• Cambodian police carry a portrait of murdered opposition party official Om Radsady at his funeral ceremony in Phnom Penh on February 21, 2003.
    © 2003 Reuters
    Cambodia: Hun Sen Promoting, Rewarding Killers

    (New York) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s violent and authoritarian rule over more than two decades has resulted in countless killings and other serious abuses that have gone unpunished, Human Rights Watch said in a new report today. President Barack Obama should use his November trip to Cambodia, the first ever by a United States president, to publicly demand systematic reforms and an end to impunity for abusive officials.

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  • India: Rape Victim’s Death Demands Action
    Dec 29, 2012
    The death on December 29, 2012, of a 23-year-old student who was gang raped and assaulted should spur decisive action by the Indian government to combat sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack catalyzed massive nationwide demonstrations and reopened public debate about reforming India’s inadequate laws and practices concerning sexual assault.
  • Cambodia: Sham Court Cases Undermine Rights
    Dec 27, 2012

    Two criminal cases decided in Phnom Penh on December 27, 2012, demonstrate the Cambodian government’s flagrant misuse of the justice system to undermine rights.

  • Cambodia: Investigate Government Cover-Up
    Dec 22, 2012

    The Cambodian government should appoint an independent commission to investigate allegations that a ruling party municipal governor shot and wounded three women workers, Human Rights Watch said today. On December 14, 2012, the Svay Rieng provincial court closed the case against then-Bavet Municipality Governor Chhouk Bandit for allegedly firing into a crowd of striking factory employees at an industrial park in Bavet’s Special Economic Zone for foreign enterprises on February 20.

  • Long road ahead for Afghan women
    Dec 21, 2012

     

    The murders of Sediqi and Safi are more than just a measure of Afghanistan’s ongoing slide toward lawlessness and violence that is likely to accelerate as the international community draws down its support in concert with the departure of international combat troops by the end of 2014. They are also highly symbolic attacks on the tentative progress toward women’s rights, embodied by the Department of Women’s Affairs offices, since the U.S. invasion toppled the repressive Taliban regime in 2001.

  • Philippines: Milestone Law Criminalizes Forced Disappearances
    Dec 21, 2012

    The new law that criminalizes enforced disappearances in the Philippines is the first of its kind in Asia and a major milestone in ending this horrific human rights violation, Human Rights Watch said today. President Benigno S. Acquino III signed the law today.

  • Laos: Investigate ‘Disappearance’ of Prominent Activist
    Dec 20, 2012
    The Lao government should urgently investigate the feared forced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a prominent social activist.
  • Sri Lanka: Free or Charge Detained Students
    Dec 20, 2012

    The Sri Lankan authorities should immediately release or credibly charge four ethnic Tamil students from Jaffna University who have been detained since early December 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. The Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) arrested the students amid unrest in the northern city of Jaffna following a security crackdown in late November against attempts to commemorate dead leaders of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

  • Vietnamese Bloggers Recognized for Commitment to Rights
    Dec 20, 2012
    Five Vietnamese bloggers are among an extraordinary group of 41 people from 19 countries who have received the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award recognizing writers who demonstrate courage and conviction in the face of political persecution.
  • China: 12 Win Prestigious Free Speech Prize
    Dec 20, 2012
    Twelve writers, journalists, and activists from China have won the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award for 2012 in recognition of their efforts to promote free expression despite government persecution for their work.
  • India: Without reforms, free speech remains a distant dream
    Dec 19, 2012
    A 19-year-old in Maharashtra was questioned by the police for his comment on Facebook criticising Raj Thackeray.
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