• Thailand: Defamation Charges Chill Labor Rights Inquiries
    April 9, 2013
    Criminal defamation charges against a prominent labor activist violate his right to free speech and will have a chilling effect on investigations of alleged rights abuses by companies in Thailand.
  • Waiting for Minds to Change in Cameroon
    April 9, 2013
    “There’s no reason to despair,” Cameroonian president Paul Biya told journalists in January 2013. They had questioned him, at a Paris news conference, on Cameroon’s startling level of arrests and prosecutions for same-sex conduct – by some accounts, the highest number of “homosexuality” prosecutions in the world. “Minds are changing,” Biya reassured the journalists. He mentioned a recent case appeals court ruling overturning the conviction of two transgender people, Jonas K. and Franky D., who had been sentenced to five years in prison.
  • Peru: Reject ‘Terrorism Denial’ Law
    April 9, 2013
    The Peruvian Congress should reject a legislative proposal that includes overly broad language to criminalize the denial of terrorist crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Egypt’s NGO Funding Crackdown
    April 9, 2013
  • It's Not Just About Sexual Violence
    April 9, 2013
    Human Rights Watch first documented sexual violence in conflict in 1993 when we published a report about how Indian security forces in Kashmir used rape to brutalise women and punish their communities, accused of sympathizing with separatist militants. Since then, we have investigated and documented rape in conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Somalia, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Haiti.
  • Chad: Don’t Welcome Back Al-Bashir
    April 9, 2013
    The government of Chad should arrest President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan or bar him entry to the country.
  • Urgent need for visible rights reform
    April 9, 2013

    President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent Walk the Talk on the Indian news channel NDTV was illuminating. He claimed that the now-defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had planned to take over all of Sri Lanka — not just the areas claimed for an independent Tamil nation — but that LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran “wanted the whole country.”

  • Kenya: New Leadership Should Uphold Rights and Obligations
    April 8, 2013

    President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, who are being sworn in April 9, 2013, should ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today. Their new government should also uphold and protect the bill of rights in Kenya’s constitution, Human Rights Watch said.

     

  • Is justice gaining a foothold?
    April 8, 2013
    Former Guatemalan strongman Efraín Ríos Montt went on trial in Guatemala City late last month on charges of genocide relating to the massacres of indigenous Mayan people during his rule.
  • Turkmenistan: EU Should Press Foreign Minister on Rights
    April 8, 2013
    European Union officials should press the Turkmen foreign minister for concrete human rights improvements during his meetings in Brussels on April 9, 2013.
  • Speak Up Against Repression
    April 8, 2013
    The Russian authorities’ inspections of the offices of German political foundations and hundreds of non-governmental organizations in Russia in recent days, including Human Rights Watch, have refocused attention in Germany on the crackdown on Russian civil society since Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency last May.
  • UAE: Don’t Deport Tamil Refugees to Sri Lanka
    April 6, 2013
    United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should not deport 19 Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka because they would be at serious risk of torture and persecution upon return. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has recognized all 19 as refugees, but the UAE authorities have told the group they must leave the country by April 11, 2013.
  • Russia: Woman in Dire Health Is Freed
    April 5, 2013
    Russian authorities on April 5, 2013, released a young woman with a severe health condition after three months in pretrial detention.
  • In Darfur, Money Won’t Buy You Human Rights
    April 5, 2013
    Darfur desperately needs help – but not just to repair damage from the horrific conflict that erupted in 2003, which killed 300,000 people, destroyed hundreds of villages and pushed 2 million people to camps inside Darfur and across the Chadian border. Darfur also desperately needs to overcome the marginalization and underdevelopment that helped fuel the conflict.
  • Kyrgyzstan: Violence Mars Supreme Court Hearing
    April 4, 2013
    Violence in the courtroom during an April 2, 2013 Supreme Court hearing undermined the fairness and integrity of the process.
  • Philippines: Manila again drops ball in Human Rights Council
    April 4, 2013
    Last June, the Philippine delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council was an embarrassing no-show during an important vote on human rights abuses in Syria.
  • Russia: Merkel, Rutte Should Press Putin on Rights
    April 3, 2013
    The leaders of Germany and the Netherlands should urge President Vladimir Putin of Russia during his upcoming visit to reverse his administration’s crackdown on civil society and erosion of human rights.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Unrealized Promises for Impartial Justice
    April 3, 2013
    The Ivorian government has not yet delivered on its promises of impartial accountability for the serious international crimes from the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should step up support to judges and prosecutors handling these cases so that victims from both sides can finally see justice.
  • China: Free Anti-Corruption Activists
    April 3, 2013
    The Chinese government should immediately release four activists detained after calling for requiring government officials to disclose their assets publicly.
  • Yemen: Reveal Any Military Role in Journalist’s Killing
    April 3, 2013
    Yemen’s Defense Ministry should cooperate in bringing the killer of a journalist and his friend to justice, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the defense minister, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, requesting information about possible military involvement in the case.
  • UAE: Unfair Mass Trial of 94 Dissidents
    April 3, 2013
    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities have compounded serious pre-trial violations of fair trial rights by arbitrarily denying family members, international observers, and the international media access to the mass trial of 94 critics of the government, a coalition of seven international human rights organizations said today. The organizations urged the UAE authorities to investigate allegations of torture and to grant full public access to trial sessions.
  • Azerbaijan: Authorities Targeting Youth Activists
    April 2, 2013
    An Azerbaijan court sent three political activists to pretrial detention in recent days on dubious charges of illegal weapons possession.
  • Italy: Leather Buyers Beware
    April 2, 2013
    (Barcelona) – Leather buyers at an international leather fair in Italy should only purchase leather goods from tanneries that comply with laws that protect the right to health and labor rights, Human Rights Watch said today as the fair opens in Bologna. Such compliance should include respecting both national and international environmental standards. Tanneries in the Hazaribagh area of the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, do not meet these criteria, Human Rights Watch said.
  • Uruguay: Marriage Equality Approved
    April 2, 2013
    The Uruguay Senate, in approving a bill on April 2, 2013, to legalize same-sex marriage, has moved to guarantee marriage equality and diminish discrimination. The vote was 23 to 8. Uruguay would be the 12th country to approve same-sex marriage nationwide.
  • Morocco: French President Should Raise Rights Issues
    April 2, 2013
    President François Hollande of France should press for further human rights reforms in Morocco during his first state visit to this longtime French ally. Hollande is expected to meet with King Mohammed VI in Rabat and address the parliament while in the country on April 3 and 4, 2013. Several French ministers are scheduled to accompany the president, including Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Najat Vallaud Belkacem, the minister of women’s rights and government spokesperson.
  • Ethiopia: Muslim Protesters Face Unfair Trial
    April 2, 2013
    The prosecution of 29 Muslim protest leaders and others charged under Ethiopia’s deeply flawed anti-terrorism law raises serious fair trial concerns. The trial is scheduled to resume in Addis Ababa on April 2, 2013, after a 40-day postponement.
  • Burma: Satellite Images Detail Destruction in Meiktila
    April 1, 2013
    The Burmese government should thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those who incited and committed deadly violence in Meiktila in central Burma from March 20 to 22, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today. Decisive government action to combat impunity, end discrimination, and promote tolerance among religious groups is needed to end the tide of attacks against Muslim communities.
  • With new leadership, Italy has a real chance for asylum reform
    April 1, 2013
    Italy has changed in the last three decades from a country of emigration to one of immigration and asylum. Its reaction has been chaotic and confused, and sometimes downright cruel. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in Italy’s response to boat migration.
  • Morocco: Tainted Trial of Sahrawi Civilians
    April 1, 2013
    A Moroccan military court has sentenced 25 Sahrawis to prison, including nine to life sentences, without looking into their allegations that their confessions were extracted under torture and other forms of coerciony. The defendants include several advocates of human rights and independence for Western Sahara. The confessions were apparently the primary, if not the only, evidence against them, as the court’s written judgment, released the week of March 18, 2013, makes clear.
  • Nepal: Climate of Fear Imperils LGBT People
    April 1, 2013
    The government of Nepal should allow lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups to operate freely and end arbitrary arrests of LGBT people. The government should investigate threats and attacks against LGBT people. Widespread harassment, including by the government, has contributed to a climate of fear among LGBT people and activists in Nepal, and has interrupted vital activities, including HIV prevention work.
  • Ghana: People With Mental Disabilities Face Serious Abuse
    March 31, 2013
    This week’s high-level ministerial meeting about gender equality in international development assistance should promote the rights and needs of women with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said today. Specifically, governments should address the marginalization of women with disabilities in the declaration to be adopted on July 1, 2010.
  • What Are the BRICS Building?
    March 30, 2013
    The Chinese call it jin zhuan, or golden brick. The Russians have suggested calling it briuki, an acronym meaning trousers in Russian. And what about the ambiguous S? It originally was just a plural for the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, places where a Goldman Sachs analyst was urging greater investment. Now it stands for South Africa, which joined in 2010 despite having an economy roughly on the order of China’s sixth-largest province.
  • Libya: Ensure Due Process for Extradited Libyans
    March 30, 2013
    Libya should ensure that two Libyans with ties to the previous government of Muammar Gaddafi who were extradited from Egypt on March 26, 2013, are treated humanely and granted their full due process rights. Libya should grant humanitarian and human rights organizations access to them to monitor their detention conditions and treatment and respect for their basic rights as detainees – including giving them access to a lawyer and promptly taking them before a judge.
  • Cambodia: Supreme Court Keeps Activist Jailed
    March 29, 2013
    The Cambodian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the trumped-up imprisonment of a land-rights activist should prompt Cambodia’s donors to demand her unconditional release, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Tunisia: New Law Should Create Independent Judges
    March 28, 2013
    Tunisia’s National Constituent Assembly should commit to the creation of an independent judiciary free from government interference. The assembly will consider a proposed law to establish a Temporary Judicial Council (TJC) later this week, which would replace the discredited Supreme Judicial Council as the primary body responsible for the functioning of the judicial system. The proposed law, although an improvement on a 2012 predecessor, still raises concerns about the extent that ministers would continue to have influence on the disciplining of judges and other issues affecting their independence from government.
  • Sri Lanka: Probe into LTTE Crimes Should Start with Karuna
    March 28, 2013
    The Sri Lankan government should act on the call by a government deputy minister to investigate war crimes by examining his own role in serious abuses.
  • No free pass for Jordan on refugees
    March 27, 2013
    The United States should provide aid to the refugees but ensure that no aid money goes to or through the Jordanian government as long as Jordan sends some refugees back to face death - even as it welcomes others.
  • Algeria: Activists Barred from World Social Forum
    March 27, 2013
    Algerian authorities illegally restricted rights to free movement when they barred 96 Algerian civil society activists from travelling to Tunisia, without giving any reason.
  • Somalia: Protect Displaced People at Risk
    March 26, 2013
    Members of state security forces and armed groups have raped, beaten, and otherwise abused displaced Somalis who have arrived in Somalia’s capital fleeing famine and armed conflict since 2011, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The new Somali government should urgently improve the protection and security of Mogadishu’s internally displaced population.
  • Burma: Rohingya Muslims Face Humanitarian Crisis
    March 26, 2013
    The Burmese government is systematically restricting humanitarian aid and imposing discriminatory policies on Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State.
  • Mali: Soldiers Torture Detainees in Léré
    March 26, 2013
    The government of Mali should investigate allegations that Malian soldiers tortured seven suspected supporters of Islamist armed groups in Léré, near Timbuktu.
  • Russia wants BRICS partners to ignore its transgressions
    March 26, 2013

    Official communiqués on the BRICS summit in Durban are promising new initiatives on trade, economic development and technical co-operation. But Russia wants more from its partners than just trade. With concern rising in Europe over the worst crackdown on Russian democracy since the Soviet Union collapsed more than 20 years ago, Vladimir Putin is coming to Africa to find supporters of its world view.

  • Jordan: Students Accused of ‘Devil Worship’
    March 26, 2013
    Jordanian authorities should immediately charge or release five Al al-Bayt university students detained since March 12, 2013, after other students alleged they had desecrated a Quran and engaged in “devil worship” . The students, who deny the accusations and have neither been charged nor taken before a judge, were assaulted by a crowd of other students, and their attackers should be brought to justice, Human Rights Watch said.
  • Algeria: Activists Barred from World Social Forum
    March 26, 2013
    Algerian authorities illegally restricted rights to free movement when they barred 96 Algerian civil society activists from travelling to Tunisia, without giving any reason. Border officials stopped the activists on March 25 as they were about to enter Tunisia, where they intended to attend the World Social Forum. The forum, a global gathering of approximately 50,000 activists on areas such as human rights and the environment, runs from March 26 to March 30, 2013.
  • DR Congo: Victims, Activists Respond to Warlord’s Surrender
    March 26, 2013

    Congolese human rights activists and victims of abuses allegedly carried out by Bosco Ntaganda’s troops have expressed support and relief at the rebel leader’s transfer to the International Criminal Court.

  • BRICS: Take Concrete Steps to Help Syria’s People
    March 26, 2013
    The BRICS countries should call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian-populated areas in Syria, and insist that cluster munitions and incendiary weapons should not be used. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are meeting in Durban for the annual BRICS summit on March 26 and 27, 2013.
  • UN: Emphasize Rights in Development Agenda
    March 25, 2013
    The United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda should be grounded in human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
  • Indonesia: Order an End to Church Demolitions
    March 25, 2013
    President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia should order local governments not to demolish houses of worship and should revoke discriminatory regulations on religious structures.
  • China's failing policy in Tibet is 'self-defeating'
    March 25, 2013
    How badly does the Chinese government really want to stop Tibetan self-immolations? A campaigner suggests that the rhetoric from Beijing does not match the reality of draconian policy programmes.
  • New UK Media Curbs May Please Beijing
    March 25, 2013
    British journalism often looks impressive from afar, with trusted media organizations like the BBC and Economist springing to mind. Closer up, its image is far more tarnished, particularly for newspapers, with a murky stew of phone-hacking, bribery and insider influence.