Human Rights

Brazil: Armed Forces Set Wide Leeway on Lethal Force

Rules for Rio Deployment Allow Unjustifiable Killings

The members of the Brazilian Armed Forces deployed in public security operations in Rio de Janeiro operate under rules that allow unacceptably broad leeway for the use of lethal force, Human Rights Watch said on Mar 29, 2018.

Thailand: Verdict Threatens Labor Abuse Reporting

Huge Libel Award Puts Rights Investigations at Risk

A Bangkok court’s libel verdict against a prominent labor rights campaigner will have serious chilling effects on activists who investigate and report on abuses in Thailand’s agri-business, Human Rights Watch said on May 28, 2018. On March 26, 2018, the Prakhanong Court ordered Andy Hall to pay 10 million Thai baht (US$312,500) in damages plus lawyer and court fees to Natural Fruit Co., Ltd.

Uzbekistan: Journalists Prosecuted, Harassed

Despite Media Freedom Advances, Long Way to Go

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A Facebook user in Uzbekistan uses mobile internet to access information about an ongoing trial. As Uzbekistan opens after a long period of isolation and internet usage steadily increases, the country’s media environment is in a period of growth and increased competition.

Ecuador: Judicial Harassment of Amazonian Defenders

Indigenous Leaders Could Be Jailed on Unsubstantiated Charges

The government of former President Rafael Correa abused the criminal justice system to target indigenous leaders and environmentalists who protested mining and oil exploration in the Amazon, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Mar 26, 2018. The groups are operating more freely under President Lenín Moreno, but the abusive prosecutions set in motion by his predecessor remain unaddressed.

Jordan: Step Forward, Step Back for Urban Refugees

They Get Legal Status, But Lose Health Subsidies

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Syrian children attend class in a school in the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan, October 20, 2015. The school taught Syrian girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon, but lacked electricity, heating, and running water.

Remember Slavery: UN chief calls for continued struggle to ensure dignity and justice for all

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Graciela Dixon, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Panama, addresses the commemorative meeting of the General Assembly to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Kenya: Court Finds Forced Anal Exams Unconstitutional

Victory for LGBT Rights Activists

A Court of Appeal in Mombasa, Kenya, ruled on March 22, 2018, that conducting forced anal examinations on people who are accused of same-sex relations is unconstitutional, Human Rights Watch said on Mar 22, 2018. It was a resounding victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists in Kenya and beyond.

Chad: Government Fails Ex-Dictator’s Victims

3 Years On, No Action on Habré-Era Reparations

The Chadian government has yet to provide court-ordered reparations to 7,000 victims of grave crimes under the rule of former dictator Hissène Habré, four human rights groups said on Mar 22, 2018. Chad’s lack of action is a failure of its obligations to Habré’s victims.

As millions remain exposed to racism, equality bodies must be strengthened, say heads of European human rights institutions on International Anti-Racism Day

Promoting equality and combating racism are essential to fortify social cohesion and democratic security, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, on March 21th.

Turkey: Mass Deportations of Syrians

EU Should Raise Issue, Pledge Aid at Conference

Turkish security forces have routinely intercepted hundreds, and at times thousands, of asylum seekers at the Turkey-Syria border since at least December 2017 and summarily deported them to the war-ravaged Idlib governorate in Syria, Human Rights Watch said on Mar 21, 2018. Turkish border guards have shot at asylum seekers trying to enter Turkey using smuggling routes, killing and wounding them, and have deported to Idlib newly arrived Syrians in the Turkish town of Antakya, 30 kilometers from the Syrian border.

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