Human Rights Watch
Azerbaijan: Appeal Court Leaves Bloggers in Jail
(New York) - The Azerbaijani government should release two bloggers who have been detained since July 2009 as the result of a staged fight designed to frame them, Human Rights Watch said today. The bloggers, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade, lost their appeal against their conviction today.
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Burma: Election Laws May Shut Down Opposition Parties
(New York) - Newly issued laws in preparation for 2010 elections in Burma are designed to exclude the main opposition party and ensure a victory for the ruling military, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Sri Lanka: End Witch Hunt Against the Media and NGOs
(New York) - The Sri Lankan government should end its harassment of journalists and activists and take steps against those making threats, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement today.
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Saudi Arabia: Drop Charges for Publicizing Bureaucratic Failures
(New York) - Saudi Arabia's Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecutions should immediately drop "cybercrimes" charges against Nasir al-Subai'i for writing about his bureaucratic ordeal as he tried to get the government to pay for his brother's medical care, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Uzbekistan: UN Review Should Highlight Atrocious Record
(New York) - A UN review of Uzbekistan's human rights record on March 11 and 12, 2010, is a rare opportunity to highlight the government's abysmal record and to urge specific steps to end abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. The government's persecution of human rights defenders, rampant torture and ill-treatment, and religious persecution top the list of concerns, Human Rights Watch said.
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Afghanistan: Repeal Amnesty Law
(New York) - The Afghan government should urgently act to repeal a law that provides an amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said today.
The law was published unannounced in the official gazette, bringing it into force, despite repeated promises by President Hamid Karzai that he would not allow the law to go into effect.
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China: Scholars, Writers Press for Liu Xiaobo’s Release
(New York) - More than one hundred leading China scholars, writers, and human rights advocates from around the world are today releasing a letter to China's National People's Congress that calls for the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo.
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Decisive Moment for Global Transparency Effort
(Washington, DC) - An international initiative that seeks to promote more openness about how countries profit from their oil, gas, and mining resources should not weaken its modest membership standards because governments are unable or unwilling to meet them, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Nigeria: Investigate Massacre, Step Up Patrols
(Dakar) - Nigeria's acting president should make sure that the massacre of at least 200 Christian villagers in central Nigeria on March 7, 2010, is thoroughly and promptly investigated and that those responsible are prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Lebanon: Investigate Seizure of Human Rights Lawyer's Passport
(Beirut) - The Lebanese government should investigate the seizure of a human rights lawyer's passport by General Security, a group of 16 Lebanese and international human rights organizations said today.
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Yemen/US: Take Steps to Avoid Airstrike Tragedies
(New York) - The Yemeni government's acknowledgment that an airstrike killed more than 42 civilians in December 2009 is a stark reminder of the need for careful targeting when using such counterterrorism measures, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Philippines: Protect Witnesses to Maguindanao Massacre
(New York) - Philippine authorities should act swiftly to protect eyewitnesses to the November 2009 massacre of at least 57 people in Maguindanao province on Mindanao, and to protect their families as well, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Ireland: Update Abortion Laws
(New York) – The Irish government should implement the will of the Irish population by liberalizing the country’s restrictive abortions laws, Human Rights Watch said today, on International Women’s Day.
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Iran: Stop Undermining Women’s Rights
(Beirut) - Iran should stop infringing on women's rights and take immediate steps to meet Iranian women's demands for full equality, Human Rights Watch said today. Iranian women's rights activists have issued a call for freedom and gender equality in Iran in connection with International Women's Rights Day on March 8.
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Iran: Free ‘Mourning Mothers’ Supporters
(New York) - The Iranian Judiciary should immediately release six women arrested in January and early February 2010, apparently in connection with their peaceful activities on behalf of the Mourning Mothers, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Thailand: Investigate Killings of Children
(New York) - The Thai government should promptly investigate the use of lethal force by Thai soldiers against Burmese migrants, which resulted in the death of three children, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Ethiopia: Open Impartial Inquiry Into Candidate’s Killing
(New York) - The Ethiopian government should urgently initiate an independent investigation into the murder of an opposition candidate for parliament and bring those responsible to justice, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Israel: End Crackdown on Anti-Wall Activists
(Jerusalem) - Israel should immediately end its arbitrary detention of Palestinians protesting the separation barrier, Human Rights Watch said today. Israel is building most of the barrier inside the West Bank rather than along the Green Line, in violation of international humanitarian law.
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Indonesia/Malaysia: Proposed Labor Pact Lacks Key Reforms
(New York) - Malaysia and Indonesia should complete a pact on the status of migrant domestic workers that would include basic labor protections, Human Rights Watch said today in advance of International Women's Day on March 8.
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