Hiatus

Hey folks,

Just wanted to give you a quick update: the Human Rights Roundup has been delayed due to total technical fail (laptop is now in the good hands of the GeekSquad) and a personal move (oh, packing ...).

The Roundup will be back in full force and better than ever in June, 2011.

See y'all then.

Best,
Jenna

6 May 2011

AFRICA:

• Libya = Colonel al-Gaddafi is committing war crimes against civilian residents of Misratah. (AI, DWB)

• South Africa = The rape and murder of a GLBT activist is a hate crime, say local activists (the police disagree). (ADV, CHNG)
• Uganda = Why it sucks to be a woman (or in love with a woman, or the child of a woman, or the parent of a woman, etc.) in Northeastern Uganda these days. (DWB) [and can rock stars help?]

AMERICAS:

• Mexico = Yesterday kicked off the first day of a nonviolent activist walk to the capital protesting drug-related violence. (GV)

• USA = In Detroit, Michigan almost 50% of residents are functionally illiterate. How does this happen in such a wealthy nation? How can we address this?

ASIA:

• ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is meeting this weekend:

1. Human Rights Watch is calling on ASEAN to "reject Burma's request to chair the regional grouping in 2014 until the Burmese government takes genuine steps towards improving human rights, including the release of more than 2,000 political prisoners." (KI)
2. Other activists are asking ASEAN to create "concrete measures to end the human suffering caused by the ongoing clashes" between Thailand and Cambodia. (AT)

• China = The solution to ending the Jasmine Revolution in China? Arrest everyone. Including Liang Haiyi, Ran Yunfei, and Wang Lihong. (AI)
• Kyrgyzstan = The International Independent Commission has found that during the June 2010 unrest in Osh, Kyrgyz authorities failed to adequately protect ethnic Uzbek civilians. (FIDH)

EUROPE:

• France = Ummm, diplomacy? Libyan diplomats are asked to leave because the French Foreign Ministry "no longer recognizes their diplomatic status." (AJ) What do you think about this? Valid concern or inflammatory gesture or both?

MIDDLE EAST:

• Syria = Human rights violations in the town of Daraa? Not surprising since the city has been surrounded by the Syrian army since 25 April: no one is allowed out, and no one (no food, supplies, etc) allowed in. (HRW)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• The Business and Human Rights Network is promoting the development of "a global standard of business principles pertaining to children’s rights" by UNICEF, Save the Children and the UN Global Compact.

The Osama bin Laden Edition

Pakistan = So, we all know that Osama bin Laden is now dead … here are some human rightsy-takes on the story =

• Human Rights Watch’s basic statement on the death;
• Fast Company magazine’s coverage from the Tweeterverse perspective;
• Pakistani Tweet Reactions from Global Voices;
• George Galloway’s thoughts on the “extrajudicial killing of a civilian”;
• a question as to whether this assassination was justice or just vengeance;
• Nicholas Kristoff’s After Osama article;
• a US Army Veteran’s take on events;
• the opinion of a few Muslim scholars on religious propriety of the burial at sea;
• Iran’s foreign minister on continued US presence in the Middle East;
• was this just one killer killing another?;
• hopes that this death will move us closer to peace;
• and last but not least 9/11 families and veterans speak about the death;
• for more updates throughout the day, check us out on twitter @hrroundup