Washington, DC - The proposal by Porfirio Lobo, winner of Honduras' disputed presidential election on November 29, 2009, for an "amnesty for all" of those involved in the June coup d'état violates the country's international obligations and undermines the rule of law, Human Rights Watch said today. The election was organized by the de facto government, and has been recognized only by the United States and four Latin American countries. The de facto government took over after...

Washington, DC - Raúl Castro's government has locked up scores of people for exercising their fundamental freedoms and allowed scores more political prisoners arrested during Fidel Castro's rule to languish in detention, Human Rights Watch . Rather than dismantle Cuba's repressive machinery, Raúl Castro has kept it firmly in place and fully active, the report says. The 123-page report, "," shows how the Raúl Castro government has relied in particular on the...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez specifically ordered Ortega Díaz and the Supreme Justice Tribunal to “comply with their duty” and called on officialdom to be “agile” in acting against media organizations that were “poisoning” the population. That was what they were there for, Chavez said, and if not “they should resign so that somebody with courage takes over.” CARACAS - Both sides in the clash between the government and...

Reporters Without Borders today voiced anger at the murder of journalist Vladimir Antuna García, found dead last evening after he was abducted on his way to work, pointing the finger of blame at state prosecutors who knew he was getting death threats but failed to protect him. The journalist, who worked as a security specialist on the daily El Tiempo de Durango, was found to have died of “asphyxia from strangulation” but his body also bore bullet wounds to the head and...

Cuban authorities should cease all attacks on human rights defenders, journalists, bloggers and civic activists, Human Rights Watch said today. The international community should condemn attacks on those who peacefully exercise their basic rights to freedom of expression, opinion, and assembly in the strongest terms. On November 6, Cuba’s most prominent blogger, Yoani Sánchez, together with blogger Orlando Luís Pardo Lazo, were abducted by three men. Sánchez and...

The restoration of constitutional order in Honduras should be accompanied by the immediate repeal of repressive decrees issued by the de facto government, and a full investigation of abuses committed in the aftermath of the coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The de facto government of Honduras and the deposed president, Manuel Zelaya, announced today that that they had struck a deal on the evening of October 29, 2009, to restore Zelaya to office. The exact terms of the accord are unknown. ...

Washington, DC - The governments of Venezuela and Colombia should thoroughly and promptly investigate the recent abductions and killings of ten men by an unidentified armed group on the Venezuelan side of the border between the two countries, Human Rights Watch said today. A separate attack on a longtime Colombian human rights defender in the state of Meta should also be fully investigated, Human Rights Watch said. In one episode, armed men kidnapped a group of persons on October 11, 2009,...

Washington, D.C. - The international community should strongly back the efforts of prosecutors in the human rights unit of the Honduras Attorney General’s office to investigate army and police abuses in Honduras and to overturn a decree by the de facto government that severely restricts freedoms of speech and assembly, Human Rights Watch said today. The organization also called on the international community to oppose any amnesty for human rights violations as part of the transition back...

The Colombian government's 41-year war against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) has become increasingly dangerous for children. The group is looking more and more at child soldiers - boys and girls below the age of 18 - as it seeks to recruit new fighters. The Colombian government says there are 9,000 soldiers in that age group in irregular armies, but independent sources say the number is closer to 11,000. Source:

GENEVA - The U.N. top rights body is condemning abuses following the June 28 coup in Honduras. The 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed Thursday a proposal by Latin American countries, including Cuba, calling for an immediate end to all human rights violations. The Geneva-based council, of which the United States is a member, also called for the restoration of the ousted government of President Manuel Zelaya. Honduras' interim leaders suspended some civil liberties...