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Letter To President Felipe Calderón I am writing to express my profound concern regarding credible reports that your administration has asked Ms. Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), to dismiss Mr. Amerigo Incalcaterra as her representative in Mexico. May 7, 2008 Letter Also available in 
Printer friendly version Universal Periodic Review of Guatemala Human Rights Watch's Submission to the Human Rights Council The country continues to face high levels of violence associated with both electoral politics and common crime. Guatemala’s weak and corrupt law enforcement institutions have proven incapable of containing the powerful organized crime groups that, among other things, are believed responsible for continuing attacks on human rights defenders. May 5, 2008 Written Statement Printer friendly version Universal Periodic Review of Peru Human Rights Watch's Submission to the Human Rights Council Justice for past abuses is a leading human rights concern in Peru. While authorities have made some progress in holding accountable those responsible for some abuses committed during its 20-year armed conflict (1980-2000), most perpetrators continue to evade justice. Investigations of massacres and “disappearances” by government forces have been held up in part by lack of military cooperation. Other human rights concerns in Peru include torture and ill-treatment of criminal suspects , violence against journalists in some parts of the country, and government efforts to regulate nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). May 5, 2008 Written Statement Printer friendly version Colombia Trade Accord Published in The New York Times It is not yet time for Congress to ratify the United States-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. April 24, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Costa Rica: Turn Mario Uribe Over to Colombia President’s Cousin Allegedly Tied to Death Squads The Costa Rican government should turn former Colombian Senator Mario Uribe over to Colombia for prosecution for his alleged involvement with paramilitary death squads, Human Rights Watch said today. Uribe is a cousin of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and has been one of the president’s closest political allies for many years. April 22, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Colombia: Court Extends Benefits to Same-Sex Couples Same-Sex Partnerships Entitled to Health and Pension Benefits The ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court on April 17 to extend pension benefits to same-sex partners sets an example for other countries in achieving equality for all, Human Rights Watch said today. April 18, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version UN: Mixed Results for New Review Process States Avoid Serious Discussion of Rights in Algeria, Tunisia The first session of the new country review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council was undermined by inconsistencies and the timidity of some governments in reviewing others, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 18, 2008 the council concluded a two-week session in which it examined the records of 16 countries as part of the new Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. April 18, 2008 Press Release Also available in 
Printer friendly version Mexico: Rights Commission Distorts HRW Report Officials Should Address Deficiencies, Not Defend Them Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission undermines its own credibility by distorting the findings of a Human Rights Watch report, Human Rights Watch said today. The commission’s claim that it found “48 errors” in the report does not withstand scrutiny and it is a blatant tactic to sidestep the critical issues of its effectiveness. April 17, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Reply to Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica We write on behalf of Human Rights Watch to thank you for your response to our letter of February 27, 2008, expressing our concern regarding a violent homophobic attack on a group of men in Mandeville in January 2008 and the disappearance of one of the victims of the attack. April 17, 2008 Letter Printer friendly version Free trade and human rights Letter to the Editor Published in The Globe and Mail Jeffrey Simpson blames protectionism for opposition to U.S. and Canadian free trade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia. This ignores the real reason that groups concerned with workers' rights oppose the Colombian FTAs at this time: widespread anti-union violence, impunity, and the influence of paramilitary death squads. April 17, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Coercion and Intimidation of Child Soldiers to Participate in Violence Child soldiers are often compelled by their commanders to engage in combat operations, participate in human rights abuses against civilians, and carry out punishments against fellow soldiers under threat of severe punishment or execution. In this backgrounder, Human Rights Watch describes methods of coercion and intimidation used against child soldiers serving in armed conflicts in Angola, Burma, Colombia, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. April 16, 2008 Background Briefing Workers’ Rights—a Good Reason to Delay the Colombia Trade Deal Published in The Hill's Congress Blog Congress is right to delay consideration of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). What’s at stake here is a fundamental principle: that free trade should be premised on respect for human rights, especially the rights of the workers producing the goods to be traded. April 16, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Advocacy group misrepresented By José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director Published in The Boston Globe RE "THE promise of a Colombia trade pact" (Op-ed, April 11): Edward Schumacher-Matos misrepresents the work of Human Rights Watch on killings of trade unionists in Colombia when he says we "imply" that all such murders are because of labor organizing. April 15, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version US: Delay Colombia Trade Vote The US Congress should vote in favor of the proposal by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay consideration of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Human Rights Watch said today. April 10, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Don't Dismiss the Killings in Colombia Letter to the Editor of The Washington Post By Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director Published in The Washington Post If death squads with ties to the U.S. government were targeting Post reporters for assassination, I doubt that The Post would dismiss the problem by arguing that the murder rate for journalists was less than the rate for the District as a whole. Yet that is exactly what The Post did in dismissing the killings of trade union activists by paramilitaries in Colombia on the basis that trade unionists are still less likely to be killed than the average citizen ["The Sin of Speaking Truth," editorial, April 8]. Congress is right to delay approval of a free-trade agreement with Colombia until Mr. Uribe takes on the violent right as he did the violent left. April 10, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version Peru: Salazar Conviction Step on Road to Justice The 35-year sentence for grave human rights abuses of the former head of Peru’s intelligence service is an important step for justice, Human Rights Watch said today. April 9, 2008 Press Release Also available in
Printer friendly version Congress Should Stand Firm on Colombia By Maria McFarland, senior researcher on Colombia Published in The Huffington Post In the remote Nariño region of southwestern Colombia, one mother amongst many mourned her loss. "The paramilitaries said my son was a guerrilla," she told me last month. "They tortured him, tied him up ... and then shot him three times in the head in front of everybody." April 9, 2008 Commentary Printer friendly version US: Reject Colombia Free Trade Deal Bogota Fails to Tackle Anti-Union Violence and Impunity The US Congress should vote against the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) because of Colombia’s continuing failure to effectively address anti-union violence and impunity, Human Rights Watch said today. April 7, 2008 Press Release Printer friendly version Universal Periodic Review of Brazil Human Rights Watch's Submission to the Human Rights Council Police violence continues to be one of the country’s most intractable human rights problems. Faced with high levels of violent crime, especially in the country’s urban centers, some police engage in abusive practices rather than pursuing sound policing policies. Prison conditions are abysmal. In rural regions, violence and land conflicts are ongoing, and human rights defenders suffer threats and attacks. And, while the Brazilian government has made efforts to redress human rights abuses, it has rarely held accountable those responsible for the violations. April 7, 2008 Written Statement Printer friendly version Human Rights Council Begins Universal Periodic Review Will Assess India, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom and 12 Others The UN Human Rights Council will begin a new review process on April 7, 2008. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is the most innovative and ambitious instrument of the council and was set up to assess the human rights performance of all 192 UN member states over a four-year cycle. April 6, 2008 Memorandum Printer friendly version |
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