Human Rights

Bangladesh: Skirting the Issues at the UN

Periodic Rights Review Response Ignored Main Concerns

The Bangladesh delegation to the United Nation’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva on May 14, 2018, failed to respond to pressing human rights concerns in the country, Human Rights Watch said on May 16, 2018.

Declaration by the High Representative, Federica Mogherini on behalf of the EU on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, 17 May 2018

On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to combat all forms of discrimination and hate crime, on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, and to continue to actively promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.

Germany/Russia: Merkel To Meet Putin

Chancellor Visiting Amid New Levels of Repression

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 18, 2018 in Sochi is a crucial opportunity to press for the release of a wrongfully detained Russian human rights defender and to raise other key human rights issues, Human Rights Watch said on May 16, 2018.

Gambia: Ex-President Tied to 2005 Murders of Ghanaian and Nigerian Migrants

Ghanaian Groups Urge Prosecution of Yahya Jammeh

A paramilitary unit controlled by then-Gambian president Yahya Jammeh summarily executed more than 50 Ghanaian, Nigerian, and other West African migrants in July 2005, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said on May 16, 2018.

Russia: Repression, Discrimination Ahead of World Cup

FIFA Should Stand Up for Rights One Month Before Kickoff

The FIFA World Cup starting on June 14, 2018, will take place during the worst human rights crisis in Russia since the Soviet era, Human Rights Watch said on May 15, 2018. FIFA should use its leverage with the Russian authorities to address labor rights abuses, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, and an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders.

Indonesia: ISIS Suicide Bombers Use Children in 4 Attacks

Government Should Assist Affected Church Members, Child Survivors

Coordinated suicide bombings of three Christian churches and the police headquarters in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, on May 13-14, 2018, were repugnant acts of violence, Human Rights Watch said on May 15, 2018. The attackers intentionally used their own children, who were between the ages of 9 and 18, to either carry and detonate explosives or to accompany their parents carrying out the attacks.

OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe promotes gender equality by supporting working groups of women leaders

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Members of the informal Central Co-ordination Body during a one-day meeting on gender equality through work of women leaders, Dushanbe, 4 May 2018.

China: Visiting Officials Occupy Homes in Muslim Region

‘Becoming Family’ Campaign Intensifies Repression in Xinjiang

Chinese officials, since early 2018, have imposed regular “home stays” on families in the predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch said on May 13, 2018. These visits are part of the government’s increasingly invasive “Strike Hard” campaign in the region, home to 11 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities.

Cambodia: Release Ex-Radio Free Asia Journalists

Now Held for Six Months on Politically Motivated Espionage Charges

Cambodian authorities should drop fabricated espionage charges against former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin and immediately and unconditionally release them, Human Rights Watch said on May 12, 2018. Their arrests six months ago on November 14, 2017, were part of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ongoing crackdown on the media, civil society groups, and the political opposition that have caused many former RFA and other journalists, activists, and opposition members to flee the country.

Maldives: Release Supreme Court Justices

End Attacks on Judiciary, Political Opposition

The Maldives government should immediately drop politically motivated charges against two Supreme Court justices and release them from detention, Human Rights Watch said on May 10, 2018. On the same day, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed were sentenced to one year, seven months in prison on charges of influencing court rulings. Saeed was also sentenced to five months in prison on obstruction charges earlier this week, and both justices face additional charges of terrorism.