Archiv: Human Rights Watch (organization)


17.12.2024 - 22:49 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Syria: Mass Grave in Damascus Should be Protected, Investigated

Residents in Tadamon said that executions in the area were common. In interviews in 2022, they described at least 10 other incidents of summary killings between August 2012 and January 2014 in Tadamon, Daraya, Moadamiya, and surrounding areas. This evidence suggests that other bodies were buried in and around the area. The area was also the site of armed clashes between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) at numerous points between 2012 and 2013.

Human Rights Watch began investigating the massacre in October 2021, after receiving a leaked video discovered by a member of a Syrian militia on a laptop and handed to Annsar Shahhoud and Uğur Ümit Üngör, researchers at the University of Amsterdam and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam, and ARD, a German Public Broadcaster.

“This video, filmed by the perpetrators themselves who laughed as they killed their victims, shows the Syrian government’s callous disregard for people’s lives,” Zayadin said. “This massacre is just one horrific incident in a pattern of state violence and apparent war crimes.”

14.11.2024 - 19:55 [ Human Rights Watch ]

“Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged”: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza

To All Governments

– Publicly condemn Israel’s forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza as a war crime and crime against humanity, as well as other violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law by Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies and investigative mechanisms.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to stop violating international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, to fully comply with its obligations and the binding orders and advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, and to ensure the entry and safe distribution throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services. Consider, in that regard, the review and possible suspension of bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, as proposed by the governments of Spain and Ireland, and the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

– Suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel so long as its forces commit violations of international humanitarian law with impunity.

– Enforce domestic legislation limiting the transfer of arms and military assistance for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

– Publicly support the International Criminal Court, uphold the court’s independence, and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Urge the Government of Israel to grant access to independent, international monitors, including from the UN Special Procedures.

– Impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against Israeli officials credibly implicated in ongoing serious violations, for the purpose of ending these violations.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law, and support reparations for all victims of gross human rights abuses.

– Support the creation of a register of damages, caused by unlawful Israeli action to persons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, for the purposes of calculating reparations.

(…)

To the Prosecutor of the International Crimin19al Court

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ forced displacement and prevention of the right to return as a crime against humanity.

14.11.2024 - 19:50 [ France24.com ]

Israel is committing ‘ethnic cleansing’ amid mass forced displacements in Gaza, HRW report says

Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including pursuing a deliberate policy of forcibly displacing people and denying them the right to return home, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday. The report also labelled the likely permanent dispossession of Gazans in areas cleared by Israel to serve as buffer zones and security corridors as “ethnic cleansing”.

24.10.2024 - 08:25 [ Human Rights Watch ]

North Gaza: Between Death and Displacement

(October 18, 2024)

As it escalates its attacks on north Gaza, the Israeli army has ordered the entire civilian population to evacuate – and cut off food aid to all who remain.

19.09.2024 - 22:32 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Lebanon: Exploding Pagers Harmed Hezbollah, Civilians

(September 18, 2024)

“Customary international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby traps – objects that civilians are likely to be attracted to or are associated with normal civilian daily use – precisely to avoid putting civilians at grave risk and produce the devastating scenes that continue to unfold across Lebanon today. The use of an explosive device whose exact location could not be reliably known would be unlawfully indiscriminate, using a means of attack that could not be directed at a specific military target and as a result would strike military targets and civilians without distinction. A prompt and impartial investigation into the attacks should be urgently conducted.”

06.04.2024 - 19:10 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Gaza: Israeli Strike Killing 106 Civilians an Apparent War Crime

– Israeli forces unlawfully attacked a residential building in Gaza on October 31, 2023, absent any apparent military target, killing at least 106 civilians, including 54 children.
– Scores of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since October 7 have caused thousands of civilian casualties, underscoring the greater risk of unlawful attacks from explosive weapons in populated areas.
– Governments should suspend arms transfers to Israel, support the International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine, and impose targeted sanctions on officials responsible for laws-of-war violations.

06.04.2024 - 18:55 [ Al Jazeera ]

Israel strike that killed 106 people in Gaza ‘apparent war crime’: Probe

(04.04.2024)

The inquiry was based on testimonies from 16 people the group spoke to between January and March, satellite images, dozens of photographs and videos from the site, as well as those shared on social media, the international rights group said on Thursday as it released the findings of its investigation.

It called on governments to suspend weapons transfers to Israel and support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) investigation in Palestine, saying the attack was among the “deadliest single incidents for civilians” since Israel’s war on Gaza started in October.

20.12.2023 - 16:44 [ Human RIghts Watch ]

Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza

International humanitarian law, or the laws of war, prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court provides that intentionally starving civilians by “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies” is a war crime. Criminal intent does not require the attacker’s admission but can also be inferred from the totality of the circumstances of the military campaign.

In addition, Israel’s continuing blockade of Gaza, as well as its more than 16-year closure, amounts to collective punishment of the civilian population, a war crime. As the occupying power in Gaza under the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel has the duty to ensure that the civilian population gets food and medical supplies.

20.12.2023 - 16:38 [ New York Times ]

Human Rights Watch says Israel is using starvation as a weapon in Gaza.

The group said Israel’s actions could constitute a war crime.

It cited statements by senior Israeli leaders to support its claim that depriving Gazans of necessities was a policy implemented by the country’s armed forces.

20.12.2023 - 16:31 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Human Rights Watch: Israel Starving Gaza Civilians as a Method of Warfare

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday accused Israel of intentionally starving the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, citing comments from high-ranking officials and interviews with displaced Palestinian people. According HRW using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, goes against international humanitarian law and constitutes collective punishment. The group charged that as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is responsible for the population getting food and medical supplies.

14.11.2023 - 18:51 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Gaza: Unlawful Israeli Hospital Strikes Worsen Health Crisis

– The Israeli military’s repeated, apparently unlawful attacks on medical facilities, personnel, and transport are further destroying Gaza’s healthcare system and should be investigated as war crimes.

– Concerns about disproportionate attacks are magnified for hospitals. Even the threat of an attack or minor damage can have massive life-or-death implications for patients and caregivers.

– The Israeli government should end attacks on hospitals. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the ICC should investigate.

02.09.2023 - 20:31 [ New York Times ]

U.S. Knew About Migrant Killings by Saudi Forces Earlier Than Previously Disclosed

(Sept. 1, 2023)

The State Department said U.S. diplomats in Saudi Arabia had first heard reports of a dramatic increase in lethal violence against migrants and asylum seekers by that nation’s border forces in the summer of last year and had immediately asked officials at “high levels” of the Saudi government to investigate.

The department made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday night to The New York Times in response to questions posed early this week about the U.S. government’s knowledge of the reported violence and its working relationship with Saudi Arabia’s border forces.

02.09.2023 - 20:18 [ Human Rights Watch ]

„They Fired on Us Like Rain“: Saudi Arabian Mass Killings of Ethiopian Migrants at the Yemen-Saudi Border

(21.08.2023)

Saudi border guards have killed at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023. Human Rights Watch research indicates that, at time of writing, the killings are continuing. Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons and shot people at close range, including women and children, in a pattern that is widespread and systematic. If committed as part of a Saudi government policy to murder migrants, these killings would be a crime against humanity. In some instances, Saudi border guards first asked survivors in which limb of their body they preferred to be shot, before shooting them at close range. Saudi border guards also fired explosive weapons at migrants who had just been released from temporary Saudi detention and were attempting to flee back to Yemen.

02.09.2023 - 20:15 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. presses Saudi Arabia on reported migrant massacres

(Updated August 31, 2023 at 6:22 p.m.)

The United States has voiced public concern about the reports of violence against civilians, which circulated among diplomats and U.N. officials for more than a year before being thrust into wider public view, and called for a Saudi investigation.

U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic conversations, say they are also pushing the Saudis to identify the units who, according to eyewitnesses and victims, used mortars, small-arms fire and close-range executions to kill hundreds or possibly thousands of people, many of them women and children.

21.08.2023 - 17:40 [ Human Rights Watch ]

„They Fired on Us Like Rain“: Saudi Arabian Mass Killings of Ethiopian Migrants at the Yemen-Saudi Border

Saudi border guards have killed at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers who tried to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023. Human Rights Watch research indicates that, at time of writing, the killings are continuing. Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons and shot people at close range, including women and children, in a pattern that is widespread and systematic. If committed as part of a Saudi government policy to murder migrants, these killings would be a crime against humanity. In some instances, Saudi border guards first asked survivors in which limb of their body they preferred to be shot, before shooting them at close range. Saudi border guards also fired explosive weapons at migrants who had just been released from temporary Saudi detention and were attempting to flee back to Yemen.

21.08.2023 - 17:40 [ BBC ]

Hundreds of migrants killed by Saudi border guards – report

Migrants have told the BBC they had limbs severed by gunfire and saw bodies left on the trails.

Saudi Arabia has previously rejected allegations of systematic killings.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, titled They Fired On Us Like Rain, contains graphic testimony from migrants who say they were shot at and sometimes targeted with explosive weapons by Saudi police and soldiers on Yemen‘s rugged northern border with Saudi Arabia.

07.07.2023 - 12:31 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US Will Provide Ukraine Cluster Bombs as Part of New Weapons Package

The Associated Press reported Thursday that the Biden administration has decided to arm Ukraine with cluster bombs and will announce the munitions as part of a new $800 million arms package. The news comes after Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report that said Ukraine has killed its own citizens using the munitions.

01.06.2023 - 14:36 [ Human Rights Watch ]

China’s Techno-Authoritarianism Has Gone Global

(April 8, 2021)

To much of the rest of the world, however, this competition is little more than evil versus evil. The U.S. government has also practiced mass surveillance; big U.S. technology companies have adopted a surveillance-based business model, exploiting people’s data in the name of free service; and the Five Eyes, an intelligence coalition comprised of the United States and Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, has sought to undermine encryption by pressuring companies to give governments backdoor access to all digital communications. In this dismal global race to the digital bottom, the biggest losers are ordinary technology users all over the world.

08.05.2023 - 15:49 [ Human Rights Watch ]

Burkina Faso: Army Linked to Massacre of 156 Civilians

African Union, United Nations Should Press for Credible, Independent Inquiry

24.05.2021 - 06:23 [ i24news.tv ]

French FM warns Israel of ‚risk of apartheid‘

The official‘s rhetoric echoes recent reports by the Israeli B‘Tselem rights group, as well as by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization, both of which accused Israel of subjecting Palestinians to a multi-tiered regime of discrimination not unlike the racist system of governance that held sway in South Africa between 1948 and 1991.

26.11.2019 - 10:44 [ Mint Press ]

How Human Rights Watch Whitewashed a Right-Wing Massacre in Bolivia

(20.11.2019)

While some may be surprised by its response to the Bolivia crisis, Human Rights Watch’s support for a U.S.-backed right-wing coup is no aberration.

01.11.2019 - 13:14 [ Junge Welt ]

Krieg in Afghanistan: Krieg gegen Zivilisten

Obwohl die Einheiten nominell dem afghanischen Geheimdienst NDS angehören, sitzt ihr direkter Befehlshaber in Washington. Ihre Mitglieder wurden laut Bericht größtenteils von der CIA angeworben, geschult, ausgerüstet und beaufsichtigt. Zudem gingen die Einsätze oftmals mit Luftangriffen einher, die von den USA selbst durchgeführt wurden.

31.10.2019 - 17:28 [ Human Rights Watch ]

“They’ve Shot Many Like This”: Abusive Night Raids by CIA-Backed Afghan Strike Forces

Afghan paramilitaryforces nominally belong to the Afghan National Directorate of Security(NDS), the country’s primary intelligence agency. However, these forces do not fall under the ordinary chain of command within the NDS, nor under normal Afghan or US military chains of command.They largely have beenrecruited, trained, equipped,and overseen by the CIA. They often have US special forces personnel deployed alongside them during kill-or-capture operations; these US forces, primarily Army Rangers,have been seconded to the CIA.Afghanparamilitary strike forces generally carry out operations with USlogistical support andare dependent on US intelligence and surveillance for targeting.

31.10.2019 - 17:26 [ BBC ]

CIA-backed Afghan troops ‚committed war crimes‘: report

Forces conducted night raids, in which they dragged people out of their homes without prior warning. Among the allegations are claims they targeted medical staff who treated militants in contested or Taliban-controlled areas, and summarily executed or „forcibly disappeared“ people in custody.

Moreover, the troops „seem to have unlawfully targeted civilians because of mistaken identity, poor intelligence, or political rivalries in the locality“.

27.04.2019 - 11:53 [ sbs.com.au ]

Sri Lanka must have foreign judges in war crime investigation: HRW

(17. Februar 2017)

Sri Lanka must employ international judges and prosecutors to ensure accountability during trials of those responsible for alleged war crimes against mostly Tamils, Human Rights Watch Australia‘s director Elaine Pearson told SBS News.

Ms Pearson‘s call, which echoes a recommendation in a 2015 UN Human Rights Council report of the OHCHR investigation of Sri Lanka, comes as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesingh this week visited Canberra.

24.07.2018 - 21:19 [ Portal amerika21.de ]

Uruguay verwahrt sich gegen Vorhaltungen von Human Rights Watch

Der in einem ungewöhnlich anmaßendem Ton gehaltene offene Brief von HRW an die Regierung des Sozialdemokraten Tábare Vázquez beklagt, dass Uruguay, das „in der Vergangenheit ein Verbündeter beim Schutz und der Förderung der Menschenrechte bei den Vereinten Nationen war“, sich der Initiative noch nicht angeschlossen habe. Vivanco rät, „Uruguay sollte nicht zu der schrumpfenden Gruppe von Staaten gehören, die immer noch bereit sind, das Maduro-Regime blind zu verteidigen.“