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April 14, 1991

Guatemala: Persecution of Human Rights Activists

The violent events of February 17, 1991, and their aftermath suggest that egregious violations continue to be committed with impunity by agents of the Guatemalan state and that human rights activists, who risk their lives to protect others, continue to be severely persecuted.
April 10, 1991

Indonesia's Salman Rushdie

On April 8, 1991, Arswendo Atmowiloto, a young newspaper editor in Jakarta was sentenced to five years in prison. His arrest, trial and conviction on charges of insulting a religion raise questions about the relationship between freedom of expression, religious sensitivity, and political manipulation in an overwhelmingly Muslim society.
April 7, 1991

Human Rights in Post-Invasion Panama

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

The ouster of General Manuel Noriega in December 1989 and the installation of the democratically-elected coalition government of President Guillermo Endara brought high hopes in Panama that a long period of disrespect for law and the civil rights of the Panamanian people had come to an end.
April 1, 1991

Albania: Basic Human Rights Yet to be Secured

In advance of Albania’s first contested elections under Communist rule on March 31, we took part in a fact-finding mission from March 7 to March 12 as part of the first team of independent human rights investigators to have officially visited the country. The delegation, sponsored by the Vienna-based International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, met with senior government officials, including President Ramiz Alia; toured several prison and labor camps; conducted confidential interviews with current and former prisoners convicted of both political and common crimes; spoke extensively with members of opposition political parties and other newly founded independent organizations; and investigated several recent killings by Albanian security forces.
April 1, 1991

Prison Conditions in India

Despite the checks and balances inherent in India’s democratic structure designed to curb government lawlessness, the institutional basis for the prison system has become grossly unfair.
April 1, 1991

Prison Conditions in Israel and Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip

In describing the conditions experienced by all major categories of inmates including criminal and security offenders, Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Middle East Watch investigates issues of overcrowding, food, hygiene, outdoor time, visiting rights, and treatment by staff, among others concerns.
April 1, 1991

Albania

In advance of Albania’s first contested elections under Communist rule on March 31, we took part in a fact-finding mission from March 7 to March 12 as part of the first team of independent human rights investigators to have officially visited the country.
April 1, 1991

Truth & Partial Justice in Argentina

An Update

For more than a decade, Argentina has commanded the attention of the international community for two widely divergent reasons: atrocious human rights violations, and subsequent efforts to punish those responsible.
April 1, 1991

Since the Revolution

Human Rights in Romania

Shortly after the December 1989 revolution in Romania, many of the most repressive practices of the Ceausescu era were abolished. As Romanians looked forward to 1990, there was much to celebrate. However, the initial euphoria was quickly followed by a bitter realization that, although Ceausescu was gone, he had left his mark on every institution and every citizen.