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Cuba: Peaceful Protesters Systematically Detained, Abused
Arbitrary Detention, Ill-Treatment, Abusive Trials Affect Hundreds
(Washington, DC) – The Cuban government has systematically engaged in arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and abuse-ridden criminal prosecutions in response to overwhelmingly peaceful anti-government protests in July 2021, Human Rights…
Pakistan May Have its First Woman Supreme Court Justice
An Important Step Toward Ending Widespread Abuses Against Women
This week the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, the highest body recommending judicial appointments, will consider the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would become the first woman appointed to the court.…
Cuba: Telecommunications Decree Curtails Free Speech
Latin American, US, EU Leaders Should Condemn New Restrictions on Internet
(Washington, DC) – A new decree and accompanying legislation announced by the Cuban government severely restricts freedom of expression online and threatens users’ privacy, Human Rights Watch said today. Governments in Latin America, as well as the…
Proposed Pakistan Authority Seeks Greater Control of Media
Would Allow Unchecked Powers to Punish News Outlets, Journalists
The Pakistani government is seeking broad new powers to control the media as part of its crackdown on freedom of expression. Journalists, human rights activists, and political leaders across that country have raised the alarm about proposed…
Written Testimony to the US House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on Cuba
José Miguel Vivanco
Americas Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration, and International Economic Policy
Historic Protests in Cuba and the Crackdown on Free Expression
July 20…
Letter to the Editor: the Turmoil in Cuba
Just as largely unprecedented mass street protests erupted on the streets in Cuba [“In the streets, Cubans ‘have lost their fear’, ” front page, July 13], the Coast Guard’s interdiction of a boat off the coast of Key West and summary return of Cubans…
Cuba Responds to Landmark Demonstrations with Brutal Repression
Internet Outages as Protesters Are Detained, Held Incommunicado
Since July 11, thousands of Cubans have taken to the streets across the country in landmark demonstrations protesting longstanding restrictions on rights, scarcity of food and medicines, and the government’s poor response to the Covid-19 pandemic.…
Pakistan: Pass Anti-Torture Bill
Creating a Criminal Offense Essential to Police Reform
(New York) – Pakistan’s National Assembly should urgently pass a bill that would make torture a criminal offense, Human Rights Watch and Justice Project Pakistan said today. The Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2019, which…
Cuba: Clampdown on Artists, Journalists
Arbitrary Detention, Restrictions on Movement, Communications
(Washington, DC) – The Cuban government is committing systematic human rights abuses against independent artists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today as it released a video on the abuses.
In recent months, Cuban authorities have jailed…
What Cuba doesn't want you to know about its artists and musicians.
(Washington, DC, June 30, 2021) – The Cuban government is committing systematic human rights abuses against independent artists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today as it released a video on the abuses.
In recent months, Cuban authorities…
Pakistan: Escalating Attacks on Journalists
Authorities Should Stop Stifling Dissent, Protect the Media
(New York) – A recent series of attacks and growing pressure on journalists who criticize the Pakistan government is a cause for serious concern, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists said today. Those…
UN Elections Shouldn’t Disparage Human Rights
Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, China, Myanmar Win Women’s Rights Posts
When the United Nations General Assembly held its annual election for seats on the Human Rights Council last October, five countries in the Asia regional group vied for four open seats, including two of the world’s most notorious rights abusers, Saudi…
Pakistan’s ‘Father’ of Human Rights Passes Away
I.A. Rehman’s Struggle for a Progressive, Tolerant Pakistan Lives On
Many years ago, I.A. Rehman said to my young, overconfident, and impatient self, “This [struggle for human rights] is a marathon, not a sprint.” Rehman’s long, victorious marathon came to an end on April 12. Three generations of Pakistani human rights…
End Pakistan’s Enforced Disappearances
Prime Minister Imran Khan Should Back Promises with Accountability
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting last week with families of people who had been forcibly disappeared was an important step toward addressing this serious and longstanding issue. He now needs to follow up on his pledge to end this abuse…
South Asia’s Women’s Rights Activists Should Be Heard
International Women’s Day Should Prompt Real Reforms
As 2020 drew to a close, protesters across South Asia took to the streets, calling on their governments to take widespread sexual violence against women and children seriously, and to implement real reforms. But rather than listening to experts and…
Proposed Pakistan Law Seeks Greater Control of Media
Government Should Protect Journalists, Not Suppress Free Speech
As part of its crackdown on freedom of expression, the Pakistani government is seeking sweeping new powers to control the media. Journalists across Pakistan have raised the alarm about proposed legislation that would augment the powers of the Pakistan…
Pakistan: Worsening Crackdown on Dissent
Minorities, Women Face Increased Risks
(New York) – Pakistan’s government intensified its crackdown on the media, political opponents, and civil society in 2020, while failing to stem violence against women and minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.…
South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence
Death Penalty Push Ignores Real Solutions to Regional Failings
(New York) – South Asian governments should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women, Human Rights Watch said in a video released today. Experts on sexual violence from…
South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence
(New York) – South Asian governments should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women, Human Rights Watch said in a video released today. Experts on sexual violence from…