Human Rights

Afghanistan: Don’t Leave Women Out of Peace Talks

Talks Should Include Female Negotiators, Not Surrender Women’s Rights

Afghanistan’s new government should commit to including women on the negotiating team for any future peace talks with the Taliban, Human Rights Watch said on March 1.

Mali: UN, partners launch humanitarian appeal as relief efforts continue

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At a health facility in Ségou, central Mali, a mother and her child are examined for signs of malnutrition.

‘Women must be at the decision-making table at all levels’ UN tells high-level meeting in Chile

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (right).

China: Citizens’ Rights in Congress Spotlight

NPC Should Take up Policies Undermining Rule of Law

China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) should exercise its constitutional powers and reject policies and legislative measures that contravene domestic and international human rights protections, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

Olympics: New Alliance Calls for Rights-Respecting Bids

Future IOC Standards Should Be Binding, Not ‘Based on Goodwill’

All Olympic host countries should ensure protection of human rights, including labor and free media protections, and implement anti-corruption measures in the lead-up to and during Olympic Games, the new Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) said ahead of a key meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week on February 25.

Syria: New Spate of Barrel Bomb Attacks

Government Defying UN Resolution

The Syrian government has carried out hundreds of new indiscriminate attacks over the past year with air-delivered munitions, including improvised weapons such as barrel bombs. The attacks have had a devastating impact on civilians, killing or injuring thousands of people.

Libya/Egypt: Civilian Toll in Derna Air Strikes

Seven Dead, Dozens Injured; Libya and Egypt Need to Investigate

At least seven civilians, including three children, died in the joint Egyptian/Libyan airstrikes on the eastern city of Derna on February 16, 2015. Libya and Egypt should conduct speedy and transparent investigations into the deaths.

Algeria: Crackdown on Labor Rights Defenders

Wave of Arrests, Prosecutions of Unemployed Workers

Algerian courts have sentenced nine labor rights activists to prison since late January 2015 for engaging in peaceful protests to support unemployed workers. One was sentenced to 18 months in prison for “unauthorized gathering.” The others received one-year sentences, six months of which were suspended for the same charge.

Iraq: UN documents rights violations of increasingly sectarian nature

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For many Iraqis who fled ISIL to the high altitude region of northern Kurdistan, with nothing but the clothes on their backs, sudden changes in temperatures have left them entirely dependent on humanitarian agencies.

World Bank: Address Ethiopia Findings

Response to Inquiry Dismissive of Abuses

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The new village of Bildak in Ethiopia's Gambella region, which the semi-nomadic Nuer who were forcibly transferred there quickly abandoned in May 2011 because there was no water source for their cattle.