia’s new justice minister should ensure the immediate release of Sami Fehri, the director of the privately owned Attounissia TV channel.
  • Russia: Worker Exploited on Olympic Venues is Detained
    April 11, 2013
    The Russian authorities have unlawfully detained a migrant construction worker who was seeking to file a complaint for nonpayment of wages on Olympic venues in Sochi.
  • Ban solitary confinement for youth in care of the federal government
    April 11, 2013
  • Somalia's Displaced: The Reform Test
    April 11, 2013
    The harsh experience of Somalis driven to seek shelter in Mogadiushu 's unsafe camps should be an urgent priority for the country's new government and its foreign donors.
  • Mali: Two Torture Victims Die in Detention
    April 11, 2013
    Two ethnic Tuareg men who had been arrested on February 15, 2013, and tortured by Malian soldiers in the town of Léré, Timbuktu region, have died in detention at the Central Prison in Bamako.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Soldiers on Trial for Abuses
    April 11, 2013

    The opening in Côte d’Ivoire on April 11, 2013, of trials against soldiers allegedly implicated in crimes against civilians is a positive development, but little progress has been made in investigating the most politically sensitive cases involving government forces.

  • Gaza: ‘Collaborator’ Murders Go Unpunished
    April 11, 2013
    The Gaza government has apparently not even begun a promised investigation more than four months after gunmen killed seven Palestinian prisoners accused of collaboration with Israel. Meanwhile, the Hamas government has set a deadline of April 11, 2013, for suspected collaborators to turn themselves in, promising them an amnesty.
  • Syria: Aerial Attacks Strike Civilians
    April 10, 2013
    The Syrian Air Force has repeatedly carried out indiscriminate, and in some cases deliberate, air strikes against civilians. These attacks are serious violations of international humanitarian law (the laws of war), and people who commit such violations with criminal intent are responsible for war crimes.
  • Malaysia: Drop Sedition Charges for Opposition Leader
    April 10, 2013
    Malaysian authorities should drop sedition charges against a political opposition leader that violate rights to free expression.
  • Denying Genocide Won't Promote Reconciliation
    April 10, 2013

    A public debate at the UN on April 10 will serve up a revisionist denial of the worst killings in Europe since the end of World War II: the ethnic slaughter in the former Yugoslavia that horrified the world in the 1990s. While the session's ostensible purpose is to take "a closer look at the long-term impact of international criminal justice, in particular as it relates to reconciliation..." it is unlikely much thoughtful discussion will occur. 

  • Egypt: Address Recurring Sectarian Violence
    April 10, 2013

    Egyptian authorities should bring to justice those responsible for the sectarian violence that left five Christians and one Muslim dead on April 5, 2013, in the town of Khosus, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should also investigate police failure to intervene effectively to prevent an escalation of violence outside the main Coptic cathedral in Cairo on April 7, after a funeral service for the Christians killed at Khosus.

  • Keep the Pressure on Putin
    April 10, 2013
    If Vladimir Putin had hoped for an easy time during his two-day Germany visit this week, he must be disappointed. There were some positive headlines on the Russian president’s visit, of course. The Hanover Trade Fair, which he opened on Sunday, featured 170 Russian companies – a record for the fair and a sign of the growing power of Russian business.
  • Bahrain: Targeted Raids and Arbitrary Detentions
    April 10, 2013
    Bahraini authorities are carrying out home raids and arbitrarily detaining opposition protesters in advance of the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend of April 19 to 21, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today, based on information from a variety of local sources.
  • Vietnam: Rights Dialogue Should Produce Concrete Steps
    April 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.
  • China: Kerry Should Prioritize Rights With New Leadership
    April 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.