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ICC
- International War Crimes Court Approved
Indonesia: The Post-Soeharto Period (July 1998) Crisis in Kosovo (July 1998) Northern Ireland: Monitoring The 1998 Marching Season (June-July 1998) U.S.
- China Summit Archive of the Latest News June May April March 1998 and Before Background Briefings |
| The Latest News From Human Rights Watch | Last
updated On
Wednesday,July 30 1998 |
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Human Rights Watch Condemns Atrocities In Sierra Leone
(New York, July 29, 1998)--In a report released today, Human Rights Watch condemns the war of terror now underway against civilians in Sierra Leone, and calls on the international community to take emergency measures to end the killings, amputations, and abductions taking place in that civil war. Human Rights Watch Questions U.S. Laser Programs (Washington, July 29)_Human Rights Watch today warned that the Pentagon is developing laser weapons that could undermine a new international ban on blinding lasers, which takes effect tomorrow. Academic Leaders Urge Ethiopia To Release Detained Eritrean Exchange Students (New York, July 29)--In an open letter today to President Gidada, the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee calls on the Ethiopian government to release over eighty Eritrean exchange students currently being held at an Ethiopian military base outside Addis Ababa. India - Human Rights Watch Letter: Killings of Dalits in Andhra Pradesh Cambodia: International Community Should Stand Firm on the Electoral Process (July 24, 1998)--As Cambodia prepared for national elections this Sunday, July 26, Human Rights Watch warned the international community not to give its stamp of approval to a flawed electoral process. The elections have been tainted by political violence and intimidation, and may not improve the country's progress towards genuine democracy, the rights group warned. Challenge To Asean On Human Rights (July 24, 1998)--As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) began its Ministerial Meeting in Manila today, Human Rights Watch urged the group to tackle difficult human rights issues in the region that threatened stability and economic revival. Stop Threatening International Court, U.S. Officials Told (Washington, July 23, 1998) -- Human Rights Watch today called on the Clinton administration to drop its threat to oppose the International Criminal Court (ICC). It urged members of Congress, including members of the Senate Subcommittee on International Operations holding hearings today on the ICC, to study the treaty's provisions carefully, in light of atrocities taking place far outside the Beltway. It also demanded that U.S. officials refrain from uninformed and politically motivated criticism. Sudan Famine Ceasefire Needs Human Rights Protections (Washington, DC, July 23, 1998)_Human Rights Watch cautions that a three-month ceasefire in southern Sudan may fall apart if the government and the rebels do not take measures necessary to protect human rights. U.N. Mission To Algeria Must Tackle Human Rights Issues (July 21, 1998)--The United Nations mission arriving tomorrow in Algiers must focus on human rights if it is to succeed in its objective of assessing the overall situation in that country, Human Rights Watch declared today. ICC Draft Treaty Flawed, but Can Be Improved (Rome, July 17, 1998, 10 p.m. local time) - Human Rights Watch tonight welcomed the establishment of an International Criminal Court, despite serious flaws in the draft treaty. HRW Text Analysis ICC Court Treaty Some notable provisions of the ICC treaty, as adopted by the Rome conference. "Fight to the Finish" on International Court (Rome, July 17, 1998) - On the last day of a five-week conference to establish an International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch vowed to fight to the finish on two major "escape clauses" in the draft treaty. The proposed ICC would prosecute future acts of genocide,
crimes against humanity, and war crimes, but the two loopholes would significantly
reduce its reach.
Human Rights Groups Urge Continued International Monitoring In Rwanda (July 17, 1998)--Human Rights Watch and the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) deplore the closing of the United Nations Human Rights Field Office in Rwanda but commend U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson for maintaining the principle that monitoring is an appropriate and integral part of a U.N. human rights operation. HRW Responds To (New York Mayor) Guiliani's Refusal To Seriously Address Problem Of Police Brutality (New York, July 15, 1998) -- Today, Human Rights Watch sent an open letter to Mayor Rudolph Guiliani expressing disappointment in his summary rejection last week of Human Rights Watch's extensive study of police brutality in the United States. Africans Favor Strong International Court (Rome, July 15, 1998) - As the Rome conference to create an International Criminal Court (ICC) enters its final days, a clear majority of African countries have spoken in favor of a strong and independent court. HRW Criticizes Sudan's Arrests Of Political Opponents (Washington, DC, July 15, 1998) -- In a letter to President Omar El Bashir of Sudan released today, Human Rights Watch criticizes the arrests of political opposition figures. UN should Condemn Israeli Torture and Hostage-Taking (Geneva, 15 July 1998) -- On the eve of Israel's first-ever report to the United Nations' Human Rights Committee, Human Rights Watch strongly criticized Israel's use of torture and its detention of individuals as hostages. It also called on the UN body to condemn Israel's human rights violations, and to request additional information on Israel's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). DRC - HRW Condemns Security Council's Inaction (New York, July 14, 1998)--Human Rights Watch today deplored the weak presidential statement issued by the United Nations Security Council late last night on massacres in the Congo. Academic Leaders And Scholars Advocates Critique Proposed Jordanian Press Law (New York, July 13)--In a July 10 letter to Jordanian Minister of Higher Education Dr. Mohammad Hamdan made public today, the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee criticizes the draft press and publications law currently being considered by the Jordanian parliament. Rome Majority Favors Strong International Court (July 10)--The results of last Thursday's debate provide an indirect poll of government positions, and show large majorities calling for the court to have an independent prosecutor, full jurisdiction over atrocities in civil wars, autonomy from the U.N. Security Council and the ability to investigate cases when any one of several interested states has ratified the court's statute. Nigeria: HRW Writes To General Abubakar (New York, July 10, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today wrote to General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Nigerian head of state, urging him to release all remaining political prisoners immediately, and take steps to return Nigeria to rule by a genuinely elected civilian government. HRW Condemns United States' Threat to Sabotage ICC (Rome, July 9, 1998)"This is a new low in the Clinton Administration's approach to the ICC," said Richard Dicker, who leads the ICC campaign for Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch Disappointed by U.K. Stand on International Court (Rome, July 9, 1998) - As the Rome conference to create an International Criminal Court (ICC) nears a close, Human Rights Watch today expressed its disappointment at the United Kingdom's positions on the establishment of the court. In particular, it criticized the U.K.'s continued silence on the key issue of an independent prosecutor . French Stand on International Court "Mixed," says Rights Group (Juky 9, 1998)--.. it criticized France's proposal to limit the court's ability to take up cases of serious war crimes. Irian Jaya Detainees Denied Family Visits, Medical Care (July 9, 1998)--Human Rights Watch said today that an impartial investigation was urgently needed into the firing on demonstrators by the Indonesian military in Biak, Irian Jaya, where two days after the shootings, the casualty toll remains unclear and access is tightly restricted. Architects of Ethnic Cleansing Undermine the Bosnian Peace (New York, July 8, 1998)--Six individuals indicted for war crimes remain at large in Foca, and many alleged architects of "ethnic cleansing" still have positions of authority in the Bosnian town, a new Human Rights Watch report charges today. Not a single non-Serb has returned to Foca since the war ended, although the population included more than 20,000 non-Serbs before the war. Report Charges Police Abuse In U.S. Goes Unchecked Español Português, Français, Deutsch, Arabic (July 7, 1998)--In a report released today, Human Rights Watch accuses local governments and federal officials of failing to address a common human rights abuse in the United States: police brutality. The 440-page
report charges that shoddy internal investigations do not hold police
officers accountable for abusive acts, and that criminal prosecutions rarely
result.
Indonesia Alert: Trouble In Irian Jaya (July 7, 1998)--Human Rights Watch said today that the explosion of violence over the weekend in Irian Jaya, Indonesia's easternmost province, underscored the need to take urgent measures to prevent further human rights violations there. Nigeria: HRW Welcomes Releases But Says More Is Needed (New York, July 2, 1998)--Human Rights Watch welcomes the announcement by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the Nigerian head of state has agreed to release all political prisoners.
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