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US-Russia Summit Crisis in Kosovo Indonesia: The
Post-Soeharto Period Human Rights Causes of the Famine in Sudan ICC
- International War Crimes Court Approved
Northern
Ireland: Monitoring The 1998 Marching Season U.S.
- China Summit Archive of the Latest News July June May April March 1998 and Before Background Briefings |
| The Latest News From Human Rights Watch | Last
updated On
Monday, August 31 1998 |
Palestinian Authority Should Halt Executions, Review Unfair Trials
HRW Calls on Algeria to Set Up Independent Investigation of Atrocities (Washington, August 31) — Human Rights Watch today urged the government of Algeria to set up a credible independent investigation into the massacres that have killed thousands of women, men, and children in recent years. HRW Offers Agenda for Albright in Croatia, Bosnia, and Russia (New York, August 28, 1998)— The letter urges the Secretary to raise concerns about discrimination against ethnic Serbs in Croatia; the persistent unwillingness of authorities in Bosnia and Hercegovina to abide by key elements of the Dayton Peace Agreement; and in Russia, the links between rampant corruption and human rights abuses, particularly in its law enforcement agencies. Corruption and Human Rights Should Top Agenda for Clinton-Yeltsin Summit (New York, August 28, 1998) — Linking Russia's current economic crisis to widespread corruption, Human Rights Watch has written to President Clinton urging him to address corruption and the human rights abuses it engenders in his upcoming summit with Russian President Boris Yeltsin. HRW Condemns Civilian Killings by Congo Rebels (New York, August 27, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today condemned the killing on Monday of at least 37 civilians, including five priests and nuns, by rebels fighting to unseat President Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The organization also expressed alarm at press reports pointing to rebel threats to destroy electricity installations at the hydroelectric Inga dam, which supplies the DRC and neighboring countries with power. Serbian Journalist and Driver Missing in Kosovo (New York, August 26) — Human Rights Watch expressed concern today over the fate of an ethnic Serbian journalist and his driver in the province of Kosovo. The two have been missing for five days, and are feared abducted by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Indonesia and East Timor: The Prisoner Releases So Far (August 26, 1998)-- On June 4, 1998, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued an appeal for release of political prisoners in Indonesia and East Timor, following President Soeharto's resignation and the lifting of some political controls. Since then, the government has released several dozen prisoners, dropped charges against some detainees whose trials were pending, and "rehabilitated" others who had served sentences under the previous administration. HRW Calls for International Arms Embargo on All Sides in the Sudanese Civil War (New York, August 20, 1998) — In Global Trade, Local Impact: Arms Transfers to All Sides in the Civil War in Sudan, released today, Human Rights Watch calls for an international arms embargo on both the government of Sudan and Sudanese rebels, accusing both sides of gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Israel Uses Torture, Detention, and Hostage-taking to Violate Civil and Political Rights (New York, August 20, 1998--In Israel's Record of Occupation: Violations of Civil and Political Rights, released today, Human Rights Watch offers detailed evidence of Israel's violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)'s prohibition against the use of torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and treatment, as well as violations of the ICCPR and the Fourth Geneva Convention's prohibition against arbitrary detention and hostage-taking. Ethnic Albanian Journalist Arrested in Kosovo (New York, August 19) — Human Rights Watch today expressed deep concern about the most recent arrest of an ethnic Albanian journalist in the war-torn province of Kosovo.
Human Rights Watch Alarmed for Safety of Detained Tutsis in DRC (New York, August 18, 1998) — With the situation in the country heading towards a showdown between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and rebel forces, Human Rights Watch today urged all parties involved to take the steps necessary to ensure the safety of civilians caught in the conflict. Rights Group Urges Respect for Human Rights in Omagh Bombing Investigation (New York, August 17, 1998) — In letters to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today, Human Rights Watch, the largest U.S.-based international human rights organization, condemned the Omagh bombing and urged the two governments to conduct their investigation of the bombing in accordance with international human rights norms. HRW Urges Jordan's Senate to Reject Anachronistic Press and Publications Law (New York, August 14) -- In a letter to the speaker of Jordan's upper house of parliament made public today, Human Rights Watch calls the press and publications law passed by the Chamber of Deputies on August 9 a direct threat to freedom of expression. HRW Alarmed About Hate Radio Broadcasts and the Incitement of Ethnic Violence in the DRC (New York, August 13, 1998) -- Human Rights Watch today expressed alarm about the increasing use of ethnic hate propaganda by officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Officials rely on hate radio to rally popular support against the current rebellion in the country and to further an ethnic witch hunt in the capital Kinshasa. Human Rights Watch also expressed deep concern about reports of wide-scale abuses, looting and armed robbery in the rebel-controlled town of Bukavu.
HRW Condemns Recruitment of Child Soldiers in Congo (New York, August 11, 1998) Human Rights Watch today urged the president of Congo to immediately end a military recruitment drive targeting children as young as twelve years of age. An official communique aired on the national radio on August 7 called for children and youth between twelve and twenty years old to enlist in the armed forces, in response to the recent insurgency against the current government. Academic Leaders Protest Serbian Government Assault on Universities (New York, August 10)--In an open letter today to Serbian President Milutinovic, the Human Rights Watch Academic Freedom Committee, a group of internationally prominent scholars and academic leaders, protests a new Serbian law that the committee calls "an unprecedented assault on academic freedom and the autonomy of Serbian universities." Cambodia: Opposition Activists Targeted In Post-Election Reprisals (Monday August 10, 1998)-- The waning of post-election political violence in Cambodia following an appeal by the Second Prime Minister Hun Sen showed that the Cambodian leader did indeed have the power to turn such violence on and off at will, Human Rights Watch said in a statement today. New Burma Policy Needed After Decade of No Results (August 6, 1998) -- Ten years after a Burma became a pariah state by crushing a pro-democracy uprising, engagement and isolation strategies to promote human rights have both failed, Human Rights Watch said today. A decade after the August 8, 1988 crackdown, the military still has a stranglehold on power, human rights abuses are rampant, and the economy is in a tailspin. HRW Urges All Sides In Congo To Refrain From Attacks On Civilians (New York, August 5, 1998) _ Human Rights Watch today expressed alarm for the safety of civilians caught in the conflict in the Congo between forces loyal to President Laurent Kabila and ethnic Tutsi mutineers backed by neighboring Rwanda. HRW Selects 44 Writers From 19 Countries to Receive Grants (New York, August 3, 1998) -- The 1998 Hellman/Hammett grant recipients provide a fascinating look at the myriad ways that government repress freedom of speech. The forty-four writers who hail from nineteen countries have faced obstacles ranging from imprisonment and torture to having their works banned and their phone lines severed. Human Rights Lawyer Arrested and Severely Beaten in Kosovo (New York, July 31, 1998) - The Serbian government's attack on human rights in Kosovo extended to human rights defenders this week, as a local human rights lawyer was arrested and then severely beaten by the police, Human Rights Watch said today. Another ethnic Albanian human rights activist entered her sixth week in prison. More.....
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