Cluster Bomb Ban in Effect | Crackdown in Rwanda

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here. august 5, 2010 Follow us on           Cluster Munions Ban In Effect Human Rights Watch Helped Lead Effort to Discredit the Weapons On August 1, the international treaty banning the use of cluster munitions went into effect. Human Rights Watch, together with our partner organizations, spent years collecting evidence about the disproportionate harm these weapons inflict on civilians and pressing policy makers to outlaw them. Cluster munitions open up in the air, scattering hundreds of small submunitions indiscriminately over a football-field-size area. The bomblets frequently fail to explode on impact, leaving duds on the ground that can kill and maim civilians months and even years later, much like landmines.   So far, 108 governments have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and 38 of them have ratified it. The United States has not yet signed, but it plans to ban all but a tiny fraction of its existing arsenal in 2018. The convention bans the use, manufacture, and trade of cluster munitions. It sets deadlines for destroying cluster munition stockpiles and clearing contaminated land. It also calls for aid for the weapon's victims. Human Rights Watch provided the earliest and most thorough record of damage caused by cluster munitions, including studies in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Georgia. We co-founded the international Cluster Munition Coalition, which has acted as the driving force behind the treaty. Take Action: Pressure the United States to sign the treaty » Read more » Photo: © 2008 Mary Wareham/ Human Rights Watch Crackdown on Freedoms in Rwanda Journalists, Members of Opposition Parties Targeted Before Elections Rwanda's presidential elections will take place on Monday in an atmosphere of increasing political repression coupled with a crackdown on freedom of speech. In recent months, Human Rights Watch has documented a pattern of intimidation and harassment against opposition parties, journalists, and other critics. The abuses range from killings and arrests to bureaucratic hurdles preventing certain political parties from registering. Three candidates are running for president against the incumbent, Paul Kagame, but none are believed to pose a serious challenge —their political parties have broadly supported Kagame's ruling party. However, the three parties that openly criticized the ruling party's policies have been prevented from standing for election. The leader of the PS-Imberakuri party has been imprisoned, the leader of FDU-Inkingi was arrested and released on bail, and the vice president of the Democratic Green Party was killed in July. Members of these parties have been harassed and threatened.  Most independent journalists have been silenced, and the two main independent newspapers have been suspended. Jean-Léonard Rugambage, who reported for a newspaper critical of the government, was shot dead outside his home in late June. Human Rights Watch's researcher was forced to leave Rwanda in April after authorities cancelled her visa. Read the timeline of recent repression in Rwanda » Photo: © 2010 Reuters Most Popular Headlines Israel: Halt Demolitions of Bedouin Homes in Negev   Tearing down an entire village and leaving its inhabitants homeless without exhausting all other options for settling longstanding land claims is outrageous. The attack on these Israeli citizens' property shows that Israel's discriminatory policies toward Palestinian Arab Bedouin have not changed. Vietnam: Writers Honored for Commitment to Free Speech  Vietnamese writers are frequently harassed, or even jailed, for peacefully expressing their views. By honoring courageous writers who have suffered political persecution, lost their jobs, or even sacrificed their freedom, we hope to bring international attention to voices that the Vietnamese government is trying to silence. Iran: End Intimidation and Harassment of Lawyer and His Family  Iranian authorities should immediately charge or release the wife and brother-in-law of a prominent lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, who has spent his career defending juveniles and the underprivileged, including many who were sentenced to execution. Mostafaei has been missing since July 24, 2010. Editor's Picks Indonesia: End Policies Fueling Violence Against Religious Minority  Indonesian officials have again reacted to official discrimination and vigilante violence against the Ahmadiyah religious community by restricting their right to practice their religion. The government should show that it is serious about ending religious violence by holding those responsible to account. Honduras: Ongoing Attacks Foster Climate of Intimidation  Violent attacks on journalists and political opponents have had a profound chilling effect on basic freedoms in Honduras. When journalists stop reporting, citizens abandon political activities, and judges fear being fired for their rulings, the building blocks of democratic society are at grave risk. Guarded Lives in Cameroon  by Juliana Cano Nieto The Huffington Post  A recent decision by the UK Supreme Court found that a gay man would "face a well-founded fear of persecution" if he returned to Cameroon. The Supreme Court overturned the Court of Appeal's decision that this Cameroonian man could return and conceal his identity to avoid persecution. take action! Take Action:   Pressure the United States to help stop violence against women worldwide.   Videos HRW's Zama Coursen-Neff talks with Katie Couric about women's rights in Afghanistan. podcasts Subscribe to, comment on, and rate our podcasts on iTunes. Have feedback? Send it to podcast@hrw.org. Join HRW's new Spanish-language Facebook page. Home | Take Action | Donate Privacy

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