Law, Politics and Fact-Finding: Assessing the Impact of Human Rights Reports: Human Rights Watch, Probable Cause: Evidence Implicating Fujimori (December 2005); Human Rights Watch, Blood-Stained Hands: Past Atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan's Legacy of Impunity (July 2005); Human Rights Watch, Waiting for Justice: Unpunished Crimes from Nepal's Armed Conflict (September 2008)

Abstract

Investigating, collating, corroborating, and publicizing information on human rights violations is central to the work of many national and international human rights organisations. Drawing on three reports published by Human Rights Watch focusing on Afghanistan, Nepal and Peru, this essay will consider the goals and strategies employed by HROs, before assessing the context, content, and objectives that inspired the publication of each report. The essay will then conclude by outlining the contrasting impact of the reports in Afghanistan and Peru to evaluate how far they contributed to HRW's objectives.