Central African Republic Sees Decline in Extrajudicial Killings
Following a recent visit to the Central African Republic (CAR), UN Special Rapporteur Phillip Alston reported a dramatic decrease in summary executions after Human Rights Watch brought the issue into the international spotlight six months ago. Our September 2007 report, based on extensive on-the-ground research, charged government troops, notably the elite Presidential Guard, with killing hundreds and burning thousands of civilian homes since mid-2005 in their counterinsurgency campaign in northern CAR. Our report shocked government officials in the capital, Bangui, and motivated international donors, particularly France, to condition their aid to CAR on demonstrated improvements in respect for human rights. Furthermore, the Belgian Foreign Minister, citing our report, recently refused a prestigious award from CAR President François Bozizé in opposition to the president’s complicity in human rights abuses. Bozizé, after witnessing in person the remains of villages destroyed by his troops that we documented in our report, withdrew his troops from the north and called on them to stop scorched-earth tactics and attacks on civilians. While the incidence of extrajudicial killings has decreased, the lack of accountability measures encourages soldiers to continue to perpetrate abuses with impunity. Human Rights Watch continues to call on the government to investigate abuses and prosecute those responsible. Read More.

US Senate Outlaws Abusive Interrogation Techniques
On February 13 the US Senate passed legislation barring the CIA and other intelligence officials from using waterboarding, or mock drowning, and other cruel interrogation techniques. In passing the Intelligence Authorization Act, the Senate mandated that all interrogators abide by the same interrogation rules already used by the US military—rules that explicitly prohibit abusive interrogations. Human Rights Watch has strongly advocated for a single standard of interrogation, and worked closely with lawmakers to include this in the recently passed legislation. Waterboarding has long been considered a war crime under the laws of war and is, like other abusive interrogation techniques, already illegal under any reasonable interpretation of US and international law. The bill is now being considered by President Bush, who has historically supported the CIA’s use of unlawfully harsh interrogation techniques, and is now threatening a veto, in defiance of Congress. Read More.

Uzbekistan Releases Jailed Rights Defenders
In a significant move last month, The Uzbek government, released several human rights defenders imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The releases were announced on the eve of a February 5 meeting between the Uzbek government and the European Union (EU). The releases are widely believed to be the result of the EU sanctions imposed on Uzbekistan in response to the May 2005 Andijan massacre, in which Uzbek security forces killed hundreds of mostly unarmed protesters, and the ensuing crackdown on civil society. The release of imprisoned rights defenders is among the human rights benchmarks the EU has set for reviewing the sanctions. Human Rights Watch has persistently urged the EU and other international bodies to insist on concrete human rights improvements, such as the release of activists, in their dealings with Uzbekistan, and will continue to do so as long human rights defenders remain imprisoned, nongovernmental organizations are restricted in their operations, and UN human rights monitors are stymied in their investigations. Learn more about human rights defenders in Uzbekistan.

Egyptian Courts Uphold Right to Religious Freedom
Several court rulings in Egypt in recent weeks have struck down the Egyptian government’s discriminatory practice of preventing Baha’is and some converts from Islam from listing their actual religious belief in national identity documents, birth certificates, and other essential papers. The court decisions came after a November 2007 report issued jointly by Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). The report documented how the Egyptian government selectively uses Islamic law to deny some citizens their right to exercise religious freedom without discrimination or penalty. To obtain identity documents, Baha’i citizens were required to choose one of the three “revealed” religions—Islam, Christianity, or Judaism—and the recent ruling allows them to leave the religion entry blank. Another new ruling allows Egyptians who were born Christian and converted to Islam, to change their affiliation back to Christianity, which they were previously unable to do. Refusing to allow people to list their actual religious belief on official identification documents can have far-reaching consequences for their daily lives, including choosing a spouse, educating one’s children, or conducting the most basic financial and other transactions. Human Rights Watch and EIPR continue to call on the Egyptian government to change its policy requiring citizens to list religion on official identification documents, or to at least allow citizens to accurately reflect their religious belief, without any negative civil or criminal consequences. Read More.

US Resettles Iraqis Particularly Vulnerable to Persecution
The Defense Authorization Bill signed into law on January 28 grants special protection to Iraqi asylum-seekers who belong to persecuted religious minorities or who could be persecuted on account of their association with the US government or private American organizations in Iraq. The bill mandates the US government to expedite the processing of resettlement claims for these individuals, as well as expand the eligibility for family members in the United States to petition for Iraqi refugee relatives to reunite with them. It also increases the limit from the current 500 special visas permitted, to 5,000—an important development, particularly in light of the State Department’s recent freeze on special visa applications for Iraqis after reaching the 500-visa limit only five months into the current fiscal year. Human Rights Watch has worked closely with members of Congress to secure these provisions for Iraqis most vulnerable to persecution and provided Congressional testimony outlining our recommendations. We have also published four reports on the situation of Iraqis seeking asylum in neighboring countries and languishing in camps inside Iraq, calling on the international community to take measures to effectively respond to the massive displacement of Iraqis since the US-led invasion. Read More.

Democracy in Russia Requires More than Just Elections
Writing in the New Statesman Online, London Director Tom Porteous urges those seeking to salvage Russian democracy to challenge the Kremlin’s crackdown on NGOs and speak up for the rights of Russia’s civil society.

US and UK Should Rethink Their Support of Colombia
In Progress Magazine, Americas Director Jose Miguel Vivanco and Colombia researcher Maria McFarland call on President Bush and Prime Minister Blair to make human rights concerns a top priority in their dealings with Colombian President Álvaro Uribe.

Bhutan Must Include Ethnic Nepalis in its New Democracy
Commenting in the New Statesman on the recent bomb blasts in the capital of Bhutan, Refugee Policy Director Bill Frelick urges the Bhutanese government to pursue reconciliation with disenfranchised ethnic Nepalese.