13 March 2011

AFRICA:

• Angola = The Jasmine Revolution is spreading … and so are government crack-downs. The Angolan government this week effectively stopped Monday's planned demonstration by threatening punishment for attendees and arresting journalists (from the private newspaper Novo Jornal), musician-poets and proposed demonstrators the night before the event. (HRW)

• Libya = Among the fighting and upheaval, thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are being conscripted to fight for the Libyan forces by Colonel al-Gaddafi. Be this misguided forced nationalism or the result of racism, this must be stopped immediately. Many of these people—like Libyan citizens—are trying to flee the State at this time; their migrant status must not effect their basic human right to security of the body, as well as repatriation. (FIDH, GV, IRIN)

• A follow-up to last week's story: BP has now stopped doing business with Libya. (CHNG)

AMERICAS:

• Ecuador = Chevron, in addition to causing over $9.5Million in environmental damages to the Amazon Basin, has engaged in an 18-year-long campaign to undermine the Ecuadorian court. (BHR)

• USA = Boo! In a move reminiscent of the notorious Red Scare era, the US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security held hearings this week on the alleged “radicalization of the Muslim American community.” (HRW, BCJ, IPS)

Is it acceptable practice for the US Congress to evaluate the patriotism of a religious community?

• USA = Yay! The Governor of the State of Illinois this week signed a law abolishing the death penalty in that state. America is slowly but surely, state by state, acceding to the internatioanlly accepted standard that the imposition of the death penalty is a violation of basic human rights. (AI)

ASIA:

• Azerbaijan = Much like Angola (see above), authorities have been arresting, detaining and threatening people who plan to demonstrate in Jasmine Revolution protests. Additionally, this past Thursday the Ministry of Justice suspended a human rights NGO, the Azerbaijan Human Rights House. (HRW)

• China = The Chinese Human Rights Defenders blog did a great piece on Female Human Rights Defenders in China in honor of International Women's Day; you can check it out here. (CHRD)

• JAPAN = I'm sure all of us have been focused on the recent destruction in Japan, and are keeping our eyes on earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant developments there. I haven't seen much human-rightsy news yet (regarding health services, water, sanitation, food, etc) but did pick up an article wherein the group Architecture for Humanity has committed to helping rebuild Sendai when the proverbial and literal dust has settled. I'm hoping we will see many more positive actions in the coming weeks and months. (GOOD)

EUROPE:

• Britain = “Child soldiers” in the UK?? Apparently, yes. Britain's army may recruit soldiers at the age of 16, despite the fact that age of majority in Britain is 18 years to be able to buy alcohol, ride a motorbike, and rent violent movies (such as Apocalypse Now, which of course is about … war). Additionally, if a soldier enters the British military at age 16, they are still committed to 4 years of service after their 18^th birthday, which is two years longer than anyone joining at age 18. (GRD)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Bahrain = Threats against Jasmine Revolution protestors now include very personal death threats against 3 human rights activists; the government thus far has done nothing to ensure or promote their safety. (AI)

• Syria = Human rights attorney Haytham Al-Maleh was pardoned and released from prison this week after a year and a half of State detention. The International Commission of Jurists observed the trial of Mr. Al-Maleh, in which he was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for “weakening national sentiments” among other accusations and issued a report which outlined consistent human rights violations throughout. (FIDH)

• A group of approximately 12 prisoners detained in Damascus have been on a hunger strike since Monday, 7 March protesting their politicized trials; let's keep an eye on their situation.

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• The Human Rights Law Resource Centre and the Castan Center for Human Rights Law are hosting a seminar on 5 April, 2011 in Melbourne entitled, “Will the Revolution Be Tweeted? The Role of Social Media in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights.” (BHR)

• UNICEF has a human rights podcast, “Beyond School Books,” highlighting the importance of education.

• MotherJones publishes this Eco-News Roundup weekly.

2 March 2011

Regular Readers, my apologies for this week's late edition! I blame travel and a sickly old laptop which had to be put to rest this week. The RoundUp will back on schedule this coming Sunday – see you then.

AFRICA:

• Libya = Wow. It appears that Colonel al-Gaddafi has completely lost it --- control of his nation, that is. In an unprecedented move this weekend, Libya's own UN delegation declared that they now represented the people of Libya, not its government, and appealed to the UN Security Council to take action against al-Gaddafi. In another unexpected move, the Security Council unanimously referred Libya to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity under international law, following Friday's UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva where the Council strongly denounced the human rights abuses being perpetrated in Libya. (AI, HRW, FIDH)

• Apparently al-Gaddafi ordered some of his military pilots to fire on civilian demonstrators from the air. A petition has been started to support grants of asylum to two pilots who refused to kill unarmed protesters and escaped to Malta; you can sign it here.

• For a good article on the role of technology in the Libyan protests, check out Fast Company magazine's recent article here.

• Central African Republic = Diamond profits are still supporting armed and abusive rebel groups ... and the Kimberly Process (designed to ensure “conflict diamonds” are not put into the stream of commerce) isn't working. (AA)

AMERICAS:

• USA = We all know how serious America is about following through on its international legal obligations (ahem), so despite the ILO's 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the ICCPR's guarantees to trade union activity, etc. Wisconsin Governor and state legislators took away Wisconsin workers' collective bargaining rights in a 2am vote this week. The public response was immediate, with solidarity rallies in all 50 states this weekend. (HRW, CHNG)

• Wisconsin residents are now signing a petition to recall Scott Walker as Governor in 2012, which has already gained 65,000 signatures; it is online here.

ASIA:

• China = Chinese bloggers and “netizens” are calling for “Jasmine Revolution” protests … and the government is not surprisingly moving swiftly to stifle their voices. At least 5 people have been criminally detained for “subversion of state power,” a charge that could get these activists 10 years in prison. Additionally, more than one hundred people have had their residences raided, been beaten, interrogated or disappeared over the past week. (CHRD)

EUROPE:

• England = Two teenage college-hopefuls are suing their government for human rights abuses because university tuition was tripled starting next September. Public Interest Lawyers is representing the students, who argue the increased tuition disproportionately affects students from lower-income homes and ethnic minorities. England, as a member of the European Union, is subject to the European Convention on Human Rights and this tuition raise allegedly breaches Article 14 of that Convention. (GRD)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Bahrain = Yay!! The Bahrain 23 have been freed. Last summer, activists from government opposition groups organized a boycott of the approaching elections. The Ministry of Justice arrested and charged 23 activists with “forming an authorized group which incites to overthrow the government.” Since their arrest 6 months ago, the detainees have all been brutally tortured, spurring thousands of their colleagues to protest and blog about their treatment. This week the Bahrain 23 along with 250 other political prisoners were released from jail. (CHNG)

• Yemen = With an average of 3 deaths per day since demonstrations started on 16 February, Yemeni security forces are now allegedly opening fire on protesters, attacking protesters' homes, outright executing people and barring both injured patients and doctors from entering hospitals. A doctor in the al-Mu'alla region was told, “Let them die!” by security officers who would not allow him to enter the hospital to treat people who had been injured in the demonstrations. (AI)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• Any environmentalists out there feel like taking the Fate of the World into your hands? This video game lets players turn climate change issues around and save the future of our planet. If you purchase the Fate of the World before Thursday, all proceeds will benefit the global environmental-group coalition, TckTckTck. (GOOD)