A sign on a door labeled “Interrogation Booths” in both English and Arabic at Camp Honor military base in Baghdad’s Green Zone, taken before the government announced the prison was closed. (photo: Human Rights Watch) Rights Group: Iraq Torture Prison Still Open Human Rights Watch reports notorious Camp Honor prison still in use a year [...]
Still image from the Human Rights Watch video Sudan: Blue Nile. © 2012 Human Rights Watch RELATED MATERIALS: UN, AU: Urge End to Sudanese Abuses in S. Kordofan Sudan: Political Repression Intensifies MORE COVERAGE: Download Human Rights Watch footage from Blue Nile The fighting in Blue Nile has turned its people into refugees, [...]
Asia/Middle East: Increase Protections for Migrant Workers Labor Ministers From 19 Countries Meet for Second ‘Abu Dhabi Dialogue’ A RELATED MATERIALS: Asia: Governments Should Jointly Protect Migrant Workers The draft framework contains many positive elements that could help reduce recruitment-related exploitation and workplace abuse of contractual migrant workers. But it [...]
Wait a minute: that’s the WikiLeaks “Collateral Murder” video! The gunsight view of an Apache helicopter opening fire from half a mile high on a crowd of Iraqis — a few armed men, but mostly unarmed civilians, including a couple of Reuters employees — as they unsuspectingly walked the streets of a Baghdad [...]
An abhorrent sponsorship system in the Gulf 04 April 2012 At the same time Western nations send troops and fleets to invade countries and change regimes under the banner of democracy, freedom and human rights, they remain deathly silent in front of regimes that embody slavery in the ugliest forms. This [...]
A woman holds a placard depicting prisoner Hana Shalabi during a rally in support of her hunger strike as well as calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, in front of Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City March 24, 2012. (REUTERS/Ammar Awad) JENIN (Ma’an) — Ofer military court on Sunday rejected [...]
KIA officer visits his displaced family at their temporary shelter outside Laiza, Kachin State, January 29, 2012. © 2012 James Robert Fuller DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES: Burma: Reforms Yet to Reach Kachin State (Burmese Translation – PDF) “Untold Miseries” – Summary (Burmese Translation – PDF) RELATED MATERIALS: “Untold Miseries” Burma: Ensure Aid Access in Kachin State MORE [...]
Faraj Swehli, commander of Swehli militia, said his men found official documents with the journalists [AFP] Two British journalists working for Iran’s Press TV, who were detained late last month in Libya, are suspected of being spies, the head of the militia which is holding them said. Faraj al-Swehli, commander of the Swehli brigade, said on Sunday [...]
The British government has an international legal obligation not to deport people who have a credible fear of torture upon return. Convincing reports of arbitrary arrests and torture demand that the UK government suspend returns of rejected Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka until it can fairly and thoroughly assess their individual claims [...]
Download The World Report 2012 [PDF, 4 MB] This 22nd annual World Report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide in 2011. It reflects extensive investigative work that Human Rights Watchstaff has undertaken during the year, often in close partnership with domestic human rights activists.The introductory essay examines the [...]
Arab League mission said the situation in Homs is “not frightening” but activists said 17 people died there [AFP] Arab League observers are to visit three key protests hubs in Syria as world powers have urged Damascus to give full access to monitor if the country is implementing a plan to end a crackdown on protests. [...]
Making Repression Our Business The Pentagon’s Secret Training Missions in the Middle East By Nick Turse As the Arab Spring blossomed and President Obama hesitated about whether to speak out in favor of protesters seeking democratic change in the Greater Middle East, the Pentagon acted decisively. It forged ever deeper ties with some [...]
Making Repression Our Business The Pentagon’s Secret Training Missions in the Middle East By Nick Turse As the Arab Spring blossomed and President Obama hesitated about whether to speak out in favor of protesters seeking democratic change in the Greater Middle East, the Pentagon acted decisively. It forged ever deeper ties with some [...]
Uzbekistan has become a major supply route to NATO forces in Afghanistan Continue reading the main story Related Stories Country profile: Uzbekistan Pressure on Uzbekistan to end child cotton labour Western governments are ignoring human rights abuses in Uzbekistan as they seek closer ties with the country, Human Rights Watch [...]
Three young brides 11, 12, and 13, are married to three brothers during a combined ceremony in the rural areas outside Hajjah. © 2011 Stephanie Sinclair/VII http://www.hrw.org/node/103414 Nearly half of all women in Yemen are married as children. Even in the midst of the country’s political upheaval, human rights defenders are pushing for legislation that [...]
Children work in an artisanal gold mine, Kéniéba cercle, Mali. © 2010 International Labour Organization/IPEC RELATED MATERIALS: Global Mercury Reduction Treaty: Protect Health of Gold Miners Take mercury out of children’s hands RELATED AUDIO: Children as young as six are working in toxic conditions in Mali’s artisanal gold mines. This gold makes [...]
Dear George, This Saturday, December 10, we join the international community in celebrating Human Rights Day. Looking back on the year, Human Rights Watch accomplished so much, thanks to supporters like you. Here are the ways you helped us hold tyrants accountable and ensure the rule of law. Middle East & North Africa During the [...]
Still Pushing the Failed Militaristic Approach to the Drug War John Glaser, November 18, 2011 Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum Via Juan Carlos Hidalgo at the blog for the Cato Institute, this graph illustrates how Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s militarized approach to the drug war not only didn’t quell the violence, but reversed the [...]
Asian Development Bank (CC-BY) Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov PENTAGON SPENDS MILLIONS PROTECTING UZBEKISTAN DICTATOR EMAIL PRINT SHARE SHARE Posted on Nov 26, 2011 Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is notorious for heading one of the world’s most oppressive regimes, and millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are being given to a for-profit military contractor turned propaganda machine to make [...]
Mexican president Felipe Caldéron is accused of war crimes in the counry’s battle against drug gangs. Photograph: Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images Activists accuse Mexican president of war crimes in drug crackdown International criminal court asked to investigate Felipe Caldéron over killing, torture and kidnap of civilians by army and police reddit this guardian.co.uk, Saturday 26 November 2011 [...]
Mexican Army and municipal police officers conduct a joint raid in Ciudad Juárez searching street vendors for drugs and weapons, March 2009. © 2009 Eros Hoagland/Redux Mexico: Widespread Rights Abuses in ‘War on Drugs’ Impunity for Torture, ‘Disappearances,’ Killings Undermines Security NOVEMBER 9, 2011 RELATED MATERIALS: Neither Rights Nor Security RELATED VIDEOS: Instead of reducing [...]
The entrance to the Mahari Hotel in Sirte, where at least 53 persons were apparently executed. At the time of their killing the hotel was apparently controlled by anti-Gaddafi fighters from Misrata. The red graffiti on the right states “Tiger Brigade,” the name of a prominent Misrata fighting group. © 2011 Peter Bouckaert/Human Rights Watch [...]
Tribunal judges for Cambodia‘s communist Khmer Rouge war crimes victims have come under fire [EPA] Cambodia war crimes tribunal judge quits Senior official responsible for indictments at UN-backed tribunal resigns, citing government interference. A senior judge investigating war crimes under Cambodia’s former Khmer Rouge regime has resigned, citing government interference. Siegfried Blunk, who [...]
Libyan Rebels Accused of Torture, Revenge Killings Human Rights Watch Urges New Regime to Stop Beating Detainees by Jason Ditz, September 30, 2011 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) is coming under growing scrutiny today, not just for its growing internal faction fighting, but for the behavior [...]
George Bush © 2004 AP Images Donald Rumsfeld © 2004 AP Images Dick Cheney © 2006 AP Images George Tenet © 2004 Reuters Related Materials: Getting Away with Torture More Coverage: Guardian UK: George W Bush should be prosecuted over torture, says human rights group Democracy Now: Ken Roth Discusses Why Bush Should Be [...]
Libya’s Stockpile of Missiles Vanishing Carloads of Surface-to-Air Missiles Looted by Jason Ditz, September 07, 2011 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum Libya’s rebels are still caught up chasing Moammar Gadhafi across the nation, announcing once again today that they have him “surrounded,” a promise that has fallen through many times already. But the international community’s [...]
Libyan papers show UK worked with Gaddafi in rendition operation Documents found in Tripoli suggest that MI6 enjoyed a close relationship with Gaddafi’s intelligence services. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian A secret CIA document shows that British and Libyans worked together to arrange the removal of a terror suspect to Tripoli reddit this Ian Cobain, and Martin [...]
Irresponsibly Exposing Gadhafi Torture, Ignoring Comparable US Crimes John Glaser, August 31, 2011 Email This | Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum There are various reports of a vast torture regime in Libya under Muammar Gadhafi, including this graphic CNN report on some in Gadhafi’s immediate family throwing boiling hot water on their nanny. It is always [...]
Displaced people and Somali Transitional Government forces in Dhobley, Somalia, July 2011 © 2010 AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam Somalia: End War Crimes to Help Tackle Famine Abuses by All Sides Contribute to Current Crisis AUGUST 14, 2011 RELATED MATERIALS: “You Don’t Know Who to Blame” MORE COVERAGE: Guardian: Somalia’s humanitarian crisis worsened by violations of [...]
A Somali government spokesperson denied HRW’s accusations that all parties are guilty in the Somalia conflict Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said all the parties in Somalia’s conflict have violated the rules of war and are guilty of causing civilian casualties in the fight for territorial control that is contributing to the humanitarian catastrophe there. The New York-based group said al-Shabab, [...]
Egypt: Make Mubarak’s Trial a Turning Point Heba Morayef © 2011 Platon for Human Rights Watch by Heba Morayef Published in: The Times (UK) August 4, 2011 Related Materials: Egypt: Mubarak Trial Opens More Coverage: More Human Rights Watch reporting on Egypt Egyptians were glued to their TV screens yesterday as the trial of the [...]
Supporting Atrocities in Colombia John Glaser, July 28, 2011 Email This | Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum Human Rights Watch recently drew our attention to a recent spate of killings by armed groups in Colombia, gone virtually unreported here. On July 2, members of the Marxist guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) murdered [...]
Prosecute Bush *And* Obama for Torture John Glaser, July 27, 2011 Email This | Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum A couple weeks ago, Human Right Watch issued a report calling for a criminal investigation of Bush administration officials for the illegal regime of torture and detainee mistreatment implemented following the attack of September 11th. The [...]
India: New Killings, Torture at Bangladeshi Border Revised Instructions from Delhi Not Stamping Out Abuses JULY 24, 2011 Floodlit sections of the Indian fence in West Bengal, on the border with Bangladesh. © 2010 Prashant Panjiar RELATED MATERIALS: “Trigger Happy” Despite orders from New Delhi to end killings and abuse and to exercise restraint in [...]
Pakistan: Security Forces ‘Disappear’ Opponents in Balochistan Government Fails to Confront Military, Intelligence Agencies on Abuses JULY 28, 2011 Demonstration in front of Pakistan’s Supreme Court by relatives of “disappeared” persons from Balochistan province, January 5, 2010. © 2010 Human Rights Watch RELATED MATERIALS: “We Can Torture, Kill, or Keep You for Years” “Their Future [...]
For much of the Western world, physical pain ends with a simple pill. Yet more than half the world’s countries have little to no access to morphine, the gold standard for treating medical pain. Freedom from Pain shines a light on this under-reported story. “For a victim of police torture, they will usually sign a confession [...]
Humanitarian Cluster Bombs Doing Their Horrible Damage By davidswanson - Posted on 19 July 2011 By Simba Russeau, Inter Press Service, via Common Dreams CAIRO – The conflict in Libya between pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces will continue to take its toll on communities long after the war has ended as long as hidden bombs remain scattered across public areas. The [...]
Anti-government protests that often broke along sectarian lines erupted in the island kingdom in February [EPA] Bahraini security forces attacked doctors and nurses, lay siege to hospitals and clinics, detained protesters who sought treatment, and arrested and prosecuted dozens of medical personnel over the past four months of unrest in the island kingdom, a prominent human [...]
United States: Investigate Bush, Other Top Officials for Torture Inquiry Into 2 Deaths in CIA Custody Insufficient JULY 11, 2011 George Bush © 2004 AP Images Donald Rumsfeld © 2004 AP Images Dick Cheney © 2006 AP Images George Tenet © 2004 Reuters RELATED MATERIALS: Getting Away with Torture MORE COVERAGE: Guardian UK: George W [...]
Transcript DANNY WOOD, FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS: A report released today by Human Rights Watch says there are grounds for President Barack Obama to order criminal investigations of former president George W. Bush, vice president Dick Cheney, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and CIA director George Tenet for ordering the use of torture, secret detention facilities, [...]
The rebels faced a tough task in trying to take the town of Asabah [Reuters] Libyan rebel fighters say they have retaken the village of Qawalish in western Libya from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. The village fell to Gaddafi forces earlier on Wednesday, but the rebels said they had staged a successful counter-attack to seize [...]
A Debate on Human Rights Watch’s Call for Bush Administration Officials to be Tried for Torture Human Rights Watch has released a new report calling on the U.S. government to launch a broad criminal investigation into alleged crimes of torture committed by former President George W. Bush and other top officials under his administration. It [...]
Years Later: Human Rights Watch Announces That Bush and Cheney Tortured — What Gives? By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/node/58454 Statutes of limitations for torture not resulting in death have passed. The DOJ has refused to prosecute 99 of 101 cases of torture-to-death that it looked at. Obama has long since publicly told the DOJ not to [...]
George W Bush, whose administration is accused by Human Rights Watch of authorizing use of torture. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images A US human rights group has called on foreign governments to prosecute George W Bush and some of his senior officials for war crimes if the Obama administration fails to investigate a growing body of evidence [...]
There are fears that Habre might not get a fair trial in Chad [Reuters] Senegal has called off its decision to extradite Hissene Habre, the former Chadian president, to his homeland to face trial for crimes committed during his rule in the 1980s. Madicke Niang, Senegal’s foreign minister, said on Sunday that the move followed a [...]
3 New Deaths in Crackdown Brings Total to At Least 21 Since June 17 JULY 2, 2011 © 2011 Human Rights Watch RELATED MATERIALS: “We’ve Never Seen Such Horror” MORE COVERAGE: More Human Rights Watch reporting on Syria President Bashar al-Asad‘s promises of new laws allowing more political participation ring hollow when security forces are [...]
Iraq: Attacks by Government-Backed Thugs Chill Protests Security Forces Offered No Protection; Joined Assaults JUNE 30, 2011 Government supporters clash with anti-government protesters at Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on June 10, 2011. © 2011 Reuters MORE COVERAGE: More Human Rights Watch Reporting on Iraq Instead of protecting peaceful demonstrators, Iraqi soldiers appear to be [...]
US: Press Allies to End Use of Child Soldiers Report Lists Repeat Offenders, but Military Aid Continues JUNE 27, 2011 Preface: Australians should remember that in this country we had a system once that was called “Boy Conscription” a brief description of which is as follows,” Boyhood conscription The government of prime minister Alfred Deakin and other [...]
AMY GOODMAN: The Human Rights Watch Film Festival has opened in New York. One of the films that has just premiered at the film festival is called If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front. It tells the story of environmental activist Daniel McGowan. Four years ago this month, McGowan was sentenced to a [...]
Sudan: As South Split Looms, Abuses Grow in Darfur World Should Stay Focused on Need for Justice and Reforms JUNE 6, 2011 Displaced woman, Ashia Suleiman Abbackar, with her two children Fatna, 2, and Shadia, 7, in their hut in a displaced persons settlement in Tawilla, North Darfur, after fleeing violence in their village in [...]
