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Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Released After 4 Years

Wang Quanzhang Reunites with His Family in Beijing

After being wrongfully imprisoned for four-and-a-half years, Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was released from prison on April 5, 2020 after serving his full term. Authorities made him quarantine in the city of Jinan, and afterwards he was…
Li Wenzu, wife of lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was detained in what is known as the "709" crackdown, joins others protesting in front of the Supreme People's Procuratorate in Beijing, China July 7, 2017.
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European Court Slams Russia Over Domestic Violence Case

Ruling means justice for victim, first step toward directing policy changes

In a landmark ruling – its first on a domestic violence case in Russia – the European Court of Human Rights found that Russia’s lack of legislation to combat domestic violence, as well as the absence of protection orders, indicated a…
In February 2017, parliament decriminalized first instances of battery among family members.
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Dispatches: A Big Win for Online Speech in India

“It cannot be over-emphasized that when it comes to democracy, liberty of thought and expression is a cardinal value that is of paramount significance.” With these words, India’s Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment on March 24, struck down Section 66A…
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Dr. M. R. Rajagopal, India

2014 Recipient of the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism

Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges Award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others. Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people…
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Dispatches: Human Rights Day, Russian Style

Finally, a voice of reason in Russia’s legal system on the Pussy Riot case. Today Russia’s Supreme Court ordered the Pussy Riot verdict to be re-examined by the Moscow City Court. The legal representatives for one of the two still-imprisoned Pussy Riot…
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Natalia Taubina, Russia

Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges Award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others. Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people…
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India Court Ruling to Better Protect Rape Survivors

The "finger" test found to violate rights

After a man she was in a relationship with raped her, Sandhya went to a hospital for an examination and treatment. "The clerk told me a male doctor will conduct the test [forensic examination] and asked me whether that was ok," Sandhya, who is in her 20s…
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China: New Global Effort to Free Liu Xiaobo

450.000 Citizens in 130 Countries Join 135 Nobel Laureates to Demand Release

Supporters of Liu Xiaobo the only imprisoned Nobel laureate and his wife Liu Xia deliver petition to Chinese embassies across the world (WASHINGTON, DC) –  In a campaign led by the International Committee for Liu Xiaobo with the support of…
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Awards for Rights Activists from Congo, Libya

Winners Named for the 2012 Alison Des Forges Award

Update: Because Salah Marghani was appointed Libya's justice minister on October 31 he is unable to accept the Alison Des Forges Award. (New York) - Two courageous and tireless advocates for human rights have been selected as recipients of the prestigious…
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Sihem Bensedrine, Tunisia

Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges Award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others. Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people…
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Aid Sent to Civilians in Burma's Kachin State

Fighting between the Burmese army and Kachin rebels reignited last June, displacing some 75,000 ethnic Kachin and leaving them in desperate need of food, medicine, and shelter. However, the Burmese government has blocked aid to conflict areas. Five days…
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Burma Frees at Least 200 Political Prisoners

The Burmese government yesterday freed at least 200 of its estimated 2,000 political prisoners. Officially, Burma denies having any such prisoners – but Human Rights Watch has worked hard to make sure these imprisoned activists weren’t forgotten. We held…
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Egpyt: Release Blogger on Hunger Strike

Maikel Nabil, a 25-year imprisoned for blogging, has been on hunger strike at Marg prison since August 23 to protest his unjust imprisonment. The strike is of extra concern because he has low blood pressure and is taking medication for a heart condition.…
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Elena Milashina, Russia

Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges Award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others. Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people…
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Hossam Bahgat, Egypt

Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges Award celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others. Human Rights Watch collaborates with these courageous activists to create a world in which people…
News

Putting an End to Excessive Force

Border Guards Ordered to Stop Killing Bangladeshi Civilians

Just weeks after Human Rights Watch released a report on India’s Border Security Force’s (BSF) use of excessive and frequently lethal force, the Indian government ordered that BSF guards be issued non-lethal weapons. More than 900 Bangladeshi and Indian…
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Fighting Repression in the Middle East

Securing the Release of Detained Human Rights Activists in Egypt

At the height of Egypt’s 18-day revolution, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Daniel Williams was detained during a military-led raid on Cairo’s Hisham Mubarak Law Center, a pioneering Egyptian human rights organization. Human Rights Watch immediately…
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Upholding the Right to Health

Preventing needless suffering of the terminally ill in India

In January, years of joint advocacy by Human Rights Watch and Indian palliative care groups culminated in the Medical Council of India recognizing palliative care as a specialization of medicine and approving an MD Palliative Care program. Over time, this…
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Closing China’s Network of Secret Jails

Fighting widespread illegal detention

In September, Chinese state media reported that Beijing police had arrested the chairman and general manager of a private company accused of detaining people in “black jails”—secret, makeshift detention centers that Human Rights Watch helped to expose…
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Liu Xiaobo: “Authoritarianism in the Light of the Olympic Flame”

Reprint of Liu Xiaobo's chapter in the anthology China's Great Leap (2008)

This essay is a reprint of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo's chapter in the anthology China's Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges, edited by Minky Worden (Seven Stories Press, 2008), pp. 263-272. This text was translated from…

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