THE WEEK IN RIGHTS - Human Rights Watch - February 20, 2014

Stories of Atrocities in North Korea A new United Nations report has found that crimes against humanity are occurring in North Korea and calls for an international tribunal to investigate and hold perpetrators to account. This shocking report should open the eyes of the UN Security Council to the atrocities that plague the people of North Korea and threaten stability in the region. By focusing only on the nuclear threat in North Korea, the Security Council is overlooking the crimes of North Korean leaders who have overseen a brutal system of gulags, public executions, disappearances, and mass starvation.  Read more >> share on:   Dispatches: What Ukraine's Yanukovych Needs to Say By Yulia Gorbunova President Viktor Yanukovych had not made many public statements since the unrest began in Ukraine in November. It took almost 24 hours of violent street fighting, by far the deadliest since the unrest began, before he addressed the Ukrainian people at 5 a.m. Wednesday. But his statement, like many of the Ukrainian authorities’ actions so far, fell far short of what’s needed in this time of national crisis, with the center of the capital engulfed in flames and the death toll on both sides rising.  See the Latest News in Europe/Central Asia >> share on:  Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Law Will Come at a Serious Cost If Uganda President Yoweri Museveni signs the Anti-Homosexuality bill, it would be yet another blow to fundamental human rights in Uganda. The country’s international partners need to show unequivocally that if this bill is passed, it will not be business as usual with the Ugandan government.  See the Latest News in Africa >> share on:   Venezuela Should Investigate Violence During Protests Demonstrators in Venezuela have been killed and injured during clashes with security forces. What Venezuela urgently needs is for these killings to be investigated and the killers brought to justice, no matter their political affiliation. What Venezuela does not need is authorities scapegoating political opponents or shutting down news outlets whose coverage they don’t like.  See the Latest News in the Americas >> share on:   In Bangkok, Thailand, Violence Escalates The bloody clashes between Thai police and protesters on Tuesday have made a bad situation worse. Four protesters and one police officer were killed by gunfire, and at least 70 protesters and police officers were injured from gunshot and shrapnel wounds, beatings, and teargas inhalation.  See the Latest News in Asia >> share on:   SATELLITE IMAGES Land and water grabs devastate 500,000 of Ethiopia’s indigenous communities. Watch Now >> WORLD REPORT 2014 Purchase the hard copy of the 2014 World Report or download the PDF for free. Download Now >> TWEET of the WEEK @PussyRiot ludicrous detention in #Olympic Sochi today will earn #Russia more negative publicity than any public action they could organize.  Follow Tanya >> Thank you for supporting Human Rights Watch. Follow us on: