The U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, in a clear reference to campaigners such as China’s Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo, called Wednesday for the release of all prisoners jailed for promoting democracy.Continue Reading

(Moscow) – The Russian authorities should immediately investigate the beating of the human rights defender Bakhrom Hamroev and take action against those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. Hamroev was knocked unconscious by a plainclothes offic…Continue Reading

(New York) – New evidence links the Sri Lankan army’s 53 Division to the alleged summary execution of prisoners on May 18, 2009, during the final hours of the 26-year armed conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Serbia’s decision to boycott the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo triggered criticism Wednesday from human rights activists and the European Union — which expressed shock that the candidate for EU entry woul…Continue Reading

High-profile human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson will represent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition from Britain to Sweden, Robertson’s office said on Wednesday.Continue Reading

(New York) – Members of the United Nations Security Council should use the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s briefing on his Darfur investigation on December 9, 2010, to send a strong message to Sudan to cooperate with the court, Human Ri…Continue Reading

(New York) – The US government should immediately clarify its legal rationale for targeted killings, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today to President Barack Obama.
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(Washington, DC) – The Bahraini government should order security forces to stop harassing Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and return any information illegally copied from his laptop computer and mobile phone, Human Right…Continue Reading

Dear President Obama,
We write to ask that your administration provide greater clarity about its legal rationale for targeted killings, including the use of Unmanned Combat Aircraft Systems (drones), and the procedural safeguards it is taking to minim…Continue Reading

(Nairobi) – The Kenyan government should immediately stop deporting Somali nationals to war-torn Somalia and make a public commitment to protect and help them, Human Rights Watch said today. The Kenyan authorities deported almost 300 Somalis to south-c…Continue Reading