Jordan: Syrian Student Faces Imminent Deportation
Jordanian authorities should halt the imminent deportation of a Syrian media student who faces a significant risk of persecution if forcibly returned to Syria, Human Rights Watch said today.
Voting Rights
VOTING RIGHTS
When the United States was founded, slaves, people without property, women, and Native Americans did not have the right to vote. Over generations, laws and amendments have addressed these democratic oversight. The most sweeping and historical legislation was passed by Congress in 1965 -- the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which outlawed discrimination in voting, expanding expanded voting rights to African Americans, women and young people and removed barriers such as poll taxes.
Today, more than half a century later, many people still have difficulty accessing polls. In recent years, many states have passed laws making voting for certain populations especially difficult. These include voter ID laws, restrictions on opportunities to register, and reduced early voting options. Such laws have been known to suppress voting by the elderly, young people, poor people and people of color. The US Congress has repeatedly found that discrimination in voting continues, and has reauthorized the VRA four times, most recently in 2006.
The goal of the legislation has been subverted however, by a 2013 US Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. That ruling invalidated an obligation – called preclearance – that required states with a history of discrimination in voting to have any proposed changes to their state’s voting laws to be reviewed by the federal government. States are no longer required to have a review of their proposed laws. This means that any communities facing discriminatory voting laws in their state must file suits themselves or rely on the Justice Department to challenge proposed laws.
As a result of Shelby, several states have passed a wave of laws that make voting cumbersome for poor people, people of color, and elderly people. In these states, laws that made it easier to register or cast have been revised, creating barriers to voting.
The struggle for full voting rights in the United States continues – and requires vigilance from everyone to make sure the UDHR vision of “full and equal suffrage” is ensured.
External Resources
Gambia: Bill Threatens Female Genital Mutilation Ban
A bill before Gambia’s National Assembly to reverse a groundbreaking 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) jeopardizes the rights of women and girls in the country, Human Rights Watch said today.
Civilians at Risk as Large-Scale Fighting Looms in Darfur
After a months-long, uneasy détente between Sudan’s two warring parties, hundreds of thousands of civilians sheltering in the city of El Fasher in Darfur are in the crosshairs.
Landmark Court Ruling Upholds Right to Healthy Environment
Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found the Peruvian government responsible for violating the right to a healthy environment, among other rights, of residents of La Oroya, a town exposed to toxic pollution from a mine and smelter complex, the first ruling of its kind before the Court.
Armenia Strengthens Domestic Violence Law
Armenia’s parliament adopted amendments strengthening the country’s domestic violence law. The legislation was adopted last week as postwar Armenia both struggles to secure its border with neighboring Azerbaijan and deepen its relations with the European Union.
UN Plastics Treaty Should Mandate Protection of Human Rights and Health
Next week in Ottawa, countries will reconvene to continue negotiations on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
German Chancellor’s Trip to China a Wasted Opportunity
Germany's economy is very dependent on China, so expectations were low that Chancellor Olaf Scholz would place human rights concerns prominently on the agenda of his April 13-16 trip to China. But his apparent unwillingness to publicly say the words “human rights” was deeply disappointing.
Explosive Weapons’ Dire Impact on Cultural Heritage
The bombing and shelling of cities and towns during armed conflict has devastating consequences for cultural heritage and civilians, Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic said in a report released today.
West Bank: Israel Responsible for Rising Settler Violence
The Israeli military either took part in or did not protect Palestinians from violent settler attacks in the West Bank that have displaced people from 20 communities and have entirely uprooted at least 7 communities since October 7, 2023.
Insurance Firms Should Shun the East African Crude Oil Pipeline
Last year was the hottest on record, with extreme weather events in many corners of the globe.
Tajikistan: EU States, Türkiye Should Not Return Dissidents
Several people based in Lithuania, Poland, and Turkey, linked to a banned Tajik opposition movement, Group 24, have in recent months disappeared or have been arrested and threatened with extradition to Tajikistan, Human Rights Watch and Norwegian Helsinki Committee said today.
Saudi Arabia: Free Award-Winning Activist
Saudi authorities should immediately release Waleed Abu al-Khair, an award-winning Saudi human rights defender and lawyer
Justa Libertad: A Movement to Decriminalize Abortion in Ecuador
An Ecuadorian coalition of eight civil society organizations recently filed a lawsuit before the Constitutional Court of Ecuador seeking to decriminalize abortion. This crucial initiative seeks to ensure that women, girls, and other pregnant people can access safe abortion care.
Germany: Scholz Should Stand Firm on Rights in China
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz should stress the importance of human rights in the Sino-German relationship during his visit to China and meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Abu Ghraib Torture Case Finally Goes to Trial
Twenty years have passed since the media broke the story that US forces and the CIA were torturing “war on terror” detainees at Abu Ghraib and other US-run prisons in Iraq. But for the men who were tortured, it feels like only yesterday.