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Malaysia: Repeal Abusive Security Law

SOSMA Denies Right to Fair Trial

(Bangkok) – The Malaysian government should urgently repeal the draconian 2012 Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), Human Rights Watch said today. The detention of 12 people, including two ruling coalition politicians, for more than…
Malaysia's national flag flies in front of the Federal Court on a hazy day in Putrajaya, Malaysia, October 6, 2015.
News

Russia, Turkey, and Iran Should Act on Syria Detainees

Use September 7 Meeting to Address Arbitrary Detentions, Disappearances, Abductions

(Beirut) – The Astana working group on detentions and abductions in the Syrian conflict should take immediate steps to address the Syrian government’s arbitrary detentions, torture of detainees, and enforced disappearances, 11 human…
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lock hands during a group photo in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, April 4, 2018. © 2018 Tolga Bozoglu/Pool Photo via AP
News

Turkey: Normalizing the State of Emergency

Draft Law Permits Purging Judges; Prolonged Detention; Curbing Movement, Assembly

(Istanbul)—A draft law being rushed through Turkey’s parliament will preserve many of the abusive powers granted to the president and executive under the country’s recent state of emergency, which formally ended on July 18, 2018, Human Rights Watch…
The human rights monument in Ankara cordoned off with a police barricade during Turkey’s state of emergency to prevent its use as a site of public assembly and protest, 2017.
News

Burma/Thailand: Deported Turkish Man at Risk

Ill-Treatment, Unfair Trial for Those Sought by Turkey Over Alleged Gulenist Links

(New York) – Burmese authorities have forced back Turkish asylum seeker, Muhammet Furkan Sökmen via Thailand, putting him at risk of serious human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 24, 2017, Burmese officials…
Burma/Thailand: Deported Turkish Man at Risk PHOTO
News

Malaysia: Longtime Turkish Residents Detained

Authorities Should Allow Immediate Access to Lawyers, Family

(Kuala Lumpur) – Malaysian authorities on May 2, 2017, detained without charge two Turkish nationals who are longtime Kuala Lumpur residents, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should provide the basis for holding the men –…
Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysia’s inspector general of police.
News

Turkey: Silencing the Media

Ruthless Assault on Press Freedom Shields State from Scrutiny

(Istanbul) – Turkey’s government has all but silenced independent media in an effort to prevent scrutiny or criticism of its ruthless crackdown on perceived enemies, Human Rights Watch said today. The assault on critical journalism sharpened in…
Journalists targeted in Turkey’s media crackdown. From top left: Aslı Erdoğan, Ahmet Altan, Kadri Gürsel, Necmiye Alpay; Erdem Gül, Ceyda Karan, Can Dündar, Hatice Kamer; Refik Tekin, Hanım Büşra Erdal, Nedim Oruç, Nazlı Ilıcak
Report

A Blank Check

Summary Because of the state of emergency, nobody will care if I kill you. I will just say I shot you while you tried to run away. -Police officer to a detainee, overheard by family members of another detainee…
News

Turkey: Emergency Decrees Facilitate Torture

Reinstate Safeguards to Curb Abuse by Police

  (Istanbul) – Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, Human Rights Watch said in a report…
The Istanbul Security Directorate in Vatan Street where some of the cases of police torture and ill-treatment documented by Human Rights Watch took place. © 2016 Human Rights Watch
News

Turkey: Independent TV News Silenced

Prolonged State of Emergency Used to Censor Media

(Istanbul) – The closure of eight independent news and current affairs-focused TV channels effectively ends critical television news reporting in Turkey. The channels are among 23 television and radio stations reported by the media to face closure on the…
2016-10-eca-turkey-tv
News

Malaysia: New Law Gives Government Sweeping Powers

National Security Council Act Should be Repealed

(New York) – Malaysia’s new National Security Council (NSC) Act, which came into force on August 1, 2016, is a tool for repression that should be immediately repealed, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should instead revise its laws to…
Prime Minister Najib Razak gives his National Day address in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 30, 2015.
News

Europe's Refugee Crisis Isn't Only About Syria

Amid an influx of Iraqis and Syrians into Europe, the West is neglecting another group of refugees also in desperate need of help.

TOVARNIK, Croatia — Rajab Ali, a 16-year-old Hazara boy from Afghanistan’s Bamyan province, was silently weeping when we found him standing at the last remaining opening in the 12-foot-high razor-wire border fence Hungary has constructed on its…
Afghan Refugees
News

Turkey: Authoritarian Drift Threatens Rights

Protect Free Speech, Right to Protest, Rule of Law

(Istanbul) – Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is taking far-reaching steps to weaken the rule of law, control the media and Internet, and clamp down on critics and protestors, Human Rights Watch said…
News

Turkey: Human Rights Watch Condemns Deadly Bombing in Gaziantep

(Istanbul) Human Rights Watch unconditionally condemns the August 20, 2012 car bomb attack in the southeastern city of Gaziantep which killed nine civilians, including three children, and injured scores of others, and calls on the authorities to expend…
News

Turkey: Draft Reform Law Falls Short

Restrictions on Speech, Misuse of Terrorism Laws Largely Unaddressed

(New York) – A major legal reform package to be introduced by the Turkish government leaves key problems with free speech and arbitrary detention unresolved, Human Rights Watch said today. The draft package has been sent to the Parliamentary Justice…
News

Turkey: Kurdish Party Members’ Trial Violates Rights

Prolonged Detention, Prosecution of Elected Mayors Highlight Terrorism Law Misuse

(London, April 18, 2011) - The prosecution of hundreds of officials, activists, and elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) highlights the problems associated with Turkey's overbroad antiterrorism laws, Human Rights Watch said…
News

Turkey: Activist’s Trial a Travesty of Justice

Drop All Charges Against Pınar Selek

(Istanbul) - The third attempt to convict the human rights activist and writer Pınar Selek on allegations that she was involved in a 1998 deadly explosion is a travesty of justice, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 9, 2011, Selek is scheduled to…
News

Turkey: Elevate Rights to Match Foreign Policy Ambitions

Free Speech Restrictions and Lack of Progress for Minorities

(Istanbul) - Turkey restricted free speech and failed to advance minority rights during 2010, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2011.  The 648-page report, the organization's 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe…
Report

Protesting as a Terrorist Offense

  I. Summary In Turkey, many hundreds of people currently face prosecution, or are serving substantial sentences for terrorism convictions. Their “crime” was to engage in peaceful protest, or to throw stones or burn…
News

Turkey: Terrorism Laws Used to Jail Kurdish Protesters

Government Should Reform Laws That Treat Demonstrators as Armed Militants

(Istanbul) - Human Rights Watch unequivocally condemns the October 31, 2010 suicide bomb attack in Istanbul. It is essential that Turkey's response targets the perpetrators, not legitimate dissenters, Human Rights Watch said. A Human Rights Watch report…

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