The Latest News Last updated Monday, July 1, 2002 News Archive   |   Latest Reports from Human Rights Watch Contribute to HRW   |   Join the HRW Mailing List Current Events Focus on Human Rights Afghanistan: Human Rights Watch Key Documents  (June 27, 2002) Accountability and Transition in the Balkans  (May 22, 2002) Russian Federation / Chechnya: Renewed Catastrophe  (May 22, 2002) September 11 Attacks: Crimes Against Humanity The Aftermath (May, 2002) Chile: Pinochet Escapes Justice (New York, July 1, 2002) The Chilean Supreme Court's decision to terminate the prosecution of Gen. Augusto Pinochet was regrettable even though widely expected, Human Rights Watch said today. In a ruling made public this afternoon, the court held that the former dictator was too ill to undergo trial for grave human rights crimes, upholding an appeals court ruling issued a year ago. Peru: Montesinos Verdict Hailed (New York, July 1, 2002) The criminal conviction of Peru's former spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos on charges of usurping power (usurpación de funciones) is a milestone, Human Rights Watch said today. Montesino was sentenced to nine years and four months of imprisonment, a landmark ruling in a country accustomed to years of impunity. U.S. Veto Betrays the Bosnian People (New York, July 1, 2002) -- The U.S. veto of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Bosnia is an outrageous but futile attempt to undermine the new International Criminal Court, Human Rights Watch said today. The veto was followed by an agreement on Sunday night to extend the mission until July 3, so that the United Nations Security Council could continue seeking a solution. Afghanistan: Escalating Attacks on Aid Workers and Civilians (New York, June 27, 2002) Factional rivalry in northern Afghanistan is leading to a rise in attacks on humanitarian aid workers and Afghan civilians, Human Rights Watch said in a new briefing paper released today. The growing insecurity threatens the continued delivery of humanitarian aid and resettlement assistance. U.S. in New Fight Against War Crimes Court (New York, June 26, 2002) The U.S. government is extending its campaign against the new International Criminal Court to peacekeeping efforts at the United Nations, Human Rights Watch said in a backgrounder released today. Uzbekistan: Release Rights Defender Now (New York, June 26, 2002) The government of Uzbekistan should immediately release a human rights defender who has been held in incommunicado detention for one month and is in serious danger of torture or other abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov released today. Afghanistan: Former Women's Minister Intimidated (New York, June 26, 2002) Afghan President Hamid Karzai should put a stop to the intimidation of former Women's Affairs minister, Dr. Sima Samar, Human Rights Watch said today. A formal charge of blasphemy against Dr. Samar was dismissed by a Kabul court on Monday, but future charges are still possible. Cambodia: Young Trafficking Victims Treated as Criminals (New York, June 22, 2002) Fourteen Vietnamese girls who are alleged victims of trafficking were arrested by Cambodian authorities after they were rescued from a brothel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Human Rights Watch said today. Nigeria: Cease Sponsoring Vigilante Violence (Lagos, June 21, 2002) Ebonyi State in south-eastern Nigeria should not endorse the activities of vigilante groups, Human Rights Watch and the Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN) said today. U.S.: Supreme Court Ban Ends "Barbaric" Executions (New York, June 20, 2002) Today's Supreme Court ruling that executing offenders with mental retardation is unconstitutional should end an American practice criticized around the world as barbaric, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan: Analysis of New Cabinet (Kabul, June 20, 2002) Afghanistan's warlords emerged from the loya jirga with greater power and a new claim to legitimacy Human Rights Watch said today. Sexual Violence Rampant, Unpunished in DR Congo War   Français (Brussels, June 20, 2002) Forces on all sides in the Congo conflict have committed war crimes against women and girls, Human Rights Watch said in a new 114-page report released today. U.S. Senate Votes to Ratify Treaty Banning Child Combatants Human Rights Watch today applauded the vote by the U.S. Senate Tuesday evening to ratify the international treaty banning the use of children under the age of eighteen as combatants. The measure was adopted by unanimous consent. Afghanistan: Guarantee Loya Jirga Delegates' Security (New York, June 19, 2002) Human Rights Watch today called on President Hamid Karzai to launch investigations into intimidation of loya jirga delegates by senior military and political leaders, including members of the interim administration. Jerusalem Bus Atrocity Condemned (New York, June 19, 2002) Today's suicide bombing attack on a bus in Jerusalem is an atrocity for which there is no justification, Human Rights Watch said today. Response to Issues Raised by the Canaries' Government on the Rights of Migrants and Asylum Seekers June 19, 2002 Colombia: President-Elect Uribe Visits Washington (New York, June 18, 2002) The Bush administration should press Colombian president-elect Álvaro Uribe Vélez for concrete actions against paramilitary groups when he visits Washington this week, Human Rights Watch said today. U.S.: Children Are Collateral Casualties of N.Y. Drug Laws (New York, June 18, 2002) Excessively severe drug laws have deprived thousands of children of their parents, Human Rights Watch said today. Governor Pataki and New York politicians in Albany are now debating legislation to reform these drug laws. Guatemala: Stop Hostage Taking and Attacks Against Human Rights Defenders (Brussels, June 13, 2002) European leaders gathering in Seville next week should make a clear commitment to respect the fundamental human rights of migrants and refugees, Human Rights Watch said today. Seville Summit: Serious Abuses Against Migrants and Asylum Seekers Detailed (Brussels, June 13, 2002) European leaders gathering in Seville next week should make a clear commitment to respect the fundamental human rights of migrants and refugees, Human Rights Watch said today. Albania: Media Freedoms Still Suffer (Tirana, June 13, 2002) The media remains far from free in Albania, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Afghanistan: Loya Jirga Off To Shaky Start (Kabul, Afghanistan, June 13, 2002) The first two days of the loya jirga demonstrate the promise and pitfalls facing the delegates to the grand national assembly, Human Rights Watch said today. U.S. Circumvents Courts With Enemy Combatant Tag (New York, June 12, 2002) President Bush's unilateral designation of Abdullah al-Mujahir as an "enemy combatant" creates a dangerous loophole that threatens basic criminal justice guarantees, Human Rights Watch said today. Iran: Veto on Torture Bill Condemned (New York, June 12, 2002) Human Rights Watch today condemned the decision by Iran's Council of Guardians to veto a parliamentary bill designed to discourage torture. ILO Members Urged to Take Action on Child Labor in Agriculture (New York, June 11, 2002) Children who work in agriculture are not getting enough attention in global efforts to end child labor, Human Rights Watch said on the eve of the first "World Day against Child Labor." Ethiopia: Police Firing on Unarmed Protesters (New York, June 11, 2002) The Ethiopian government must urgently establish clear restraints on the use of lethal force against civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. G-8: Use Human Rights Standards for Africa (New York, June 11, 2002) The G-8 meeting in Kananaskis should introduce more concrete initiatives for protecting human rights into its action plan for Africa, Human Rights Watch urged today. Azerbaijan: Investigate Police Shootings of Protesters (New York, June 7, 2002) The Azerbaijani government should promptly establish an independent investigation into police shootings that killed one and wounded dozens of protesters in the town of Nardaran on the night of June 3-4, Human Rights Watch said today. Kenyan Government Sweep of Foreigners Puts Refugees at Risk (New York, June 8, 2002) Kenyan authorities are threatening to repatriate hundreds of Ethiopian and Somali refugees rounded up in a police sweep in Nairobi on May 30, 2002. If returned, many could face arbitrary arrest, torture, and other serious abuses in their countries of origin. Israel: Cuts in Child Allowance Discriminate Against Palestinian Arab Children (New York, June 7, 2002) Human Rights Watch today strongly criticized the Israeli Knesset's discriminatory allocation of national child allowances. The latest economic plan, passed Wednesday night, cuts by 24 percent allowances for children whose parents have not served in the army Tunisia: Release Urged for Online Magazine Editor (New York, June 6, 2002) Human Rights Watch today called for the release of Zouhair Yahiaoui, who was arrested Tuesday in Tunis. The organization said it believes authorities arrested Yahiaoui because they had identified him as a writer and editor for the online publication Tunezine, which offers a platform for commentary critical of government repression. Seville Summit: European Union Must Protect Migrants' Rights (Brussels, June 6, 2002) In the run-up to the European Council meeting in Seville on June 21, Human Rights Watch called on the European Union to recognize the fundamental human rights of all migrants, regardless of their status. U.S. State Department Trafficking Report Missing Key Data, Credits Uneven Efforts (New York, June 6, 2002) The U.S. State Department's second annual report on trafficking in persons falls short as a rigorous tool to assess a country's efforts to combat trafficking, Human Rights Watch said today. Afghanistan: Warlords Return (Mazar-i Sharif, Afghanistan, June 6, 2002) Warlords in southern Afghanistan are subverting the loya jirga process to claim both legitimacy and power, Human Rights Watch said in a new briefing paper released today. Burundi: Government Forcibly Displaces Civilians (New York, June 4, 2002) Burundian army soldiers forced more than 30,000 civilians from their homes in Ruyigi province in eastern Burundi in late April and early May, Human Rights Watch said today. Kenya: Political Killers Admit to Official Backing (New York, May 31, 2002) Speaking for the first time, perpetrators of armed attacks in the run-up to the last general election in Kenya have said that they were backed by ruling party officials, Human Rights Watch revealed in a report released today. U.S.: Growing Problem Of Guantanamo Detainees (New York, May 30, 2002) As the U.S. administration prepares to send some 150 new detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Human Rights Watch warned that their legal status is growing more problematic by the day. Uzbekistan: Another Rights Defender Jailed (New York, May 28, 2002) Police in Uzbekistan have arrested a human rights defender who may be at risk for torture or ill-treatment, Human Rights Watch said today NATO, E.U. Should Challenge Russia on Chechnya (Brussels, May 27, 2002) Russia's conduct in Chechnya stands in the way of full integration into Western institutions, Human Rights Watch said today. In letters to NATO and the European Union, which are holding summits with Russia on May 28, Human Rights Watch said that the Russian military's record of abuse in Chechnya undermines the core values and strategic goals of both institutions. More...