Monday, October 15, 2018
Ezekiel Mutua, the head of Kenya’s Film Classification Board, didn’t want Kenyans to see Wanuri Kahiu’s internationally acclaimed film Rafiki. After watching the film, I can see why. Mutua’s venomous attitude toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is no secret. Since becoming head of the film board in 2015, he has waged war against a series of artistic endeavors and events related to LGBT issues. Using the soapbox provided to him as Kenya’s film censor-in-chief, he has asserted vast powers, even attempting to ban a podcast and a speed-dating event. In 2016 he gained notoriety by writing…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
October 9, 2018 Rodney Jose Inspector General Malawi Police Service Dear Inspector General: We, the undersigned local, regional, and international organizations, write to urge the Malawi Police Service to urgently and thoroughly investigate attacks and threats against human rights defenders and an opposition legislator that have occurred in recent months. The attacks include an incident reported to the police in Lilongwe, where, on the night of August 30, five unidentified individuals invaded the Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) offices and severely beat up a security…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Expand People protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, in Times Square, in New York City, New York, U.S., July 26, 2017. © 2017 Reuters On Oct. 26, just over 20 years after he was killed in a homophobic attack, Matthew Shepard will be interred at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Shepard’s murder was not just tragic, but horrific. After leaving a bar with two men, he was kidnapped, robbed, brutally beaten and tied to a fence, where he was left overnight…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
(Beirut, October 15, 2018) – The Syrian government is unlawfully preventing displaced residents from former anti-government-held areas from returning to their properties, Human Rights Watch said today. Residents of one town, Qaboun, said the government is also demolishing their properties with no warning, and without providing alternative housing or compensation. Human Rights Watch analyzed satellite imagery over Qaboun neighborhoods showing large-scale demolitions starting in late May 2017, after fighting there ended. The imagery confirms the demolitions are still taking place.
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Monday, October 15, 2018
This submission summarizes Human Rights Watch’s concerns regarding the government of Tajikistan’s compliance with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Human Rights Watch believes the upcoming review by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“the Committee”) provides a crucial opportunity to highlight the Tajik government’s record on domestic violence and to formulate recommendations for specific steps the authorities should take to address urgent concerns in this area. This submission…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Washington, D.C., October 15, 2018 Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relation Raymond Knops, State Secretary Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Kingdom of the Netherlands Quincy Girigorie, Minister of Justice of Curaçao Dear Ministers, I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch to share with you the findings of our most recent report on Venezuelan emigration to the Americas and the Caribbean – including to the Dutch constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao, which form part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands – and to…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Expand Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, speaks in an interview in Tokyo, Japan on Monday August. 20, 2018. © 2018 Keith Bedford/Bloomberg via Getty Images Last week Tokyo’s municipal government passed a bill that prohibits discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. In doing so, the city not only demonstrated its commitment to equal rights for all, but also to making the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games a springboard for human rights in Japan and beyond. The new law states that the city government, citizens, and enterprises “may not unduly discriminate on…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Expand Colombian police officers stand in front of people queueing to try to cross into Colombia from Venezuela through the Simon Bolivar international bridge in Cucuta, Colombia. January 24, 2018. © 2018 Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters The devastating crisis in Venezuela has triggered the largest migration flow of its kind in recent Latin American history. But not all those who flee seeking safety in the Americas will get a fair hearing. For example, Venezuelans who fled to Curaçao, a constituent country of The Netherlands located in the Caribbean, have reportedly suffered serious abuses.…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
Washington, D.C., October 15, 2018 Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relation Raymond Knops, State Secretary Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Kingdom of the Netherlands Quincy Girigorie, Minister of Justice of Curaçao Dear Ministers, I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch to share with you the findings of our most recent report on Venezuelan emigration to the Americas and the Caribbean – including to the Dutch constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao, which form part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands – and to…
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Monday, October 15, 2018
The Department of Health and Human Services released proposed regulations Monday that would require companies selling drugs covered by Medicare or Medicaid that cost more than $35 to disclose prices in their television ads. HHS Secretary Alex Azar framed the move as a way to reduce prices and protect consumers. "Patients deserve to know what a given drug could cost when they're being told about the benefits and risks it may have," Azar said in a speech to the National...
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