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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  • “Lives Destroyed”

    Attacks on Civilians in the Philippines

    Violent Islamist groups in the Philippines have killed or injured more than 1,700 people in bombings and other attacks since 2000. The attacks, mostly in Mindanao, Basilan, Jolo, and other southern islands, have also included kidnappings, executions, and shootings.

  • Application No. 2947/06: Ismoilov and Others v. Russia

    Intervention Submitted by Human Rights Watch and AIRE Centre

    The third party intervention by Human Rights Watch and the AIRE Centre in the case of Ismoilov and Others v. Russia analyzes states’ reliance upon diplomatic assurances against torture and ill-treatment in extradition context.

  • Caught in the Whirlwind

    Torture and Denial of Due Process by the Kurdistan Security Forces

    This 58-page report documents widespread and systematic mistreatment and violations of due process rights of detainees at detention facilities by Kurdistan security forces. The report is based on research conducted in Iraq’s Kurdistan region from April to October 2006, including interviews with more than 150 detainees.

  • Off the Record

    U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the “War on Terror”

    This 21-page briefing paper, published by six leading human rights organizations, includes the names and details of 39 people who are believed to have been held in secret US custody abroad and whose current whereabouts remain unknown.

  • In the Name of Prevention

    Insufficient Safeguards in National Security Removals

    This 92-page report examines administrative expulsions of imams and others deemed to foment extremism. It also documents the criminal deportation of persons convicted of terrorism-related offenses.

  • The Omar Khadr Case

    A Teenager Imprisoned at Guantanamo

    In this backgrounder, Human Rights Watch said that although Khadr was just 15 when he was arrested, the United States has completely ignored his juvenile status throughout his detention.

  • The Human Cost

    The Consequences of Insurgent Attacks in Afghanistan

    This 116-page report describes how Afghan insurgent groups, primarily Taliban and Hezb-e Islami forces, sharply escalated bombing and other attacks in 2006 and early 2007. The report is based on dozens of interviews with civilian victims of attacks and their families and a lengthy review of available documents and records.

  • The “Stamp of Guantanamo”

    The Story of Seven Men Betrayed by Russia’s Diplomatic Assurances to the United States

    This 43-page report reconstructs the experiences of the detainees after being returned to Russia in March 2004, based on interviews with three of the detainees, their family members, lawyers, and others.

  • Ghost Prisoner

    Two Years in Secret CIA Detention

    This 50-page report contains a detailed description of a secret CIA prison from a Palestinian former detainee who was released from custody. The report provides the most comprehensive account to date of life in a secret CIA prison, as well as information regarding 38 possible detainees.

  • Cases Involving Diplomatic Assurances against Torture

    This document sets out developments in the use of diplomatic assurances in select individual cases since the publication of our April 2005 report “Still at Risk: Diplomatic Assurances No Safeguard Against Torture.

  • Dangerous Ambivalence

    UK Policy on Torture since 9/11

    This 45-page paper documents how the UK government is undermining the torture ban, even as it proclaims its efforts to combat torture worldwide. Torture, including returns to risk of torture, is prohibited by international law. No exceptions are allowed, even in time of war or national emergency.

  • Improving Civilian Protection in Sri Lanka

    Recommendations for the Government and the LTTE

    This 58-page briefing paper makes 34 recommendations to the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), known as the Tamil Tigers, to better protect civilians.

  • Suspicious Sweeps

    The General Intelligence Department and Jordan’s Rule of Law Problem

    This 66-page report documents the arbitrary arrest and abusive treatment of detainees held at the General Intelligence Department’s (GID) central detention facility in Amman.

  • "No Blood, No Foul"

    Soldiers' Accounts of Detainee Abuse in Iraq

    Torture and other abuses against detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq were authorized and routine, even after the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal, according to accounts from soldiers in this 53-page report.