Human Rights

agency begins distributing winter aid in Afghanistan as temperatures begin to drop

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Vulnerable Afghan families line up to receive winter supplies in Dahsabz, a suburb of Kabul.

OSCE Gender Adviser, in Portugal, stresses need to uphold women's rights in economic crisis

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The view from the historic Santa Justa Lift looking towards Pedro IV Square in Lisbon, Portugal, 2 March 2006.

OSCE media freedom representative welcomes Italian Senate’s rejection of libel legislation, calls for full decriminalization of defamation

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The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, during a conference on digital freedom, The Hague, 9 December 2011....

Archbishop Desmond Tutu laureate of the 2012 UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights

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UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has designated Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu from South Africa as laureate of the 2012...

Pakistan: Judges Muzzling Critics in the Media

Pakistan’s judges should cease using their contempt of court powers to prevent the media from airing programming critical of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said.

Syria: Evidence Shows Cluster Bombs Killed Children

Compelling evidence has emerged that an airstrike using cluster bombs on the town of Deir al-`Assafeer near Damascus killed at least 11 children and wounded others on November 25, 2012. The Syrian government should immediately cease its use of this...

On International Day, Ban leads UN call for action to end violence against women

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Human rights: migrants' security in Libya, executions in Iran, violence in Burma

Parliament is gravely concerned that Libya is detaining foreign persons, including women and children, in extreme conditions. It urges the democratically-elected Libyan authorities to protect all foreign nationals, regardless of their status, from...

Kazakhstan: EU Should Act on Resolution

European Union institutions and member countries should act on the European Parliament’s resolution linking enhanced relations in Kazakhstan to human rights improvements, Human Rights Watch said. The resolution, adopted on November 22, 2012, addresses...

New York: Few Arrested for Pot Become Violent Criminals

Few of those who enter New York City’s criminal justice system as a result of marijuana possession arrests become dangerous criminals, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Friday.