Topic: Human Rights Watch

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10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.
Afghanistan: 5 areas of concern after the US leaves

The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan will have profound, direct effects on the country's security, economy, and society. Here are five areas that are likely to see an impact.
Who is Spain's Judge Baltasar Garzón? Five key questions answered.

Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón was found guilty today on charges of illegal wiretapping and abuse of power. Garzón is known as a “super judge” because of the high profile human rights cases he has overseen internationally.
Top four ways Congo's instability affects the world

From the metals in your cell phone to the gas in your car, Congo is more connected to your life than you might think, and its stability matters.
What is a loya jirga? Afghanistan's most pivotal jirgas since 2002.

Afghanistan has had fewer than 20 loya jirgas in the past 300 years, about a quarter of which have taken place in the past 10 years. Here are the top four most pivotal jirgas of the past decade.

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Progress Watch
Saudi girls find freedom in cleats

A high-energy evening soccer game between two girls' teams is part of a growing female sports movement in conservative Saudi Arabia.
Former Liberian leader Charles Taylor sentenced to 50 years in prison (+video)

An international court proceeding ended Wednesday with the sentencing of Taylor, who was convicted of aiding and abetting numerous war crimes in Sierra Leone.
Lady Gaga's cancelled concert a blow to tolerance in Indonesia? (+video)

Lady Gaga cancelled her biggest show in Asia because of Islamist vigilante threats, which has some worrying about a return of Islamist militancy to the Muslim world's largest country.
Argentina officially indicts civilians for role in 'dirty war'

This spring, the conviction of two brothers for crimes against humanity in Argentina's 'dirty war' highlighted the role civilians played in the military’s systematic repression between 1976 and 1983.
Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide.

The US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether a group of US-based lawyers, activists, and journalists can challenge a Bush-era law authorizing broad surveillance overseas.
Chen Guangcheng: What's ahead for Chinese dissident now in the US?

Now that Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has reached the United States, both Beijing and Washington are hoping to put what could have been a tense diplomatic situation behind them.
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng heads to US

Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng was hurriedly taken from a hospital and put on a plane for the United States on Saturday, closing a nearly month-long diplomatic tussle that had tested U.S.-China relations.
To reward Myanmar for reforms, US eases economic sanctions, names ambassador

Hillary Clinton said the decision to suspend sanctions on export of American financial services and investment was the most significant action Washington has taken so far to reward Myanmar for its reforms.
Activist Chen Guangcheng: China targets lawyers trying to help

Officials have confiscated the license of a lawyer who volunteered to defend blind activist Chen Guangcheng's nephew. The nephew has been charged with 'homicide with intent.'
Hunger intifada? Palestinian prisoners wield new-old tool against Israel.

As many as half of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have followed the example of Khader Adnan, whose 66-day hunger strike became something of a cause célèbre earlier this year.
Report: Kenyan forces abused ethnic Somalis near border

Human Rights Watch report says that Kenyan forces, now fighting insurgents across the border in Somalia, has beaten, humiliated, and raped ethnic Somalis along Kenyan border.
Can China, US strike a new deal on blind dissident? (+video)

Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese activist, has upended an earlier agreement between China and the US, disrupting a visit to Beijing by Hillary Clinton.
Will Charles Taylor ever face justice for crimes in Liberia?

A week after a Special Tribunal for war crimes in Liberia found Liberian President Charles Taylor guilty for aiding war crimes in Sierra Leone, Liberians ask if he will face justice at home.
Backchannels
In Malaysia, a May Day pay raise, but no victory for democratic reformers

The protesters of the Malaysia's Bersih democracy reform movement appear to have pushed Malaysia into announcing its first ever minimum wage. Electoral reform is something else again.
Taylor guilty: Liberians have mixed emotions about verdict

Some Liberians voice outrage at the guilty verdict of former Liberian President Charles Taylor at the war crimes court; others, who lost family members, say it's justice.
Keep Calm
Charles Taylor, former Liberian president, found guilty of war crimes (+video)

Charles Taylor: A guilty verdict against the former Liberian president – including charges of murder, rape, use of child soldiers – sets precedent for holding sitting heads of state to account.
Rare success story for Egypt's revolution: ending military trials

After the revolution, some 12,000 Egyptians faced military trials, which were as short as five minutes and denied them basic rights. But a grass-roots group intervened, with surprising success.
Detentions display UN's impotence in Ethiopia

Ethiopia's government has held one United Nations employee in jail without charges for well over a year, while another is facing prosecution under a notorious anti-terrorism law.
Into the jungle on the hunt for Joseph Kony

The Kony 2012 campaign has made Joseph Kony infamous. But for the Ugandan troops hunting him in the jungles of central Africa, finding him remains a mammoth task.
As US and Vietnam get closer, human rights concerns grow

Ties between the US and Vietnam are good, but Vietnam's human rights record has activists asking if Washington is pushing Hanoi enough on political, economic, and free speech reforms.
Backchannels
Teargas on democracy protesters? Bahrain Grand Prix sponsors say 'no problem'

It appears the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for this weekend will go on, despite the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters there. Advertisers don't appear worried about any backlash.
10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.
Bashar al-Assad may be beating Annan plan in Syria for now, but he won't for long

Putting UN monitors on the ground in Syria as part of Kofi Annan’s wider peace plan is a constructive step forward. But for now, Bashar al-Assad continues to set most of the terms. With more creative international action he will not be able to do so in the medium to long term.
Syrian activists to rebels: Give us our revolution back

Many of the activists who began the uprising in Syria more than a year ago feel their peaceful push for change has been hijacked by the rebel Free Syrian Army. They're meeting in Cairo today.
Russian comments on Syria hint at mounting disapproval of Assad

Russia appears to be running out of patience with Assad's heavy hand, and is preparing to push the Syrian leader for political and humanitarian concessions.