• Mar 31, 1993
    On June 29, 1992, police surrounded a Gypsy neighborhood in Pazarszhik, a town 120 km. east of Sofia, and attacked its inhabitants, conducted abusive house searches, damaged property and confiscated possessions. Many Gypsies suffered serious injuries as well as significant property damage as a result of the police conduct.
  • Jun 21, 1992
    In "Double Jeopardy: Police Abuse of Women in Pakistan," released today, Asia Watch and the Women's Rights Project, two divisions of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, charge the government of Pakistan with responsibility for an epidemic of unpunished police violence against women. The 106-page report finds that more than 70 percent of women in police custody are subjected to physical and sexual abuse by law enforcement agents, yet not a single police official has been subjected to criminal penalties for such abuse.
  • May 20, 1991
    At the request of the estates of the American writers Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett, the Fund for Free Expression administers a special fund for writers of fiction or non-fiction, anywhere in the world, who are in financial need as a result of political persecution. The grants are made annually by a five-member selection committee consisting of members of the Fund for Free Expression, one of the six committees of Human Rights Watch. The second round of grants has recently been awarded -- a total of $195,000 to 22 writers in 16 countries.