The Latest News from Human Rights Watch

HRW Condemns the Forcible Repatriation of Five Congolese Asylum Seekers
(New York, October 30, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today condemned the forcible repatriation of five Congolese asylum seekers by Burundian authorities to rebel-held eastern Congo. The five were members of the official escort of former governor of South Kivu who recently fled eastern Congo to Belgium. They are currently being interrogated by the rebels.

HRW Welcomes Release of South African Truth Report
(New York, October 30, 1998)—Human Rights Watch today welcomed the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) draft report as an important step in establishing the truth about past human rights abuses committed in South Africa. Human Rights Watch criticized former State President F.W. De Klerk and the African National Congress (ANC) for their attempts to suppress the truth about their conduct. Human Rights Watch rejected the view advanced by the ANC that it should be held to a lower standard of scrutiny because it was fighting a "just war." Human Rights Watch strongly supported the call by the TRC to prosecute individuals who committed gross human rights violations and did not apply for amnesty.

New U.N. Peacekeeping Policy Welcomed
(New York, October 29, 1998) —Human Rights Watch today welcomed a new United Nations policy establishing eighteen as the minimum age for UN peacekeepers. The rights organization hailed the change as a significant step towards a new international consensus to end the use of child soldiers.

HRW Rejects High Court Ruling on Pinochet Detention
(October 28, 1998) — Human Rights Watch rejected today's ruling by Britain's High Court that former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was immune from prosecution for acts committed as head of state. The organization expressed confidence that the ruling would be overturned on appeal.

Colombian President Pastrana Visits Washington This Week
(Washington DC, October 27, 1998) — Colombian President Andrés Pastrana will be making his first state visit to Washington from October 27 to October 30, 1998. President Pastrana hopes to repair relations with the United States after the administration of former President Ernesto Samper, whom the United States accused of receiving drug cartel money during his election campaign.

Spanish P.M. Urged to Support Pinochet Prosecution
(New York, October 27, 1998) — In a letter today to Spain's Prime Minister José María Aznar López, Human Rights Watch urged the Spanish government to take all necessary steps to ensure that legal proceedings against General Augusto Pinochet move forward.

Serbian Journalists' Detention Condemned
(New York, October 24, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today expressed grave concern about the detention of two Serbian journalists in Kosovo by the the Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves (UCK), the armed ethnic Albanian group fighting for Kosovo's independence.

HRW Calls on Liberian President to Cease Harassment of Civil Society
(New York, October 23, 1998)--Human Rights Watch yesterday urged President Charles Taylor to guarantee the safety of human rights defenders in Liberia. In a letter released today, the monitoring group criticized government intimidation of members of the Justice and Peace Commission, a nongovernmental organization associated with the Catholic church.

Important U.N. Deadline Lapses on Congo and Rwanda
(New York, October 22, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today deplored the failure of the governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to submit official reports on their progress in investigating the 1997 atrocities in Congo.

Security Pact May Encourage Human Rights Violations
(New York, October 22, 1998) -- Human Rights Watch today expressed deep concern that the Israeli-Palestinian security accord being negotiated in Wye Mills, Maryland, may encourage Palestinian human rights violations.

U.S. Urged to Get Involved in Pinochet Case
(New York, October 22, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today urged the United States government to publicly support and promote the extradition of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to Spain.

Felon Laws Bar 3.9 Million Americans from Voting
(Washington, D.C., October 22, 1998) — A stunning proportion of black men in the United States will not be able to vote in the November elections because they have been convicted of a felony, according to a new report released today by Human Rights Watch and The Sentencing Project. In seven states, a staggering one in four black men is permanently disenfranchised.

Police Brutality Exacerbates Climate of Fear in Argentina
(Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 21, 1998)— Two major human rights groups today accused the Argentine police of excessive violence and corruption, and charged that abusive police practices are exacerbating the problem of deteriorating public safety in Argentina.

HRW Hails Pinochet Detention as "Victory for the Rule of Law"
(New York, October 19, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today hailed the detention Friday of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a victory for the rule of law.

HRW Condemns Executions in Sierra Leone
(New York, October 19, 1998)— Human Rights Watch expressed its outrage at the execution earlier today of twenty-four soldiers by the government of Sierra Leone.

Vietnam: Visit on Religious Freedom Should Lead to Concrete Reforms
(New York, October 19, 1998) — Human Rights Watch welcomed the visit to Vietnam of Abdelfattah Amor, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, from October 19-28, but said the visit itself was not an indication of greater religious freedom.

Alexander Nikitin: Russia's Most Prominent Political Case Goes to Trial
(Moscow, October 15, 1998)— The trial of an environmental activist opening next week will serve as a litmus test for the Russian government's commitment to civil society and the rule of law.

Cuba Plans to Try Four Prominent Dissidents for Sedition Soon
In the coming weeks, the Cuban government is expected to try four leading dissidents for sedition, a "crime against state security," although none of them has ever advocated violence against the state.

Sierra Leone Urged to Commute Death Sentences
(New York, October 16, 1998)— Human Rights Watch today urged Sierra Leonean President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to commute death sentences for thirty-four soldiers accused of treason.

HRW Challenges Michigan’s Subpoena To Reveal Confidential Information
(New York, 15 October 98)— Human Rights Watch today announced it was challenging a subpoena from the Michigan Department of Corrections to reveal confidential information from its research on rape in Michigan women’s prisons.

APEC Ministers Should Defend Human Rights
(New York, October 14, 1998) — Delegates to an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on women in Manila on October 15-16 should express concern about human rights developments in Malaysia, Human Rights Watch said today.

HRW Urges Virginia Governor to Stay Execution of Juvenile Offender
(New York, October 13, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today publicly released a letter to Virginia Governor James Gilmore, calling for a stay of execution for Dwayne Allen Wright. Wright, who was convicted of a murder committed when he was seventeen years old, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection tomorrow evening.

Better Protection Of Rapes Investigators Needed Also Check What You Can Do
(New York -- October 12)Human Rights Watch today called for a full and independent investigation into the murder on Friday of Martadinata Haryono, known as Ita, a young Chinese-Indonesian woman in Jakarta. It also called for better protection of members of the Volunteer Team for Humanity who are investigating rapes of ethnic Chinese women.

HRW Calls for Removal of Abusive Chilean UN Official
(New York, October 9, 1998) — Human Rights Watch is calling on the United Nations to dismiss a top general in the U.N. observer forces who was involved in human rights abuses in Chile.

HRW Condemns Yugoslav Obstruction of War Crimes Investigations
(New York, October 9, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today strongly condemned the latest moves by the Yugoslav authorities to obstruct investigations into alleged war crimes in Kosovo. On Wednesday, October 7, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) announced that the Yugoslav authorities had denied visa requests for ICTY investigators to probe recent atrocities.

Child Soldiers Used by All Sides in Colombia's Armed Conflict
(New York, October 8, 1998) Colombian guerillas call their child soldeirs "little bees," because they sting before the enemy realizes it's under attack. Paramilitaries call them "little bells" because child soldiers are usually deployed in forward positions, where they warn the adults of an early attack -- and often bear the worst of it.

All Sides Committing Crimes in Colombia
(Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia, October 8, 1998) — In a report released today, Human Rights Watch finds that all sides in Colombia's conflict systematically violate the laws of war, causing widespread civilian casualties that could be avoided. The report marks the first time that an international human rights group has dedicated a book-length study to such violations in Colombia.

Human Rights Watch calls for release of Iranian journalist
(New York, October 7, 1998) — In an open letter sent today to the Head of the Judiciary in Iran, Ayatollah Yazdi, Human Rights Watch called for the immediate and unconditional release of four journalists from the daily newspaper Tous, who were arrested on the order of a Revolutionary Court on September 16.

UNHCR and Thai Government Failing to Protect Burmese Refugees
(Geneva, October 7, 1998) — In a report issued today, Human Rights Watch criticized the Royal Thai Government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for failing to give adequate protection to the more than 100,000 Burmese refugees in Thailand.

China Signs Human Rights Treaty But Implementation is Key
(New York, October 5, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today welcomed China's signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It urged Beijing to act quickly to ratify the treaty and fully implement its guarantees of freedom of expression, fair trial, protection against arbitrary detention, protection against torture, and freedom of association.

Canadian Crypto Policies
No Breakthrough Yet on International Human Rights
(New York, October 5, 1998) -- Human Rights Watch today welcomed the Canadian government's recent announcement affirming the freedom of Canadians to develop, import and use whatever cryptography products they choose. Minister of Industry John Manley announced the policy last week as pressure to expand controls on encryption technologies continues to build.

Report Shows Seven-Month Pattern of Yugoslav Government Atrocities
(New York, October 4, 1998) — In a report released today, Human Rights Watch documents the initial stages of the current conflict in Kosovo, and the pattern of Yugoslav government atrocities against ethnic Albanians in the region from February to early September 1998. The report provides detailed evidence of serious breaches of international law, showing that Serbian special police and Yugoslav army units have executed civilians, systematically destroy ed civilian property, and attacked humanitarian aid workers.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Seselj Threatens Journalists and Human Rights Organizations
(New York, October 2, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today condemned Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj for his inflammatory and provocative statements against the foreign and Yugoslav media and human rights organizations, and called on the Yugoslav government publicly to denounce the use of violence against those reporting on the Kosovo crisis.

HRW Interviews Sole Survivor of Golubovac Execution of Thirteen
(New York, October 1, 1998) — Human Rights Watch today interviewed the sole survivor of a September 26 summary execution of thirteen men by Serbian police. The witness gave a coherent and credible account of the summary execution which was corroborated by the evidence found at the execution site and the testimony of another witness interviewed by Human Rights Watch on September 29.

Fatal Shootings By U.S. Border Patrol Increase Sharply
(New York, September 30, 1998) -- Human Rights Watch today expressed serious concern over fatal shootings by U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed along the southern borders of California and Arizona. During the past three weeks, three border-crossers have been fatally shot after allegedly holding rocks in a threatening manner, according to the Border Patrol.

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