Human Rights | WPN World People News

US President Barack Obama should publicly express grave concern about Cambodia’s long deteriorating human rights situation while in Phnom Penh for the US-ASEAN and East Asia summits on November 19 and 20, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. Hun Sen, Asia’s longest serving head of government, has ruled Cambodia for over 27 years and has publicly vowed to remain in power for another 30.

The late Mr. A.C. Soyza (Bunty), a well-known criminal lawyer and the president of the Bar Association, was retained by a group of young, radical leftists, who had been charged for their political work. During the consultations in prepartion for the trial, Mr. Soyza used to chat with these young radicals. One of these young persons told Mr. Soyza, “You lawyers are doing all this work only for money, no?” Then Mr. Soyza told these young people, “One day, when there are no lawyers, you will understand the value of lawyers.”

Internally displaced people in Myanmar sheltering in Shwe Zayti monastery, Sittwe, after being dislodged from their homes in Rakhine

Remains of the bombed Ministry of Interior building.

Hate crimes continue to be a serious problem across the OSCE region despite efforts to address them in many participating States, concludes an annual report released by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna today, on the International Day for Tolerance.

Colombia’s laws on violence against women are not adequately protecting victims displaced by the armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released Wednesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany should urge President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to end the crackdown on his country’s civil society when the two leaders meet on November 16, 2012, Human Rights Watch said. Merkel and Putin will meet at the conclusion of two days of broad-ranging consultations between the German and Russian governments.

New police units to address racist violence need a strong mandate, proper staff, and clear guidelines, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the Greek minister for public order and citizen protection, Nikos Dendias.

Anne Witkowsky, Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State, delivering the keynote speech at an OSCE meeting on terrorism, alongside Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the UNODC, Vienna, 12 November 2012.