Human Rights Watch

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Rice Set for Historic Meet With Gadhafi

First secretary of state visit to Libya in 55 years

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice will become  first US secretary of state to visit Libya since the Eisenhower administration when she meets Friday with leader Moammar Gadhafi, reports the Voice of America. The meeting demonstrates the radical improvement in relations between the two nations since Gadhafi turned away from terrorism and scrapped Libya's...

Mexico Overhauls Justice System
 Mexico Overhauls
Justice System
Jun 18, 2008 2:30 AM CDT

Mexico Overhauls Justice System

Calderon signs sweeping reforms

(Newser) - Sweeping reforms of Mexico's criminal justice system were signed into law by President Felipe Calderon yesterday. US-style public trials and presumption of innocence will replace Mexico's slow, closed-door system that proceeds almost exclusively through briefs, reports the Washington Post. The reforms also give investigators power to hold suspects 80 days...

China Sends 30 to Prison in Mass Tibet Trials

Trial condemned as 'rubber stamp,' by human rights groups

(Newser) - A Chinese court sentenced 30 people yesterday, including six monks, for taking part in the March protest riots in Tibet, the New York Times reports. The sentences ranged from three years to life in prison. Human Rights Watch watch said the trials were secret and defendants weren’t allowed representation,...

Guardian System Has Saudi Women 'Perpetual Minors'

Doing almost anything requires male consent in kingdom, report finds

(Newser) - Women in Saudi Arabia need to gain a male guardian’s consent to do almost anything, living as “perpetual minors,” the Telegraph reports. Research by Human Rights Watch found that male permission is needed to go to a doctor, travel, and even get dressed. In addition, strict segregation...

Zimbabwe Begins Recount; Opposition Rejects Move

Parliamentary results could be overturned

(Newser) - Zimbabwe began a partial recount today of votes from last month’s parliamentary elections despite objections from the opposition party and fears that the deadlock could turn violent. The recount in 23 of 210 constituencies is expected to last 3 days and could reverse the initial results that handed defeat...

US Military to Finally Release AP Photog

'Suspect' imprisoned two years in Iraq without charges

(Newser) - A Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer detained in Iraq for two years will finally be released tomorrow, the US military has announced. Bilal Hussein, 36, was held on suspicion of having links to insurgents but was never brought to trial, and the military has now determined he's not a threat to...

China Arrests 45 in 'Olympic Terror Plot'

Terrorist plot averted, officials say, but credibility problem persists

(Newser) - China has rooted out two terrorist groups plotting to kidnap Olympic athletes and attack tourist hotels during the games, the Ministry of Public Security announced today. Chinese forces rounded up 45 suspects and seized explosives and “jihadist” literature in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. But China has often cried...

Kenya Gov't Linked to Militia
Kenya Gov't Linked to Militia
Mar 5, 2008 2:15 PM CST

Kenya Gov't Linked to Militia

Officials said to have tried to enlist violent Mungiki during turmoil

(Newser) - Kenya's government might have played a direct role in sanctioning recent ethnic violence. A source tells the BBC that senior officials met with the violent Mungiki militia, with the aim of recruiting the outlawed group as a "defense force" to help protect the ethnic Kikuyu population. In January, Mungiki...

Pakistan Car Bomb Kills 37 Two Days Before Vote

Blast hits election office as fears mount over security, rigged results

(Newser) - A car bomb exploded during a rally by Benazir Bhutto’s political party in Pakistan today, killing 37 people and wounding nearly 100 just two days before crucial elections. The blast happened in front of an election office of the Pakistan People’s Party, which Bhutto led before her assassination...

Spielberg Sparks Storm Over China's Darfur Role

Pressure mounts for pre-Olympics change

(Newser) - Human rights groups praised Hollywood's Steven Spielberg yesterday for stepping down as artistic director of the Beijing Olympics due to China's ongoing support for the Sudanese regime. His move has opened the floodgates to a deluge of criticism over China's involvement in Darfur, giving the Chinese government a taste of...

12,000 Flee Darfur Raids for Chad
12,000 Flee Darfur Raids for Chad
Feb 10, 2008 10:27 AM CST

12,000 Flee Darfur Raids for Chad

Sudanese gov't says attacks on 3 villages aimed at rebels

(Newser) - Government attacks on Darfur villages, ostensibly directed at rebel fighters, have caused a new exodus of at least 12,000 people from western Sudan into Chad, the BBC reports. The government acknowledges bombing three villages Friday, but said it was targeting fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement. Rebel leaders...

US Backs Sham Democracies, Watchdog Says

Western powers allow autocrats to pay lip service to ideals

(Newser) - Human Rights Watch says Western powers accept too many sham democracies out of political convenience, the BBC reports. The group's annual report slams the tendency of the US and EU governments to allow autocrats to claim “the mantle of democracy" without granting authentic political freedom. It also said the...

Burmese Junta Downplays Protest Death Toll: Report

Government 'lying,' rights group says

(Newser) - The quashing of pro-democracy demonstrations in September was significantly bloodier than the Burmese junta claims, says a Human Rights Watch report released today. Although the government acknowledges only 10 deaths during the suppression of the protests, 20 killings have been verified by eyewitnesses in Yangon alone, and the rights group...

Beefed Up Security Will Welcome Sharif

Pakistan bans rallies, rounds up activists day before ex-PM's return

(Newser) - In advance of ousted PM Nawaz Sharif's return tomorrow after a 7-year exile, Pakistan banned political rallies and has arrested thousands of activists, the AP reports. "Nothing can be more pleasing to me than freeing Pakistan from the clutches of military dictatorship," said Sharif, who anticipates being arrested...

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