• Argentina: Reject Interference with Judicial Independence
    Apr 24, 2013

    The Argentine Congress should reject proposals by the Fernández de Kirchner administration to reform the justice system because they would undermine judicial independence, Human Rights Watch said today.

  • Iraq: Investigate Fatal Police Shootings in Mosul
    Mar 15, 2013
    Iraqi authorities should order an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation into lethal police and army shootings of anti-government protesters on March 8, 2013, and others in recent weeks. The authorities should also ensure that those responsible for unlawful killings or excessive force are brought to justice.
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Judicial Accountability

  • Argentina: Reject Interference with Judicial Independence
    Apr 24, 2013

    The Argentine Congress should reject proposals by the Fernández de Kirchner administration to reform the justice system because they would undermine judicial independence, Human Rights Watch said today.

  • Iraq: Investigate Fatal Police Shootings in Mosul
    Mar 15, 2013
    Iraqi authorities should order an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation into lethal police and army shootings of anti-government protesters on March 8, 2013, and others in recent weeks. The authorities should also ensure that those responsible for unlawful killings or excessive force are brought to justice.
  • Is Bahrain serious about reform?
    Mar 15, 2013
    Bahrain’s Sunni ruling family and their allies in Washington and London say they are pinning their hopes on a new “national dialogue” to break the bitter stalemate with the country’s political opposition among the majority Shia population. But a just settlement will remain elusive unless the government delivers on two outstanding reforms: accountability at the highest levels of the country’s security forces for their abusive response to the 2011 uprisings, and freedom for the country’s unjustly imprisoned opposition and human rights leaders.
  • Bahrain: No Progress on Reform
    Feb 28, 2013
    Bahrain’s rulers have made no progress on key reform promises, failing to release unjustly imprisoned activists or to hold accountable high-level officials responsible for torture, Human Rights Watch said today at a news conference in Manama.
  • Holding the Security Council to Account on Syria
    Jan 29, 2013

    Unusual currents have been swirling around the United Nations Security Council’s shameful paralysis on Syria, a product of repeated vetoes by Russia and China. On January 14, a group of 58 governments urged the council to ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute those responsible for the egregious crimes in Syria. In the face of the spiraling carnage on the ground, these governments, in an unprecedented act of “justice diplomacy,” insisted that the time for Security Council silence is long past.

  • ICC Suspects Can Hide — and That Is the Problem
    Jan 24, 2013

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been in business for a decade and faces plenty of hurdles in delivering justice for the world's worst atrocities. However, getting its suspects arrested has proven to be the court's Achilles' heel. The need to arrest ICC suspects often pits compliance with international criminal law against the prerogatives of sovereignty-minded countries. Lacking its own police force, the ICC depends on determined action by governments to arrest its suspects. Those governments, under the influence of competing diplomatic or economic objectives, can be fickle or outright obstructive.

  • Letter from African Civil Society to AU Commission Chairperson on Combatting Impunity
    Jan 17, 2013

    We, the undersigned African civil society organizations and international organizations with a presence in Africa, wish to congratulate you on your election as Chairperson of the African Union Commission. We wish you well during your tenure and trust that your leadership will seek to further address key challenges facing the African continent to promote respect for the rule of law and human rights in order to serve the best interests of the people of Africa.

  • Guinea: Step Up Efforts to Ensure Justice for Stadium Massacre
    Dec 5, 2012

    The Guinean government should increase support to the domestic investigation of the September 28, 2009 massacre, rapes, and other abuses to enable fair, credible prosecutions of the crimes without further delay, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The conclusion is based on extensive research and analysis of the factors holding up the investigation. International partners – including the European Union (EU), United States, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – also should increase pressure and support for justice to be done.

     

  • UN Security Council: Press Libya on ICC Cooperation, Impunity
    Nov 6, 2012

    Members of the United Nations Security Council should send a strong message to Libya to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Council should also press the recently appointed Libyan authorities on accountability for serious and ongoing crimes.The new ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, will brief the Security Council on her Libya investigation on November 7, 2012.

     

  • UN Security Council: Address Inconsistency in ICC Referrals
    Oct 16, 2012

    A United Nations Security Council discussion on the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an important opportunity to address inconsistencies in the Security Council’s referrals to the court. The Security Council discussion, its first ever debate on the ICC open to all UN members, is scheduled for October 17, 2012.

     

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