<p><em>48 Facing Persecution Win Hellman/Hammett Grants</em></p> <p>(New York, September 14, 2011) &ndash; Forty-eight writers from 24 countries have received 2011 Hellman/Hammett grants for their commitment to free expression and their courage in the face of persecution, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>

<p><em>Petition to Burmese President Calls for Prisoner Release</em></p> <p>(New York, September 14, 2011) &ndash; The Burmese government should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners in Burma to demonstrate a genuine commitment to its touted reform process, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 13, 2011, Human Rights Watch sent a petition of more than 3,000 signatures to President Thein Sein from individuals calling for the release of the approximately 2,000 political prisoners in the country.</p>

<p><em>World's major human rights groups unite to campaign for investigation into North Korea's crimes against humannity</em></p> <p>The world&rsquo;s three largest international human rights organizations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), along with 40 other organizations from around the world, today launched a major global campaign to seek the establishment of a United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity in North Korea.</p>

<p>(Bangkok, August 16, 2011) &ndash; The new Thai government should make human rights a priority when it issues its inaugural policy statement to parliament, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on August 15, 2011. Yingluck is expected to give her statement to parliament on August 24, 2011.</p>

<p><em>New Thai Government Demonstrates Disregard for Rights</em></p> <p>(New York, August 10, 2011) &ndash; The Chinese government should immediately allow access to Nur Muhammed, an ethnic Uighur who was handed over to Chinese officials in Bangkok on August 6, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. China&rsquo;s record of torture, disappearance, and arbitrary detention of Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, puts Muhammed at grave risk of torture, Human Rights Watch said.</p>

<p><b><i>Impunity in Attacks on Activists</i></b></p> <p>(Bangkok, July 30, 2011) &ndash; The Thai government should urgently and thoroughly investigate the murder on July 28, 2011, of Thongnak Sawekchinda, a prominent environmental activist in Samut Sakhon province, Human Rights Watch said today. More than 20 environmentalists and human rights defenders have been killed in Thailand since 2001, and few of those responsible have been held to account.</p>

<p>(Bangkok, July 27, 2011) &ndash; Vietnam should immediately release the Roman Catholic priest Father Nguyen Van Ly, who was sent back to prison on July 25, 2011, to serve a sentence for political dissent, Human Rights Watch said today. The state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said he was returned to prison for &ldquo;compiling, storing and distributing documents&hellip;opposing the Party and the State&rdquo; and &ldquo;inciting people to&hellip;stage demonstrations,&rdquo; which the news agency claimed defied the law.</p>

<p><em>Political Parties Silent on Rights During Election Campaign</em></p> <p>(Bangkok, July 1, 2011) &ndash; Thailand&rsquo;s political parties and newly elected members of parliament should make human rights a priority following general elections scheduled for July 3, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>

<p>Legacy of Mass Murder, Impunity Still Echoes 30 Years On </p> <p>(New York, June 24, 2011) &ndash; The four Khmer Rouge leaders who go on trial on June 27, 2011, should have been brought to justice decades ago, Human Rights Watch said today. The trial follows years of obstruction by the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge commander.</p>

<p>(New York, May 27, 2011) &ndash; The Court of Appeal&rsquo;s decision to uphold the author Alan Shadrake&rsquo;s contempt of court sentence for &ldquo;scandalizing the judiciary&rdquo; is a major setback for free expression in Singapore, Human Rights Watch said today. The charges should be dropped, Human Rights Watch said.</p>

<p><em>Empty Response to UN Envoy&rsquo;s Call for Release of All 2,100 Political Prisoners</em></p> <p>(New York, May 16, 2011) &ndash; The Burmese government&rsquo;s decision to grant a one-year sentence reduction to all prisoners is a slap in the face to a senior United Nations&rsquo; envoy who had just called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, Human Rights Watch said today.</p>

<p>On 4 May, in response to the Human Rights Watch report on the government crackdown on the red shirts last year, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said that he felt sorry and that the organization should have been impartial and should have checked the facts before saying anything which tarnished Thailand&rsquo;s agencies or the image of Thailand.</p>