Physicians for Human Rights
Using science and medicine to stop human rights violations
Massacre in Burma: PHR Calls for Immediate Investigation
PHR today released a report detailing the organized attacks against Muslims that took place in central Burma in late March and resulted in the killing of at least 20 children and four teachers. The report provides evidence that state authorities, who idly stood by watching the events unfold, are complicit in these crimes.
How Doctors Would Know If Syrians Were Hit With Nerve Gas
President Obama affirmed Tuesday that there's evidence Syrians have been attacked with chemical weapons — in particular, nerve gas. But that's not the same as proof positive. So PHR is setting up a network to get fact sheets about chemical weapons into the hands of Syrian physicians.
Independent Investigation and Forensic Protocols Are Key to Assessing Chemical Weapons Use
Amid accumulating signs that chemical weapons may have been used recently in Syria, PHR repeats its call for a thorough independent investigation of such allegations to be conducted immediately that follows forensic protocols for handling evidence.
New Bipartisan Report Supports PHR’s Position on Torture of Detainees
PHR applauds the publication today of a bipartisan independent report that supports PHR’s longstanding contention that the interrogation and treatment of many detainees in US custody since 9/11 amounted to torture.
Burma’s Leaders Should Take Steps to Investigate and Prevent Anti-Muslim Violence
PHR calls on Burma’s government to act urgently to halt anti-Muslim incitement and to invite international investigators to launch an immediate independent investigation into a reported massacre of more than two dozen Muslim students in Meiktila on March 21.
Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement in the US Detention System
Solitary confinement is a form of segregation in which people are held in total or near-total isolation in small cells for 23 hours a day. It is used to control and discipline detainees in federal and state prisons, local jails, and immigration and national security detention facilities. Unlike incarcerated prisoners, immigration and national security detainees are held not as punishment for a crime but as a preventive measure, and will likely never be charged with a crime. For these people, solitary confinement then becomes entirely punitive, with dire consequences for their mental and physical health.
Doctors Call for Guantánamo Hunger Strikers to Receive Independent Medical Advice
More than 150 physicians and other health care professionals from the United States and United Kingdom are urging President Obama to direct that detainees engaged in hunger strikes at Guantánamo Bay receive independent medical advice and evaluation.
PHR Welcomes Nomination of UN Ambassador
PHR welcomed the nomination of Samantha Power by the White House as the new US ambassador to the United Nations. “Samantha Power has a direct understanding and vision for how the United Nations can support human security and well-being, and brings passion and expertise for human rights to this important role,” said Susannah Sirkin, PHR’s director of international policy and partnerships, and senior advisor.
Four Years Ago Obama Promised to Investigate Afghan Massacre. Has Anything Happened Since? (ProPublica)
In his first year in office, President Barack Obama pledged to “collect the facts” on the death of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Taliban prisoners of war at the hands of U.S.-allied Afghan forces in late 2001. Almost four years later, there’s no sign of progress. When asked by ProPublica about the state of the investigation, the White House says it is still “looking into” the apparent massacre.
UN Rights Council Calls on Burma to End and Investigate Anti-Muslim Violence (June 14, 2013)
A presidential statement by the Human Rights Council for an end to violence against Muslims in Burma is a welcome step but does not go far enough to protect minorities and should call for an international investigation.
Burma Must Take Steps to Quell Ethnic Violence (May 30, 2013)
This week’s outbreak of violence against Muslims in Lashio marks nearly a year of targeted attacks on Muslims in Burma.
The closure of Guantánamo: a modern Gordian Knot (May 23, 2013)
If the Obama administration wants to successfully resolve the 'Gordian Knot' that is the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, it has to untangle it carefully with a comprehensive approach proving that indefinite detention is not needed.
Massacre in Central Burma (May 2013)
Anti-Muslim violence swept through central Burma in spring 2013, reportedly sparked by an argument at a gold shop and the killing of a Buddhist monk in Meiktila, Mandalay. Homes, mosques, and madrassas were destroyed, and over 100 people lost their lives. This report is the result of an investigation by a PHR team, undertaken shortly after the violence occurred.
President Obama Urged to Coordinate Executive Branch Response to Senate Committee's Study on CIA Interrogation Program (May 2013)
PHR has joined seven other NGOs, including the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, The Center for Victims of Torture, and others, to urge President Obama to make sure the Executive Branch response to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence study is not driven by individuals who might be implicated in the CIA’s use of torture.
Securing Afghanistan's Past: Human Remains Identification Needs and Gap Analysis (April 2013)
PHR's report outlines steps that Afghanistan can take if it is to make progress in addressing the right to truth of victims of more than three decades of violent conflict by identifying missing and disappeared persons.
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