Judge Orders Release of 5 Held 7 Years Without Charge in Bosnia Case
The Bush administration should immediately arrange for the return to Bosnia of five detainees ordered freed by a US federal court, Human Rights Watch said today. The court today found that the government did not have evidence to justify detaining the five men, [...]

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President-elect Obama’s statement in a CBS interview yesterday that he will follow through on his commitment to close the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay is an important step in the right direction, Amnesty International said today.
“Amnesty International welcomes the president-elect’s confirmation that he intends to close Guantánamo and ensure that the USA does not use [...]

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Upon taking office, President-elect Barack Obama should decisively repudiate the abusive counterterrorism practices of the past seven years and adopt fair and effective policy reforms, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today.
The Human Rights Watch paper, “Fighting Terrorism Fairly and Effectively: Recommendations for President-elect Barack Obama,” outlines 11 steps that Obama should [...]

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Amnesty International today urged US President-elect Barack Obama to show true leadership by making human rights central to his new administration. The organization is calling on the new government to take concrete steps in its first 100 days which would show genuine commitment to bring the USA into line with its international obligations.
In the first [...]

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Decision in Trial of Ex-Liberian President’s Son Significant for Justice
Today’s verdict in the US trial of Charles “Chuckie” Taylor, Jr. for torture committed in Liberia is a significant step to ensure that victims see justice and that perpetrators do not expect sanctuary in the United States, Human Rights Watch said. The jury in the trial, [...]

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To Avoid Torture Risk, Include Provision to Challenge Transfer
The United States should not transfer detainees in US military custody to Iraqi custody under a US-Iraqi security agreement if they face the risk of torture, Human Rights Watch said today.
The US government currently holds about 17,000 detainees, most of them Iraqis, citing UN Security Council resolutions [...]

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Labor provisions in US free trade accords are weak and are not effectively enforced, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Major reforms are needed.
The 36-page report, “A Way Forward for Workers’ Rights in US Free Trade Accords,” provides a roadmap for a new US administration to strengthen the requirements for workers’ [...]

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Audit Shows LAPD Rape-Kit Backlog Grows Despite Million in Funding
The Los Angeles Police Department should make it a priority to reduce its huge backlog in testing evidence in rape cases, Human Rights Watch said today after release of an audit that shows the number of untested rape kits continues to grow despite nearly [...]

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Halt Execution of Man Whose Guilt Is in Doubt
Georgia should commute the death sentence of Troy Anthony Davis, who is scheduled to be executed on October 27, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Davis was convicted of the 1989 murder of [...]

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A U.S. judge yesterday ordered the United States to release immediately 17 ethnic Uyghurs from China who have been held at Guantanamo Bay for almost seven years, in a move immediately welcomed by the Uyghur exile groups.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina ruled that the Uyghurs, Muslims from China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, must be freed [...]

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