Branding U.S. counterterrorism policies “abusive” and the country’s military commissions “fundamentally flawed,” Human Rights Watch dedicates an entire chapter of its report to the self-proclaimed leader of the free world. It notes that the U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country and that 34 states still allow the death penalty. The increasing number of non-U.S. citizens held in immigration detention facilities attracts further criticism. Human Rights Watch also zeros in on the increasingly fractious debate over inequality, noting that more Americans are living in poverty now than at any time during the past 52 years.
Human Rights Under Threat: Five Not-So-Usual Suspects
Human Rights Watch this week released its 2012 World Report. The 676-page write-up covers some of the biggest stories of the year, including China’s crackdown on dissent, ongoing attacks on civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the international community's ambivalent response to the Arab Spring. But it also spotlights some lesser-known stories from places that profess to protect human rights. Here are five important examples