Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, designed to end months of fighting that has killed more than 2,000.
At the same time, Human Rights Watch says that rebel forces in eastern Ukraine are detaining civilians on allegations of minor public order violations –like public drinking or breaking curfew – and then subjecting them to forced labor.It’s the residents of Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, who have been in the crossfire between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed rebels for the longest.
In Syria, where many other crimes are also being committed, the government is arbitrarily detaining leading rights defenders.
A leading US tobacco growers’ organization is officially opposing hiring children under 16 to work on tobacco farms. Human Rights Watch’s research showed that, in the US, children who work on tobacco farms are not only exposed to pesticides and extreme heat, but that they also got sick while working. Their symptoms -- headaches, vomiting, and dizziness – are consistent with acute nicotine poisoning.
