Human Rights Watch is increasingly recognized as the world's leader in building a stronger human rights culture, and their annual World Report-the most probing annual review of human rights developments available anywhere-will now be published by Seven Stories Press and available in the trade for the first time. The backbone of the report consists of a series of concise overviews of the most pressing human rights issues in countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, with particular focus on the role-positive or negative-played in each country by key domestic and international actors. The report is written in straightforward, nontechnical language and prioritizes events in the most affected countries during the year. Release of the report each year in January is a major news event covered heavily by newspapers of record in the United States and around the world. These news stories and mention of the World Report continue throughout the year.