The Most Read Human Rights Stories of 2016

1. No ‘Honor’ in Murder in Pakistan
They planned to shoot 19-year-old Saba Qaiser in the head, put her body in a bag, and dump it in the river. It’s pure luck that they didn’t succeed. Her attackers? Her father and her uncle, who sought revenge on Saba after she married without their permission... 2. World Report 2016
Summarizing key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide... 3. Fidel Castro’s Record of Repression
During his nearly five decades of rule in Cuba, Fidel Castro built a repressive system that punished virtually all forms of dissent, a dark legacy that lives on even after his death... 4. A Law Ignored and Another Horror in Afghanistan
The photo is shocking. A young woman – 20 years old – lies in a hospital bed, cradling her infant. Where her nose should be is instead a ragged bandage. Her eyes gaze out from over the bandage, looking far away and numb... 5. Saudi Arabia's Male Guardianship Boxes Women In
Adult women must obtain permission from a male guardian to travel abroad, marry, or be released from prison, and may be required to provide guardian consent to work or get health care... 6. Mass Execution in Saudi Arabia Largest Since 1980
On January 2, 2016, Saudi Arabia put 47 men to death. The mass execution to begin 2016 follows 158 executions in 2015... 7. No Let Up in Ethiopia's Crackdown on Protests
Ethiopian security forces are violently suppressing the largely peaceful protests in the Oromia region that began in November 2015. Almost daily accounts of killings and arbitrary arrests have been reported to Human Rights Watch since 2016 began... 8. Women in Iraq Suffer Under ISIS
In January and February 2016, Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 30 Iraqi women, all of whom had fled ISIS-controlled areas, most in late 2015. They described being forcibly converted to Islam, kept in sexual slavery, bought and sold in slave markets, and passed among as many as four ISIS members... 9. Killings, Rapes, Looting in South Sudan
Soldiers killed and raped civilians and extensively looted civilian property, including humanitarian goods, during and after clashes between government and opposition forces in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, in July, 2016... 10. Abuses Under France's State of Emergency
France has carried out abusive and discriminatory raids and house arrests against Muslims under its sweeping new state of emergency law. The measures have created economic hardship, stigmatized those targeted, and have traumatized children...