• Human Rights and International Justice

    Human Rights Watch considers international justice—accountability for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity—to be an essential element of building respect for human rights. We actively engage with the work of the International Criminal Court and other international tribunals as well as the efforts of national courts, including in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bosnia, to bring perpetrators of the worst crimes to justice. Human Rights Watch also supports the efforts of national courts to use their domestic laws to try those charged with serious crimes in violation of international law, regardless of where the crimes occurred.

  • Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is seen sitting in a plane in Zintan.
    © 2011 Reuters
    ICC: Libya's Bids to Try Gaddafi, Sanussi

    On February 26, 2011, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1970 by a vote of 15-0 referring the situation in Libya to the ICC. Under the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty, the Security Council may refer a situation in any country to the ICC prosecutor under its Chapter VII mandate if it determines that the situation threatens international peace and security.

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International Justice

  • Human Rights in Sudan
    Jun 19, 2013
  • Sierra Leone: Investigate Alleged Rebel Arms Supplier
    Jun 19, 2013

     The Sierra Leone authorities should open a criminal investigation of a suspected arms supplier for his alleged involvement in international crimes during Sierra Leone’s civil war. This would be Sierra Leone’s first purely domestic prosecution in relation to war crimes or crimes against humanity committed during its 11-year armed conflict, which ended in 2002.
     

  • Sudan: Satellite Images Confirm Villages Destroyed
    Jun 18, 2013
    Satellite images confirm the wholesale destruction of villages in Central Darfur in an attack in April 2013 by a militia leader sought by the International Criminal Court
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Côte d'Ivoire
    Jun 11, 2013
    Human Rights Watch welcomes the willingness of the government of Côte d’Ivoire to renew the Independent Expert’s mandate, demonstrating its commitment to improve the country’s human rights situation and to implement the Independent Expert’s recommendations. The Independent Expert has repeatedly stressed that impartial justice is essential to end the country’s decade-long human rights crisis.
  • UN Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria
    Jun 4, 2013
    Human Rights Watch is deeply concerned by the escalating level of violence in Syria.In particular, we express grave concern for the safety of the remaining civilian population in al-Qusayr as well as wounded and captured fighters on all sides. Local opposition activists told Human Rights Watch that recent government attacks on fleeing civilians, including a reported attack on May 31, have made it difficult to escape and put remaining civilians, including many wounded, at great risk.
  • Sudan: ICC Suspect at Scene of Fresh Crimes
    Jun 3, 2013
    A Sudanese commander wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) led or participated in deadly attacks on ethnic Salamat communities in Central Darfur during April 2013. Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the attackers appeared to include government forces using government weapons and equipment.
  • ICC: Libya Should Comply With Court’s Ruling
    May 31, 2013

    Libya should abide by the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision on May 31, 2013, and turn over Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to the court.

  • Syria: Visit Reveals Torture Chambers
    May 17, 2013
    Government security branches in Raqqa city hold documents and potential physical evidence indicating that detainees were arbitrarily detained and tortured there while the city was under government control. Human Rights Watch researchers visited the State Security and Military Intelligence facilities in Raqqa, now under the de facto control of local armed opposition groups, in late April 2013.
  • AU: African Groups Call for Justice at Summit
    May 16, 2013

    Civil society groups from more than 30 African countries called on African Union (AU) member countries to ensure that the AU promotes justice for grave international crimes, in a letter to the foreign ministers of African Union member states which was made public by the groups today.
     

  • Letter to Foreign Ministers on International Justice in Africa in Advance of AU Summit
    May 14, 2013

    We, the undersigned African civil society organisations and international organisations with a presence in Africa, working on human rights and international criminal justice, are pleased to congratulate the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU), on the occasion of its 50thAnniversary.

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