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US: Flawed Military Review of Civilian Casualties in Syria

Missteps Show Need for Congressional Oversight to Catalyze Change

(Washington, DC, May 19, 2022) – The US military’s review of a 2019 airstrike in Syria highlights fundamental and ongoing flaws in US handling of accountability for civilian harm, Human Rights Watch said today. The US Defense Department on May 17,…
Black smoke billows from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State forces as US-backed fighters attack the area with artillery and airstrikes in Baghouz, Syria, March 3, 2019. © 2019 AP Photo/Andrea Rosa
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The high cost of Guantanamo’s ‘forever prisoners’

The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may seem a world away from Florida, but it’s only 700 miles from Orlando. Growing up here myself, I never thought twice about what Guantanamo’s high financial and moral cost meant for me as a Floridian…
In this photo reviewed by US military officials, flags fly in front of the tents of Camp Justice, April 18, 2019, in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
News

Human Rights Watch Urges Support for NYS Sentencing Reform

New York Lawmakers Should Co-sponsor the Eliminate Mandatory Minimums (S.7871/ A.9166), Second Look (S.7872/A.8894), and Earned Time Act (S.7873A/ A.8462B)

Memorandum of Support Human Rights Watch urges New York lawmakers to co-sponsor the Eliminate Mandatory Minimums (S.7871/ A.9166),[1] Second Look (S.7872/A.8894),[2] and Earned Time Act (S.7873A/ A.8462B).[3] Human Rights Watch is an international…
The front gate is pictured at the Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, New York April 8, 2016.
News

Mali: Massacre by Army, Foreign Soldiers

300 Civilians, Suspects Allegedly Killed; Set Independent, Credible Inquiry

(Nairobi) – Malian armed forces and associated foreign soldiers allegedly summarily executed an estimated 300 civilian men, some of them suspected Islamist fighters, in the central Malian town of Moura in late March 2022, Human Rights Watch said today…
An aerial photo shows Malian Army vehicles patrolling near the town of Konna on March 20, 2021.
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Video: Oversedation in Nursing Homes across the United States

Nursing homes across the United States routinely give antipsychotic drugs to residents with dementia to control their behavior, despite regulatory prohibitions on this misuse of drugs as “chemical restraints.” This abusive practice remains widespread even…
Video

2017 World Report: Executive Director Kenneth Roth

(Washington, DC, January 12, 2017) – The rise of populist leaders in the United States and Europe poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth…
Video

Video: Ex-Detainee Describes Unreported CIA Torture

A Tunisian man formerly held in secret United States Central Intelligence Agency custody have described previously unreported methods of torture that shed new light on the earliest days of the CIA program. Lotfi al-Arabi El Gherissi, 52, recounted being…
Video

World Report 2016 Livestream

World Report 2016 summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff undertook in 2015, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the…
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World Report 2016: ‘Politics of Fear’ Threatens Rights

World Report 2016 summarizes key human rights issues in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide. It reflects investigative work that Human Rights Watch staff undertook in 2015, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the…
Video

US: No Excuse for Failure to Investigate CIA Torture

(December 1, 2015) – Obama administration claims that legal obstacles prevent criminal investigations into torture by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) are unpersuasive, and risk leaving a legacy of torture as a policy option. Sufficient evidence…
News

Pressure Grows to Protect Domestic Workers

Legal Advances in Two Dozen Countries as Domestic Workers Meet for Historic Congress

(Montevideo) – The founding of a global federation of domestic workers is a sign of the growing strength of the movement, and a key moment to assess progress for workers long excluded from basic labor protections, the International Domestic Workers…
News

US: Torture and Rendition to Gaddafi’s Libya

(Washington) – The United States government during the Bush administration tortured opponents of Muammar Gaddafi, then transferred them to mistreatment in Libya, according to accounts by former detainees and recently uncovered CIA and UK Secret Service…
News

Mali: Artisanal Mines Produce Gold With Child Labor

Hazardous Work, Mercury Poisoning, and Disease

UPDATE: For the report, “A Poisonous Mix: Child Labor, Mercury, and Artisanal Gold Mining in Mali,” Human Rights Watch reprinted a government list that named “Kaloute Hong Kong” as buying gold from Mali’s artisanal mines.  However, Kaloti Jewellery…
News

US: Rights Groups Urge Rejection of Indefinite Detention Legislation

(New York) – The US Congress should reject provisions in a defense spending bill that would permit long-term indefinite detention without trial of terrorism suspects, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch, along with the American Civil…
News

US: Ghailani Sentence Validates Federal Court Trials

Defendant in Attack on US Embassies Receives Life Sentence

(New York) - The sentence of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani to life in prison without the possibility of parole underscored the value of trying terrorism suspects in civilian courts rather than in discredited military commissions, Human Rights Watch said today.…

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