Human rights

May 14, 2009 -- CONCORD - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch released the following statement today regarding same-sex legislation in New Hampshire:

“The gay marriage debate in New Hampshire has been filled with passion and emotion on all sides.

“My personal views on the subject of marriage have been shaped by my own experience, tradition and upbringing. But as Governor of New Hampshire, I recognize that I have a responsibility to consider this issue through a broader lens.    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Good to see you. I want to take a few moments at the top to talk about something that, with all the big issues going on, hasn't received much attention, but I think is worth talking about briefly.

As some of you know, we have a humanitarian crisis that's taking place in Sri Lanka, and I've been increasingly saddened by the desperate news in recent days. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians are trapped between the warring government forces and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka with no means of escape, little access to food, water, shelter and medicine. This has led to widespread suffering and the loss of hundreds if not thousands of lives.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY -- Alabama Governor Bob Riley on Thursday morning signed into law a bill that increases the number of people who can witness a state execution.

The new law increases from two to six the number of immediate family members of a crime victim who can witness the perpetrator’s execution. The bill also increases from two to six the number of immediate family members of the condemned inmate who can witness the execution.

The new law became effective with Governor Riley’s signature.

Source: Alabama Governor

Two Decades on, Continuing Censorship and Persecution of Survivors and Critics

May 13, 2009 -- (New York) - Twenty years after the Chinese army killed untold numbers of unarmed civilians in Beijing and other cities on and around June 3-4, 1989, the Chinese government continues to victimize survivors, victims' families, and others who challenge the official version of events, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch today releases "The Tiananmen Legacy," an assessment of the continuing impact of Tiananmen and a multimedia feature on the crackdown's 20th anniversary, which can be accessed at http://www.hrw.org/.    » read more »

12 May 2009 -- US-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi was released from jail in Iran on Monday following international and domestic protests at her detention. A court heard an appeal against her conviction on Sunday and commuted her eight-year sentence to a suspended two-year term on the charge of "collecting classified information".

The court imposed a five-year ban on her working as a journalist in Iran. Amnesty International, which had campaigned for her release, welcomed the news.    » read more »

Human Rights Watch Researchers Saw Ibn Al-Sheikh Al-Libi in Late April

May 11, 2009 -- (New York) – The Libyan authorities should carry out a full and transparent investigation of the reported suicide of the Libyan prisoner Ali Mohamed al-Fakheri, also known as Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, Human Rights Watch said today.

Al-Libi, who was held in secret US and Egyptian detention from late 2001 to at least 2005, was found dead in his cell in Abu Salim prison in Tripoli. Human Rights Watch spoke with him briefly in the Tripoli prison on April 27, though he refused to be interviewed.    » read more »

Washington, DC, March 31, 2009 -- Statement from Gordon Duguid, Acting Deputy Department Spokesman:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice announce that the United States will seek a seat this year on the United Nations Human Rights Council with the goal of working to make it a more effective body to promote and protect human rights.

The decision is in keeping with the Obama Administration's "new era of engagement" with other nations to advance American security interests and meet the global challenges of the 21st century.    » read more »

March 19, 2009 -- TRENTON – New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today issued the following statement on the State of New Mexico repealing the death penalty.

“I want to commend Governor Richardson for signing legislation repealing the death penalty in New Mexico. Governor Richardson’s decision to abolish the death penalty in his state, regardless of his own personal opinion on the matter, demonstrates the true character of a leader.    » read more »

March 18, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today signed House Bill 285, Repeal of the Death Penalty. The Governor’s remarks follow:

"Today marks the end of a long, personal journey for me and the issue of the death penalty.

Throughout my adult life, I have been a firm believer in the death penalty as a just punishment – in very rare instances, and only for the most heinous crimes. I still believe that.

But six years ago, when I took office as Governor of the State of New Mexico, I started to challenge my own thinking on the death penalty.    » read more »

March 13, 2009 -- In a filing today with the federal District Court for the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice submitted a new standard for the government’s authority to hold detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility.

The definition does not rely on the President’s authority as Commander-in-Chief independent of Congress’s specific authorization. It draws on the international laws of war to inform the statutory authority conferred by Congress. It provides that individuals who supported al Qaeda or the Taliban are detainable only if the support was substantial. And it does not employ the phrase "enemy combatant."    » read more »

March 4, 2009 -- (The Hague) - Today's decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese president General Omar al-Bashir is a major step toward combating impunity associated with the horrific crimes in Darfur, said a coalition of 46 organizations from the Justice for Darfur campaign. President al-Bashir is wanted by the court for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Justice for Darfur called on the international community to press Sudanese authorities to comply with their obligations to execute the warrant. The government of Sudan has failed to bring to justice any of those responsible for crimes under international law in Darfur, and has so far refused to cooperate with the ICC and to surrender any of the suspects.    » read more »

March 2, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - Blacks have been arrested nationwide on drug charges at higher rates than whites for nearly three decades, even though they engage in drug offenses at comparable rates, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Using data obtained from the FBI, the report reveals the extent and persistence of racial disparities in US drug-law enforcement. The data also show that most drug arrests are for nothing more serious than possession.    » read more »

Obama Should Reverse US Stance as Landmark Treaty Marks 10th Anniversary

February 27, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - The United States should reconsider its stance and join the treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, Human Rights Watch said today. Sunday, March 1 will mark 10 years since the treaty became binding international law.

"In the decade since the Mine Ban Treaty took effect, the weapon has become so stigmatized that it is almost inconceivable that the United States would ever use it again," said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch. "The US should stop being the odd man out and join its allies in banning antipersonnel mines."    » read more »

February 19, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - President Barack Obama should appoint a nonpartisan commission to investigate and examine detention, treatment, and transfer of detainees following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Human Rights Watch and 17 other leading rights organizations said today.

The statement was also endorsed by several prominent religious, political, and military officials, including former FBI Director William Sessions, former UN Ambassador Thomas Pickering, and Maj.-Gen. Antonio Taguba, who investigated detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib.    » read more »

February 17, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) – Four leading nongovernmental organizations issued a statement on February 16, 2009 applauding the decision by the US Department of State to send a negotiating team to Geneva to participate in the Durban Review Conference, Human Rights Watch said today. The statement was signed by Timothy E. Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation; Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch; William H. Luers, president of the United Nations Association of the USA; Karin Ryan, director, Human Rights Program of The Carter Center; and Mort Halperin, former director of policy planning, US Department of State.    » read more »