Physicians for Human Rights
Using science and medicine to stop human rights violations
EGYPT: Wounded Protesters Seeking Medical Help
Protecting Medics in Conflict Zones
Documenting War Crimes in Sierra Leone
Charles Taylor Convicted
PHR Applauds Administration Submission of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Senate
The Obama administration's decision to submit the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the US Senate for ratification was applauded by PHR today. Although the US signed the convention in 2009, Senate ratification is required for the US to become fully bound by the Convention
Restriction of Tear Gas Sales to Middle East and North Africa Countries is Positive Step
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced today an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that restricts the sale of tear gas and riot control items to Middle East and North Africa countries undergoing a transition to democracy. The amendment, which successfully passed the US House of Representatives, requires the Secretary of Defense to certify to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the security forces of such governments are not using excessive force to repress peaceful protesters before such items would be provided.
Decision to Ease Ban on US Investments in Burma is Criticized
The US Administration’s decided today to waive key elements of the Executive Order banning US investment in Burma. PHR criticized the decision to allow US companies into Burma despite ongoing human rights violations in the country.
Iran denies medical care to quell dissent
Christy Fujio, Asylum Program Director at PHR, expresses concern in a recent Lancet article at reports emerging from Iran indicating the government is denying medical care to political prisoners. “The Iranian Government wants to break peoples' spirits, they want to set an example”, she said. “They do this overtly through torture, but they also do it more subtly by denying care and allowing people to suffer from their injuries.”
Taylor Convicted: Justice For Sierra Leone
On April 26, PHR’s scientific and medical research in Sierra Leone helped usher in a new era of international justice as former warlord and Liberian President Charles Taylor was convicted for using sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Taking a Long Lens on Human Rights
PHR’s Executive Director Donna McKay, is an activist born, not made, according to her profile in leading medical journal The Lancet.
A Doctor's Response to Torture
In the recently released Annals of Internal Medicine, PHR volunteer Dr. Sondra Crosby describes her experience treating a torture survivor who she calls “Rashid.” Kidnapped from a hospital bed and sold for a bounty, Rashid spent 5 years in US custody where he suffered severe beatings, prolonged solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and rape. All along, he was innocent. (Please note, the below linked article is in PDF format.)
Witnessing Justice for Victims of Karadžić
On January 30 and 31, 2012, Dr. William Haglund, former director of PHR's International Forensic Program and head of the forensic team which exhumed mass graves in Srebrenica, Bosnia in 1995, testified at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. PHR Deputy Director Susannah Sirkin was there.
US suspends sanctions on investment in Myanmar (May 18, 2012)
In a Reuters story story on the US Administration’s decision to suspend sanctions on Burma, PHR's Bill Davis says Kachin and other ethnic minority groups whose homelands hold Myanmar's natural resources are "still afraid of the government." "If the people of Burma do not trust their government, the U.S. administration should not either," he said.
Decision to Ease Ban on US Investments in Burma is Criticized (May 17, 2012)
The US Administration’s decided today to waive key elements of the Executive Order banning US investment in Burma. PHR criticized the decision to allow US companies into Burma despite ongoing human rights violations in the country.
Government of Egypt is Urged to Halt Attacks on Medical Establishments and Personnel (May 14, 2012)
In a letter to the Egyptian Ministers of Health, Defense and Interior, PHR called for the Egyptian government to immediately halt all attacks on medical establishments and personnel and to refrain from interfering with the right of the wounded to access medical care.
International Campaign to Stop Rape in Conflict Holds DRC Launch (May 18, 2012)
On May 11, at the Hotel Residence in Bukavu, 130 representatives of civil society organizations as well as individuals gathered to learn about the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict.
Special Rapporteur Mendez Assessing Torture Prohibition Measures in Tajikistan (May 10, 2012)
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Juan Méndez, is currently visiting Tajikistan to assess measures taken by the Tajik government to bring its torture prohibition legislation into compliance with international standards.
Finally… Kenya’s Sex Offenders Register Launched (May 10, 2012)
What would you do if your child was kidnapped, held in a secret location, and defiled? For one father, it led him to give up everything he has spent his life working for, including his job, in the pursuit of justice for his daughter.What would you do if your child was kidnapped, held in a secret location, and defiled? For one father, it led him to give up everything he has spent his life working for, including his job, in the pursuit of justice for his daughter.
Restriction of Tear Gas Sales to Middle East and North Africa Countries is Positive Step (May 2012)
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced today an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that restricts the sale of tear gas and riot control items to Middle East and North Africa countries undergoing a transition to democracy. The amendment, which successfully passed the US House of Representatives, requires the Secretary of Defense to certify to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the security forces of such governments are not using excessive force to repress peaceful protesters before such items would be provided.
PHR Applauds Administration Submission of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to Senate (May 2012)
The Obama administration's decision to submit the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to the US Senate for ratification was applauded by PHR today. Although the US signed the convention in 2009, Senate ratification is required for the US to become fully bound by the Convention
PHR and Partner Organizations Express Concern to Obama on Relaxed Burma Sanctions (April 2012)
PHR joins 8 partner organizations in calling on President Obama to ensure that any shift in US policy toward Burma reflects true progress toward human rights improvements in Burma.
Home // About // Library // Press Room // RSS // Blog // Students // Privacy Policy // Contact Us
© Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) 2011
2 Arrow Street, Suite 301, Cambridge, MA 02138 // Tel 617.301.4200 // Fax 617.301.4250
1156 15th Street, NW, Washington DC 20005 // Tel 202.728.5335 // Fax 202.728.3053