Topic: Human Rights Watch

Iran's Ahmadinejad touts 'new world order' not led by 'arrogant' powers

President Ahmadinejad of Iran, speaking at the United Nations, criticized the existing model as unfair, militaristic, and the reason 'uncivilized Zionists' are threatening his country. He did not address the reason for those tensions – Iran's nuclear program.

New world requires new strategies

Democracy and digitalization make urgent demands. How, and how fast, can the US adjust?

Myanmar's next hurdle: Kachin refugees returning from China

Ethnic violence forced thousands of Kachins to flee to China. Human rights activists now say China is exacerbating the situation – and threatening reforms – by kicking them out.

After film, push strengthens for blasphemy clause in Egypt's constitution

Last week, anger over an anti-Islam film fueled protests at the US embassy. This week, religious conservatives will seek to prohibit blasphemy in the Egyptian constitution.

Christian girl accused of blasphemy granted bail by Pakistani judge

Muslim cleric's killing sparks riots in Kenya

The shooting death Monday of Muslim cleric Sheikh Aboud Rogo, who is under US sanctions for ties to the Islamist militant group Al Shabab, has renewed concerns about extrajudicial killings in Kenya.

With death of Ethiopian leader Meles, US loses an anti-terror ally (+video)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who died yesterday, was one of the US's closest allies on the continent, particularly when it came to efforts to combat Somali Islamists.

Kazakh opposition leader on trial for attempting to overthrow government

Vladimir Kozlov faces 13 years in prison if convicted of charges that include orchestrating dissent among striking oil workers. Observers fear the trial could undermine some of the country's progress in developing a multiparty democracy.

China's role in funding Ethiopian dam draws ire

Ethiopia says construction of a dam along the Omo River will create needed electrical power for itself and Kenya, and channel water for food production. Environmentalists worry it could drain a Kenyan desert lake central to people's livelihoods.

Airstrikes kills over 40 in northern Syria, watchdog group says

According to Human Rights Watch, the attacks destroyed a whole residential block in the town of Azaz. Free Syrian Army facilities might have been the target of the Syrian air force.

UN: War crimes on both sides in Syria

The UN Human Rights Council said Wednesday war crimes have been committed by both the Assad regime, and the rebels in Syria. Meanwhile, government war planes bombed a rebel-held town, killing more than 20.

Accusations of war crimes rob Syrian rebel fighters of moral high ground

Human rights organizations have both condemned Syrian rebels' turn to kidnappings and executions. The change in tactics could jeopardize international support for the Free Syrian Army. 

Pakistan's extremists whip up frenzy over Burma's Muslims

The exaggerated version of truth about violence in Myanmar propagated by religious groups in Pakistan to recruit and fund their own agendas.

Slow to turn on Qaddafi, Bani Walid now struggles in a post-revolution Libya

Bani Walid's resistance to joining the uprising against Muammar Qaddafi earned residents a reputation for being regime loyalists, leaving them marginalized in the new Libya. 

UN envoy visits Myanmar as ethnic clashes test reforms

UN envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is visiting Myanmar in the wake of recent fighting between Buddhist Rakhines and minority Muslims. Some accuse the government of fanning tensions.

Latin America Monitor Ending gang violence and creating peace: Colombia's lessons for El Salvador

A truce between El Salvador's rival gangs this year is off to a good start, but it's worth looking at lessons from Colombia, which created a program to demobilize paramilitaries a decade ago.

Saudi Olympic athlete hit by judo head scarf ban: Safety or discrimination? (+video)

For the first time, Saudi Arabia sent women athletes to the Olympics, but now judo officials say one can't compete with a head scarf, citing safety concerns.

Syria's cyberwars: using social media against dissent

Social media fueled the Arab Spring. In Syria, it's helping the government quash it. The Syrian uprising has opened a new chapter in the history of cyber-espionage, and activists and experts are watching closely to see how it plays out.

Briefing New trouble in Congo

Instability in Congo affects human rights there, and the cost of cellphones in the US.

Kidnapper: Why I nabbed two Americans in Egypt's Sinai

The recent kidnappings in Egypt's Sinai are not motivated by religious extremism or a desire for money, but a desperate desire to make the government listen to a marginalized group.

Inside Sudan's prisons: Sudanese protesters speak out

Sudan's National Intelligence Security Service, blamed for the arrests and detention of some 2,000 protesters in the past month, are using torture, activists say. 

Africa Monitor Guest blog: 10 Absurd Violations of Freedom of Association

Guest blogger Mary McGuire lists countries that have criminalized some of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Evidence exists to bring Syria war-crimes case: French diplomat (+video)

France's top human rights diplomat says 'the raw material is there' in the Syria conflict to refer case to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Myanmar open for US business, but is it a safe bet?

Analysts are warning US businesses to 'do their homework' on the crony-linked businesses and rights abuses that allegedly comprise Myanmar's resource industry.

Another day, another defector from Assad's Syria

The Syrian ambassador to Iraq defected today, the second prominent Sunni to do so in two weeks. With their departures, Syria's Sunni vs. Alawite conflict hardens.