Human Rights Watch - Background Briefings and Latest Press Releases

The Latest News From Human Rights Watch	Last updated On Wednesday, July 1, 1998
Governments Urged To Stop The Use Of Child Soldiers (New York, June 30) -- A new international coalition today called on the world's governments to establish an effective ban on the growing use of child soldiers. HRW Condemns Arrest Of Iranian Legal Scholar (June 30)Human Rights Watch today condemned the arrest of Hojatoleslam Mohssen Saeid-Zadeh, an independent legal scholar in Iran . Hojatoleslam Saeid-Zadeh has been in the forefront of a popular movement to reform family law in Iran. HRW Welcomes U.N. Report On Congo Massacres (New York, June 30, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today welcomed a new United Nations report on massacres of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the campaign that brought President Laurent Kabila's to power in May 1997. Yugoslav Military and Serbian Police Commit War Crimes in Kosovo (June 30, 1998,New York)--The Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and Serbian special police forces are committing violations of humanitarian law in Kosovo, Human Rights Watch stated today. Attacks on civilians and the systematic destruction of villages have effectively cleansed Kosovo's western region of ethnic Albanians. Human Rights Watch has strong evidence of summary executions and rape. Good Job, President Clinton - Now Follow It Up (June 28, 1998)--Human Rights Watch today praised President Clinton for his spirited debate on human rights with Chinese President Jiang Zemin but urged him to press further on four of the issues he raised: freedom of expression and association; arbitrary detention; Tibet; and freedom of religion. Human Rights Watch Welcomes New Japanese Position On International Court (Rome, June 26, 1998) - Human Rights Watch today welcomes the new Japanese position on the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC). The organization called, however, for Japan to reconsider its opposition to an independent prosecutor for the ICC. Jordan: State Proposes Tight Grip on All Printed Media (New York, June 25) -- In a letter to the speaker of Jordan's Chamber of Deputies made public today, Human Rights Watch criticizes the draft press and publications law that the government presented to parliament last week. The law imposes sweeping restrictions on the content of anything printed in Jordan, and gives vast powers to the information ministry to suspend newspapers, censor and ban books, and prohibit the entry of foreign publications. Indonesia: More Pressure Needed On Disappearances (June 22, 1998)--Human Rights Watch today called on the Indonesian government to step up its efforts to find "disappeared" activists and prosecute those responsible. To date, at least ten activists remain unaccounted for, and investigations seem to be on hold. Cambodia: Fair Elections Not Possible (June 19, 1998)--In a new report issued today, Human Rights Watch concludes that the present political environment in Cambodia, in which opposition parties are not able to operate freely and safely, is in no way conducive to the holding of free, fair, and credible elections scheduled for July 26, 1998. The report was issued on the eve of a June 20 meeting in Bangkok, Thailand of the grouping of countries known as the Friends of Cambodia. Cliton Must Speak Out for Academic Freedom in China (New York, June 18)--In an open letter today to President Clinton, the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee calls on the President to speak out forcefully in support of both academic and political freedom during his planned visits to university campuses in China. HRW Expresses Concern for Fate of Sierra Leonean Refugees in Liberia (New York, June 18, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today warned that unless the international community takes immediate steps to address the desperate plight currently facing Sierra Leonean refugees in Liberia, it is likely that the situation will worsen and ultimately pose a bigger burden to the international community. Imprisonment Of Turkish Journalist Underscores Arbitrary Nature Of Restrictive Press Laws (New York, June 18, 1998)_Human Rights Watch condemns the June 17 imprisonment of the respected journalist Ragip Duran for a 1994 article he wrote based on an interview with Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). HRW Urges Eritrea And Ethiopia To Stop Targeting Civilians (New York, June 17, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today condemned attacks on civilians during the current conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Dozens, mainly civilians, have died in air raids launched since the escalation of the undeclared war between the two countries. Human Rights Watch Disappointed In U.S. Position On International Court (Rome, June 17, 1998) - Human Rights Watch today expressed disappointment in the speech of U.N. ambassador Bill Richardson at the conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). HRW Calls Upon the Caldera Government to Reduce Prison Violence, Investigate Police Killings (Caracas June 16)-- In a report released today, Human Rights Watch urged the Venezuelan government to take immediate steps to improve prison conditions and reduce prison violence during the final six months of its mandate. The report, issued in Spanish, describes a series of grave human rights abuses in the country's dangerous, overcrowded and physically deteriorating penal facilities. Human Rights Watch Praises German Stand On International Court (Rome, June 16, 1998) - Human Rights Watch today strongly praised the speech of German Federal Minister of Justice Dr. Edzard Schmidt-Jortzig at a conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). Rights Group Condemns Brazil's Position On International Court (Rome, June 16) - Human Rights Watch today expressed disappointment at the speech of the head of the Brazilian delegation to the International Criminal Court (ICC). HRW Disappointed At India's Position On International Court (Rome, June 16) - Human Rights Watch today expressed disappointment at the speech of Dilip Lahiri, head of Indian Delegation to the conference gathered in Rome to formulate an International Criminal Court (ICC). Human Rights Watch Comments On Egypt's Position On ICC (Rome, June 16) - Human Rights Watch welcomed the speech of the president of the Egyptian Supreme Court Ahmed Medhat el-Maraghy yesterday at the conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). Human Rights Watch welcomes NATO Arrest in Bosnia and Hercegovina (June 15, 1998)-- Human Rights Watch welcomes the arrest today by French and German SFOR troops of indicted war crimes suspect Milorad Krnojelac. "The arrest of persons indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is a basic precondition for the successful implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords," stated Holly Cartner, executive director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of Human Rights Watch. E.U. Split Produces Weak Position On International Court (Rome, June 15) - A split within the European Union produced the weak EU speech at the opening day of a conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today. Rights Group Praises Canadian Position On International Court (Rome, June 15) -- Human Rights Watch today praised the speech of Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy at the opening day of a conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). Rights Group Praises South Africa For Stand On International Court (Rome, June 15) -- Human Rights Watch today praised the speech of South African Justice Minister Dullah Omar at the opening day of a conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). Rights Group Disappointed In Australian Stand On International Court (Rome, June 15) -- Human Rights Watch today expressed disappointment at the speech of Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer at the opening day of a conference to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC). HRW Condemns Deadly Attack By Ugandan Rebels On School Children (New York, June 10, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today strongly condemned the attack by the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on the Kichwamba National Technical Institute in Kaborole, Western Uganda, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated fifty to eighty students at the school. Kosovo : Human Rights Watch Statement to the Contact Group (June 10, 1998)--The international community has repeatedly vowed to prevent "another Bosnia" from happening in Kosovo. Yet indiscriminate shelling, summary executions, and the razing of villages that marked the war in Bosnia are now taking place in Kosovo on a daily basis. Human Rights Watch is dismayed that despite the mounting evidence of widespread humanitarian law violations in the region, the international community has repeatedly failed to follow through on warnings to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Proposed New Law Threatens Independent Organizations In Egypt (New York, June 9) --In a letter to the President of Egypt made public today, Human Rights Watch warns that a proposed law to regulate nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) grants excessive powers to the state. Human Rights Watch Calls For Return To Democratic Rule In Nigeria (New York, June 8, 1998)--Human Rights Watch today called on the Nigerian military to return the country to democratic rule following the death of Gen. Sani Abacha, the head of state. Drug Control Strategies Must Respect Human Rights (New York, N.Y., June 8, 1998)--In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch calls on the U.N. General Assembly convened in a Special Session on drugs to take steps to reduce human rights abuses committted in the course of drug control efforts. Indonesia: The Post-Soeharto Crisis Testimony before the House International Relations Committee Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (June 4, 1998) Indonesians have had more freedom in the last two weeks than they have had in the last three decades, but exhilaration is already being replaced by concern over the number of obstacles that lie in the path of political reform. The state of the economy, the weakness of political institutions, and the unfinished power struggle within the elite are just a few of those obstacles. Bosnia And Hercegovina: U.N. Police Needs More Resolve In Applying Its Human Rights Mandate (Sarajevo, June 4)_In a report released today, Human Rights Watch calls on the United Nations to strengthen its monitoring of the human rights performance of the local police in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The U.N. Security Council is due to renew the mandate of the International Police Task Force (IPTF), the United Nations police operation in Bosnia, by June 21. Human Rights Watch Calls For Immediate Rights Improvements In The Democratic Republic Of Congo (New York, June 4, 1998) _ In a letter sent today to President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch welcomed his decision to appoint a minister for human rights in the new cabinet announced in Kinshasa on June 1, 1998. Indonesia: Release Prisoners Of Conscience Now (4 June 1998)-- In a report released today, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch support the demands of Indonesian human rights groups for the government to immediately release all prisoners of conscience and to review the convictions against all political prisoners accused of using violence. Human Rights Watch Calls for All OAU Members to Ban Landmines Criticizes Thirteen Recalcitrant African Countries (Ouagadougou, June 3, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today called on all the members of the Organization of African Unity and Morocco to declare themselves a landmine-free zone. A summit of the OAU Heads of Government begins this week in Burkina Faso. Human Rights Watch Condemns Killing Of Iranian Civilians (June 3, 1998)-- Human Rights Watch unequivocally condemns the bombing on June 3 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, which killed three persons and wounded dozen of others. Former Zambian President's Release Welcomed But Further Steps Needed (New York, June 2, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today welcomes yesterday's release of the former president of Zambia from detention, yet calls on the Zambian government to take further steps to show a commitment to human rights protection. HRW and CEJIL Call on Trinidad and Tobago to Reconsider Withdrawal from the American Convention on Human Rights (June 2, 1998)-- In a letter released today, Human Rights Watch and CEJIL (the Center for Justice and International Law) urged Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Basdeo Panday to reconsider withdrawing from the American Convention on Human Rights. Trinidad and Tobago announced its withdrawal on May 26, 1998, but the step will not take effect for one year. Lawyer For Detained Human And Environmental Rights Activist In Nigeria Also Arrested (June 2, 1998, New York)--Human Rights Watch has learned that a lawyer hired by the Nigerian group Environmental Rights Action (ERA) to secure the bail of one of its staff, has also been arrested, by men suspected to be members of the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS). Rights Group Calls on Cameroonian President to Respect Freedom of Press (June 2, 1998)-- In a letter sent to the president of Cameroon today, Human Rights Watch welcomed his call to resolve the case of a wrongfully-imprisoned journalist. HRW Concerned For Arrested Human And Environmental Rights Activist In Nigeria (June 1, 1998)-- Human Rights Watch has learnt with dismay of the arrest of Isaac Osuoka, an activist with the Nigerian human and environmental rights organization, Environmental Rights Action. Mr. Osuoka was arrested at a roadbloack in Lagos by a combined team of soldiers and police on May 26, 1998, together with a visiting environmentalist from the Netherlands, Aart van den Hoek. Both were attending the second biannual conference of the African Forest Action Network and the car they were in contained leaflets relating to human rights abuses in the Niger Delta. Mr. van den Hoek was released the next morning, May 27, after being held overnight in police cells.