Profits From Rubies, Jade Finance Repression
A new US law that bars gem dealers and jewelry retailers from importing rubies and jade from Burma is a major step in curtailing the unethical international trade in Burmese gems, Human Rights Watch said today.
Link to HRW

Tags: Burma, USA

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(Hong Kong) The Chinese authorities have broken their promise to improve the country’s human rights situation and betrayed the core values of the Olympics, said Amnesty International in a new report published today, marking the 10 day countdown to the Games.
“By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese [...]

Tags: China

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Olympic Charter
http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_122.pdf
Olympic Fundamental Principle 1
Respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.
Olympic Fundamental Principle 2
Preservation of human dignity
Beijing Promise
“We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China. (…) We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promotes our economy but also enhances all social conditions, including education, health and [...]

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Foreign journalists working from the Olympics press centre in Beijing are unable to access amnesty.org – the Amnesty International website. A number of other websites are also reported to have been blocked.
As Amnesty International prepares to launch a new report evaluating the Chinese authorities’ human rights performance in the run-up to the Olympics, this flies [...]

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Account for ‘Disappeared,’ Investigate Torture and Killings
The Kenyan government should account for dozens of missing people detained during the security operation in Mt. Elgon, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch also called on Kenya to support independent investigations into torture and war crimes committed by security forces, and urged [...]

Tags: Kenya

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Investigate Violence by Pro-Government Groups
Thai authorities should ensure that opposition political rallies are protected from attack by pro-government groups, Human Rights Watch said today.
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Tags: Thailand

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Unequal Media Access Hampers Opposition Parties
As Cambodians head to the polls on July 27, 2008, conditions are not in place for free and fair elections, Human Rights Watch said today. The near-monopoly on broadcast media for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s (CPP), bias within the electoral apparatus, and harassment, intimidation, and coerced defections of opposition [...]

Tags: Cambodia

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EU Meeting in Tashkent Should Condemn Uzbek Backtracking The Uzbek government has banned Human Rights Watch’s representative, in direct defiance of the European Union’s express call for the organization’s Tashkent director to be accredited, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. This is the first time that a Human Rights Watch representative has been banned from Uzbekistan.
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Tags: EU, Uzbekistan

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Groups Gain Consultative Status The decision by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) granting consultative status to two groups that work on sexual orientation and gender identity is a victory in the ongoing struggle for inclusion at the UN, a coalition of six human [...]

Tags: LGBT, UN

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On 10 July 2008, PEN American Center joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other leading international human rights organisations, journalists and attorneys in filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the newly-enacted FISA Amendments Act, a law that grants the Administration the power to [...]

Tags: USA

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