Since mid-1989, the special region of Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra has been the site of massive human rights violations. The abuses have been sparked by actions of an armed opposition group, the Acheh/Sumatra National Liberation Front, more…

Shortly after Nicolar Ceauscu was overthrown on December 22, 1989, the world was exposed for the first time to the shocking images of Romania's orphans, expecially its handicapped children and babies with AIDS. These children, numbering over 100,000, live…

The November 29 election is taking place in the shadow of the continuing crisis in the Persian Gulf, and in the context of major economic, social and political problems in Egypt. Even prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the Egyptian economy was suffering…

Since July, at least nine political activists from across the ideological spectrum have been killed, while others have suffered assassination attempts or death threats. Americas Watch is aware of no progress in any investigations into these crimes

  Despite the South Korean government’s June 1987 promise of reforms, there is a wide disparity between the rhetoric of democracy achieved and the reality of the retreat from reform. The government of President Roh Tae-Woo…

Report on academic freedom and government curbs on free expression in Zimbabwe.

  Screening of Ethnic Somalis The Cruel Consequences of Kenya's Passbook System   Introduction The Procedure is Set in Place Arbitrary Criteria Used to Determine Qualifications Doubts about the Legal Basis of Screening Panels Facilitating the…

In the 24 years since independence, massive, systematic electoral fraud has denied the Guyanese people their right to freely elect their government. Unable to express themselves politically in free and fair elections and constricted by the repressive…

On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was killed by a single bullet to the chest while performing mass at a chapel at the Divine Providence cancer hospital. His murder is perhaps the most dramatic example of the impunity with which the…

The rule of law is only fitfully respected in Indonesia, the world's fifth largest country. This fact is vital to understanding the conditions of Indonesian prisons. Many of the senior staff of the Directorate of Corrections, the unit of the Ministry of…

This report examines three aspects of Israeli policy that have contributed to the frequency of unlawful killlings of Palestinians during the intifada. These are the open-fire regulations issued to Israeli troops operating in the occupied West Bank and…