5 July 2009

AFRICA:

· Darfur, Sudan = Two foreign aid workers, Hilda Kawuki from Uganda and Sharon Commins from Ireland, were abducted Friday from their compound in Kutum, northern Darfur. Six armed men allegedly took them hostage. They have not been heard from since. (AJ, BBC)

o Almost as newsworthy as this clip, is the fact that Sudanese women are often abducted, kidnapped, held hostage … and it doesn’t make international news to nearly this effect … but maybe I’m just a cynic.

• Gambia = YAY! Twenty-four districts in Gambia’s Upper River Region have signed a public declaration abandoning female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). These communities are all from the Mandinka or Fula ethnic groups – because this region has the country’s highest FGM/C rates, with 90 percent of women and girls being cut. FGM/C poses many health risks, including birth complications, maternal death, infertility, and urinary incontinence, including fistula. (IRIN Africa, UNICEF, Tostan)

· Namibia = Two HIV-positive Namibian women allege that they were sterilized, without their knowing consent and against their will, in local public hospitals. The International Community for Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) has been hearing accounts of this type of abuse through its regular forums for HIV-positive young women. The ICW has now partnered with the Legal Assistance Centre, to bring these two cases before a judge. (IRIN)

o Deciding to take legal action is an incredibly difficult step. Many victims are reluctant to come forward due to fears that both their HIV status and their inability to bear children will be made public, both of which are causes of shame. (IRIN)

· Zimbabwe = BOO! This is yet another reason why you should never buy a diamond. Children as young as 13 years old have provided testimony to Human Rights Watch regarding their forced labor in diamond mines. The report is entitled Diamonds in the Rough and also suggests that some of the money from these diamond operations has funded military actions. (HRW)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Iran = The head of the Majlis’ (Iranian parliament) judiciary commission has changed some legal penalties, deeming them unnecessary. So, hopefully, we can say goodbye to stoning and the cutting off of hands. (AWID)
• The Guardian Council holds final approval for these changes. If you speak Persian, I encourage you to be an advocate on this issue.
• Israel = BOO! When one makes a mistake … the best action is usually to correct said mistake. Israel seems not to agree. After forcibly boarding a ship on a humanitarian mission to Gaza, the Israeli Navy detained all of the passengers, and “illegally took them to Israel against their will.” Some of these activists are still imprisoned. (AJ, DN)
• How do we know this was a mistake? That group of “suspicious” activists includes Irish Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire and US Congressperson Cynthia McKinney. You can watch Mairead Maguire on video here. (AJ, DN)
• It’s time to correct this mistake and let these activists advocate. I would imagine that Israel’s actions have significantly strengthened their desire to help Gaza, too. Nice.

CENTRAL ASIA:

• Afghanistan = The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has acceded to Additional Protocols I and II to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. These Additional Protocols address the protection of victims of armed conflicts. Accession to these Protocols does not mean that they are legally binding in Afghanistan – first they must be incorporated into Afghan domestic law, a step which may or may not follow. Let’s keep our eye on that, noting that the US is notoriously bad about incorporating international human rights standards into our own domestic law. (ICRC)

AMERICAS:

• United States = YAY! President Obama has created a new White House position: Advisor on Violence Against Women. Lynn Rosenthal has been appointed to this position which will focus on domestic violence and sexual assault issues. Vice President Biden, an author of the Violence Against Women Act, announced the appointment. (AWID)

CULTURAL:

• Sweet! IPS News has launched a new gender-focused portal, online at http://www.ipsnews.net/genderwire/. The website “intends to provide a knowledge center (for those) working for gender equality.” (AWID)

16 March 2009

AFRICA:

• Democratic Republic of the Congo = Mai Mai commander Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga was convicted for crimes against humanity by a military court in Katanga province on March 5^th. Yay! (HRW)
• This ground-breaking ruling also awarded damages to victims of militia violence and found the government liable for failure to disarm militias. (HRW)
• Nigeria = The National Assembly is debating the “Same Gender Marriage Bill” which would punish same sex marriage by imprisonment. (HRW, Queerty)
• Sierra Leone = is kicking kids out of school if they get pregnant, or get a partner pregnant. (IRIN)
• Anyone else think this is a terrible idea? Yowza.
• Somalia = is instituting Sharia (Islamic) law. (AJ)
• Sudan = 4 staff members of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) who were abducted in Darfur have been released. (AJ)
• Following these abductions, DWB pulled out of Darfur almost entirely, like many other aid organizations (see last week’s HRRU posting). (AJ)
• Tunisia = Political prisoner Sadok Chorou was rearrested this week for speaking his dissident views to the media, apparently. He spent almost 20 years in prison on questionable charges and was only released from that original arrest a few weeks ago. Not cool. (HRW)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Afghanistan = Journalist Jawed “Jojo” Ahmed was shot and killed this week; one of many media workers facing increasing violence and intimidation. (AI)
• Israel = Moshe Katsav, Israel’s former president, is to be charged with rape and sexual misconduct, including assault and harassment. (AJ)
• Pakistan = In response to massive street protests, the Pakistani government will restore the Supreme Court’s chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudry. (WP)
• Protestors began marching on Thursday in a rally against President Asif Ali Zardari, demanding the reinstatement of several judges who were dismissed, and defying the government’s ban on public gatherings. (DN)
• Hundreds of activists were jailed prior to the protest march. (DN)

CULTURAL:

• Liberia = 10 girls share their stories in a new documentary film: “I Have Something to Tell You” (UNICEF)
• Yay! Comic Relief 2009 raised £57m overnight. The money is for “disadvantaged people” in the UK and the African continent. Nice. (BBC)

AMERICAS:

• United States = Legislators in the state of New Mexico have voted to revoke the death penalty and replace it with life without parole in prison. (AJ)
• While the US does NOT view the death penalty as a human rights violation, the majority of nations globally DO. (AI)

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• Sri Lanka = UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Pillay is concerned that both the Tamil Tigers and the government are committing war crimes against Sri Lankan civilians. (AJ)
• “Pillay said the government had repeatedly shelled the designated ‘no-fire’ zones for civilians and also cited reports that the Tigers were holding civilians as human shields and had shot some as they tried to flee.” (AJ)
• Tibet = This week marked the 50^th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against China. (DN, WP))
• The Dalai Lama called for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet. (DN, WP)
• Turkey is hosting the 5^th Annual World Water Forum this week. (ICRC)
• Turkey = Ebru Soykan, a transgender human rights activist was killed on March 10^th. Lambda Istanbul is the local transgender advocacy group. (HRW)
• Women may be at a higher risk of violence during the current and continuing global economic crisis according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. (AJ)
• As 53 million more people are expected to fall into poverty THIS YEAR, progress toward gender equity is likely to be halted in many countries as “more pressing” concerns take precedence. (AJ)

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.

Human Rights Round Up Jan 20, 2009

Middle East:
- Of biggest concern in the Middle East currently is Israel's current and continuing attacks on Palestine. Human Rights Watch and Democracy Now are both reporting on Israel's alleged use of white phosphorous and DIME weapons -- both terrible weapons, causing unnecessary civilian deaths. At this point, one of every three Palestinians killed in under 18 years old.
The United Nations Security Council voted 14-0 (with the United States' abstension) to pass a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, which Israel has not yet obeyed.
Avi Schleim, a prominent Israel-Palestine expert is calling for an end to Israel's campaigns, citing human rights abuses. He alleges that Israel failed to fulfill its obligations during the ceasefire (Israel failed to lift the blockade on goods including medical supplies and food). Additionally, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) broke the cease fire first, on November 4th, 2008, killing four men in Gaza.
According to Richard Falk, esteemed international human rights scholar, the International Court of Justice is considering taking a case against Israel both for its attacks on Gaza, and because the IDF has allegedly been blocking aid ships and the media from Gaza. World Vision is confirming that journalists are being excluded from the Gaza Strip.
The Guardian is reporting that Shifa Hospital, in Gaza, is filled mainly with wounded civilians, not Hamas militants. There is a shortage of medical supplies and drugs. The ambulances are getting so many calls that they often cannot stop for the wounded.
As peace talks are scheduled in Egypt, it is important to note that Egypt, after Israel, is the second highest donor country in terms of United States aid. Will Hamas get a fair deal from these talks, considering that the United States recognizes Hamas as a terrorist organization?

Africa:
- Charles Taylor's son, Chuckie Taylor, has been convicted for torture in a Florida court.

Americas:
- Lori Berenson, imprisoned in Peru, has been moved to a prsion in Lima during her difficult pregnancy.
- Leonard Peltier, imprisoned since 1975 for an incident involving two white officers at Wounded Knee, has also been moved to a different prison.