2008 / 179 pp

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“In Pursuit of Justice: Prosecuting Terrorism Cases in the Federal Courts is a stunning compilation of the record of trying and prosecuting jihadist terrorism cases in the federal criminal justice system over the past two decades. In Pursuit of Justice will become an indispensable toolÑnot only for participants in such cases but for policymakers confronted with proposals to create new national security courts in response to claims that the existing federal courts cannot adequately handle terrorism cases.

The authors meticulously detail well over 100 successfully completed terrorism cases. They canvass the adequacy of existing laws as bases for prosecution, grounds for arrest and detention, and evidentiary structures for protecting security information, while keeping faith with due process. In the end they make a compelling case for the adaptability and competency of our federal courts to handle the significant challenges that the post 9/11 world has brought to their doors.”

— Patricia M. Wald, Former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
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2008 / 81 pp

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Tortured Justice finds the Bush Administration has undercut its own intended use of the military commission system at Guantanamo Bay by allowing the admission of coerced evidence. The administration sanctioned the use of harsh interrogation methods, claiming that the need to protect the nation against another terrorist attack took precedence over any future complications in prosecuting terrorist suspects. Then, rather than accept the inadmissibility of tainted evidence in court, Congress and the administration dug themselves in deeper by including provisions in the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that authorize, for the first time in American history, the admission of coerced confessions during criminal trials.

The report focuses on six Guantanamo prisoners who have alleged abuse while in custody, some of which has been documented by military investigations and detainee interrogation logs, and some of which has been publicly acknowledged by administration officials. The report also includes a chart identifying 62 other prisoners who allege abuse, alongside the names of those they may have implicated. The chart offers a stark visualization of the cross-contamination of coerced evidence.

2008 / 46 pp

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Arbitrary Justice documents how detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan are being tried in Afghan courts based on allegations provided by the United States, with little or no evidence.

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2008 / 117 pp

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Praise for Private Security Contractors at War: Ending the Culture of Impunity

“Human Rights First’s report is an incredibly comprehensive study of the ‘culture of impunity’ that has surrounded the private military industry for too long. Hopefully, our leaders will finally listen and, even more importantly, demonstrate the will to act.”
— P. W. Singer, Author, Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry
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2007 / 53 pp.

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Praise for 2007 Hate Crime Survey

“Human Rights First has done a valuable service by publishing this report on hate crimes in Europe and North America. It exposes the extent of physical and verbal attacks based on bias, hate and intolerance. It reveals the lack of protection by states through laws and reporting mechanisms, and the widespread indifference to the suffering caused to victims often afraid to complain…”
— Mary Robinson, Chair, Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

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2007 / 185 pp.

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Praise for Antisemitism: 2007 Hate Crime Survey

“With this report Human Rights First has again moved antisemitism high on the human rights agenda… This report serves as a much-needed call to European governments to monitor and combat these virulent and deadly new strains of an ancient affliction.”

— Rabbi David Saperstein, Religious Action Center

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2006 / 34 pp.

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“Since Thaksin became Prime Minister how many of us have been killed? This is government by force, not democracy. Defending our rights, we started with a small issue and began to fight, and found big men behind it.”

—Chair of a community organization in Nakhon Ratchasima province

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Feb. 2006 / 130 pp.

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Human Rights First’s new report,”Command’s Responsibility: Deaths in U.S. Custody in Iraq and Afghanistan,” provides the first comprehensive accounting of the U.S. government’s handling of the nearly 100 cases of detainees who have died in U.S. custody since 2002. In its report, Human Rights First looked at some of the most troubling abuse cases, including up to 12 cases in which people were tortured to death. The report found that flawed investigations and a lack of punishment, especially at the highest levels, has lead to a culture of impunity on abuse.

Despite the number of deaths of prisoners in U.S. custody, as of February 2006, only 12 detainee deaths have resulted in any kind of punishment for any U.S. official, military or civilian. The report finds that often the more serious the case – particularly those involving people tortured to death – the less severe the punishment; the highest sentence in a torture-related death is five months in prison. Based on this, Human Rights First concluded that a gap exists between policies leadership says it respects on paper, and behavior it actually tolerates in practice.

(2005) $10 /ISBN 0-9753150-4-8 / 28 pp.

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President Suharto’s fall from power in 1998 ushered in a period of reformasi, or political reform. But democratization has been met with resistance from many of those in power. After September 11, 2001, rising military influence in Indonesia was reinforced by an international environment that emphasizes security concerns at the expense of rights and freedoms. These convergent forces contributed to renewed conflict in the province of Aceh, antiterrorism legislation that reversed hard-won safeguards, and continued attacks on human rights defenders.

(2005) $10 / ISBN: 0-9753150-5-6 / 28 pp.

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“A threat to the constitutional order” is what President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan took to calling his non-violent critics and political opponents early on in his fourteen year presidency – sending many of them to jail. After deadly bombings in Tashkent in 1999, the Karimov government capitalized on public fear of the threat of terrorism and religious extremism to undermine and discredit their critics. Those who objected to Karimov’s authoritarian practices and exposed the government’s violations of human rights were accused of giving aid and comfort to terrorists.

The September 11 attacks on the United States of America and the U.S. government’s declaration of a “global war on terrorism” were an opportunity for the Karimov government to evade international condemnation of its widespread violations of human rights. The Karimov government formed a strategic partnership with the U.S. government and, ever more confident that its treatment of non-violent dissidents would be overlooked by its global allies, stepped up repression of independent civil society and human rights defenders.

The Karimov government’s suppression of human rights defenders is one of the most extreme case studies of the misuse of legitimate concerns over security to undermine respect for basic rights and freedoms and to persecute those who seek to promote human rights. This counterproductive policy has contributed to an escalation in political violence, instability and violations of human rights.