16 April 2011

AFRICA:

• DR Congo = Representatives from civil society organizations from all 11 provinces of the DRC have agreed to terms for the creation of a special independent court within the national judicial system for the prosecution of international crimes against humanity committed in the DRC since 1990. (HRW)

• Libya = The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has instituted proceedings against the state of Libya in the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in response to the massive number of NGO communications imploring it to do so. Libya now “has 60 days to respond to … (the allegations of) serious and widespread violations of the African Charter, including the repression of peaceful demonstrations and the use of heavy weapons and machine guns against its population.” (FIDH)

AMERICAS:

• USA = Attention New Yorkers: the Human Rights Campaign wants you! If you support marriage equality and would like to say so in a video, show up between 11am and 4pm tomorrow (Sunday)at Gansevoort Plaza in the Meatpacking District and speak out for equal rights. (ADV)

• USA = OMG! WTF? The Red Cross just published a new survey … in which 60% of American teenagers support torture for POWs … and over half of American teenagers support murder of POWs who had killed an American citizen. (GOOD)

• How did this happen? What messages are these kiddos getting? These are the people who will making our policy decisions in the not-so-distant future. This does NOT make me wanna LMFAO.

• Venezuela = The Inter-American Commission's Friday report found that Venezuelan human rights activists are working in a “growing climate of hostility” including unjust arrests, assaults, and harassment. President Chavez denies these allegations, saying the claims are politically motivated. (CHRON, WP)

ASIA:

• Tibet = YAY for citizen action! Residents near the Kirti Monastery have gathered to block Chinese military access to the monastery, protecting the 2500 monks within from a forced re-education program led by Chinese security forces, despite the use of excessive force and attack dogs. (HRW)

EUROPE:

• Croatia = About time! Yesterday the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Croatian Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac for their crimes against ethnic Serbs in 1995. (AI)

• For more information on the ICTY's prosecution of war criminals, you can check out Amnesty International's report, Behind a Wall of Silence: prosecution of war crimes in Croatia here.

MIDDLE EAST:

• Iran = A proposed law before the Iranian parliament, the Bill on the Establishment and Supervision of Non-Governmental Organisations, will seriously restrain independent activities of Iranian NGOs if passed. Rights at risk include the freedom of association and the freedom of assembly, which would be monitored by the newly created Supreme Committee Supervising NGO Activities, an “unaccountable body” requiring registration of every active NGO in Iran. (AWID)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• FREE conference in the Hague next month! On May 5-6, a short conference on Post-Conflict Justice and “Local Ownership” will be offered for free at the University of Leiden Campus. Register BEFORE 29 April by emailing pcj @ cdh.leidenuniv.nl

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.

6 March 2011

AFRICA:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo = The “world capital of rape” continues to earn its title. Since January of this year, more than 200 civilians—women, men and children—have been treated for sexual assault by Doctors Without Borders in just one region of South Kivu Province. Rape has been used as a weapon of war fairly consistently since 2004 by the Rwandan Liberation group FDLR which is now based in Eastern DRC, just across the Rwandan border. However, this is largest scale of mass rape victims in years. (IRIN, OHCHR)

• Ivory Coast = Political conflict is fueling a humanitarian crisis. Current but outgoing President Gbagbo allegedly cut off water and electricity to the Central, Northern and Western areas of the country for “national security” reasons. These areas voted principally for Presidential hopeful Allassane Outtara, the “internationally recognized winner of the November 2010 presidential elections” and fighting has broken out between groups loyal to Gbagbo and to Outtara. The conflict, combined with the lack of water and electricity has resulted in terrible sanitation issues as well as limited medical resources, as surgeries, for example, require both clean water and electricity. As the death toll rises, civilians are having to unceremoniously burn dead bodies to help prevent the spread of disease. (AI, IRIN)

• Libya = I'm sure those of you who follow this blog are well aware of most of the actions in Libya this past week. Here are some additional doozies to consider:

• Paramedics have been attacked by al-Gaddafi's Security Forces, despite the fact that the medical workers were wearing “full medical uniform” and arrived at the hospital in Red Crescent-marked vehicles. (AI)

• A video “roundup” showing what has been happening on the ground is available online here.

• BP is still doing business in Libya, engaging in offshore activities, despite the UN's imposition of sanctions on the current government. (CHNG)

ASIA:

• China = Since local bloggers and activists have been calling for an extension of the Jasmine Revolution in China, authorities have cracked down on the media – including the foreign media. This past week, more than a dozen foreign journalists were attacked by Chinese police officers and “plainclothes thugs.” Despite China's agreed-upon October 2008 regulations regarding rights of media correspondents, officials have warned reporters that they must now apply for and “obtain government permission before any newsgathering within the city center.” (HRW, NPR)

• If this is how the foreign media are being treated, what about the locals??

MIDDLE EAST:

• United Arab Emirates = The government this week announced its candidacy for a spot on the UN Human Rights Council. The Council is currently meeting in its 16^th regular session in Geneva until 25^th March. (UAEI)

•Yemen = This week has seen more protestors attacked and fired upon by Yemeni officials, including during prayer time. (HRW)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• A group of representatives of the apparel industry have formed a sustainable apparel coalition in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency. (BHR)

• The Brookings Institute has published a new (and very comprehensive) report on Education and Displacement: Assessing Conditions for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Affected by Conflict. You can find it online here.

• March is International Women's Month – more on this topic on Wednesday, 8 March, International Women's Day.

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)

16 January 2011

AFRICA:

• Tunisia = This week, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country amid massive protests and Prime Minister Mohammad Ghannouchi declared himself interim president on Friday. A curfew has been established, where “gatherings of more than 3 people will not be tolerated” and the security forces have permission to SHOOT ON SIGHT anyone breaking curfew. Already the government reports that 23 Tunisians have been killed. At this point, apparently 95% of Tunisian lawyers are on strike, with the support of their Bar Association. (AI, HRW, FPA)

• Clearly this is illegal under the ICCPR; how are Tunisia’s leaders justifying this? Thoughts? Comments?

AMERICAS:
• USA = The state legislature of Illinois this Tuesday passed a bill to abolish the death penalty in Illinois. It will become law only after Governor Pat Quinn signs the bill; (you can contact Governor Quinn here). The death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1977, despite the general international understanding that the death penalty is a human rights violation. Some US states are now making strides to once again abolish the death penalty and help bring their country within international judicial and human rights standards. (AI)

• Brazil = The Open Society Justice Initiative this week published a piece remarking on the December Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling on Brazil’s amnesty “for ‘political offenses’ committed during its 1970s military dictatorship.” The decision, Gomes Lund v. Brazil, essentially articulated that the public’s right to truth and information outweighs a government’s right to political amnesty for past offenses. (OSF)

ASIA:
• China = As always, you can check out the excellent China Human Rights Defenders Weekly Briefing here.
• Nepal = The International Center for Transitional Justice has published a new report entitled Across the Lines: the Impact of Nepal’s Conflict on Women. This report documents women’s roles in the conflict as well as the sexual violence perpetrated against women during this “people’s war.” (ICTJ)

• The report is available online here.

EUROPE:
• Hungary = On Friday evening, protestors demonstrated against Hungary’s new media law which came into effect on 1^st January this year. The law allows the government to penalize content which is not “in the ‘public interest.’” Protestors argue against both the vagueness of the law and its over-breadth: it includes “all public or privately owned media content, whether broadcast, print or web-based.” (AI)

• You can check out photos from Friday night’s protest here.

MIDDLE EAST:
• Iran = Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer and mother of two young children was this week sentenced to 11 years in prison for “activities against national security” and “propaganda against the regime.” She has also been prohibited from practicing law or for leaving Iran for 20 years. Meanwhile, Shirin Ebadi says that “Iran’s government routinely levels these charges against lawyers, journalists, NGO workers and others whose work it finds troublesome.” (NYT, WSJ)

CULTURAL:
• 6 Billion Ways 2011: This gathering is taking place on Saturday 5^th March 2011 in London to address the effect of large-scale human rights abuses on each of us individually. Its purpose is to inform and mobilize “a wide range of people on local and global justice issues” and it is billed as “a day that explores resistance.” This event is FREE and you can register online here.

ALSO OF INTEREST:
• HURIDOCS, Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems International, is calling for applications from disability rights organizations to receive free access to their Global Disability Rights Library. Check it out here.

7 September, 2010

ASIA:

• China = If you are not already following it, there is a great weekly briefing on human rights in China, available online here. This week's update includes stories on the detention of protesters in a village outside of Beijing and the release from a detention center of Fujian activist Fan Yanqiong. (CHRD)

CENTRAL ASIA:
• In Pakistan, the logistics of getting aid to flood victims is still a massive challenge. (IRIN)

AMERICAS:
• United States = A new social media and public education campaign (as a reaction to or a corollary of the American Apparel's Legalize Gay campaign), Legalize Trans, has launched with the goal of drawing increased attention to transgender people and their issues. (ADV)

• Find out more about Legalize Trans and its efforts at http://www.legalizetrans.com.

• Florida, United States = Why?? In a move likely never to be approved by Jesus, a Florida church allegedly led a "Burn a Koran Day." Not only does this engender hatred (a concept never promoted by religion), it also endangers US troops and citizens abroad. In fact, General David Petraeus, the top Commander in Afghanistan, said that the "Burn a Koran Day" puts our troops in danger and fuels extremist violence. (HRF)

ALSO OF INTEREST:
• Next week (14 September, 2010) the Managing Global Insecurity Project at the Brookings Institute will host a conversation on the Millennium Development Goals and their relationship with human rights, featuring remarks by Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International; Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Professor Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown Law School. (BRK)

• I've been sayin' it for years: development is all about the ladies. Recent data now supports this knowledge: investments in women are the key behind progress on the Millennium Development Goals. (Change)

9 March 2009

AFRICA:

• Kenya = Oscar Kamau Kingara and John Paul Oulu, two Kenyan human rights activists, were executed at close range while trapped in their car in a traffic jam in downtown Nairobi. (WP)
• The two had recently cooperated with a UN investigation into illegal killings by police officers during Kenya’s recent political turmoil. This UN investigation led to calls for the resignation of Kenya’s Attorney General and Police Commissioner. (WP)
• The UN has called for an investigation into their murders. (NYT)
• Tunisia = Tunisian human rights activist Mohamed Abbou was again denied (for the 7^th time, now) permission to leave Tunisia. He was hoping to attend an Amnesty International conference in London; it was suggested to him that he should not try to leave Tunisia again. (AI)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Iran = Independent journalist, Roxana Saberi, will allegedly be released this week, after nearly a month in detention. [see previous posts for more details on Ms. Saberi] (NYT)
• Iraq = View results of studies on the effect of violence on Iraqi civilians’ mental health here. It’s been especially tough for the ladies. (NYT, IRIN)
• Israel = YAY! Bedouin tribes in Southern Israel’s Negev area have stopped practicing female genital mutilation (FGM) according to new research. (IRIN)

CULTURAL:

• PRI published a great story, “Responsibility to Protect”: When will “never again” really mean “never again”? (PRI)
• Clearly I’m not the only one who found the fatwa against yoga ridiculous … (NYT)
• Yoni Goodman of Waltz With Bashir fame, turns his talents to Gaza. Watch the video here.
• Visit mideastyouth.com to see just how cool teenagers can be.

AMERICAS:

• Unites States = Binyam Mohamed, a 30 year old prisoner caught in America’s “extraordinary rendition” program and held at Guantanamo Bay for seven years, was recently released without charge. (WP)
• He now alleges that the British government assisted the US in both his rendition and subsequent torture; the British government will hold a judicial inquiry into these allegations that directly contradict Britain’s previous claims of ignorance of rendition and torture. (WP)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• China = Chinese police shot and killed a Tibetan monk who set himself on fire as a protest after he was refused entrance at a prayer hall. (WP)
• INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY was yesterday, March 8^th
• Then and now. (AI)
• In Afghanistan, women celebrated by gathering at cities throughout the country for a Prayer for Peace With Justice.
• The women wore blue scarves, that match the burka (widely viewed as a symbol of women’s oppression under the Taliban) to “call attention to the need to look beyond the burka toward a future where women’s contribution to society is fully acknowledged.” (UNIFEM)
• Jacqueline Nolley Echegaray suggests issues for women’s human rights advocates to address here. (CAP)
• UNICEF sponsored a “Girl Power and Potential” Reception at UN HQ (UNICEF)
• Sri Lanka = Humanitarian conditions for civilians caught in the middle of the conflict between the government and the Tamil Tigers are “dire.” (IRIN)
• Thailand = the first annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was a bit of a farce. (WP)
• ASEAN’s charter mandates the formation of an independent human rights body … which seems rather unlikely to happen since Burma and Cambodia threatened to leave the summit if human rights activists from their countries were allowed to participate. (WP)
• UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi issues a Call to Action around women’s treatment in conflict zones, including sexual violence, the lack of female voices in peace processes and the implementation and enforcement of Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. (UNIFEM)
• See also the Human Rights Index on Women and Armed Conflict here.