Friday, May 6, 2011

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.

    1 comment:

    Neil said...

    Can't answer your question about Detroit, but the population has shrunk more than half since the 1950's. That must have something to do with it. Interesting account of how eerie some parts are (more or less deserted) in David Byrne's book, Bicycle Diaries.