On August 10, 2009 democracy activists from Uzbekistan started an open-ended hunger strike in front of Radio Liberty headquarters in Washington DC with the demand that it offer its air time for all leaders of Uzbek political opposition.

Pakistan moved towards outlawing domestic violence when lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday that will punish those found guilty of beating women or children with jail terms and fines. The law, passed unanimously, was called a "big day" for Pakistani women.

A bloody trail that leads straight to the Indonesian army [...] For the Indonesian army, illegal timber and gold in West Papua is regarded as plunder, with scant regard for the rights of the West Papuan population.

None of McKinney's Congressional colleagues, nor those compatriots with whom she was involved in the presidential race, have made a public statement on her behalf since her capture on June 30.

Sri Lankan officials with Tamil professionals for feedback on the massive reconstruction effort it has launched after defeating Tamil forces after two decades of civil war. Hopefully this meeting represents a sincere desire to include the Tamil minority.

The international community needs to invest urgently in repairing health services to prevent the spread of debilitating disease, and to provide life-sustaining food and supplies. Call on the international community to commit to rebuilding Gaza and ensure

"Every time we entered a village, hundreds of people asked for help", says Michael von Bergen, a delegate who was in a convoy delivering assistance in Swat last weekend. "Those who did not leave are now desperate. They need food, clean water and working..

Parents, spouses, siblings and children of about 900 detainees have been deprived of face-to-face contact since June 2007, when the Israeli authorities decided to suspend the ICRC-run family visit programme.

Kinshasa/Geneva (ICRC) - Fresh outbreaks of armed hostilities in many areas of North and South Kivu are putting additional pressure on entire communities already living in an alarming state of vulnerability.

(New York) - The Sri Lankan government should end the illegal detention of nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils displaced by the recently ended conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today.