Reports

Justice as a Weapon

Political Persecution in Bolivia

The 47-page report, “Justice as a Weapon: Political Persecution in Bolivia,” documents instances of baseless or disproportionate charges, due process violations, infringement of freedom of expression, and excessive and arbitrary use of pretrial detention in cases pursued by the interim government. Human Rights Watch also found examples of abuse of the justice system against Morales opponents during the Morales administration.

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  • Harsh War, Harsh Peace

    Abuses by al-Shabaab, the Transitional Federal Government, and AMISOM in Somalia

    This 62-page report finds that al-Shabaab forces have brought greater stability to many areas in southern Somalia, but at a high cost for the local population - especially women.

  • Cruel Britannia

    British Complicity in the Torture and Ill-treatment of Terror Suspects in Pakistan

    This 46-page report provides accounts from victims and their families in the cases of five UK citizens of Pakistani origin - Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed, Rashid Rauf and a fifth individual who wishes to remain anonymous - tortured in Pakistan by Pakistani security agencies between 2004 and 2007.

  • Human Rights and Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Response

    Religious Counseling, Indefinite Detention, and Flawed Trials

    This 27-page report documents Saudi Arabia's response to threats and acts of terrorism since 2003, including the indefinite detentions of thousands of people, some of them peaceful political dissidents. The domestic intelligence agency, the mabahith, which runs its own prisons, has prevented effective judicial oversight.

  • No Direction Home

    Returns from Guantanamo to Yemen

    This 52-page report criticizes US and Yemeni proposals to transfer the detainees to a detention center in Yemen where they could continue to be held indefinitely, ostensibly for rehabilitation.

  • Fighting Terrorism Fairly and Effectively

    Recommendations for President-Elect Barack Obama

    Over the past seven years, the US government’s consistent disregard for human rights in fighting terrorism has diminished America’s moral authority, set a negative example for other governments, and undermined the goal of reducing anti-American militancy around the world.

  • Not the Way Forward

    The UK’s Dangerous Reliance on Diplomatic Assurances

    This 36-page report focuses on two important appeals in the House of Lords this month that will test the reliability of no-torture promises from the governments of Algeria and Jordan.

  • "Why Am I Still Here?"

    The 2007 Horn of Africa Renditions and the Fate of Those Still Missing

    This 54-page report examines the 2007 rendition operation, during which at least 90 men, women, and children fleeing the armed conflict in Somalia were unlawfully rendered from Kenya to Somalia, and then on to Ethiopia.

  • Preempting Justice

    Counterterrorism Laws and Procedures in France

    This 84-page report looks at how France uses a vaguely defined ‘terrorism association offense’ to arrest large numbers of people based on minimal evidence.

  • Collective Punishment

    War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia’s Somali Region

    This 130-page report documents a dramatic rise in unchecked violence against civilians since June 2007, when the Ethiopian army launched a counterinsurgency campaign against rebels who attacked a Chinese-run oil installation.

  • Locked Up Alone

    Detention Conditions and Mental Health at Guantanamo

    This 54-page report documents the conditions in the various “camps” at the detention center, in which approximately 185 of the 270 detainees are housed in facilities akin to “supermax” prisons even though they have not yet been convicted of a crime.

  • Double Jeopardy

    CIA Renditions to Jordan

    This 36-page report documents how Jordan’s General Intelligence Department (GID) served as a proxy jailer and interrogator for the CIA from 2001 until at least 2004.

  • Destroying Legality

    Pakistan’s Crackdown on Lawyers and Judges

    This 84-page report presents eyewitness accounts of police violence, arbitrary arrests, and mistreatment of detained lawyers across Pakistan since November 3, 2007. The report details police beatings of lawyers peacefully protesting government policies from within the grounds of Pakistan’s high courts.

  • UK: Counter the Threat or Counterproductive?

    Commentary on Proposed Counterterrorism Measures

    This 26-page briefing paper analyzes Home Office counterterrorism proposals from July in light of the UK’s international human rights obligations. The measures are likely to form part of a draft counterterrorism bill to be presented to parliament later this year.

  • Ill-Fated Homecomings

    A Tunisian Case Study of Guantanamo Repatriations

    This 43-page report describes the experiences of the two Tunisians returned home 11 weeks ago and urges the US government to set up a process that would give detainees advance notice of their transfer, and allow them the opportunity to contest it before a federal court if they fear torture or ill-treatment upon return to