Watchdog groups call for IG investigation after Sessions promoted inflated encrypted-phone statistic

The Justice Department's internal watchdog was pressed Monday to probe the circumstances that resulted in Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other top officials repeatedly touting a bogus statistic exaggerating the degree of the "Going Dark" problem posed by digital encryption. A coalition of 21 groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Human Rights Watch wrote the department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, after the FBI admitted last month that the number of encrypted mobile devices federal investigators have lawfully seized but been unable to access data from is "substantially lower" than previously stated.

US: Congress Should Not Fund Abusive Immigration Policies

A year after a US election marred by divisive rhetoric, thousands of families have been torn apart and millions are living in fear because of cruel and ineffective deportation policies, Human Rights Watch said today. Americans who want to push back should ask their representatives to oppose the Trump administration's funding request for these harmful policies by participating in a campaign called " Immigrants Are US ."

Equatorial Guinea: Presidents Son Convicted of Laundering Millions

A Parisian court on October 27, 2017, convicted the president of Equatorial Guinea 's eldest son in absentia of embezzling tens of millions of euro from his government and laundering the proceeds in France. The court handed down a three-year suspended jail sentence and a suspended a 30 million fine for Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, who is also Equatorial Guinea's vice president.

UN urged to punish Myanmar army over Rohingya ‘atrocities’

The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the ongoing crisis in Myanmar billed as one of most pressing topics. The mass exodus of Rohingya refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh has billowed into an humanitarian emergency as aid groups struggle to provide relief to a daily stream of new arrivals, more than half of whom are children.

Rights group: China must stop pressuring advocates at UN

Human Rights Watch says in a new report Tuesday that China has tried to intimidate, blacklist and squelch the voices of rights advocates who operate within the U.N. system, calling on Beijing to stop such pressure and urging U.N. agencies to resist. Announcing the report , HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said that China's influence and crackdown on civil society at home "make it a model of bad faith that challenges the integrity of the U.N. rights system."

Tunisia: Landmark Step to Shield Women from Violence

The law on violence against women, including domestic violence, approved by the Tunisian parliament on July 26, 2017, is a landmark step for women's rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Tunisian authorities should ensure that there is adequate funding and political will to put the law fully into effect and to eliminate discrimination against women.

Watchdog Says Yemen Rebel Land Mines Killed, Maimed Hundreds

An international rights group on Thursday decried the use of land mines by Yemen's Shiite rebels in the impoverished Arab country at war, saying they have killed and maimed hundreds of civilians and prevented many of the displaced from returning to their homes. Human Rights Watch said in a new report that the rebels known as Houthis, who are allied with the forces of the country's former president, have used land-mines in at least six provinces since March 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition launched its military campaign against them.

Myanmar commanders should be punished for rape of Rohingya: Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago.

Human rights activist identifies BBC star as CIA deputy

'Erm. This is me. And I'm pretty sure I never ran a CIA black site for torture': BBC star Emily Maitlis is left bemused after human rights activist identifies her as new deputy CIA chief on Twitter BBC star Emily Maitlis has been left bewildered after a US human rights activist identified her as the new deputy CIA chief who ran a torture 'black site'.

Trump tough talk on torture, drones has Human Rights Watch on

Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth said he was keeping a close eye on "warning signs" from US President-elect Donald Trump after the Republican's tough talk during his campaign about torture and drone strikes. "I don't take entirely seriously what he said on the campaign trail... I don't take entirely at face value that he is going to kill families is just a blatant war crime," Roth told AFP.

Human Rights Watch founder: Trump win encouraging European anti-Semites

Trump, a Republican who defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, fought allegations during the campaign of encouraging racism and xenophobia. A founder of Human Rights Watch warned that Donald Trump's election as US president is encouraging anti-Semitism in Europe.

These 7 Countries Use Child Soldiers, But Obama Will Still Give Them Money

President Barack Obama issued waivers to seven countries that employ child soldiers, issuing them millions of dollars in military assistance. Obama must issue waivers to get around the 2008 Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which prohibits U.S. military assistance to countries which use child soldiers on the battlefield.