In Sri Lanka, an international panel invited to monitor the investigation of human rights abuses has quit. Another human rights group has also attacked the government for its rights record, calling it one of the world's worst perpetrators of enforced disappearances. Anjana Pasricha reports on the growing criticism of the government's rights record since a new round of fighting erupted in the island, two years ago.

U.S. policy in Iraq courting tribal leaders may be yielding positive results in combating al-Qaida and stabilizing the country, but may also be repeating British policy of the previous century which led to severe human rights abuses, particularly against women, says a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Scientists in the United States say satellite evidence confirms reports of human rights abuses in eastern Burma between mid-2006 and early 2007.

A new analysis of high-resolution satellite images -- completed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) -- pinpoints evidence consistent with village destruction, forced relocations, and a growing military presence at 25 sites across eastern Burma where eye-witnesses have reported human rights violations.

Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori lost his fight to avoid extradition from Chile to Lima, where he faces charges of human rights abuse and corruption dating from his 1990-2000 rule.

Adrian Severin, who served as the United Nations' Special Monitor on Belarus, said the UN Human Rights Council is sending a "wrong and worrying" message to Minsk by deciding not to renew his mandate.

Governments and armed groups around the world are using "the politics of fear" to crush human rights and encourage dangerous divisions in society, according to Amnesty International's 2007 human rights report, released today.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry has called the European Union's sanctions against the country "counterproductive" for the interests of both parties, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.

The human rights organization, Amnesty International, has presented an appeal from 147 countries to the United Nations to maintain an independent and effective system of human rights experts. A petition signed by more than 12,500 people calling for stronger measures to help victims of human rights abuse was presented to the president of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday.

In a new resolution, the Council of Europe paints a grim picture of the situation facing Russia's 160-plus national minorities. The current resolution , adopted May 2 by the council's executive arm, the Committee of Ministers, says the country has not done enough to implement existing federal legislation on minority protection.

The outgoing State Department official responsible for U.S. human rights policies has testified in Congress about human rights around the world. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, where Assistant Secretary of State Barry Lowenkron appeared before a House committee examining the State Department's most recent reports on global human rights.

The European Union is preparing to expand the list of Zimbabwean officials who are barred from traveling to EU countries. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA from London. European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg have issued a statement expressing strong concern at what they called the rapidly deteriorating human rights, political and economic situation in Zimbabwe.