News & Updates

Deaths in custody in Iran highlight prison authorities' disregard for life

20 March 2009

The death in custody of an internet blogger in Iran on Wednesday raised renewed fears that prisoners in the country are being denied medical treatment, possibly as a

Pope's visit to Cameroon raises questions about gay and lesbian rights

19 March 2009

On his first trip to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI is asked reiterate his commitment to ending the criminalization of same-sex sexual relations.

Colombian activists smeared by abuse of legal system

19 March 2009

Colombian authorities have renewed criminal proceedings against two prominent and well-respected Colombian human rights activists.

New Mexico abolishes the death penalty

19 March 2009

The Governor of New Mexico signed into law a bill, abolishing the death penalty in his state, on Wednesday evening.

Demonstrations disrupted in Cuba

19 March 2009

The Cuban authorities took action on Tuesday to suppress peaceful demonstrations marking the 6th anniversary of a crackdown against dissidents.

Hundreds accused of 'witchcraft' persecuted in The Gambia

18 March 2009

Up to 1,000 people have been taken from their villages by “witch doctors”, taken to secret detention centres and forced to drink hallucinogenic concoctio

Six years in prison in Cuba for 57 activists: supporters face ongoing harassment

18 March 2009

Human rights activists marking the 6-year detention of 57 people imprisoned in Cuba for expressing their right to freedom of expression and association are facing on

Students in Iran face repression and arrest

18 March 2009

Students are being detained for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, in what may be an attempt to stifle debate and dissent b

Charges dropped against four Indigenous activists, one remains imprisoned

18 March 2009

Authorities in Mexico have dropped the charges against four Indigenous human rights defenders who have been imprisoned for nearly a year.

Syrian activist jailed for three years

17 March 2009

Syrian writer Habib Saleh has been sentenced to three years in prison for criticizing the country's government in a series of articles published on the internet.