Human Rights Watch

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Human Rights Watch, headquartered in New York City, is an international human rights organization. [1]

September 2008 Report

In September 2008, HRW released the controversial report titled: "A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela". The Acknowledgments of this report note that:

"This report was researched and written by Alisha Holland, Princeton Fellow in Latin America, Sebastian Brett, senior researcher, Tamara Taraciuk, researcher, and Daniel Wilkinson, deputy director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch. Leonardo Filippini, consultant with the Americas Division, and James Loxton, Princeton Fellow in Latin America, contributed to the research and writing. The report was edited by Carol Pier, labor rights and trade senior researcher, Anne Manuel, consultant, Aisling Reidy, senior legal advisor, Ian Gorvin, senior program officer, Joe Saunders, deputy program director, and José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. Americas Division associates Paola Adriazola, Kavita Shah, and Danielle Wainer contributed to research logistics, production, and editing. Americas Division consultant Abby Rubinson and interns Marlon Arias, Ignazio de Ferrari, and Anne Goldin provided valuable research support." [2]

From HRW's website

  • Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world.
  • We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice.
  • We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable.
  • We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law.
  • We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all.
Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly.

"The Free Expression Project of Human Rights Watch (formerly the Fund for Free Expression) emphasizes the connection between freedom of expression and global social problems by showing the effect that censorship and information policies have on the treatment of issues such as AIDS, famine, governmental corruption and environmental degradation." [2]

Funding

On January 1, 2005 they obtained a five-year, $15 million challenge grant from the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation. "The Sandlers and their children will donate $3 million a year for five years through the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation as long as Human Rights Watch raises $6 million annually in matching funds from first-time donors or existing donors who increase their contributions."[3]

Dubious expulsion

Following lobbying by UN Watch, a zionist pressure group, HRW removed Prof. Richard Falk from one of it human rights committees.[4] The founders of HRW were staunchly pro-Israel[5], and over time they have intervened to temper critical reports about Israeli actions. Falk, a prominent international jurist and profesor at Princeton, was a vocal critic of Israel.[6]

People

Advisory Committees

Staff

Human Rights Watch Debates Academics (2008-09)

Contact details

350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118
USA
Phone: (212) 290-4700
Email: hrwnyc AT hrw.org
Web: www.hrw.org

Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. About page, Human Rights Watch, accessed January 2008.
  2. A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela, HRW, accessed September 23, 2008.
  3. [1]
  4. Richard Falk removed from Human Rights Watch committee, JTA, 18 December 2012.
  5. for example Robert L. Bernstein.
  6. Gilad Atzmon, Watch Human Rights Watch – A Tribute to Prof Richard Falk, 22 December 2012.

Critical articles

External resources

  • Kirsten Sellars, The Rise and Rise of Human Rights, Sutton Publishing, 2002. (Contains an extended description of the origins of HRW and its spin-off organizations.)