Human Rights Watch- Europe and Central Asia division

Human Rights Watch is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices of influential governments and international institutions.

Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Europe and Central Asia division (then known as Helsinki Watch). Its primary goal was to monitor the implementation of human rights provisions established by the Helsinki Accords within the Soviet Union. Today, the division's work has expanded well beyond monitoring the Helsinki provisions to include gathering detailed information on human rights abuses throughout Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. In addition to publishing reliable and comprehensive reports, the ECA division effects change through advocacy. The ECA holds accountable not only governments who abuse internationally recognized human rights, but also those who support abusive governments. The ECA division seeks to expand the implementation of human rights law in all of Europe and Central Asia.