• President Hugo Chávez waves to supporters on the day he registered for re-election in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 11, 2012.

    The concentration of power under President Hugo Chávez has taken a heavy toll on human rights in Venezuela.

Reports

Press Freedom

  • Nov 2, 2012
    At least eight journalists and three human rights defenders are in jail, and freedom of expression is severely limited in Azerbaijan, the host of the upcoming United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum.
  • Nov 2, 2012
    From November 6 to 9, Azerbaijan will host the Internet Governance Forum, an annual meeting convened by the United Nations secretary general that brings together governments, civil society, and other actors as equal partners to discuss public policy issues relating to the internet.
  • Oct 30, 2012
    Qatar’s ruler should not approve a draft media law unless loosely worded provisions penalizing criticism of Qatar or neighboring governments are removed.
  • Oct 25, 2012
    President Bashar al-Assad should release all peaceful activists, media professionals, and humanitarian assistance providers as part of an amnesty announced on October 23, 2012, Human Rights Watch, Alkarama, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Index on Censorship, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Reporters Without Borders, and Samir Kassir Foundation – Skeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom said today. These persons have been detained purely for exercising their basic rights such as freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, or for assisting others and therefore should not have been detained or prosecuted in the first place, the groups said.
  • Oct 22, 2012
    Moroccan authorities should restore the accreditation of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist Omar Brouksy and stop retaliating against foreign media for what they report.
  • Oct 13, 2012
    The Erbil Appellate Court should immediately set aside the October 7, 2012, conviction of an independent journalist who reported on alleged corruption in the regional government’s security agency. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities should conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into allegations that the journalist, Karzam Karim, was beaten and tortured in detention and that his lawyer was threatened by security agency officials.
  • Oct 8, 2012
    The Egyptian Constituent Assembly should amend articles in the draft constitution that undermine human rights in post-Mubarak Egypt, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to members of the Constituent Assembly.
  • Sep 25, 2012
    The reports on Somalia presented to this session by the Independent Expert and the Secretary-General highlight the urgent need for a significant reinforcement of the presence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and its activities, notably its monitoring work, on Somalia.
  • Sep 24, 2012
    The new president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, should promptly order an investigation into the killings of four journalists over a 24-hour period on September 20-21, 2012. The new government should adopt measures to provide better protections for journalists, 13 of whom have been killed this year.
  • Sep 10, 2012
    A proposed law requiring electronic publications to obtain a license and granting executive authorities the power to close down unlicensed sites threatens freedom of expression online. The government on August 22, 2012, sent the draft amendments to the Press and Publications law to parliament for approval.