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No Country for Human Rights Activists: Assaults on Bloggers and Democracy Campaigners in Vietnam

Human Rights Watch (2017), 65 pp.

"The Vietnamese government has long arrested and prosecuted domestic human rights activists, using rights-violating laws and Communist Party-controlled courts and police. But the recent explosion of internet-driven activism in the country has coincided with the appearance of another frightening inst ... more

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"They Are Not Our Brothers": Hate Speech by Saudi Officials

Adam Coogle et al.

Human Rights Watch (2017), 62 pp.

"The Saudi state has permitted government-appointed religious scholars and clerics and government institutions to refer to religious minorities such as Shia in derogatory terms or demonize them in official documents and religious rulings. In addition, in recent years, government-appointed clerics ha ... more

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"Not Worth the Risk": Threats to Free Expression Ahead of Kenya’s 2017 Elections

Human Rights Watch (2017), 76 pp.

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Online and on All Fronts: Russia’s Assault on Freedom of Expression

Yulia Gorbunova et al.

Human Rights Watch (2017), 84 pp.

"Since 2012, Russian authorities have intensified a crackdown on free expression, treating criticisms of the government as threats to state security and public stability and curbing privacy online. The government has introduced significant restrictions to online expression and invasive surveillance ... more

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"Keep the People Uninformed": Pre-Election Threats to Free Expression and Association in Uganda

Human Rights Watch (2016), 42 pp.

"[This publication] documents harassment and intimidation by government and ruling party officials against the media and civil society, particularly outside the capital, Kampala. The police, district officials, internal security officials, and the country’s broadcasting regulator visited and calle ... more

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"Like Fish in Poisonous Waters": Attacks on Media Freedom in Somalia

New York: Human Rights Watch (2016), 85 pp.

"This report focuses on abuses by state and non-state actors against journalists and other media workers since 2014. It is based on over 50 interviews with journalists working throughout south-central Somalia and Puntland, the semi-autonomous state in northeastern Somalia. Beyond killings, attempted ... more

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Silencing Turkey’s Media: The Government’s Deepening Assault on Critical Journalism

Human Rights Watch (2016), 74 pp.

"Following the abortive July coup in Turkey, the government has accelerated and intensified a crackdown on independent media which had already been underway for more than a year. Under the state of emergency declared in the aftermath of the coup attempt, the government has closed down independent me ... more

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"They Can Arrest You at Any Time": The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Burma

Linda Lakhdhir et al.

Human Rights Watch (2016), 87 pp.

"Focusing largely on the period since retired general Thein Sein assumed the presidency in 2011, the report provides an in-depth analysis of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Processions Act, the Telecommunications Act, the News Media Law, the Electronic Transactions Act, and various Penal Code pro ... more

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Stifling Dissent: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in India

Human Rights Watch (2016), 117 pp.

"This report details how the criminal law is used to limit peaceful expression in India. It documents examples of the ways in which vague or overbroad laws are used to stifle political dissent, harass journalists, restrict activities by nongovernmental organizations, arbitrarily block Internet sites ... more

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A Difficult Profession: Media Freedom Under Attack in the Western Balkans

Human Rights Watch (2015), 69 pp.

"Based on 86 in-depth interviews with journalists, editors and media owners, this report documents the hostile environment in which journalists work in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia. Journalists and editors interviewed for this report described a difficult media space ... more

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War on the Media: Journalists Under Attack in Libya

Human Rights Watch (2015), 50 pp.

"This report documents attacks against journalists and the offices and facilities of media outlets since the 2011 uprising, including threats, assaults, kidnappings, and killings and addresses the failure of the government to protect journalists and the media, and hold perpetrators of attacks on the ... more

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"Stop Reporting or We'll Kill Your Family": Threats to Media Freedom in Afghanistan

Patricia Gossman

New York: Human Rights Watch (2015), 45 pp.

"Afghan journalists face threats from all sides: government officials exploiting weak legal protections to intimidate reporters and editors to compel them not to cover controversial topics; the Taliban and other insurgent groups using threats and violence to compel reporting they consider favorable; ... and police and justice officials letting threats, assaults, and even murders go uninvestigated and unprosecuted. Most of the threats come from individuals acting on behalf of powerful government officials or influential local actors, including militia leaders and so-called warlords. Violent attacks on journalists that go uninvestigated and unpunished reflect wider impunity and failure to establish the rule of law in Afghanistan. Afghan journalists often respond to the dangers with self-censorship. Many steer clear of reporting on sensitive issues—including corruption, land grabbing, violence against women, and human rights abuses—as a means to minimize safety risks. Kabul-based editors often avoid assigning stories that could put their reporters at significant risk. Editors and journalists told Human Rights Watch that self-censorship has become a survival mechanism for them. Those outside of the country’s main cities are especially vulnerable to reprisals from powerful individuals and groups because they are more exposed: they lack the protection provided by a larger Afghan media and international presence. The cultural and social conservatism of the provinces also contributes to the difficulty of reporting on controversial issues outside of the capital. The Taliban and other insurgent groups remain a potent source of intimidation and violence against journalists and media outlets. When the insurgency first emerged in 2002, journalists were among its early targets because the insurgents treated journalists as extensions of the Afghan government or Western military forces. However, in recent years, the Taliban and other insurgent groups have used the media as a propaganda platform, and actively court the press in their campaign against the government, including by pressuring reporters to cover their statements or not write articles deemed critical, sometimes with threats of violence. Female journalists in Afghanistan face particularly formidable challenges. In addition to the dangers facing all journalists, they must contend with social and cultural restrictions arising from being Afghan women in the workplace, which limit their mobility in urban as well as rural areas, and increase their vulnerability to sexual violence." (Summary, page 1-2) more

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"Journalism is Not a Crime": Violations of Media Freedom in Ethiopia

Felix Horne

Human Rights Watch (2015), 73 pp.

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"They Know Everything We Do": Telecom and Internet Surveillance in Ethiopia

Human Rights Watch (2014), 137 pp.

"[The publication] documents how Ethiopia’s government uses its control over the telecom system to restrict individuals’ rights. Based on over 100 interviews with victims of government abuses, former government officials, and former staff of telecom companies, the report describes the various me ... more

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"A Life-Threatening Career": Attacks on Journalists Under Yemen’s New Government

Belkis Wille

Human Rights Watch (2013), 45 pp.

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Tightening the Grip: Concentration and Abuse of Power in Chávez's Venezuela

New York: Human Rights Watch (2012), 133 pp.

"The human rights situation in Venezuela has become more precarious since 2008, when Human Rights Watch released its last report on Venezuela, A Decade Under Chávez. The pro-Chávez majority in the National Assembly has passed legislation expanding the government’s powers to limit free speech and ... more

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Iraq’s Information Crimes Law: Badly Written Provisions and Draconian Punishments Violate Due Process and Free Speech

New York et al.: Human Rights Watch (2012), 15 pp.

"Iraq’s parliament is in the process of enacting an “Information Crimes Law” to regulate the use of information networks, computers, and other electronic devices and systems. The draft law includes vague provisions that would allow Iraqi authorities to deter legitimate criticisms of or peacefu ... more

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No News is Good News: Abuses Against Journalists by Palestinian Security Forces

New York et al.: Human Rights Watch (2011), 35 pp.

"Severe harassment by Palestinian Authority and Hamas security forces of Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza has had a pronounced chilling effect on freedom of expression. This report documents cases in which Palestinian security forces tortured, beat, and arbitrarily detained journali ... more

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Beaten, Blacklisted, and Behind Bars: The Vanishing Space for Freedom of Expression in Azerbaijan

New York: Human Rights Watch (2010), 90 pp.

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A Media Minefield: Increased Threats to Freedom of Expression in Uganda

New York et al.: Human Rights Watch (2010), 60 pp.

"A Media Minefield details how Ugandan authorities have brought charges against over 30 journalists, revoked or suspended the broadcasting licenses of several radio stations, and practiced other forms of partisan repression of the media over the last several years. When violent riots erupted in Kamp ... more