World Report 2003
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Missions


AFRICA

Angola: Continuation of research on the human rights situation of internally displaced persons, investigations of violations of international humanitarian law in Cabinda, and partnership building with local organizations (November); report launch and continuation of research on the implementation of the internally displaced persons resettlement process (July-August); and research on internally displaced persons and the Oil Diagnostic (December 2001).

Burkina Faso: Conference on ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute and follow-up meetings with government officials and civil society leaders (March/April); and preparation for an ICC conference in March (February).

Burundi: Advocacy on justice issues, networking with local NGOs, and research on abuses in neighboring parts of DRC (July); and advocacy (December 2001).

Chad: Research on Hissène Habré case (February-June); advocacy on Hissène Habré case (May, August, September); and assistance to inquiry by Belgian judge relating to the Hissène Habré case (February-March).

Democratic Republic of Congo: Presentation of the report, The War Within The War, and discussions on ways forward with RCD authorities, civil society in Goma, Bukavu, and Uvira, and international humanitarian agencies (July); research on extrajudicial executions and other violations in Kisangani (June); consultations with partner organizations (April); and cooperation with partner organizations and research on sexual and gender-based violence (November 2001).

Côte d'Ivoire: Investigation of disturbances, in particular the reports that government security forces have been targeting members of northern ethnic groups and foreigners (October); and conference co-organized by the Economic Cooperation Organization of West African States and the International Committee of the Red Cross on ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute of the ICC (January).

Ethiopia: Research to investigate academic freedom and freedom of association in Ethiopia (July).

Guinea: Research into the human rights situation in Liberia and threats to the security of Liberian refugees living in Guinea (August).

Kenya: Research on property rights of Kenyan women (October-November); research on human rights issues surrounding national elections (September); release of report on weapons proliferation and political violence (May); research on human rights abuses committed against refugees living in Nairobi (April-May); participation in regional Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (November 2001); and co-sponsorship of a conference on the human rights and humanitarian impacts of global small arms proliferation (November 2001).

Liberia: Research on human rights abuses being committed by the Liberian government and rebel fighters, including interviews with Liberian refugees who had fled to Sierra Leone (March-April).

Mali: Meetings with government officials on the ICC (October).

Niger: Advocacy, including meetings with government officials and members of civil society on the ICC (February).

Nigeria: Oral testimony about military massacres in Benue to the national commission of inquiry investigating conflicts in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, and Plateau states (November); continuation of research on militia/vigilante activity in the southwest and preliminary meetings with NGOs in Lagos and Abuja on pre-election strategies and political violence (August-September); report launch and advocacy on vigilante groups in the southeast, with the Centre for Law Enforcement Education, and research on militia/vigilante activity in the southwest (May-June); research in the Niger Delta to update the 1999 report, The Price of Oil, and associated advocacy with the oil companies and diplomatic community (March); and investigation of killings of civilians by the military in several towns and villages in Benue state (December 2001).

Rwanda: Research on gacaca and advocacy on the ICTR and Rwandan abuses in DRC (July); and advocacy and research on cases of forced recruitment and arbitrary detention (December 2001).

Senegal: Meetings with government officials on ICC implementation and advocacy on Hissène Habré case (October).

Sierra Leone: Permanent research presence monitoring human rights issues in relation to the transition to peace, including the operations of the truth and reconciliation commission and Special Court for Sierra Leone, as well as the situation of Liberian refugees in Sierra Leone and Guinea; and advocacy and research on Liberian refugees (July).

South Africa: Advocacy and media relations (August); participation and advocacy at the thirty-first ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (April); and teaching and advocacy (March).

Sudan: Research on the human rights situation in southern Sudan (July).

Togo: Research on child trafficking and HIV/AIDS (April-May).

Uganda: Research on the human rights situation in northern Uganda (July); cooperation and capacity building with partner organization (April); research to investigate cases of torture, arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, and other abuses (April); research on human rights abuses committed against refugees living in Kampala (April-May); and assistance with launch of report by partner organization, meetings with the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and Defence to discuss the Non-Governmental Organizations Registration (Amendment) Bill from 2000, and discussions on Uganda's involvement in human rights abuse in the DRC and the role of the Human Rights Commission (February).

Zambia: Research on sexual abuse of girls and HIV/AIDS (May-June).


AMERICAS

Argentina: Advocacy launch of Reluctant Partner: The Argentine Government's Failure to Back Trials of Human Rights Violators (December 2001).

Barbados: Advocacy at the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on the ICC (June).

Brazil: Attendance at meeting on child labor in drug trafficking in Rio de Janeiro (September); research on detention conditions for children in Amapá, Amazônas, Maranhão, Pará, and Rondônia (April-May); presentation on human rights to International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (April); meetings with government officials on ICC ratification (February); attendance at meeting of the Latin American Regional Coalition to End the Use of Child Soldiers (January); and participation in regional Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (December 2001).

Chile: Participation in regional Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (November).

Colombia: Research on changes introduced by the office of the attorney general that have harmed human rights investigations (June-July); and research on use of child combatants by irregular armed groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN), and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC) (May-June).

Dominican Republic: Meetings with President Hipólito Mejía and other high officials to discuss findings of a Human Right Watch report documenting abuses against Haitians and Dominico-Haitians (April).

Ecuador: Follow-up advocacy and fact-finding related to the Human Rights Watch report, Tainted Harvest: Child Labor and Obstacles to Organizing on Ecuador's Banana Plantations (October).

Guatemala: Research on violence against human rights defenders; and meetings with President Portillo, various ministers, public prosecutors, NGOs, and journalists (August); research and advocacy on genocide cases filed against 1970s-1980s military rulers (August); and participation in the Central American Conference for the ICC (March).

Mexico: Participation in human rights conference organized by the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla (October); research on human rights violations committed by U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed along the border (June); meetings with government ministers and senators to press for Mexico's ratification of the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court (April, October); participation in human rights consultation organized by the MacArthur Foundation (February); meetings with President Fox, government ministers, and NGOs and public release of Military Injustice: Mexico's Failure to Punish Army Abuses (December 2001); and meetings with government officials on ICC ratification (November 2001).

Paraguay: Research and advocacy on the use of children as soldiers (June).

Peru: Advocacy meeting with President Alejandro Toledo on future of drug surveillance flights and current proposals to reform anti-terrorist laws put in place by Fujimori (August); participation in human rights conference organized by Instituto de Defensa Legal (August); participation in conference on human rights and globalization organized by Comisión Andina de Juristas (August); participation in a seminar on implementation of the Rome Statute (August); and attendance at first hearings of the Commission of Truth and Reconciliation, held in Ayacucho (April).

Venezuela: Assessment of human rights situation after the failed coup in April and advocacy for investigation into the violence that occurred prior to and immediately after the temporary overthrow of President Chávez (June).


ASIA

Afghanistan: Research on human rights abuses in Western Afghanistan and general research on the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (September); briefings to United Nations, European Union, and United States officials on worsening security conditions (June-November); research on Loya Jirga elections and evaluation of implications for women's rights after the return of warlords (May-June); briefings to members of the United Nations Security Council and senior European Union Ambassadors on the human rights situation in Afghanistan (March-June); and research into civilian casualties, retaliation against Pashtuns, and conduct of warfare issues (February-March).

Australia: Research on the impact of Australian refugee policy on asylum seekers arriving by boat via Southeast Asia (April-May); and meetings with government officials on ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (January).

Cambodia: Research on the flaws in the army demobilization program and the threats posed to human rights (June-July); and monitoring of pre- and post-election political violence and human rights violations in conjunction with the February commune-level elections (January-March).

India: Attendance at an International Dalit Solidarity Network meeting in Brussels (May); advocacy in London, Brussels, and Washington D.C. on communal violence in Gujarat and caste discrimination in India (May); investigation of state complicity in communal violence in Gujarat (March); research on bonded child labor in the silk industry (March-April); and research on police abuse of HIV workers (March-April).

Indonesia: Advocacy trip to Jakarta timed to coincide with a meeting of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (October); research on the impact of Australian refugee policy on asylum seekers arriving by boat via Southeast Asia (April-May); advocacy trip to Aceh on accountability for civilian deaths (March); investigation into communal violence in Poso, Central Sulawesi (February-March); and research on human rights abuses in the pulp and paper industry (January-February).

Japan: Advocacy with Buraku human rights groups on global caste discrimination (February); and advocacy in Tokyo on Japan's work with post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan and women's rights (December 2001).

Thailand: Research on the use of child soldiers in Burma (March); and follow-up advocacy in Thailand on trafficking issues (December 2001).

Vietnam: Attendance at the "Promoting Gender Equality to Combat Trafficking in Women and Children" workshop in Bangkok, Thailand (October); research in Cambodian refugee camps and in Montagnard communities in the United States on conditions in Vietnam (March-April); and advocacy on human rights violations in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and conditions in Montagnard refugee camps in Cambodia with European Union member states and U.S. government officials in Brussels, Paris, and Washington, D.C. (March-April).

General Advocacy: Participation in the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's sixty-first session, which included a thematic discussion on descent-based discrimination (August); participated in fifty-fourth session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (August).


EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Albania: Advocacy surrounding the release of The Cost of Speech, a report on media freedom in Albania (June).

Armenia: Participation in government/OSCE seminar on antipersonnel mines (October); consultation with nongovernmental associations in preparation for future research projects and research of a killing in which presidential bodyguards were implicated (December 2001); and participation in regional Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (November 2001).

Azerbaijan: Participation in regional Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (November); and participation in an OSCE meeting on freedom of religion and the war against terrorism (October).

Belarus: Research on civil liberties and law enforcement, and meetings with non-governmental organizations in preparation for research project in 2003 (July).

Belgium: Advocacy regarding European Union's ICC guiding principles (September); advocacy meetings with E.U. and NATO on arms trade issues and enlargement (July); advocacy relating to Turkey's E.U. accession process (June, September, and October); Sudan advocacy (June); advocacy at the E.U. related to the general human rights situation in Uzbekistan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) decision to hold its 2003 annual meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (May); advocacy at the E.U. related to migrants rights in Western Europe and E.U. immigration and asylum policies, and advocacy related to Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania's Stabilization and Association Agreements with the E.U. (April); advocacy on Hissène Habré case (March, April, June, October); advocacy at the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) conference in Brussels, Belgium with regard to the effects of September 11 on the treatment of migrants in Western Europe (January); advocacy in Brussels for women's rights in Afghanistan (December 2001); and Rwanda advocacy (December 2001).

Bulgaria: Participation in OSCE seminar on small arms trafficking (November); and participation in joint NGO-government seminar on small arms issues in Southeastern Europe (March).

Croatia: Research on obstructions to return for Croatian Serbs (June).

Czech Republic: Participation in NGO seminar on small arms issues (October); and meetings with government officials on ICC ratification (December 2001).

France: Participation in global Landmine Monitor researchers meeting (April); participation in OSCE conference on disarmament (March); and advocacy before the Council of Europe on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia's accession to the Council of Europe, Russia's war in Chechnya, and religious persecution in Georgia (January, April, and September).

Georgia: Permanent research presence monitoring and reporting on violations of religious freedom and police abuse.

Germany: Attendance at conferences on European migration policies (April and July).

Italy: Advocacy with Italian government on women trafficked from Africa; and presentation at the international conference on trafficking in human beings (May).

Kazakhstan: Research into human rights abuses committed against injecting drug users, HIV-positive persons, and other high-risk groups (August-September).

Latvia: Meetings with government officials on ICC ratification (January/February).

Netherlands: Advocacy with the Dutch government regarding their upcoming OSCE chairmanship (November); briefing at meeting of European migration services on issue of asylum seekers from Chechnya (June); advocacy at intersessional PrepCom meetings on the ICC (March); and periodic monitoring of the Milosevic trial (December 2001, and January-November).

Norway: Participation in joint NGO-government Humanitarian Mine Action conference and launch of Landmine Monitor Report 2002 (September).

Poland: Advocacy at the OSCE Annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (September).

Romania: Participation in government arms export control conference (September); and advocacy at EBRD meetings in Bucharest on the EBRD's selection of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as the site of its 2003 annual meeting (May).

Russia: Research on armed forces in Novosibirsk, Novokuznetsk, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, and Cheliabinsk (October), Volgograd (September), and St. Petersburg (April); and research and collaboration with local NGO in Ingushetia/Chechnya (December 2001; February, March, and July).

Slovakia: Research into arms trade practices (April, May, and October).

Slovenia: Presentation on human rights at International Harm Reduction Association meetings (March).

Spain: Advocacy on unaccompanied migrant children (May and October); advocacy on migrants' rights, including follow-up government meetings, speaking at a forum on immigration work, and working with local NGOs (March and October); and research into the treatment of migrants in Spain and advocacy meetings with government officials regarding migration policy (November 2001).

Switzerland: Participation in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty (September); advocacy with UNHCR's ExCom and with IOM (September-October); expert consultation on U.N. Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (July); advocacy with the Standing Committee of UNHCR's ExCom and with IOM (June); advocacy on the Commission on Human Rights Advocacy and the World Health Organization on establishing medico-legal response to sexual violence (April); advocacy related to Russia/Chechnya before the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (March and April); participation in meetings of the Standing Committees of the Mine Ban Treaty (January and May); participation in 5-Year Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) (December 2001); and participation in the meetings of the CCW Group of Governmental Experts (December 2001; May and July).

Tajikistan: Participation in Central Asia regional meeting on HIV/AIDs (October).

Turkey: Release of Displaced and Disregarded, a report on the plight of internally displaced persons, and election monitoring (October-November); and monitoring of trial of Fatih Tas and participation in a Freedom for Freedom of Expression Initiative event with writer Noam Chomsky (February).

Ukraine: Research on media and other issues (October).

United Kingdom: Advocacy with the U.K. government on violence against women in Pakistan (October); advocacy related to the EBRD's decision to hold its 2003 annual meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (September); advocacy surrounding report on small arms and political violence in Kenya (May); and research on arms brokering (January/February).

Uzbekistan: Permanent research presence monitoring and reporting on persistent problems of torture, wrongful arrest, unfair trials, prison conditions, violations of religious and political freedom, and deaths in custody.

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: Permanent research presence monitoring and conducting advocacy relating to the Milosevic ICTY trial and Yugoslavia's cooperation with the ICTY; and research on impunity for war crimes and ethnically motivated crimes in Kosovo (June and July).


MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Algeria: Attendance at Human Rights Conference and further research on torture and disappearance (October); and research on the practice of torture (June-July).

Bahrain: Research on gender discrimination in the state-financed education system (February-March).

Egypt: Research on police abuse of "children liable to perversion" (June-July); and research on gender discrimination in the state-financed education system (February-March).

Iran: Research on claims of torture at Prison 59 (July-August).

Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan: Research on forced expulsions of Kurds in Northern Kurdistan (September).

Israel, the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Authority Territories: Release of report Erased in a Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians (October); research on house demolitions and land claims issues (October); research on IDF military operations in Jenin (April); research on the excessive use of force by the IDF and advocacy on Palestinian Authority system of justice (January); and advocacy on Israel education report (December 2001).

Tunisia: Research on the trial of Hamma Hammami (March).


UNITED STATES

Domestic Issues: Testimony in California before State Senate's Select Committee on School safety on enforcement of laws to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth from violence and harassment in school (October); meeting in Washington, D.C. with the U.N. special rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance to discuss September 11-related hate crimes research and upcoming report (October); testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at the first congressional hearing in over a decade on workers' freedom of association in the United States (June); research on human rights violations committed by U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed along the border (June); research in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington on conditions of incarceration for the mentally ill (May­September); research of post September 11-related hate crimes against Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim in Chicago, Dearborn, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and Seattle (May­August); research on federal government "abstinence-only" programs in Texas (May); testimony before the U.S. Sentencing Commission on racial disparities in drug sentencing laws (March); advocacy in Los Angeles on Safe Schools Project (March); research on the treatment of immigration detainees held in relation to the investigation of the September 11 attacks, detained in local jails in the state of New Jersey (January and February); and advocacy on discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in California (January, February, June, and October).

International Justice Issues: Meetings in New York with UNICEF officials regarding Special Court (August), ICTY/ICTR chief prosecutor (July), Sierra Leone Special Court Registrar (June), Sierra Leone Special Court prosecutor (May), and ICTR Registrar (March), and moderator of panel on Terrorism and Human Rights (October); attendance at in-house seminar on the International Criminal Court--elements of crimes (July and October); and participation on U.N. Panel on International Justice (May).


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