• Nicolás Maduro reads from a letter in Santiago, Chile on January 28, 2013.
    © 2013 Reuters
    Venezuela: Respect Free Speech and Assembly

    The government of Venezuela should not limit citizens’ rights to freely express their views and assemble peacefully in response to the disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. It should respect freedom of the press and all violent incidents should be subject to prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations, Human Rights Watch said.

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Free Speech

  • Iran: Government Trampling Workers’ Rights
    Apr 30, 2013
    The Iranian government is increasingly violating workers’ rights to peaceful assembly and association. Dozens of labor and independent trade union activists are in prison for speaking out in defense of workers.Human Rights Watch called for the government to end the crackdown and free labor rights advocates in anticipation of International Workers’ Day on May 1, as part of a joint campaign by Iranian and international rights groups to highlight the plight of workers.
  • Iraq: Cancel Revocations of TV Station Licenses
    Apr 30, 2013
    Iraq’s media commission should immediately reverse the license suspensions for ten satellite television stations and allow them to continue broadcasting. A senior official has admitted the suspension was not according to any law, nor could the commission produce any evidence of direct incitement to violence by any of the stations, leading to the conclusion that the suspension was arbitrary.
  • South Africa: ‘Secrecy Bill’ Improved But Still Flawed
    Apr 29, 2013
    South Africa’s “secrecy bill,” adopted by the National Assembly on April 25, 2013, lacks essential protections for whistleblowers.
  • NGOs Have a Right to Receive Foreign Funding
    Apr 26, 2013
    The first lesson taught in the School for Autocrats is to keep people isolated.
  • Uganda: No Justice for April 2011 Killings
    Apr 25, 2013
    Police and prosecutors in Uganda have turned a blind eye to the killings of at least nine people by security forces during protests in April 2011. Human Rights Watch issued a video in which relatives of the victims explain the impact on their families and their struggle to secure justice and compensation.
  • Burundi: Concerns About New Media Law
    Apr 25, 2013

    Letter to President Pierre Nkurunziza

    Human Rights Watch urges President Pierre Nkurunziza not to sign the new media law adopted by the Senate on April 19, 2013, and to prevent it from being enacted in its current form. Human Rights Watch urges him instead to send it back to Parliament for amendment and ensure that the final version restores media freedoms, in line with Burundi’s national and international commitments.

  • Iraq: Investigate Deadly Raid on Protest
    Apr 24, 2013
    Iraqi authorities should ensure that a promised investigation into a deadly raid on April 23, 2013, in Haweeja, near Kirkuk, examines allegations that security forces used excessive and lethal force.
  • Kenya: New Leaders Should Put Rights First
    Apr 23, 2013
    Kenya’s new administration should take urgent steps in four key areas to address longstanding human rights challenges, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The administration should ensure that abusive security forces are held to account, protect independent voices, accelerate key police and land reforms, and cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Kuwait: Ex-Lawmaker on Bail in ‘Insulting Emir’ Case
    Apr 22, 2013
    Kuwait’s Court of Appeal released a former member of parliament on bail on April 22, 2013, in his appeal of a five-year sentence for insulting the emir.
  • Saudi Arabia: End Prosecution of Human Rights Lawyer
    Apr 19, 2013
    Saudi authorities should immediately halt the 18-month prosecution of a Jeddah-based human rights lawyer.
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