
Arms
Many urgent arms-related challenges should be addressed to protect civilians affected by conflict and its deadly legacy. Antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions have been prohibited outright, but the ban treaties need to be universalized and complied with fully. Militaries use a wide-range of explosive weapons—artillery, rockets, mortars, air-delivered bombs and more—in populated areas, frequently causing indiscriminate harm to civilians. Incendiary weapons cause painful and cruel injuries, yet they continue to be used. The development of fully autonomous weapons—“killer robots”—that could select and engage targets without human intervention need to be stopped to prevent a future of warfare and policing outside of human control and responsibility. The Arms Division of Human Rights Watch works to advance humanitarian disarmament and enhance protections for civilians from various weapons that inflict unnecessary harm. We document the negative impact of weapons and promote the establishment and implementation of international treaties and legal norms.
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Middle East/North Africa
November 30, 2022
Videos
Videos-
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Ukraine: Unlawful Russian Attacks in Kharkiv
Russian Forces Use Widely Banned Cluster Munitions, Damage Hospitals
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Ukraine: Russian Strikes Killed Scores of Civilians in Chernihiv
Both Sides Obligated to Minimize Civilian Harm
News
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Iran: Brutal Repression in Kurdistan Capital
Security Forces Use Lethal Force against Protesters, Wrongful Detention, Beatings
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Ukraine: Apparent Cluster Munitions Hit Kherson
Days After Leaving, Russian Forces Fired on City, Wounding Civilians
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ICBL Statement on Stockpile Destruction, Mine Ban Treaty 20th Meeting of States Parties
Delivered by Mary Wareham, Advocacy Director
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Syria: Cluster Munitions Used in November 6 Attacks
Hits on Displaced People’s Camps Killed Civilians
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Landmark Global Declaration on Explosive Weapons
Eighty-two Countries Pledge to Avoid Use in Populated Areas
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Statement to Endorsement Conference for Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
Delivered by Bonnie Docherty, Senior Researcher, in Dublin, Ireland
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Landmines: Boost Support for Global Ban Treaty
Worldwide Report Tracks New Use by Governments, Armed Groups