Imad marie (talk | contribs) →Stance against reeducation of unconvicted detainees: rm section. Again, this article is about "Criticism of Human Rights Watch". The source says "criticized KSA", am I missing something ?! |
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However, in August 2009, HRW issued a report on Saudi Arabia criticizing it for the detention of over 9,000 terrorism suspects, and subjecting them to secret trials. "Justice has to be fair and must be seen to be fair," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The closed, summary Saudi trials are neither - they are sham justice." <ref>http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,SAU,,4a8126ec1e,0.html</ref> |
However, in August 2009, HRW issued a report on Saudi Arabia criticizing it for the detention of over 9,000 terrorism suspects, and subjecting them to secret trials. "Justice has to be fair and must be seen to be fair," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The closed, summary Saudi trials are neither - they are sham justice." <ref>http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,SAU,,4a8126ec1e,0.html</ref> |
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==Stance against reeducation of unconvicted detainees== |
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In August 2009, HRW issued a report that criticized Saudi Arabia for reeducating detained terrorism suspects before they have been convicted of any crime. The Saudi reeducation program which began in 2004 has been praised by the United States and is intended to teach the detainees that terrorism is un-[[Islam|Islamic]]. HRW state that the program "teaches detainees official interpretations of the conditions for armed struggle (jihad) to convince detainees that only jihad declared by the ruler is legitimate" and allege that the program violates international law stating "Except as part of a sentence imposed after conviction for a crime, international human rights law does not permit the detention of persons to undergo a reeducation program". <ref>Murphy, Caryle. [http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0810/p06s05-wome.html "Rights group criticizes Saudi Arabia's Al Qaeda reeducation program."] ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]''. 10 August 2009. 11 August 2009.</ref><ref name="HRW-PJ"> |
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{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/03/24/precarious-justice-0 |
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|title=Precarious Justice - Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials in the Deficient Criminal Justice System of Saudi Arabia |
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|date=2008-03-24 |
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|publisher=Human Rights Watch |
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|pages=117 |
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|accessdate=2009-08-19 |
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|quote=The Ministry of Interior supervises a Consultation Committee that teaches detainees official interpretations of the conditions for armed struggle (jihad) to convince detainees that only jihad declared by the ruler is legitimate, as in Afghanistan in the 1980s, but not in today’s Iraq or elsewhere.}} |
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</ref> In response, Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that in not teaching "mass murderers to be convinced that mass murder is wrong," HRW fails to see "the bigger picture."<ref>[[Jeffrey Goldberg|Goldberg, Jeffrey]]. [http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/08/hrw_let_terror_suspects_believ.php "HRW Sez: Don't Teach Terrorists Tolerance."] [Weblog entry.] Jeffrey Goldberg. ''[[The Atlantic]]''. 10 August 2009. 17 August 2009.</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 07:00, 19 August 2009
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights.[1]
The group has been criticised over a number of issues relating to selection bias, accusations of ideological bias, and questions regarding their funding practices.
Allegations of pro-American bias against Latin America governments
Human Rights Watch's work in Venezuela became the subject of controversy in late 2008. In September 2008, Venezuela expelled two HRW staff accused of anti-state activities[2] Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said "These groups, dressed up as human rights defenders, are financed by the United States. They are aligned with a policy of attacking countries that are building new economic models."[3]. On December 17 2008 an open letter was sent to the HRW Board of Directors in response to an HRW report, entitled, A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela.[4] 118 scholars from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, México, the United States, the U.K., Venezuela, and other countries openly criticized HRW for a perceived bias against the government of Venezuela. The open letter criticized the report by stating that it "does not meet even the most minimal standards of scholarship, impartiality, accuracy, or credibility."[5] The letter also criticizes the lead author of the report, Jose Miguel Vivanco, for his "political agenda", and calls Mr. Vivanco to discuss or debate his claims in "any public forum of his choosing"[6]. Hugh O'Shaughnessy has accused HRW (on the Newstatesmen web site) of using false and misleading information, and has said the report was “put together with the sort of know-nothing Washington bias...”. Kenneth Roth, director of Human Rights Watch responded, claiming the letter misrepresents "both the substance and the source material of the report." [7]. Tom Porteoushas Human Rights Watch's London director (on the Newstatesmen web site) counters claim of bias and says that “…not only fails to provide any evidence for these allegations” and that “…more seriously he misrepresents HRW’s positions in his apparent determination to undermine our well earned international reputation for accuracy and impartiality.”[8]
The 2004 Haiti rebellion was a coup d'etat that removed elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti either voluntarily (according to US authorities)[citation needed] or involuntarily (according to Aristide and supporters)[9] from the Americas on a US plane accompanied by US security personnel[9] on 29 February 2004. Z Communications author Joe Emersberger claimed that HRW had accurately reported on human rights violations in Haiti following an earlier coup against Aristide, in 1991, but that it was inaccurate in reporting the relative numbers of violent deaths before and after the 2004 coup.[10] Emersberger estimated the relative numbers of deaths as about 20–30 per year before the 2004 coup versus 1000 in the first month following the coup. He stated, "HRW's reports were not only inexcusably sparse, but they legitimized the overthrow of Aristide" and that HRW "knew that criminals were being incorporated into the police; yet they were silent about this contributing factor to the abuses that occurred under Aristide."[10]
Claims of ignoring human rights violations in Europe and anti-Semitism
There have been a number of accusations that HRW has either ignored anti-Semitism, or is anti-Semitic itself. Ana Palacio, former Foreign Minister of Spain, in a speech given to the Anti-Defamation League in 2005 said, “NGOs like Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International pay little attention to anti-Semitism.”[11] NGO Monitor has accused HRW of outright anti-Semitism and of trying to cover this up[12], it has also been suggested (by ADL) that criticism of Israel may be motivated by anti-semitism[13]. Abraham Foxman writing in the New York Sun has said "not in an "eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth" fashion which Mr. Roth cited and is a classic anti-Semitic stereotype about Jews"[14].
However it has been suggested that this is motivated by politics rather then genuine concern[15][16].
Claims of bias in relation to the Arab–Israeli conflict
Some criticisms of HRW relate to the roughly one century of political tensions and open hostilities of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
Anti-Israel or pro-Arab-League bias
HRW has been accused of bias against the state of Israel[17] and of having an anti-Israel agenda[18][19] by the Israeli government and supporters of Israel. Gerald Steinberg, head of NGO Monitor, a pro-Israel NGO[20] accused HRW of having "a strong anti-Israel bias from the beginning".[21]. According to David Bernstein HRW is “maniacally anti-Israel”.[22] Mark Regev (spokesman for Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu) has said that "We discovered during the Gaza operation and the Second Lebanon War that these organizations come in with a very strong agenda, and because they claim to have some kind of halo around them, they receive a status that they don't deserve," in reference to HRW’s and Amnesty International’s allegations of human rights violations by Israeli forces during those conflicts. [23]. Anne Bayefsky has accused HRW and other human rights organizations critical of Israel of operating on the basis that "poor treatment of Israel is a price worth paying for progress on other fronts".[24]
In August 2009, Israeli journalist Ben-Dror Yemini accused HRW's Joe Stork, Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa[25] of being "a fanatical supporter of the elimination of Israel", "a veteran supporter of Palestinian terrorism", a "radical Marxist whose positions have not changed over the years" and alleged that he supported the 1972 Munich Massacare.[26] Yemini's article in Maariv followed the publication of HRW's "White Flag Deaths: Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead" report which documented alleged violations of the laws of war by Israeli forces during Operation Cast Lead.[27]
In July 2009, Larry Derfner writing in the Jerusalem Post in response to the criticism of HRW accused Israel's Prime Minister's Office and NGO Monitor of "smearing" human rights organizations.[28]
In August 2009, Iain Levine, Program Director for HRW stated "If the Israeli government wants to silence critics, it should fully investigate allegations of wrongdoing and take action to end the abuses."[27]
HRW has also been criticised for taking Israel's side, such as in its condemnation of the Palestinian use of human shields [29][30][31]
Saudi Arabia
Some columnists claim Human Right Watch raisies funds in Saudi Arabia by describing HRW's "battles" and arguments with Israel and its supporters. Herb Keinon, a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, and Jeffrey Goldberg, a correspondent for the Atlantic (magazine) and former columnist for the Jerusalem Post, claim this compromises HRW's integrity. [32] In an email exchange, Jeffrey Goldberg asked HRW director Kenneth Roth if funds were raised to fight back against pro-Israel lobbying groups. Roth responded, "The Saudis obviously are aware of the systematic attacks on us by various reflexive defenders of Israel. Everyone is." During fundraisers, he states that these complaints are common in "discussions" and is not just exclusive to Saudi Arabia. [33] Mark Regev (spokesman for Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu) has said that "A human rights organization raising money in Saudi Arabia is like a women's rights group asking the Taliban for a donation," in response to HRW’s fund raising visit to Saudi Arabia[34].
Professor David Bernstein of the George Mason University School of Law writes, something's "wrong when a human rights organization goes to one of the worst countries in the world for human rights to raise money to wage lawfare against Israel."[35]
Human Rights Watch says the allegations that HRW had "compromised its neutrality" by meeting with Saudi donors were based on "misleading assumptions and wrong facts". HRW notes that staffers made two presentations in Saudi Arabia in May 2009 in private homes to people who were interested in Human Rights Watch. The guests at those receptions included the deputy head of the Human Rights Commission of Saudi Arabia and a member of the Shura Council; however neither of those individuals were solicited for funds and HRW never accepts funds from government officials in any country. [36] HRW notes that simply because the audience were Saudi citizens, it does not mean they cannot legitimiately want to support human rights. [36]
According to HRW its work in Saudi Arabia was discussed at the receptions, including "coverage of women's rights, the juvenile death penalty, domestic workers, and discrimination against religious minorities". HRW also claims "No other human rights group has produced a more comprehensive, detailed, and thorough body of work on Saudi Arabian human rights issues in recent years than Human Rights Watch" (HRW Saudi Arabia). Although the Gaza situation was covered, HRW claimed the coverage was justified as the Gaza war dominated worldwide headlines and is a regional issue in Saudi Arabia. Criticism of HRW as anti-Israel was juxtaposed against the accusations HRW faces in much of the Middle East that HRW is soft on Israeli human rights violations.[36]
However, in August 2009, HRW issued a report on Saudi Arabia criticizing it for the detention of over 9,000 terrorism suspects, and subjecting them to secret trials. "Justice has to be fair and must be seen to be fair," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The closed, summary Saudi trials are neither - they are sham justice." [37]
Stance against reeducation of unconvicted detainees
In August 2009, HRW issued a report that criticized Saudi Arabia for reeducating detained terrorism suspects before they have been convicted of any crime. The Saudi reeducation program which began in 2004 has been praised by the United States and is intended to teach the detainees that terrorism is un-Islamic. HRW state that the program "teaches detainees official interpretations of the conditions for armed struggle (jihad) to convince detainees that only jihad declared by the ruler is legitimate" and allege that the program violates international law stating "Except as part of a sentence imposed after conviction for a crime, international human rights law does not permit the detention of persons to undergo a reeducation program". [38][39] In response, Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that in not teaching "mass murderers to be convinced that mass murder is wrong," HRW fails to see "the bigger picture."[40]
References
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
- ^ http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/09/19/venezuela-human-rights-<watch-delegation-expelled
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1948835520080919
- ^ http://www.hrw.org/en/node/64174/section/1
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/mar/11/state-department-human-rights
- ^ Greg Grandin, Miguel Tinker-Salas and Greg Wilpert Respond to HRW’s Kenneth Roth’s Riposte on Venezuelan Human Rights
- ^ https://nacla.org/node/5369
- ^ http://www.newstatesman.com/human-rights/2008/09/hrw-chavez-shaughnessy
- ^ a b "Aristide related articles". Democracy Now. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- ^ a b Emersberger, Joe (2006-03-29). "Haiti and Human Rights Watch". Z Communications. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Anti-Semitism in Europe: Fighting Back,Anti-Defamation League
- ^ http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article.php?id=908
- ^ http://www.adl.org/israel/jenin/default.asp
- ^ http://www.nysun.com/opinion/no-accident/37146/
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901045.html
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277865531&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
- ^ Levy, Daniel (2009-07-20). "The "Swiftboating" of Human Rights Watch". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Keinon, Herb (2009-07-16). "Diplomacy: Israel vs. Human Rights Watch". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Krieger, Hilary Leila (2006-09-19). "HRW slams UN body for anti-Israel bias". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9804231
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1232643745914
- ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124528343805525561.html
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443811032&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
- ^ http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:p6u71hejS28J:www.antidef.org.au/secure/downloadfile.asp%3Ffileid%3D1010330+anti+semitism+%2B+%22Human+Rights+Watch+%22&hl=en
- ^ "Human Rights Watch Staff". Human Rights Warch. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ^ Ben-Dror Yemini, The Big Lie of HRW : Author of Report Against Israel Supported Munich Massacre, 16.8.2009, orginally published in Hebrew in Maariv
- ^ a b "False Allegations about Human Rights Watch's Latest Gaza Report". Human Rights Watch. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
- ^ Derfner, Larry (2009-07-22). "Rattling the Cage: The smearing of human rights organizations". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
- ^ http://www.counterpunch.org/cook11302006.html
- ^ http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=700
- ^ http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=700#rdrl
- ^ Keinon, Herb. "Diplomacy: Israel vs. Human Rights Watch." Jerusalem Post. 18 July 2009. 18 July 2009.
- ^ http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/07/fundraising_corruption_at_huma.php
- ^ http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443811032&pagename=JPArticle%2FshowFull
- ^ Bernstein, David. "Human Rights Watch Goes to Saudi Arabia." The Wall Street Journal. 15 July 2009. 15 July 2009.
- ^ a b c "Human Rights Watch Visit to Saudi Arabia". Human Rights Watch.
- ^ http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,SAU,,4a8126ec1e,0.html
- ^ Murphy, Caryle. "Rights group criticizes Saudi Arabia's Al Qaeda reeducation program." The Christian Science Monitor. 10 August 2009. 11 August 2009.
- ^
"Precarious Justice - Arbitrary Detention and Unfair Trials in the Deficient Criminal Justice System of Saudi Arabia". Human Rights Watch. 2008-03-24. p. 117. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
The Ministry of Interior supervises a Consultation Committee that teaches detainees official interpretations of the conditions for armed struggle (jihad) to convince detainees that only jihad declared by the ruler is legitimate, as in Afghanistan in the 1980s, but not in today's Iraq or elsewhere.
- ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey. "HRW Sez: Don't Teach Terrorists Tolerance." [Weblog entry.] Jeffrey Goldberg. The Atlantic. 10 August 2009. 17 August 2009.
See also
External links
- The HRW Report on Gujarat: Another Assassination - by Aseem R. Shukla
- Haiti and Human Rights Watch (Joe Emersberger, blogger)
- Jonathan Cook: Palestinians are being denied the right of non-violent resistance Would Human Rights Watch have attacked Martin Luther King, too? (CounterPunch, 30 November 2006)
- Michael Barker, "Hijacking Human Rights: A Critical Examination of Human Rights Watch’s Americas Branch and their Links to the ‘Democracy’ Establishment", blog, August 3, 2007.