• Idrak Abbasov, a prominent Azerbaijani journalist, was beaten by police and security personnel from the state energy company as he attempted to film house demolitions in the outskirts of Baku on April 18, 2012.
    2012 IRFS
    Azerbaijan: Journalist Viciously Attacked by Police
    A prominent Azerbaijani journalist was viciously attacked by police and security guards on the outskirts of Baku on April 18, 2012, demonstrating the government’s ugly disregard for media freedoms in the final weeks before the Eurovision song contest is to be held in the city.
More news »

Featured Content

    • Iraq: Journalists Under Threat
      Sep 16 2011 - 15:33

      You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
    Tiananmen: China's Unhealed Wound
Subscribe to content feed

Reports

Press Freedom

  • Azerbaijan: Authorities Violently Disperse Peaceful Rallies
    May 22, 2012
    Azerbaijan sent an ominous message about the government’s commitment to fundamental freedoms as the police violently dispersed two peaceful protests on May 21, 2012.
  • The Azerbaijanis Who Aren't Feeling the Eurovision Glow
    May 17, 2012
    We are only days away from our annual European dose of kitsch and glamour delivered wonderfully by the Eurovision song contest, coming this year to our living rooms from Baku, Azerbaijan on 26 May.
  • Azerbaijan: Free Activists, Journalists Held on Bogus Charges
    May 17, 2012
    The Azerbaijani authorities should promptly follow the May 15, 2012 release of an opposition activist by releasing others held on politically motivated charges.
  • Kosovo: Draft Criminal Code Undermines Media Freedom
    May 10, 2012
    Kosovo’s National Assembly should remove provisions from the draft criminal code that criminalize defamation and compel journalists to reveal their sources.
  • Letter to the Legislation Committee Members of the National Assembly of Kosovo Regarding the Draft Criminal Code
    May 9, 2012
    I am writing to you regarding articles 37 and 38 of the draft criminal code. Human Rights Watch understands that the code was returned by President Atifete Jahjaga to the National Assembly on May 8 for reconsideration.
  • Who is Chen Guangcheng?
    May 3, 2012
    “Who is Chen Guangcheng?” That must be a question some people in China are asking today. Thanks to the country’s blanket Internet censorship, millions of ordinary Chinese are unfamiliar with Chen’s name and are just now learning the long, sad story of the blind legal activist who escaped house arrest and was sheltered in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing last week.
  • Azerbaijan: Media Freedoms in Grave Danger
    May 3, 2012
    The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) should speak out about Azerbaijan’s appalling record on freedom of expression in the lead-up to the Eurovision Song Contest.
  • Jordan: Publisher, Journalist Charged in State Security Court
    Apr 25, 2012
    The charges by Jordan’s military prosecutor against a journalist and publisher of a news website apparently violate their free speech rights. The two were charged on April 23, 2012, with “subverting the system of government” for an article concerning the king’s supposed intervention in a corruption investigation.
  • Azerbaijan: Journalist Viciously Attacked by Police
    Apr 19, 2012
    A prominent Azerbaijani journalist was viciously attacked by police and security guards on the outskirts of Baku on April 18, 2012, demonstrating the government’s ugly disregard for media freedoms in the final weeks before the Eurovision song contest is to be held in the city.
  • Azerbaijan: Concerns regarding Freedom of the Media and Freedom of Expression
    Apr 12, 2012
    Over 1,600 journalists from all over the world will come to Azerbaijan to cover the Eurovision Song Contest and related events in the coming months, yet Azerbaijan remains hostile towards free media and other forms of free expression. Independent journalists, human rights defenders, and others seeking to express their opinions, investigate issues of public interest, or criticize government authorities have been attacked, harassed, threatened, and imprisoned. Police have violently dispersed protests, beating and arresting peaceful demonstrators and organizers.
more documents on this topic »