Reports

Palestinian Armed Groups’ October 7 Assault on Israel

The 236-page report, “‘I Can’t Erase All the Blood from My Mind’: Palestinian Armed Groups’ October 7 Assault on Israel,” documents several dozen cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law by Palestinian armed groups at nearly all the civilian attack sites on October 7. These include the war crimes and crimes against humanity of murder, hostage-taking, and other grave offenses. Human Rights Watch also examined the role of various armed groups and their coordination before and during the attacks. Previous Human Rights Watch reports have addressed numerous serious violations by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7.

A framed family photo hung up on the wall of a burned home

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  • October 21, 2013

    Failures to Prosecute High-Level Corruption in Uganda

    The 63-page report documents Uganda’s failure to hold the highest members of its government accountable for large scale graft, despite repeated pledges to eradicate corruption and good technical work from investigators and prosecutors. The groups analyzed officials’ use of legal loopholes and laws that insulate political appointees from accountability to elude punishment.

  • October 17, 2013

    Torture and Ill-Treatment in Ethiopia’s Maekelawi Police Station

    The 70-page report documents serious human rights abuses, unlawful interrogation tactics, and poor detention conditions in Maekelawi since 2010. Those detained in Maekelawi include scores of opposition politicians, journalists, protest organizers, and alleged supporters of ethnic insurgencies.

  • October 10, 2013

    Executions, Indiscriminate Shootings, and Hostage Taking by Opposition Forces in Latakia Countryside

    The 105-page report presents evidence that the civilians were killed on August 4, the first day of the operation. Two opposition groups that took part in the offensive, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham and Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, are still holding the hostages, the vast majority women and children.

  • October 9, 2013

    Addressing Land Dispossession after Côte d’Ivoire’s Post-Election Conflict

    The 111-page report details the grave economic consequences of land dispossession and the resulting risk for inter-communal violence in western Côte d’Ivoire. The report calls on the Ivorian government to take swift and effective action to resolve fairly all claims of land dispossession and to help people register their property.

  • September 29, 2013

    Police Abuses Against Street Vendors in Angola

    This 38-page report describes how police officers and government inspectors, often in civilian clothes without identification, mistreat street traders, including many women with children, during operations to force them off the streets.

  • September 19, 2013

    Attacks on Journalists under Yemen’s New Government

    This 45-page report finds that while Yemenis generally enjoy greater freedom of expression since Hadi replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh as president in February 2012 after three decades of rule, this newfound freedom has been tempered by a rising incidence of threats and violence against the media.
  • September 18, 2013

    The Forgotten Human Rights Crisis in the Central African Republic

    This 79-page report details the deliberate killing of civilians – including women, children, and the elderly – between March and June 2013 and confirms the deliberate destruction of more than 1,000 homes, both in the capital, Bangui, and in the provinces. Many villagers have fled their homes and are living in the bush in fear of new attacks.

  • September 17, 2013

    Violence and Threats against Displaced People Reclaiming Land in Colombia

    This 184-page report documents killings, death threats, and new incidents of forced displacement committed against displaced Colombians in relation to their efforts to recover their land.

  • September 13, 2013

    Summary Executions by Syrian Forces in al-Bayda and Baniyas

    This 68-page report is based oninterviews with 15 al-Bayda residents and 5 from Baniyas, including witnesses who saw or heard government and pro-government forces detain and then execute their relatives.Working with survivors and local activists, Human Rights Watch compiled a list of 167 people killed in al-Bayda and 81 in Baniyas.

  • September 12, 2013

    Abuses Against Civilians in South Sudan’s Pibor County

    This 45-page report documents 24 incidents of unlawful killings of almost 100 members of the Murle ethnic group between December 2012 and July 2013, constituting serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Murder and deliberate targeting of civilians during an armed conflict constitute war crimes.

  • September 11, 2013

    Lack of Accessibility for People with Disabilities in Russia

    This 118-page report is based on 123 interviews with people with disabilities and their families in 6 cities across Russia. It documents the everyday hurdles people with disabilities meet when going to government offices, shops, healthcare centers, and places of employment, and accessing public transportation.

  • September 10, 2013

    Analysis of Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria

    This 22-page report documents two alleged chemical weapons attacks on the opposition-controlled suburbs of Eastern and Western Ghouta, located 16 kilometers apart, in the early hours of August 21, 2013.

  • September 1, 2013

    Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent

    This 100-page report documents the dramatic deterioration of the government’s record on freedom of expression, assembly, and association in the past 18 months. The authorities have arrested dozens of political activists on bogus charges, imprisoned critical journalists, broken up peaceful public demonstrations, and adopted legislation imposing new restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
  • August 28, 2013

    Child Labor and Mercury Exposure in Tanzania’s Small-Scale Gold Mines

    This 96-page report describes how thousands of children work in licensed and unlicensed small-scale gold mines in Tanzania, Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer. They dig and drill in deep, unstable pits, work underground for shifts of up to 24 hours, and transport and crush heavy bags of gold ore.

  • August 23, 2013

    Illegal Abortion after Rape in Ecuador

    This 26-page report found that Ecuador’s criminal code limits women’s and girls’ reproductive rights by prohibiting abortion with few exceptions, even in the case of pregnancies that result from sexual violence. The criminal code imposes penalties including prison terms ranging from one to five years for women and girls who obtain abortions.