Syria: Extrajudicial Executions
Syrian security forces summarily executed over 100—and possibly many more—civilians and wounded or captured opposition fighters during recent attacks on cities and towns.
Syria: Army Planting Banned Landmines
A 28-year-old former Syrian army deminer from Jisr al-Shughour in Syria’s northern Idlib Governorate told Human Rights Watch that in January, local residents saw the Syrian army plant landmines at Hasanieih (حسانية), Derwand (دروند) and Jiftlek (جفتلك), along routes used by refugees to reach Turkey.
Somalia: Child Soldiers
Somalia's warring parties have all failed to protect Somali children from the fighting or serving in their forces. The Islamist insurgent group al-Shabaab has increasingly targeted children for recruitment, forced marriage, and rape, and attacked teachers and schools.
UPRISING: THE ARAB SPRING
On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old Tunisian man set himself on fire after abusive police confiscated his unlicensed vegetable cart, his only source of income. This desperate act of protest inspired a movement that swept the country and ignited calls for reform throughout the region.
Syria: Shoot to Kill Orders
Researcher Anna Neistat and an army defector talk about the Syrian military's attacks on civilians, which HRW believes constitute crimes against humanity.
Russia: A Voice of Discontent
On December 10, 2011, over 50,000 people assembled for a protest rally in central Moscow, just a bridge away from the Kremlin.
Child Labor and Mercury Use in Artisanal Gold Mining
At least 20,000 children work in Malian artisanal gold mines under extremely harsh and dangerous conditions. These children literally risk life and limb. They carry loads heavier than their own weight, climb into unstable shafts, and touch and inhale mercury, one of the most toxic substances on earth.
Mexico's "War on Drugs"
Through in-depth research in five states, Human Rights Watch documented scores of cases of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture carried out by security forces. Virtually none of these cases is being adequately investigated—not in the military or civilian justice systems.
Homs, Syria: Update
Human Rights Watch's Nadim Houry says Homs, Syria, has emerged as a center of opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria: Dispatches from Daraa
Syrian authorities have tried to keep the world from getting images or information from the Southern city of Daraa, the scene of a massive government crackdown against protesters. But Syrians have documented abuses with cellphones and cameras and made footage available to Human Rights Watch.
