Search Results

Sort by
News

Why The UK Needs Human Rights

For the last twenty years in the UK, some politicians and sections of the media have led a relentless attack on human rights, grossly misrepresenting the UK Human Rights Act as a charter for criminals and a barrier to common sense.  In the face of this…
Women gather in Parliament Square for a protest in support of legal abortion in Northern Ireland, Britain, June 24, 2017.
,
The Union Flag flies near the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, June 7, 2017.
,
Judges of the European Court of Human Rights sit in the courtroom during a hearing at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
,
A member of security stands guard inside the Supreme Court in London, Britain, January 23, 2017.
,
Flags are seen at the EU Commission headquarters ahead of a first full round of talks on Brexit, Britain's divorce terms from the European Union, in Brussels, Belgium July 17, 2017.
,
2016-6-eca-brexit-flag
,
A man and a woman walk past a Polish shop in Boston, Britain June 27, 2016.
,
Armed police respond outside Parliament during an incident on Westminster Bridge.
,
migrants uk
,
People wave at a European Union flag during an EU parade, in Warsaw May 15, 2005.
News

Q&A: First Cracks to Impunity in Syria, Iraq

Refugee Crisis and Universal Jurisdiction Cases in Europe

What’s the basis for European courts to try atrocities committed in Syria and Iraq? What is universal jurisdiction? Does universal jurisdiction mean that every country can investigate any grave international crime committed in Syria and Iraq? What…
Syrian Man Carries Children After Barrel Bomb Attack
News

Q&A: Call for Arms Embargo on Saudi Arabia

Why is Human Rights Watch calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia? Human Rights Watch’s call for suspending all weapons sales to Saudi Arabia comes after a year of documenting numerous unlawful airstrikes by the Saudi-led…
News

Why do People Risk Their Lives to Cross the Mediterranean?

Questions and Answers

The European Union (EU) is facing unprecedented numbers of refugees and migrants arriving by boat. In 2014, 220,000 people arrived, almost double the combined total of 121,000 from 2011 through 2013. During just the first six…
Un buque de la Armada irlandesa Le Eithne, participa en una operación de rescate como parte del operativo Frontex Tritón, el 6 de junio de 2015
News

Question and Answers about the Human Rights Debate in the UK

1. Would the UK be better off if the Human Rights Act was replaced by a new Bill of Rights? There is a case for strengthening human rights protection in the UK with additional safeguards or a wider set of rights entitlements than those already set out in…
News

Q&A on the Human Rights Debate in the UK

In the UK today, the idea of human rights is under attack from politicians and some sections of the media. The criticism largely relates to the application of human rights law within the UK, rather than the pursuit of human rights objectives through UK…
News

Q&A on Female Genital Mutilation

1.     What is female genital mutilation (FGM)? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines FGM as "all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the female genital organs for non-medical…
News

Q & A: The Anfal Trial

1. What was the Anfal?    The Anfal (meaning the “the Spoils” in Arabic) was an eight-stage military campaign that resulted in the deliberate murder of at least 50,000 and possibly 100,000 Kurds. During the Anfal, Iraqi forces used chemical weapons on…
News

Q & A: Detention of UK Armed Forces Personnel in Iran

On March 23, 2007 Iranian forces detained 15 British sailors and marines in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which runs between Iranian and Iraqi territory.   The Iranians say the British personnel were detained because they were in Iranian…
News

“Diplomatic Assurances” against Torture

Questions and Answers

  What are "diplomatic assurances" against torture? Why is the use of diplomatic assurances growing? Why do governments seek these assurances? Do diplomatic assurances work? Have people who were sent back with diplomatic assurances actually been…
News

Cluster Munition Questions and Answers: The M26 Rocket

What is the M26 rocket and how does it function?     The M26 is a 227mm unguided artillery rocket delivered by the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) to a range of thirty-two to thirty-eight kilometers. Once it is over the target area, the rocket…
News

Q&A: UK Considers Legality of Indefinite Detention

  1. What are the judges in the House of Lords being asked to decide?   A special nine-judge panel of the House of Lords Judicial Committee will convene on October 4 to consider the lawfulness of government powers that allow foreign…
News

Pinochet Extradition Hearings

A Human Rights Watch Update, November 6, 1998

The House of Lords has completed two days of hearings about the detention of Augusto Pinochet. Lawyers for the Crown, representing Spanish authorities who are seeking extradition, presented arguments and answered questions from the five-member panel of…

Refine Search

Filter by Country
Filter by Topic
Filter by Type
Filter by News Category