Syria: Attacks on Doctors, Patients, and Hospitals

The Syrian government has responded to popular protests with months of sustained and extreme violence and intimidation, and an all-out assault on the country’s medical system. PHR has documented attacks on Syria’s medical profession – violations that are but one aspect of the myriad abuses the Syrian people have endured over the past several months.

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Policy Statement

New Medical Neutrality Exemption to “Material Support” Bar to Asylum is Applauded

PHR commends Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s decision to create an exemption to the “material support” bar for health professionals who have provided medical assistance to wounded combatants. The decision is a major victory for health professionals who were forced to provide health care to alleged terrorists during armed conflict. Previously, medical professionals forced to provide care to members of terrorist organizations, some under the threat of torture or death, were denied asylum in the US.

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Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya

When Libyans first took to the streets to protest Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s autocratic rule in February 2011, Qaddafi's response was quick and brutal: attack protesters and target civilians in a deliberate campaign to quash dissent across the country. This report documents some of the conflict's most severe human rights violations that must be addressed as a new civilian government emerges.

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Richard Sollom Testifies on Bahrain to Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

Richard Sollom, Deputy Director of PHR, testified to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, US Congress, on Bahrain's attacks on and detention of medical professionals in the wake of protests against the government in February and March, 2011.

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