Colombia: Not Time for a Trade Deal

November 14th - November 21st, 2008
Colombia: Not Time for a Trade Deal
US: New Legal Victory for Guantanamo Detainees
India: Carry Out Rights Commission's Recommendations
ICC: First Warrants Requested for Attacks on Darfur Peacekeepers
Colombia: Stop False Accusations Against Human Rights Groups
Yemen: Protect Victims of Forgotten War
Lesotho: Safeguard Rights in HIV Testing
India: Stop 'Social Cleansing' in Bangalore
ICC: Congo Ruling Victory for Justice
Nepal: End Torture of Children in Police Custody
UK: Miliband Should Press Syria on Rights
India: Hold Torturers Accountable
US: Obama Should Repudiate Bush Counterterrorism Practices
Move by US, Others to Support Cluster Munitions Fails


Sudanese refugees from Darfur arrive in Chad. © 2004 Marcus Bleasdale/VII



Colombia: Not Time for a Trade Deal
US Congress Should Press for Sustained Results on Human Rights, Anti-Union Violence
(Washington, DC, November 20, 2008) – Colombia needs to do much more to address its human rights problems before the US Congress should consider the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives. The letter was also addressed to Representative George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Representative Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Read more


US: New Legal Victory for Guantanamo Detainees
Judge Orders Release of 5 Held 7 Years Without Charge in Bosnia Case
(Washington, DC, November 20, 2008) - The Bush administration should immediately arrange for the return to Bosnia of five detainees ordered freed by a US federal court, Human Rights Watch said today. The court today found that the government did not have evidence to justify detaining the five men, who are currently in US military custody at Guantanamo Bay.
Read more


India: Carry Out Rights Commission's Recommendations
Address Abuses by All Sides in Chhattisgarh State Conflict
(New York, November 20, 2008) – The Indian government should take immediate steps to carry out the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission to end human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict in southern Chhattisgarh state, Human Rights Watch wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The state-backed anti-Maoist vigilante movement called Salwa Judum has exacerbated violence in the region and displaced tens of thousands of people since mid-2005.
Read more


ICC: First Warrants Requested for Attacks on Darfur Peacekeepers
Move Important for Protectors of Civilians
(The Hague) - The request on November 20 by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for three rebel leaders believed to be responsible for attacks on international peacekeepers in Darfur is an important step toward protecting those who protect civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. Repeated attacks on international peacekeepers have severely compromised the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations in Darfur.
Read more


Colombia: Stop False Accusations Against Human Rights Groups
Government Should Address Reported Abuses
(Washington, DC, November 19, 2008) – President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia should stop making false and dangerous accusations against human rights groups that criticize his government, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today in a joint statement. Colombia should instead address the human rights concerns they raise.
Read more


Yemen: Protect Victims of Forgotten War
Government and Rebels Must Guarantee Humanitarian Access to Civilians
(San'a) – Tens of thousands of civilians in northern Yemen have been displaced or cut off from aid in fighting between government and rebel forces, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Yemen's government as well as rebel forces should take immediate steps to ensure that they get the humanitarian aid they need in the aftermath of recent fighting.
Read more Read the report


Lesotho: Safeguard Rights in HIV Testing
Program for Widespread Outreach Was Underfunded, Incomplete and Ineffective
(Johannesburg) - Lesotho's drive to test all of its citizens age 12 or older for the virus that causes AIDS fell short of its goals, both in carrying out the program and in safeguarding the rights of those tested, said Human Rights Watch and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa in a new report released today.
Read more Read the report


India: Stop 'Social Cleansing' in Bangalore
Illegal Mass Evictions Against a Transgender Community
(New York, November 18, 2008) - Police in Bangalore forced about 100 hijras (working-class transgender people) from their homes on November 10, 2008, suggesting a spreading pattern of prejudice-driven violence and abuse in the city, Human Rights Watch said today in letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and local authorities. Following the arrests on October 20 and 21 of more than three dozen hijras and human rights defenders, the incident points to an organized police campaign of social cleansing in Bangalore.
Read more


ICC: Congo Ruling Victory for Justice
Court Should Explain Decision to Affected Communities
(The Hague, November 18, 2008) - The International Criminal Court's decision today to proceed with the trial of a Congolese rebel leader accused of using child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a victory for victims and fair trials, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch urged the court to explain its decision on the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo to the communities most affected by the alleged crimes.
Read more


Nepal: End Torture of Children in Police Custody
Nepali Children's Day Marred by Ongoing Reports of Abuse
(New York, November 18, 2008) – The Nepali government should urgently address the widespread torture and ill-treatment of children in police custody, Human Rights Watch said today in a statement marking Nepali Children's Day on November 20. So far in 2008, Human Rights Watch has received credible claims of more than 200 cases of torture or abuse committed by members of the Nepali police against boys and girls, some as young as 13.
Read more


UK: Miliband Should Press Syria on Rights
On Visit, Link Better Relations to Respect for Freedoms
(London, November 16, 2008) – The UK foreign secretary, David Miliband, should use his visit to Syria to raise human rights concerns, Human Rights Watch said today. In particular, Miliband should urge the Syrian government to release activists detained solely for exercising freedom of expression and association. He should also urge the Syrian authorities to make public all information about the violent suppression of a riot at Sednaya prison in July 2008.
Read more


India: Hold Torturers Accountable
Compensation to Victims Only a Partial Solution
(New York, November 17, 2008) – The Andhra Pradesh state government should prosecute police officials responsible for the torture of 21 Muslims after a series of bomb blasts in Hyderabad in May and August 2007, Human Rights Watch said today.
Read more


US: Obama Should Repudiate Bush Counterterrorism Practices
11-Step Plan Would Combat Terror and Respect Fundamental Rights
(Washington, DC, November 16, 2008) – Upon taking office, President-elect Barack Obama should decisively repudiate the abusive counterterrorism practices of the past seven years and adopt fair and effective policy reforms, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today.
Read more Read the report


Move by US, Others to Support Cluster Munitions Fails
Momentum for Signing of Ban Treaty Grows
(Geneva, November 14, 2008)– An effort by some countries to legitimize the ongoing use, production, trade, and stockpiling of cluster munitions failed today, in the lead-up to a comprehensive legal ban on the weapon that more than 100 other nations plan to sign in Oslo, Norway on December 3.
Read more