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Current Events Focus on Human Rights Chechnya: Renewed Catastrophe (March 31) China: Human Rights Deteriorate (March 29) Turkey: Focus on Human Rights (March 28) 56th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights - Geneva (March 27) Clinton's South Asia Trip: Human Rights Concerns (March 25) Kosovo: Focus on Human Rights (March 21, 2000) HRW Challenge to Candidates (US Elections 2000) (March 13) Caucasus and Central Asia Page (March 9) The Pinochet Decision (March 3, 2000) Colombia - The Violence Continues (February 25) Civil War in Sierra Leone (February 2, 2000) Cambodia: Focus on Human Rights (January 21) Arrests in Malaysia (January 20, 2000) Violence in East Timor (December 16) Indonesia: Transition and Regional Conflict (December 7) Central Asia Crossroads (December 3) More... |
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Latest Reports from Human Rights Watch |
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Malaysia Urged to Lift Ban on Rallies (New York, April 1, 2000)— Human Rights Watch today condemned Malaysia's escalating crackdown on opposition speech and urged the government to lift its ban on public rallies in the capital. The ban, implemented on March 25 for an indefinite period, applies to all outdoor gatherings in Kuala Lumpur of more than four people. The ban comes on the heels of restrictions on the popular opposition newspaper Harakah, the Islamic opposition party PAS (Parti Islam Se-Malaysia), and the critical media. Crackdown on Angola's Independent Media Condemned (New York, March 31, 2000)—Human Rights Watch today called on the Angolan government to stop its ongoing crackdown on press freedom in Angola, and urged the government to abide by the rule of law and respect press freedom. Human Rights Watch has registered twenty-seven cases of harrasment against journalists in Angola in the last twelve months. Russian Soldiers Executed Seven Men in Chechen Village (Nazran, March 31, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today released fresh evidence of Russian forces committing summary executions in a Chechen village. Human Rights Watch researchers have interviewed eight eye-witnesses whose detailed testimonies, taken independently, confirm the summary executions of seven men in early February in the village of Gekhi-Chu, some thirty kilometers southwest of Grozny. Africa: E.U. Should Protest Civil Society Ban (Washington, March 31, 2000) -- The European Union should protest the prohibition of a civil society forum at an Africa summit in Cairo next week, Human Rights Watch said today. Peru Must Act to Improve Domestic Violence Law (Washington DC, March 31, 2000) - The Peruvian government should turn its domestic violence legislation into a real instrument for the protection of women, Human Rights Watch urged today in a sixteen-page memorandum to the Peruvian congress. East Timorese Refugees Face New Threat (New York, March 30, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today called on Indonesian authorities to lift a March 31 deadline on humanitarian aid to East Timorese refugees living in West Timor. The Indonesian government has given the refugees, some 100,000 people, until the end of the month to choose whether to go back to East Timor or remain in Indonesia. Indonesia says it will end all delivery of food and other assistance as of March 31. Widespread Fraud in Tajikistan's Parlimentary Elections (New York, March 29, 2000)—Recent elections to the lower chamber of a new parliament in Tajikistan were marred by flagrant fraud and manipulation of the vote, Human Rights Watch charged today. Burkina Faso Arms Inquiry Urged  (New York, March 30, 2000)—The president of Burkina Faso should order an independent inquiry into serious charges that his country has facilitated illegal arms transfers to rebel forces in Sierra Leone and Angola, Human Rights Watch said today. More Evidence of Rape by Russian Forces in Chechnya (Nazran, March 30, 2000) -- The arrest of a colonel who may have committed rape in Chechnya does not address a pattern of sexual assault by Russian forces in the Chechen conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 29, the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, Col. Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, announced that a Russian tank commander had been arrested for killing a woman who had evidently been raped before she died. China: Increasing Harassment of Bao Tong (New York, March 29, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today condemned the Chinese government's harassment of Bao Tong, a former Chinese Central Committee member imprisoned during the student protests in May 1989. In a letter to Chinese authorities made public today, Bao, who was released from prison in 1996, reports that security officials have stepped up their monitoring and harassment of him since the beginning of the year. Turkey: Government Sends Human Rights Leader Back to Prison (New York, March 28, 2000)--Human Rights Watch today called for the immediate release of Akin Birdal, the former president of the Turkish Human Rights Association, who is once again behind bars. Political Prisoners Freed in Democratic Republic of Congo (New York, March 28, 2000)—Human Rights Watch today welcomed the recent release of more than one hundred political prisoners in Congo, and urged President Kabila to release the remaining detainees who are eligible for an amnesty announced on February 19. said. Uzbekistan Silences Human Rights Defenders, Report Charges (Geneva, March 28, 2000)--The Uzbek government is waging a fierce campaign against local human rights activists, according to a Human Rights Watch report released today. The 32-page report details government attacks on a dozen of the country's most active and outspoken rights defenders. Kuwaiti Court Ruling Limits Free Expression (New York, March 27, 2000)Human Rights Watch today called on the Kuwaiti government to repeal laws unduly restricting freedom of expression. On Sunday an appeals court fined one Kuwaiti woman writer for distributing a novel it deemed indecent, and fined another woman writer for distributing a collection of poetry without a permit. Their publisher was also fined. Clinton Should Denounce Abusive Law in Pakistan (New York, March 25, 2000)— President Clinton should speak out against the detention of a key political figure who goes on trial today in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch said. On the day President Clinton arrives in Pakistan Dr. Farooq Sattar is set to face hearings for charges under the National Accountability Ordinance. The ordinance, adopted in November after the coup that brought General Pervez Musharraf to power, gives the National Accountability Bureau sweeping powers of arrest, investigation, and prosecution. Dr. Sattar has been in detention for four months and in solitary confinement for over ninety days. World Bank Criticized on Funds for Russia (Washington, DC, March 24, 2000)-Citing war crimes in Chechnya, Human Rights Watch today criticized the World Bank for making a $100 million payment to the Russian government. Thousands Trapped by Russian Forces in Live-Fire Zone (Nazran, March 23, 2000) -- Russian forces trapped more than 2,000 civilians during a bombardment in Chechnya earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said today. The civilians were detained for four days in the besieged village of Komsomolskoye, some thirty kilometers south of Grozny. Brutal Burundi War Draws In Rwandan Combatants (New York, March 23, 2000)—The brutal war in Burundi is increasingly involving other countries in Central Africa, and the United Nations tribunal for Rwanda should be expanded to include serious crimes being committed in Burundi, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. U.N. Security Council Must Ease Iraq Crisis (New York, March 23, 2000) In a letter sent yesterday, Human Rights Watch and five other organizations asked the United Nations Security Council to take decisive steps to address the humanitarian emergency in Iraq. The letter urged member states to use the Iraq debate scheduled for this Friday, March 24, to address the crisis "in a thorough and transparent manner" and to give priority to fundamental humanitarian and human rights principles in the design and operation of the sanctions regime. U.N. Action on Chechnya Urged (New York, March 22, 2000) -- Russian government investigations into atrocities committed in Chechnya have shown that they are unlikely to produce any serious result, Human Rights Watch said in letters sent to several European and U.S. foreign ministers today. The letters urged ministers to initiate or sponsor a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, now meeting in Geneva, condemning the abuses committed by Russian forces in Chechnya and setting in motion a "sustained and thorough" U.N. investigation. Serb Gang-Rapes in Kosovo Exposed (New York, March 21, 2000) -- Commanding officers bear criminal responsibility for a pattern of gang-rapes by Serbian and Yugoslav forces in Kosovo during the NATO bombing campaign, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.N. Rights Commission Urged to Act on China, Chechnya (Geneva, March 17, 2000)—Human Rights Watch today urged the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to hold China accountable for widespread abuses and to investigate Russian atrocities in Chechnya . The organization made the appeal on the eve of the Commission's annual six-week meeting, which will start in Geneva on Monday, March 20. Chile: Veto Constitutional Amendment, Lagos Urged (Washington, D.C., March 16, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today called on President Ricardo Lagos to veto a proposed constitutional amendment that would give former presidents immunity from criminal prosecution. The bill, approved by both chambers of Congress during the final months of the Frei administration, allows former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet to retire from his position as lifetime senator, without forfeiting his parliamentary immunity. Statement in Support of the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2000 (Washington, D.C., March 14, 2000)-- Human Rights Watch, the largest U.S.-based international human rights organization, strongly supports the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2000. The legislation would address the problem of police brutality -- one of the most serious, enduring, and divisive human rights violations in the United States. Justice Department Should Mandate L.A. Police Reforms (Los Angeles, March 14, 2000) -- In a letter sent to the U.S. Justice Department on March 8, Human Rights Watch's California Committee called on the agency's Civil Rights Division to insist on significant changes in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Sanctions-Busting in Angola (New York, March 14, 2000)—The Security Council will hold an open briefing on Angola on March 15 at 10 am. Ambassador Robert Fowler of Canada, chair of the Council's Sanctions Committee on Angola, will present a report on the sanctions regime against the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). Anniversary Appeal for an Independent Inquiry Into the Killing of Human Rights Defender Rosemary Nelson (New York, March 14, 2000)—International and local human rights organizations marked the first anniversary of the murder of Rosemary Nelson by urging the UK government to act immediately to set up an independent inquiry into all the circumstances surrounding her death. Rosemary Nelson was the second human rights lawyer to have been killed in Northern Ireland; the first was Patrick Finucane in 1989. Loyalist paramilitaries claimed responsibility for both murders. China: Eight Year Sentence for Uighur Businesswoman (New York, March 10, 2000)—Human Rights Watch today condemned the harsh prison sentence handed down in the case of Uighur businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer. The eight year sentence was issued by the Urumqi Intermediate Court in Xinjiang, China on March 10. The international monitoring organization called for Kadeer's immediate and unconditional release. Uzbek Police Confiscate Human Rights Watch Materials (New York, March 8, 2000)-- Yesterday Uzbek police confiscated reports published by the U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch. Police at the Syrdarya regional court took the reports from a Human Rights Watch representative who is monitoring the trial of twelve men charged with membership in Hizb-ut-Takhrir, a peaceful Muslim organization which is banned in Uzbekistan. Pardon for Journalist Unjustly Convicted in Chile  (Washington, D.C., March 8, 2000)-- President Eduardo Frei should grant a pardon to journalist José Ale Aravena, who was convicted last month of "insulting" the former president of the Supreme Court in Chile, Human Rights Watch said today. Sudan Rebels Leaving Civilians in the Lurch (New York, March 7, 2000) — Sudanese rebels should go back to the negotiating table with international aid agencies to avoid massive civilian suffering, Human Rights Watch said today. South Dakota: Stop Abuses of Detained Kids (New York, March 6, 2000)—South Dakota must stop subjecting children to inhumane treatment in detention, Human Rights Watch urged today in a letter to South Dakota Governor William Janklow. More "Pinochet Style" Prosecutions Urged (New York, March 3, 2000 ) - Human Rights Watch today called on abuse victims to use the "Pinochet precedent" to press criminal actions against exiled or traveling officials who have committed atrocities. Rebel Abuses Near Sierra Leone Capital (New York, March 3, 2000)—Sierra Leone rebels are regularly committing atrocities against civilians in areas less than 40 kilometers outside the capital of Freetown, Human Rights Watch said today. Pinochet Case a Milestone (New York, March 2, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch said today that the arrest of Augusto Pinochet represented a permanent advance in the cause of human rights, despite the decision by British Home Secretary Jack Straw to allow him to return to Chile. The group also called on the Chilean parliament to block a proposed constitutional reform that would give permanent immunity from prosecution to all former heads of state. Stop Weapons Flows to Human Rights Abusers (New York, February 28, 2000)—Human Rights Watch today called on the United Nations to take urgent action to address the spread and misuse of small arms. More... |
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