A new report issued by the U.N. Panel of Experts on Sudan revealed continuing abuse in Darfur and blatant violations of the U.N. arms embargo. Human Rights First urges the Obama Administration to take immediate action.

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As the Obama Administration continues to weigh its options in Afghanistan, concerns remain surrounding whether there is a fair review of detentions at the Bagram detention facility. These concerns continue to affect local Afghan perception of the U.S. mission there.

Human Rights First published Undue Process, a report that discusses U.S. detention policies and is based on research in Afghanistan in April 2009 and firsthand interviews with former detainees held by the U.S. military at the Bagram detention facility. It was submitted to the Detention Task Force, CENTCOM, and Department of Defense in May 2009. A follow-up policy paper, Fixing Bagram, analyzes the reforms made by the Obama Administration in September 2009 and makes further recommendations.

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The largest bipartisan group of prominent Americans to propose a plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, coordinated by the Constitution Project and Human Rights First , has backed a single scheme for the disposition of cases of current and future detainees. Former members of Congress, diplomats, federal judges and prosecutors, high-level military and government officials, as well as national security experts (list attached) today backed a plan for the handling of detainees when the detention facility is closed.

Illian Deta Arta Sari and Emerson Yuntho, staff members of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), were named as suspects in a criminal defamation case for expressing their skepticism about the amount of money that prosecutors claimed to have saved the state through corruption prosecutions. Urge the Indonesian President to end the politically-motivated investigation of against them.  

President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act, expanding the list of protected victim categories and enabling stronger government response to hate crime in the U.S. The new law should also enhance U.S. global leadership on combating hate violence.

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At a hearing "Human Rights Defenders in the Crosshairs: The Ongoing Crisis in Colombia," Senior Associate Andrew Hudson urged Congress to take decisive action to protect activists in Colombia.

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At a hearing "Implications of the Promotion of 'Defamation of Religions,'" Director of Policy and Programs Tad Stahnke outlined ways for the U.S. to advance respect for freedom of expression while combating racial and religious discrimination and intolerance.

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Human Rights First has chosen Colombian activist Gabriel Gonzalez as the 2009 recipient of its prestigious human rights award. After four months of delays the US government granted him a visa so he can receive the award on October 22.

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The Associated Press highlights the challenges facing newly arrived Iraqi refugees in this article and cites to Human Rights First's recent report "Promises to the Persecuted: The Refugee Act of 2008" – which revealed that just 20 percent of at least 20,000 Iraqis with American ties who've applied have arrived in the United States since 2003. HRF's report also urges the Obama administration to review and improve security clearance procedures so that eligible refugees do not wait for a year or more – in an almost cruel limbo - while their applications are processed.

Read more on HRF's advocacy on the Iraqi refugee crisis