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Lebanon: Syrian Refugee Children Blocked from School

Education Ministry Should Remove Barriers; Extend Registration Deadline

(Beirut) – Lebanon’s Education Ministry should extend the December 4, 2021, school registration deadline for Syrian children and end policies that are blocking Syrian refugee children’s access to education, Human Rights Watch said today. Thousands of…
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News

Thailand: Joint letter on restrictions on prison visits and correspondence

Re: Ongoing restrictions on prison visits and correspondence

Mr. Ayuth Sintoppant Director General, Department of Corrections Suanyai Sub-district, Mueang District Nonthaburi Province Thailand Bangkok, 30 November 2021 Re: Ongoing restrictions on prison visits and correspondence Dear Mr. Ayuth,…
News

Congress needs to investigate the Pentagon’s failure to protect civilians

A New York Times exposé on a previously undisclosed attack on dozens of noncombatants in Syria is indicative of DOD’s impunity.

Pentagon leadership cannot – or will not – fix its civilian casualties problem. It’s long past time for Congress to step in. On November 17, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “we are committed to protecting civilians and getting this right...We have…
A view of the Capitol Building in Washington October 15, 2013.
News

Thailand: Cambodian Refugees Forcibly Returned

Thai Government Facilitates Hun Sen’s Persecution of Political Opposition

(Bangkok) – Thai immigration officials forcibly returned two Cambodian refugees on November 9, putting them at risk of unfair trials in Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said today. Cambodian authorities should immediately drop the politically motivated…
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News

Joint Letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act

November 11, 2021 Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Royal Thai Government Government House 1 Phitsanulok Road Dusit, Bangkok Thailand Re: Request for Information on Approved Draft Amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act Dear Prime…
News

Letter to President Biden on US Policy Toward the Middle East

November 3, 2021 President Joseph R. Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 RE: US Policy Toward the Middle East Dear President Biden, When you were elected last year, we urged your incoming administration to strive to be a…
News

The Torture Continues, Say Syrian Refugees Who Returned

Shortly after Denmark began telling Syrian refugees that parts of Syria are "safe" and stripped them of their temporary protected status, I talked to a 31-year-old refugee who voluntarily returned to Syria from Jordan in December 2020. He told me…
A streetview of destroyed buildings in a city
News

Thailand: Police Torture Political Activists

Investigate, Prosecute Officers Responsible

(New York) – The Thai authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the alleged police torture of two pro-democracy activists in Bangkok and hold those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said today. On October 29, 2021, at about 6…
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Report

“Our Lives Are Like Death”

Summary Syria is a death country, a kidnapping country. Anyone coming back will lose their money or their life. — Salam, 26, from al-Jeza in Daraa Syrian refugees who voluntarily returned to Syria between 2017 and 2021 from Lebanon and Jordan…
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Syria: Returning Refugees Face Grave Abuse

(Beirut) – Syrian refugees who returned to Syria between 2017 and 2021 from Lebanon and Jordan faced grave human rights abuses and persecution at the hands of the Syrian government and affiliated militias, Human Rights Watch…
News

Syria: Returning Refugees Face Grave Abuse

Struggle to Survive Amid Devastation, Property Destruction

(Beirut) – Syrian refugees who returned to Syria between 2017 and 2021 from Lebanon and Jordan faced grave human rights abuses and persecution at the hands of the Syrian government and affiliated militias, Human Rights Watch said in a report released…
A streetview of destroyed buildings in a city
News

Thailand: Outlaw Torture, Enforced Disappearances

Parliament Begins to Deliberate Long-Awaited Law

(Bangkok) – The Thai government and parliament should promptly act to pass a law that fulfills previous pledges to make torture and enforced disappearance criminal offenses in Thailand, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 16, 2021, the…
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Thailand: Drug Suspect Tortured to Death

Prosecute Officers Responsible for Police Station Killing

(Bangkok) – A video clip, posted on Facebook on August 24, 2021, appears to show police officers in Thailand torturing and killing a drug suspect, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai authorities should fully and fairly prosecute the police…
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News

Protesters, Police Clash in Thailand Vaccine Protests

Authorities Suppress Dissenting Voices Amid Covid-19 Crisis

Thai people are once again taking to the streets despite a new Covid-19 outbreak throwing the country into lockdown. This time, confrontations between protesters and the police are growing increasingly violent. Gone are the familiar images of the…
A crowd of protestors amongst teargas
News

Joint Letter on Prison Conditions

Somsak Thepsutin Minister of Justice 404 Chaeng Wattana Road Thung Song Hong, Lak Si Bangkok, Thailand   July 19, 2021 Re: Urgently address overcrowding, protect prisoners’ health during COVID-19 crisis   Dear Mr. Somsak,…
In this photo released by the Department of Corrections, COVID-19 prisoners sit inside a field hospital set up at the Medical Correctional Institution to treat COVID-19 inmates in Bangkok, Thailand on May 8, 2021.
News

UN Security Council: Restore Syria Cross-Border Aid

Russia Should Allow Full Year of UN-Led Aid Delivery from Turkey, Iraq

(New York) – Russia should not block the United Nations Security Council from reauthorizing and expanding cross-border humanitarian aid operations across northern Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. Millions of people in northeast and northwest…
UN humanitarian aid trucks enter northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey on June 1, 2021
News

Syria: Russian Veto Would Shut Down Last Aid Lifeline

UN Should Reauthorize Crucial Help from Neighboring Countries

Millions of Syrians risk losing access to lifesaving aid, including during the Covid-19 pandemic, if Russia vetoes reauthorizing the only remaining UN aid corridor from Turkey into opposition-held northwest Syria, Human Rights Watch said today. The…
UN humanitarian aid trucks enter northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey on June 1, 2021