Human Rights

Algeria: Labor Protests Forcibly Dispersed

Teachers Beaten, Arrested

Police in Algiers beat teachers demonstrating for greater job security on March 21 and 22, 2016, injuring at least two. Police also arrested dozens of protesters and held them for several hours, then released them without charge.

Thailand: Sedition Charge for Red Bowl Photo

Woman Faces Military Trial, 7 Years in Jail for Facebook Posting

Sedition charges for a Facebook photo expressing symbolic support for Thailand’s political opposition shows the military junta’s utter disregard for peaceful dissent, Human Rights Watch said on March 30. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta should immediately end its abusive use of the draconian sedition law against peaceful critics and dissenters.

Azerbaijan: US Should Urge Further Prisoner Releases

Rights Reforms Should Dominate President’s US Meetings

United States officials should urge Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, during his visit to Washington to free unjustly imprisoned government critics and political activists. They should also urge Aliyev to lift restrictions on activists recently freed from prison and reform laws that severely curtail fundamental freedoms.

UN rights office 'extremely concerned' about killing of Palestinian man in West Bank

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The West Bank barrier, along with checkpoints, roadblocks and permit system, has created a closure regime that has had a dire effect on all aspects of life for Palestine refugees.

Burma: Ensure Freedoms for All in Arakan State

Lifting of State of Emergency Should End Restrictions on Rohingya

The Burmese government’s lifting of the state of emergency in Arakan State should promptly be followed by the end of abusive restrictions on ethnic Rohingya and other Muslims.

US: In Louisiana Jails, with HIV and No Help

Limited Testing, Treatment Interruptions Endanger Detainees

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An inmate receiving a voluntary HIV test at Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Nigeria: A Year On, No Word on 300 Abducted Children

Government Response to Damasak Attacks Woefully Inadequate

The Nigerian government should take urgent steps to secure the release of about 400 women and children, including at least 300 elementary school students, abducted by Boko Haram from the town of Damasak in Borno State a year ago. It is unclear whether the Nigerian government has made any serious effort to secure their release.

Indonesia: Persecution of Gafatar Religious Group

Thousands Forcibly Evicted, Relocated, Detained

Indonesian officials and security forces have been complicit in the violent forced eviction of more than 7,000 members of the Gafatar religious community from their homes on Kalimantan island since January 2016, Human Rights Watch said on March 29, 2016.

At Security Council, UN Women chief urges greater input, visibility of women in peacebuilding

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UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka address Security Council meeting 'The role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa'.

Colombia: FARC Pact Risks Impunity for ‘False-Positives’

Ongoing Prosecutions Could be Closed, Convicted Perpetrators, Released

The justice agreement between the Colombian government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) could allow members of the armed forces responsible for the systematic execution of civilians to escape justice, Human Rights Watch said on March 28 in a new analysis of the agreement.