Corrections

An earlier version of this news release misstated the time period for the recent incendiary weapon attacks recorded in Aleppo and Idlib in Syria. Incendiary weapons have been used at least 18 times over the past nine, not six, weeks. The news release has been changed to reflect this.

An earlier version of this news release misidentified the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) as the International Drug Control Consortium (IDCC). The news release has been changed to reflect this.

An earlier version of this news release misstated that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan had identified the militia forces implicated in human rights abuses in Faryab province as Junbish forces. The news release has been changed to reflect this.

The original report incorrectly described how Israel handles security offenses involving juveniles in its courts. The following sentences were added to the report on August 3,2016.

“The Israeli military court system tries Palestinian children from the West Bank for security-related offenses, with the exception of children from East Jerusalem. As of 2009, children are tried in a designated juvenile military court, whose judges receive special training.  The military justice system, however, does not focus on rehabilitation and social reintegration for children, as provided under international law.”

This edit clarifies that children who are residents of East Jerusalem, which is part of the West Bank but which Israel purported to annex in 1967, are prosecuted by Israeli civilian courts, because these children are considered Israeli residents and are not subject to military rule. The earlier version also omitted reference to the juvenile court that the Israeli military established in 2009, where Palestinian children outside East Jerusalem are tried.

On July 26,2016: We replaced the sentence, “IPOA has received 4,075 complaints of police abuse across the country since it started operations in 2013. It has successfully prosecuted only 10 cases in the past three years, despite initiating at least 19 investigations against the police at the coast, in the northeast, Nyanza and Nairobi,” with “IPOA has received 6, 978 complaints of police abuse across the country since it started operations in 2013. According to IPOA, it has completed investigations in 303 cases and recommended 58 to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Of those, 23 have been taken to court as of June 2016.” This edit reflects the latest data, received by Human Rights Watch from the IPOA shortly after the publication of the report. 

We stated that, “with regard to abuses in counter terrorism operations,…IPOA had investigated at least five cases in northeastern Kenya and found sufficient evidence to recommend prosecutions, but the oversight body has yet to take any measures to ensure justice with regard to the cases.” IPOA has pointed out that it is actually still investigating six cases documented in the report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Error of Fighting Terror with Terror.  

An earlier version of this dispatch stated that the weapon used in the Orlando attack was an AR-15. Subsequent reporting has identified the primary firearm as a Sig Sauer MCX, a rifle similar in appearance to the AR-15. The dispatch has been changed to reflect this. 

Additional Footnotes 

[A] Dozens of current and exiled residents including three Sirte city councilmen gave Human Rights Watch the names and other details of the 28 Libyans, which Human Rights Watch cross-checked with sources including media reports and videos.

[B] Human Rights Watch, “Libya/Egypt: Murder of Egyptians a War Crime,” press release, February 15, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/.../libya/egypt-murder-egyptians-war-crime. 

This dispatch incorrectly stated that the Pentagon said it was lowering its estimate of how many sexual assault survivors face retaliation after reporting the assault. However, the Pentagon did not say this. Rather, a report released by the Department of Defense indicated that a survey found that 38 percent of sexual assault survivors who reported the crime said they experienced retaliation, as defined in current law and policy. The report indicated that an additional 30 percent of survivors had a negative experience after reporting that did not fall under that definition of retaliation. Previous surveys had found that 62 percent of sexual assault survivors who reported the crime said they experienced retaliation, but those surveys had asked about retaliation in different terms, and not as defined in current law and policy.

A corrected version of this report is now posted amending footnote 27. 

An earlier version of this news release mistakenly quoted Andry Cahya saying the group had made 3 million Euros (US$3.3 million) from their first exports of ginger; the 3 million figure in fact was a goal, not what they had already earned. The news release has been changed to reflect this.