(Moscow) - The Russian authorities should investigate the arbitrary detention of three human rights advocates in Chechnya and hold those responsible accountable, Amnesty International, Civil Rights Defenders, Front Line, and Human Rights Watch said today.
The growing harshness of attacks by Israeli government officials on nongovernmental organizations poses a real threat to civil society in Israel, Human Rights Watch said today.
(Manama) - Bahrain needs to take urgent steps to end torture and ill-treatment of security suspects during interrogation, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should promptly investigate all torture allegations and prosecute security officials suspected of abusing detainees.
(New York) - Thailand should immediately stop pressuring ethnic Karen refugees to return to Burma, Human Rights Watch said today. Repatriation to the designated "return zone" in Burma would place returnees at serious risk of human rights abuses and landmines.
(Washington, DC) - The Obama administration should adopt recommendations in a report issued today to help stop the flow of stolen money into the United States, Human Rights Watch said.
(New York) - Congress should quickly approve a bipartisan bill introduced today that sets out a new strategy for US engagement in the struggle to end violence against women worldwide, Human Rights Watch said.
(New York) - The Vietnamese government should immediately drop all charges and free the prominent writer and democracy activist Tran Khai Thanh Thuy, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - Libya's moves in late January, 2010, to block access to at least seven independent and opposition Libyan web sites based abroad and to YouTube is a disturbing step awayfrom press freedom, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should restore web site access immediately, Human Rights Watch said.
(Milan) - Prosecutions of suspects in the racist attacks early this month against migrants in Rosarno, Italy are lagging, Human Rights Watch said today. But migrants accused of participating in the unrest have already been arrested, tried, and convicted.
(New York) - New York University's announcement today that it will require all companies to respect the rights of laborers building its campus in the United Arab Emirates is a significant step toward protecting migrant workers there, Human Rights Watch said.
(Washington, DC) - Switzerland's decision to accept for resettlement two Uighur detainees who have been wrongfully detained at Guantanamo for more than eight years is a significant contribution toward closing the prison, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Macedonian government's decision to ignore sexual orientation as a protected category in its draft anti-discrimination law would leave lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) people without vital protection, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Macedonian authorities.
(Bogotá) - Colombia needs to respond effectively to the violent groups committing human rights abuses that have emerged around the country in the aftermath of the flawed demobilization of paramilitary groups, Human Rights Watch says in a report released today.
(New York) - The appointment of a senior official to coordinate United Nations efforts to end rape in war is an important step, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Sri Lankan government should end its indefinite arbitrary detention of more than 11,000 people held in so-called rehabilitation centers and release those not being prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
(Moscow) - Russian authorities should stop blocking peaceful demonstrations, Human Rights Watch said today.
(Dakar, January 29, 2010) - A new study shows that Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad, was well-informed of the hundreds of deaths in prisons operated by his political police, a coalition of human rights organizations said today. The announcement came on the eve of the 10th anniversary of his indictment in Senegal.
(Amman) - Jordan should stop withdrawing nationality arbitrarily from Jordanians of Palestinian origin, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Authorities stripped more than 2,700 of these Jordanians of their nationality between 2004 and 2008, and the practice continued in 2009, Human Rights Watch said.
(New York) - The United Nations should conduct a thorough review of its support for Cambodia's drug detention centers, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Sri Lankan government should immediately end its post-election harassment of media outlets and ensure protection of journalists from attack, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Canadian government should immediately request the repatriation of Canadian citizen Omar Khadr from Guantanamo even though Canada's Supreme Court did not order it to do so, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The European Union should maintain its travel restrictions and asset freezes on President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle until Zimbabwe carries out the concrete human rights reforms set out in the 2008 Global Political Agreement, Human Rights Watch said today. The EU is currently reviewing its sanctions policy toward Zimbabwe.
(New York) - A Cambodian court's closed-door conviction and sentencing of the opposition leader Sam Rainsy and two others takes Prime Minister Hun Sen's campaign of persecution of critics to a new extreme and highlights government control over the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Chinese government should disclose the status and whereabouts of ethnic Uighurs repatriated against their will from Cambodia and allow the United Nations, lawyers, and family members to meet with them, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - Hamas's latest claim that its rocket attacks against Israel are not war crimes is factually and legally wrong, Human Rights Watch said today.
(New York) - The Uzbek authorities should immediately drop the baseless slander and insult charges against the prominent photographer and videographer Umida Ahmedova and allow her to carry out her work and exercise her right to freedom of expression without government interference, Human Rights Watch said today.
The British government claims to defend basic principles of justice for grave international crimes. So its reaction to arrest warrants issued by independent courts, acting on evidence showing an arguable case, should be straightforward: respect the courts' rulings even if they cause political embarrassment.
(Dublin, January 28, 2010) - The Irish government actively seeks to restrict access to abortion services and information both within Ireland and for its residents seeking care abroad, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.