| Abuses by Guinea's Security Forces | | Officers Take Sides Politically, Abuse People Affiliated With Certain Party | | When contested election results in Guinea led to outbreaks of political and ethnic violence, security forces used lethal force against some protesters and targeted the Peuhl ethnic group – who supported a different party than most security force members did. At least seven people died and 220 were wounded in the post-election violence, which erupted between supporters of presidential candidates Alpha Condé and Cellou Dalein Diallo and security forces in several cities. Interviews with 80 victims and witnesses made clear that security forces, dominated by ethnic groups who largely supported Condé's party, used excessive force to suppress violent protests by the Peuhl, who were rioting because of perceived electoral irregularities against Diallo, their candidate. Officers made ethnic comments, like, "You, the Peuhl, will never rule the country." They stole mobile telephones, money, and household items from people suspected of supporting Diallo. Security forces also supported civilian mobs of Condé supporters. Although the officers may have sought to quell the violence that seized the cities, they failed to provide equal protection to all Guineans. Guinea's Supreme Court is expected to announce the election results this week. Despite the violence, this election was considered Guinea's freest in 50 years. 
| | Steps to end this cycle of state-sponsored abuse » | | Photo: © 2010 Getty Images |  | | Sharia Law in Indonesia | | Restrictions on Dress, Association, Applied Selectively and Abusively | | In Indonesia's Aceh province, two local Sharia-inspired laws regulating Islamic dress and association between members of the opposite sex not only violate fundamental rights protected under Indonesia and international law, but are applied selectively and abusively. Wealthy or politically-connected individuals are rarely affected. Sharia police officers have interpreted the "seclusion" law to prohibit sitting and talking in a "quiet" space with a member of the opposite sex to whom one is not married or related. Those apprehended have been aggressively interrogated by officers and some are told they would be released from custody if they agreed to marry. Additionally, local laws permit private individuals, like community members, to apprehend and punish suspected violators. Although the law requiring Islamic attire applies to men and women, it is much more onerous for women, who constitute the overwhelming majority of those reprimanded by the Sharia police. While the law requires men to cover their body between the knee and the navel, Muslim women must cover the entire body, except for hands, feet, and face. Human Rights Watch takes no position on Sharia law per se, which supporters say is a system of guidance on all matters in life. But these two laws violate Indonesia's commitment to its citizens.
| | First-hand accounts include beatings for breaking these laws » | | Photo: © 2010 Serambi | | Most Popular Headlines | Western Sahara: Beatings, Abuse by Moroccan Security Forces
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by Peter Bouckaert
and Samer Muscati
The Huffington Post
The deadly attack by Al-Qaeda-linked militants on a Catholic church in Baghdad, followed by an even deadlier spate of coordinated explosions targeting Shi'a neighborhoods and a series of bombings targeting Christian homes, has plunged Iraqis of all stripes into new despair. These atrocities bode ill for Iraq's chances of putting such bloodletting in the past. | Senegal: Law Promotes Violence Against Homosexuals
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