Human Rights

Kyrgyzstan Debates Russian-Style “Foreign Agents” Law
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 06:28
Kyrgyzstan must protect itself from Arab Islamists and gay-loving Americans; so say supporters of a sweeping draft law that could shutter many non-governmental organizations and, like a Russian bill adopted in 2012, label foreign-funded activists as “foreign agents.”
U.S. 'Increasingly Concerned' About Azerbaijan's Rights Record
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 06:26
The United States says it is "increasingly concerned" over Azerbaijan's human rights record. "We are deeply concerned by recent restrictions on civil society activities in Azerbaijan," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on December 1 in Washington.
Aplicando la Ley Leahy a la Asistencia Militar y Policial de los EE.UU.
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 12:56

Los defensores de los derechos humanos y periodistas en América Latina y el Caribe pueden no estar al tanto de un poderoso instrumento para poner alto a la impunidad entre las fuerzas militares y policiales que reciben asistencia de los EE.UU.: la “Ley Leahy”.

Introducida por el Senador estadounidense Patrick Leahy en la década de 1990, la Ley Leahy prohíbe al gobierno de los EE.UU. proporcionar asistencia a cualquier unidad militar o policial extranjera si existe información creíble de que tal unidad ha cometido graves violaciones a los derechos humanos con impunidad1. Si el gobierno extranjero toma “medidas efectivas para llevar ante la justicia a los integrantes de la unidad de las fuerzas de seguridad responsables de las violaciones”, el gobierno de los EE.UU. puede reanudar la asistencia a dicha unidad.

Applying the Leahy Law to U.S. Military and Police Aid
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 12:50

Human rights promoters and journalists may be unaware of a powerful tool to curb impunity among military and police that receive U.S. assistance: the “Leahy Law.”

Introduced by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy in the 1990s, the Leahy Law prohibits the United States from providing assistance to any foreign military or police unit if there is credible information that such unit has committed grave human rights violations with impunity. If the foreign country takes “effective steps to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice,” the U.S. government can resume assistance to that unit.

 

Country Profile: U.S. Security Assistance to Honduras
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 11:58

Over the past decade, Honduras has become one of the most dangerous places in the world. In 2013 the country recorded the highest global murder rate, with 79 homicides per 100,000 residents. Honduras has one of the most unequal income distributions and some of the highest under-employment and dropout rates in Latin America, all contributing factors to the rise of street gangs and the recent surge in emigration to the United States. The violence, concentrated in cities and along its border with Guatemala, can largely be attributed to three factors: the international drug trade, gangs and weak security and justice institutions. 

U.S. Senators Urge Uzbek President To Release Prisoners
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 07:15
A group of U.S. Senators has urged Uzbek President Islam Karimov to release five prisoners whose detention "appears to be politically motivated."
RFE/RL Reporter Briefly Detained, Questioned By Police In Azerbaijan
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 07:14
An RFE/RL correspondent has been briefly detained and questioned by police in Baku, and warned "not to be critical of the government."
Fred Hiatt: The Tyranny You Haven’t Heard Of
Monday, December 1, 2014 - 06:40
You could call it a stealth North Korea: a country in the same league of repression and isolation as the Hermit Kingdom, but with far less attention paid to its crimes. The country is Uzbekistan, one of the Central Asian nations that emerged out of the wreckage of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Number of Colombian Victims of Civil Conflict Surpasses 7 Million: Media Unimpressed
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 06:43
A tragic milestone went virtually unreported in the English-speaking press last week, as Colombia's Victims Unit released its report indicating that the number of victims of Colombia's civil war has now surpassed 7 million.
Lesbians Flee to Senegal as Gambia Cracks Down on Homosexuality
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 06:11
Eight years later, Teresa is on the run from Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's men in black, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), who have put her at the top of a list of 200 homosexuals to arrest and imprison under new anti-gay laws passed by the government in October.

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