Europe/Central Asia

On the night before the “foreign agents” law came into force, unknown individuals sprayed graffiti reading, “Foreign Agent! ♥ USA” on the buildings hosting the offices of three prominent NGOs in Moscow, including Memorial.

© 2012 Yulia Klimova/Memorial

Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era

The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.

Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era

Apr 24, 2013
Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights

Apr 23, 2013
Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan: Abuses in International Spotlight

Apr 22, 2013
Tajikistan: Investigate Attack on Opposition Leader

Apr 20, 2013

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HRW's Ben Ward on the Rise of Europe's Far Right

Jan 10 2013 - 18:51

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People and Power: The 2014 Sochi Olympics

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Reports

Laws of Attrition

Crackdown on Russia’s Civil Society after Putin’s Return to the Presidency
Race to the Bottom

Exploitation of Migrant Workers Ahead of Russia’s 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi
World Report 2013

Events of 2012

Europe/Central Asia

North Caucasus

Apr 24, 2013

The recent Boston Marathon bombings have pushed the blood-soaked history of Chechyna back to the top of the news agenda. Human Rights Watch has a long history of work in the region, generating a substantive body of research on Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
Russia: Worst Human Rights Climate in Post-Soviet Era

Apr 24, 2013

The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.
Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights

Apr 23, 2013

The April 19 agreement between Serbia and Kosovo offers a landmark opportunity to improve human rights protection in both countries.
Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan: Abuses in International Spotlight

Apr 22, 2013

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan’s highly repressive policies are coming up for rare international scrutiny on April 22 and 24, 2013. United Nations member countries gathering at the Human Rights Council in Geneva under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure should seize the opportunity to expose and denounce the ongoing repression in both countries and press for concrete steps to end abuses.
Tajikistan: Investigate Attack on Opposition Leader

Apr 20, 2013

Tajik authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the brutal beating of an opposition leader.
Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Uzbekistan - Submitted in October 2012

Apr 19, 2013
Universal Periodic Review: Joint HRW Submission on Turkmenistan with Freedom Now and the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights - Submitted in October 2012

Apr 19, 2013
Submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture on the United Kingdom

Apr 19, 2013
Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Azerbaijan

Apr 18, 2013

Azerbaijan’s human rights record has been on a continual decline since the previous UPR in 2009, casting serious doubt on the government’s willingness to abide by its commitments and to reform. The long-repressive atmosphere for independent journalists, political activists, and human rights defenders has grown acutely hostile, with authorities using imprisonment as a tool for political retribution and clamping down on freedom of assembly, breaking up peaceful demonstrations, often violently.
Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Russia

Apr 18, 2013

Starting in June 2012, the Russian government reversed small, positive steps taken since the previous UPR, which had slightly loosened excessive government control over civil society organizations and aimed to improve pluralism in the political system. It launched a broad crackdown on freedom of assembly, association, and expression. Abuses in the counterinsurgency campaign in the North Caucasus continue. Several Russian regions have adopted homophobic laws, and preparations for the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi have been tainted by abuses.

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