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United States: Bush Signs Law on Child Soldiers Measure to Prosecute Recruiters Abroad Puts Commanders on Notice Under a new law signed today by US President George W. Bush, leaders of military forces and armed groups who have recruited child soldiers may be arrested and prosecuted in the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. The law could apply to leaders of dozens of forces that have recruited and used child soldiers in over 20 armed conflicts. October 3, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version More Blowback from the War on Terror The U.S.-backed Ethiopian military has secreted away scores of "suspects" – including pregnant women and children – and fueled anti-American rancor in Africa. By Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel Published in Salon Ishmael is a victim of a 2007 rendition program in the Horn of Africa, involving Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and the United States. There are at least 90 more victims like him. Most have since been sent home. A few – including a Canadian and nine who assert Kenyan nationality – remain in detention even now. The whereabouts of 22 others – including several Somalis, Ethiopian Ogadenis, and Eritreans--remain unknown. October 1, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version "Why Am I Still Here?" The 2007 Horn of Africa Renditions and the Fate of Those Still Missing
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-380-3 October 1, 2008 Report Download PDF, 385 KB, 58 pgs Purchase online Read Press Release Ethiopia/Kenya: Account for Missing Rendition Victims Secret Detainees Interrogated by US Officials Are Still in Custody Update: Two days after this report was issued, eight of the ten rendition victims remaining in Ethiopian jails were released to Kenya. At least 10 victims of the 2007 Horn of Africa rendition program still languish in Ethiopian jails and the whereabouts of several others is unknown. Several of the detained men were interrogated by US officials in Addis Ababa soon after they were secretly transferred from Kenya to Somalia, and then to Ethiopia in early 2007. October 1, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version DR Congo: Humanitarian Crisis Deepens as Peace Process Falters Renewed Fighting Displaces 100,000 More Civilians in Eastern Congo Renewed combat in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has caused a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation and immense suffering for civilians, the Congo Advocacy Coalition, a group of 83 aid agencies and human rights groups, said today. The coalition called for urgent action to improve protection of civilians and an immediate increase in assistance to vulnerable populations. September 24, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version US: First Trial for Overseas Torture Case of ex-Liberian president’s son important step for justice The upcoming trial in Miami of Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr., who is accused of torture committed in Liberia, should signal the start of a more robust policy toward prosecuting serious human rights violations committed abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. Jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin this Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. September 23, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr.’s Trial in the United States for Torture Committed in Liberia Questions and Answers Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr. is the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Born while his father was living in Massachusetts, Chuckie Taylor is a United States (US) citizen. He spent much of his youth in the United States, joining his father in Liberia after his father won the 1997 presidential elections. September 23, 2008 Questions and Answers Printer friendly version Discrimination against Muslims in Saudi Arabia By Christoph Wilcke, Senior Researcher, Middle East and North Africa division Published in Guardian online Though tentative steps towards tolerance have been made, the plight of Saudi Ismailis shows how far the country has to go September 22, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version African Union: Don’t Trade Away Justice in Darfur The African Union Peace and Security Council should reconsider its call for the UN Security Council to suspend the International Criminal Court investigation of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and serious crimes in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today. On September 22, 2008, the African Union Peace and Security Council will meet in New York. Following a request by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on July 14 for an arrest warrant for al-Bashir, the African Union Peace and Security Council asked the UN Security Council to defer the proceedings under article 16 of the Rome Statute of the ICC. This provision empowers the Security Council to suspend court proceedings for up to 12 months if required to maintain international peace and security. September 22, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version AU: Do Not Call for Suspending ICC's Investigation of President al-Bashir Letter to the African Union Peace and Security Council We write in regard to the arrest warrant requested by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. We are deeply concerned by the African Union’s call for the United Nations Security Council to suspend the investigation by this independent judicial institution; a suspension that would in effect deny redress to the victims of atrocities in Darfur. We urge you at the meeting of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council on September 22 to reconsider this position and move to reaffirm your commitment to ending impunity for such crimes and your support for the ICC and its continuing work in Darfur. September 19, 2008 Letter Also available in
Printer friendly version Uganda: Protect Sexual Rights Activists Ensure Due Process for All Citizens Police should end investigations into the activities of two Ugandan human rights activists working in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities, Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) said today. September 19, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Angola: Irregularities Marred Historic Elections No Independent Oversight, Media Bias Angola’s parliamentary elections on September 5, 2008, reportedly won by the ruling MPLA party, were marred by numerous irregularities, Human Rights Watch said today. Preliminary results indicate that the MPLA won more than 80 percent of the vote, the first held in Angola since 1992. Key problems identified by Human Rights Watch include obstruction by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of accreditation for national electoral observers, its failure to respond to media bias in favor of the ruling party, and severe delays by the Angolan government in providing funds to opposition parties. The evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch on these three key issues – observers, media bias, and state funding – suggests the polls did not meet the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections in key areas. September 15, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Zimbabwe: Rights Reform Vital to Lasting Stability Power-Sharing Deal Should End Abuses, Bring Justice Any transition to democracy following the power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe will remain fragile unless the political leadership takes steps to address human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. Any deal should immediately end ongoing violations and hold to account those responsible for past abuses. “Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF must show their commitment to the power-sharing agreement by bringing about an immediate end to abuses,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “They should release political prisoners, dismantle torture camps set up around the elections and disarm ZANU-PF party members and its allies.” September 15, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Five Activists Win Human Rights Watch Awards Honored for Courage in Exposing Abuse and Seeking Justice Five brave and selfless advocates of human rights from Burma, Congo, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan have been awarded the prestigious 2008 Human Rights Defender Awards, Human Rights Watch said today. All five have been persecuted and threatened for their work. One winner, Saudi lawyer Abd al-Rahman al-Lahim, is, which Human Rights Watch urges the Saudi government lift so that he may receive his award in person in London. September 15, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Senegal: Victims Charge Habré With Crimes Against Humanity (Dakar, September 16, 2008) – Fourteen abuse victims, backed by a coalition of African and international rights groups, today filed complaints with a Senegalese prosecutor accusing the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré of crimes against humanity and torture. September 15, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Q and A on the Hissène Habré Case (September 2008) September 15, 2008 Questions and Answers Also available in
Printer friendly version Letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council from Human Rights Organizations in Burundi As representatives of national and international human rights organizations working in Burundi, we urge you to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Burundi. He has been and should continue to be an effective counselor to the Government of Burundi, a firm support to Burundian civil society organizations, and a passionate voice for victims of human rights abuses. September 12, 2008 Letter Also available in
Printer friendly version Human Rights Watch's Analysis of Ethiopia's Draft CSO Law This updated analysis from Human Rights Watch discusses the most recent version of Ethiopia's Draft CSO Law. The draft law's main aim is to strictly regulate, with severe penalties for non-compliance, all civil society organizations in Ethiopia. September 11, 2008 Written Statement UN Security Council: Don't Protect President al-Bashir from Prosecution Letter to the members of the Security Council We write in regard to the arrest warrant requested by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. We understand that this request is likely to come under intense international scrutiny in the coming weeks. The stakes are extremely high for the victims of atrocities in Darfur and for global efforts to curtail impunity for the most serious crimes. We urge your government to weigh these issues in light of basic principles already expressed by the Security Council. For the reasons laid out in this letter, we believe that it is essential that the Council reject any interference with judicial proceedings. September 11, 2008 Letter Also available in
Printer friendly version The Last Holdouts Ending the Juvenile Death Penalty in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, and Yemen
HRW Index No.: 1-56432-375-7 September 10, 2008 Report Also available in
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 Human Rights Watch: In the Field in Sierra Leone Streaming Video, May 2000
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