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Report
Annual Report: Philippines 2013
Republic of the Philippines Head of state and government Benigno S. Aquino III Human rights defenders and journalists were at risk of unlawful killings, and thousands of cases of grave human rights violations remained unresolved. Victims of human rights violations, including during martial law from 1972 to 1981, continued to be denied justice, truth and reparations. In April, the Philippines acceded to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture, but had not yet established the required mechanism to monitor treatment of detainees. Access to reproductive health care remained restricted; a new Reproductive Health Law was enacted in December.…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Puerto Rico 2013
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Head of state Barack H. Obama Head of government Luis G. Fortuño Parts of a new penal code curtailed the right to protest. A Justice Department investigation into abuses by the Puerto Rico Police Department remained ongoing. Freedom of expression Civil liberties groups criticized a provision in an updated penal code as infringing the right to freedom of expression. The code, which came into force in July, includes a section criminalizing demonstrations that block public buildings and interfere with local government. The measures would outlaw protests such as those that had taken place in recent years…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Serbia 2013
REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, INCLUDING KOSOVO Head of state Tomislav Nikolić (replaced Boris Tadić) Head of government Ivica Dačić (replaced Mirko Cvetković) Prosecutions of Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić began at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (Tribunal). In Belgrade more than 1,000 Roma were forcibly evicted in April. The Belgrade Pride was again banned in October. In Kosovo, impunity continued for crimes under international law perpetrated by the Kosova Liberation Army (KLA). Violence in the north, inter-ethnic attacks and discrimination against minorities continued. Background Following elections in May, a coalition government headed by the Serbian Progressive Party and…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Sierra Leone 2013
Republic of Sierra Leone Head of state and government Ernest Bai Koroma The former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, was convicted and sentenced for crimes committed in Sierra Leone during the 11-year armed conflict. The country held its third elections since the end of the conflict, which international observers declared were orderly and transparent. The police used unlawful force against unarmed citizens. The government moved closer to abolition of the death penalty. Agreements between the government and corporations were not transparent and communities affected by corporate activity were not properly consulted about the potential impacts. Background In April, the Special…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Singapore 2013
Republic of Singapore Head of state Tony Tan Keng Yam Head of government Lee Hsien Loong Singapore took steps to roll back the mandatory death penalty, but the media remained tightly controlled and dissidents continued to face political repression. Laws on arbitrary detention and judicial caning remained. Death penalty The government stated in July that it would review laws on the mandatory death penalty for murder and drug trafficking. In October, the government proposed amendments which would allow for discretionary sentencing in some drug trafficking cases, including where the suspect acted only as a courier or co-operated substantively with the…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Somalia 2013
Somali Republic Head of state Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (replaced Sharif Sheikh Ahmed) Head of government Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid (replaced Abdiweli Mohamed Ali) Head of Somaliland Republic Ahmed Mohamed Mahamoud Armed conflict continued between pro-government forces, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Islamist armed group al-Shabab, in southern and central Somalia. Pro-government forces took control of a number of key towns from al-Shabab, including the port of Kismayo. Political transition ended the mandate of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). A new parliament was selected in August, a new president was appointed in September and a new prime…
May 23, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Sri Lanka 2013
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Head of state and government Mahinda Rajapaksa Unlawful detentions, torture and enforced disappearances remained rife and went unpunished. Government officials and supporters harassed and threatened human rights defenders, journalists and members of the judiciary who spoke out about abuses of power or advocated human rights accountability. More than three years after the armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended, impunity persisted for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The government failed to implement recommendations aimed at accountability made by Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and…
May 23, 2013
Report
State of the World 2013
The Amnesty International Report 2013 documents the state of human rights during 2012. The Essay and the country-by-country survey of 159 individual countries and territories set out a global overview of human rights violations and abuses inflicted by those in power on those who stand in the way of their vested interests.
May 22, 2013
Update
Success without Victory: Taking the Long View on Justice in Guatemala
It is very discouraging to see powerful forces in Guatemala granting Rios Montt yet another chance to escape justice. There is, however, reason to hope.
May 22, 2013
Update
5 Points President Obama Should Make in Thursday’s National Security Speech
This Thursday at 1:30p.m. eastern, President Obama will deliver a widely anticipated speech at National Defense University that is expected to address closing Guantanamo, drones and US counterterrorism policy. If President Obama is serious about ending human rights violations by the US government in the name national security, he should use the speech to announce, among other points, that: 1) Forced feeding will stop and the transfer of detainees cleared to leave will resume. There are dozens cleared by the administration to leave the detention facility. Even under current Congressional conditions on transfers, these men can and must be transferred…
May 22, 2013
Update
Did Myanmar President Thein Sein Deserve the Warm Welcome?
The warm White House reception, combined with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call for the suspension of sanctions on imports from Myanmar, gave President Thein Sein a big boost. Did he deserve it?
May 22, 2013
Report
Annual Report: Libya 2013
Libya Head of state Mohammed Magarief (replaced Mustafa Abdul al-Jalil) Head of government Ali Zeidan (replaced Abdurrahim El-Keib) Armed militias continued to commit serious human rights abuses with impunity, including arbitrary arrests, arbitrary detention, torture and unlawful killings. Thousands of people suspected of formerly supporting or fighting for Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi's government, overthrown in 2011, remained detained without charge or trial and with no means of remedy. Most were beaten or otherwise ill-treated in custody; tens died after torture. Tens of thousands of people who were forced to leave their homes in areas perceived to have supported Mu'ammar al-Gaddafi in 2011…
May 21, 2013