Human Rights

Uzbekistan: Political Prisoner Free After 19 Years

Rustam Usmanov, a peaceful political activist imprisoned arbitrarily in Uzbekistan for 19 years and brutally tortured, was finally freed on February 13, 2017, at the end of his prison term, Human Rights Watch said on Feb 22. Usmanov, 69, a founder of...

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Bahrain: Proposed Military Trials of Civilians

Bahrain’s Council of Representatives on February 21, 2017, approved an amendment to Bahrain’s Constitution that would enable military courts to try civilians, in violation of international fair trial standards, Human Rights Watch said on Feb 23. The...

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Armenia: Children Isolated, Needlessly Separated from Families

Thousands of children in Armenia are needlessly separated from their parents and placed in institutions due to disability or poverty, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Feb 22. The government should urgently provide community-based...

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Malaysia: Convicted for Showing a Film

A Malaysian court’s conviction of rights activist Lena Hendry for her role in showing a documentary film violates her right to freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said on Feb 21. On February 21, 2017, a Kuala Lumpur court found Hendry guilty of...

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Sri Lanka: Pledge to End Police Abuse Not Met

The Sri Lankan government has not met its pledge to curtail police abuses prior to the March 2017 session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch said on Feb 20. Security sector reform was one of 25 undertakings by Sri Lanka in...

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France: Positive Move to Protect Schools

French President François Hollance annonces France's endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration during...

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DR Congo: UN rights chief calls on Government to halt violence by security forces

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

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Russia: Broken Promises for Investigations

The Russian government appears to be breaking its promises to investigate civilian casualties from airstrikes in Syria, Human Rights Watch said on Feb 19.

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Funding crunch exacerbating Yemen “catastrophe” - UNHCR

Zahrah, a widow and mother of eight displaced by war, sits in a makeshift shelter in Sana’a, Yemen.

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Israel/OPT: Israel must repeal the discriminatory Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law

The Israeli authorities must repeal the discriminatory Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, which continues to bar family reunification for thousands of Palestinians, Amnesty International said on 19 February. Nearly 14 years after the law was...

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