I was interested, in view of the recent criticism of Human Rights Watch arising from Robert Bernstein's op ed piece in the New York Times, Rights Watchdog, Lost in the Mideast, alleging that the organization pays inordinate attention to Israeli abuses, to read a report in the Financial Times about HRW's investigation of China's "disappearing" Uighur activists from Urumqi: Rights group reports 43 'disappeared' Uighurs:
China has refused to disclose the whereabouts of dozens of Uighur men who "disappeared" after July riots in the western Chinese city of Urumqi, according to Human Rights Watch , with the fate of hundreds more unaccounted for.
In a report today, the human rights group identified 43 missing Uighurs detained after the riots and said many more members of the Muslim ethnic minority might have been taken away by the authorities.
"The cases we documented are likely just the tip of the iceberg," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
I read this in the Financial Times the other day. Then, today, looking for news on the latest developments in connection with the coup in Honduras, I saw this, dated Oct. 16: Honduras: Stop Blocking Human Rights Inquiries:
WASHINGTON - October 16 - 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 to democratic rule. Deposed President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government of Honduras are now engaged in negotiations about such a transition, and have announced that an agreement may be imminent.
Then, there's this, dated today: Bloomberg: Human Rights Watch Accuses Kenya of Recruiting Somali Refugees:
Human Rights Watch accused Kenya of backing the recruitment of Somali refugees at United Nations camps in northeastern Kenya to fight for the Somali army against militant Islamist insurgents.
Kenyan government-supported recruiters have convinced hundreds of Somali men at the UN-run Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya and nearby towns to join, the New York-based group said in an e-mailed statement today. The claim by HRW follows a threat by Somalia’s al-Shabaab insurgents on Oct. 12 to attack targets in Kenya unless the country stops recruiting Somalis.
And this: EU human rights report could cost Sri Lanka $100 million:
On Monday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said a new commitment from the government [of Sri Lanka] to return 100,000 of the original 273,000 displaced people stuck in camps "breaks a promise to camp residents and the international community."
UPDATE: About those negotiations in Honduras, they have now fallen through: Honduras Crisis Back to Square One as Talks Fail.