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February 1, 1991

The Forgotten War

Human Rights Abuses and Violations of the Laws of War Since the Soviet Withdrawal

For the last decade, Afghanistan has been the scene of some of the most serious human rights violations on record. About one half of the country's prewar population are either refugees, internally displaced, or dead. Most of the abuses were at one time attributable to the Afghan government and its Soviet advisers.
January 28, 1991

Freedom of Expression and the War

Press and Speech Restrictions in the Gulf and F.B.I. Activity in U.S. Raise First Amendment Issues

War is the most profound action any government can take, and for that reason the decision to wage and conduct it must be subject to the continuing scrutiny of a well-informed public. In recent U.S.

January 8, 1991

The Killings in South Africa:

The Role of the Security Forces and the Response of the State

In July and August 1990, some seven months after the end of violence was announced, black townships around Johannesburg erupted in warfare. The conflict which has raged in Natal for several years and which recently spread north to the townships near Johannesburg has pitted supporters of the ANC against supporters of the Inkatha movement, which became a political party in July 1990.
January 2, 1991

Egyptian Authorities Clamp Down on Dissent

Middle East Watch is concerned that the Egyptian government is using its emergency law and other measures to stifle emerging domestic dissent against the Gulf War. In a letter to President Hosni Mubarak dated February 11, Middle East Watch said that a recent wave of arrests and administrative detentions, coupled with military court proceedings against journalists, raise "the inevitable suspicion that the Egyptian authorities may be using detention powers under the emergency law to curtail the freedom of expression of those who are raising their voices in dissent against prevailing government policy." Egyptian human rights lawyers estimate that as many as 200 political activists and students may have been detained since a crackdown began on February 7.
January 2, 1991

Egyptian Authorities Clamp Down on Dissent

Middle East Watch is concerned that the Egyptian government is using its emergency law and other measures to stifle emerging domestic dissent against the Gulf War.
January 1, 1991

Human Rights in Suriname

A military coup in Suriname in December 1990 reversed the trend toward elected government in South America. Despite this and ongoing civil strife, the government scheduled elections in May 1991. Human Rights in Suriname investigates current abuses in the context of the election campaign as well as ongoing abuses including executions, committed by the military and military-allied armed bands.
December 27, 1990

Indonesia: Human Rights Abuses In Aceh

Since mid-1989, the special region of Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra has been the site of massive human rights violations. The abuses have been sparked by actions of an armed opposition group, the Acheh/Sumatra National Liberation Front, more commonly known as Aceh Merdeka or the Free Aceh Movement, and a heavy-handed response from the Indonesian military.
December 1, 1990

Romania's Orphans: A Legacy of Repression

Shortly after Nicolar Ceauscu was overthrown on December 22, 1989, the world was exposed for the first time to the shocking images of Romania's orphans, expecially its handicapped children and babies with AIDS.