Author Archive
September 26, 2014
Only now did I see the tribute paid by filmmakers Paco de Onis and Pamela Yates to the American forensic anthropologist turned human rights defender Clyde Snow who passed away on 16 May 2014. Clyde was a tall Texan with an easygoing manner that masked a tenacious commitment to finding the truth and advancing justice through the science of forensic anthropology, applied to the exhumation of victims of mass atrocities. As Clyde often said, “the bones tell stories.” And these were stories that often helped land the perpetrators of heinous crimes in prison, from Argentina to Guatemala, the Balkans, Rwanda and beyond.
Clyde’s work lives on through the crack forensic anthropology teams he formed in Argentina, Guatemala and Peru, two of which are featured in the films “State of Fear” (Peru) and “Granito: How to Nail a Dictator” (Guatemala).
This Saturday 27 September there is a memorial service in Norman, Oklahoma, where he lived with his wife Jerry.
Posted in films, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: argentina, Clyde Snow, crimes against humanity, exhumation, film makers, forensic anthropology, Guatemala, Human rights defender, in memoriam, investigation, mass graves, Paco de Onis, Pamela Yates, Peru, Texas, Truth commissions, USA
September 25, 2014
The Russian human rights group Agora, which played a key role in defending one of the jailed members of Pussy Riot, has won Norway’s Rafto Prize for human rights defenders. [An Agora lawyer, Irina Khrunova, helped secure the release of Yekaterina Samutsevich, who was sentenced to two years in jail in 2012 for the feminist group’s “punk prayer” protest against President Vladimir Putin].”The award is a recognition of their relentless and professional work to defend the right to fair trial and other human rights in a Russia where organisations and individuals are subjected to increasing pressure from the country’s authorities” the Bergen-based Rafto Foundation said on Thursday. The Agora Association – a network of 35 lawyers across Russia – was founded by human rights lawyer Pavel Chikov in 2005. It provides legal help to mainly human rights defenders, bloggers and journalists.
The group was forced to turn down $20,000 in prize money, according to the Rafto foundation due to a 2012 law – which Agora has challenged in the courts – that requires organisations with international funding to register as “foreign agents”.
via Russian lawyers win Norwegian rights prize.
for more info on the award: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/award/rafto-prize
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Agora (NGO), awards, Bergen, foreign agent law, foreign funding, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyers, Irina Khrunova, Norway, Pavel Chikov, Pussy Riot, Rafto award, Russia
September 25, 2014
- This post is not directly related to Human Rights Defenders, but the numbers in this press statement of 24 September 2014 are so striking that I could not resist:
A spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Refugees at the UN, Melissa Fleming, revealed that “Turkey received 138,000 [Syrian] refugees in three days, which is equivalent to what was received by Europe throughout the past three years,” Anadolu news agency reported.
UN: Turkey received as many Syrian refugees in three days as Europe did in three years.
Posted in human rights, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Europe, influx, Melissa Fleming, refugees, Syria, Syrian refugees, Turkey, UNHCR, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
September 25, 2014
The latest list includes Marco Romero, director of human rights NGO Codhes who also forms part of the National University of Bogota’s team accompanying the peace process. Also on the list were Leon Valencia and Ariel Avila of NGO Paz y Reconciliacion, and Luis Emil Sanabria of NGO Redepaz.
A pamphlet labeled the nine on the list “guerrilla bureaucrats and human rights defenders dressed as civilians,” appearing to accuse many of them of having links to guerrilla group the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), before stating, “Los Rastrojos reserve our right to continue in the struggle for a country free of slags like you, the only thing you do is cheat people, teaching them communist doctrines against our ideas and the responsibilities of the country in favor of the most needed class.”
For Luis Emil Sanabria, the threats issued by the Rastrojos and Aguilas Negras only serve to prove that the paramilitary demobilization process of 2006 was an abject failure, demanding a full disarmament process as part of any effective post-agreement phase of the peace negotiations ongoing in Havana: “This effort made by the Colombian government and the FARC, and other guerrilla groups to advance a peace process must bring us to the full deactivation of all of the armed actors, including the criminal groups (a term used by the government for post-2006 paramilitary groups), including the drug traffickers and of course including the guerrillas groups,” Sanabria told teleSUR.
New Death Threats to Human Rights Defenders Latest Attack on Colombia’s Peace Process | News | teleSUR.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ariel Avila, Colombia, Colombian peace process, disarmament, FARC, Havana, Human Rights Defenders, Leon Valencia, Los Rastrojos, Luis Emil Sanabria, Marco Romero, paramilitary, peace and reconciliation, peace process, Telesur
September 25, 2014
From 17-20 September 2014, took place in Manila, Philippines, an inter-regional conference, which tackled the imperative for truth, justice, reparation, memory and guarantees of non-repetition. The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) organised the “Sharing Best Practices in Advocating for Legislation Against Enforced Disappearances” and human rights defenders came from Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and the United States of America
The Conference Statement – available in full through the Asian Human Rights Commission link below – describes disappearance in several countries and then concludes with the following lessons:
- We underscored the vital importance of documentation as the most basic requirement in our search for truth and justice and in our campaign to get the widest possible support in this difficult work;
- The importance of forming associations of families of the victims in the struggle for justice and of ensuring that the struggle against disappearances in whatever ways has to be owned by the families of the victims and the rest of society;
- The work against enforced disappearances is jointly done by victims, lawyers and other members of civil society;
- On the aspect of reparation, it is important to fully maximize existing forms of reparation and not limit these to material and monetary aspects. Reparation of dignity of the victims for a damage done because of human rights violation is of paramount importance;
- Media and communication work are very important to disseminate information and to make enforced disappearance a social concern;
- In view of the global character of the crime, international solidarity is imperative to strengthen response. This will complement the work at the national and regional levels;
- In Asia, the signing and the ratification of the Convention and the recognition of the competence of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances should be given prime importance.
“Losing our hope is a bigger crime than the actual crimes perpetrated against us. Therefore, in this conference, we resolve that we are the agents of hope.”
PHILIPPINES: Sharing best practices in advocating for legislation against enforced disappearances — Asian Human Rights Commission.
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Asian Human Rights Commission, asian region, best practice, conference, disappearances, Forced disappearance, Human Rights Defenders, Latin America, Philippines, reparation
September 25, 2014
Honorary Awards goes to EDWARD SNOWDEN (USA) “for his courage and skill in revealing the unprecedented extent of state surveillance violating basic democratic processes and constitutional rights” and ALAN RUSBRIDGER (UK) “for building a global media organisation dedicated to responsible journalism in the public interest, undaunted by the challenges of exposing corporate and government malpractices”.
Three other Laureates will equally share the cash award of SEK 1.5 million:
ASMA JAHANGIR (Pakistan) “for defending, protecting and promoting human rights in Pakistan and more widely, often in very difficult and complex situations and at great personal risk”.
BASIL FERNANDO/ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (Hong Kong) “for his tireless and outstanding work to support and document the implementation of human rights in Asia”.
BILL McKIBBEN (USA) “for mobilising growing popular support in the USA and around the world for strong action to counter the threat of global climate change”.
The Foundation will also fund legal support for Edward Snowden.
Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, said: “This year’s Right Livelihood Laureates are stemming the tide of the most dangerous global trends. With this year’s Awards, we want to send a message of urgent warning that these trends – illegal mass surveillance of ordinary citizens, the violation of human and civil rights, violent manifestations of religious fundamentalism, and the decline of the planet’s life-supporting systems – are very much upon us already. If they are allowed to continue, and reinforce each other, they have the power to undermine the basis of civilised societies. But the Laureates also demonstrate that the choice is entirely in our hands: by courageous acts of civil disobedience in the public interest, through principled and undeterred journalism, by upholding the rule of law and documenting each violation of it, and by building social movements to resist the destruction of our natural environment, we can turn the tide and build our common future on the principles of freedom, justice, and respect for the Earth.”
The Awards will be presented at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament on December 1.
http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alan Rusbridger, Asian Human Rights Commission, Asma Jahangir, Basil Fernando, digest of human rights awards, Edward Snowden, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Pakistan, Right Livelihood Award, Sweden, THF
September 24, 2014
The Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation was created in 2007 by family and friends of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights. One of the aims of the Foundation is to award an Annual Prize in Sergio’s name once a year to individuals, institutions or communities in recognition of outstanding and unique work for peaceful reconciliation.
Criteria for Selecting Candidates include:
- The candidates are authentic verifiable community-based entities operating in areas of conflict and as such could be refugees, internally displaced persons or persons affected by conflict.
- Achievements for which candidates are selected are innovative and unique, and affect the lives and well-being of a substantive segment of the community positively.
- A high probability that the initiative can be sustained and replicated in similar communities elsewhere.
- Reconciliation and Co-existence resulting from the initiative is measurable, verifiable and sustainable.
Deadline 30 November, 2014, either by e-mail at: info@sergiovdmfoundation.org or by post at: Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation: 29, Rue des Allobroges, 1227 Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland. The selection is made by an independent Jury of the Foundation. A form on the website (http://www.sergiovdmfoundation.org/award/) will facilitate the nomination process.
see also: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/sergio-vieira-de-mello/ and for awards: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, conflict resolution, foundation, human rights award, nominations, peaceful efforts, reconciliation, Sergio Vieira de Mello
September 24, 2014
Phil Lynch, Director of the International Service for Human Rights, wrote an insightful post on URG Insights that is a must. It describes with concrete examples how the current Human Rights Council – and especially its Bureau – is failing to uphold the acquired right of NGOs to speak freely in the UN and – when necessary – mention names of offending countries. It seems like a complete throwback to the early 80’s when in the then Commission on Human Rights NGOs were restricted in mentioning countries by name. This let to untenable and even comical situations where NGOs would describe in detail atrocities and then say that they were talking about a big country in the south of Latin America, only to be asked by the Chair to say which country they had in mind. When the obvious answer came: “Argentina”, the NGO was ruled out of order! That States now feel that the time is right to try again to muzzle NGO criticism became already clear last year with China’s elaborate efforts to silence the ‘one minute silence’ for Cao Shunli [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/china-in-the-un-human-rights-council-manages-to-silence-cao-shunli-as-well-as-ngos/] and the worryingly broad support it got for its procedural wrangling. Thus it would be crucial that the whole NGO movement and the States that support them take a clear stand. In meantime Lynch’s “Human Rights Council President, Bureau and Member States must respect the role and rights of NGOs” is giving the right background and follows here in toto:
“The right, and indeed the responsibility, of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to critique governments, expose and pursue accountability for human rights violations, and advocate for changes in law, policy and practice should be uncontroversial and uncontested. This is particularly the case at the UN Human Rights Council, the world’s apex body for human rights debate and dialogue, the mandate of which includes promoting and protecting the right to freedom of expression.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cao Shunli, China, Civil society, Commission on Human Rights NGOs, Human Rights Council, human rights violations, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, moment of silence, NGOs, Phil Lynch, right to speak in UN, UN Human Rights Council, UN procedures, URG Insights
September 22, 2014
7 nominees for the European Parliament’s 2014 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, chosen by political groups and groups of MEPs, will be presented at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Development committees and the Human Rights Subcommittee on 23 September. The laureate will be decided by political group leaders and Parliament’s President on 16 October. The award ceremony takes place in Strasbourg on 26 November. The nominees in alphabetical order are [for more information on human rights awards: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards]
- Mahmoud Al ‘Asali post mortem and Louis Raphael Sako, nominated by the ECR group, Anna Záborská and 66 other MEPs,
- Mouad Belghouate, Ala Yaacoubi and Alaa Abdel Fattah, nominated by the GUE/NGL group,
- CHREDO, Open Doors, Oeuvre dOrient and Aid to the Church in Need, nominated by Philippe Juvin and 60 other MEPs,
- EuroMaidan, represented by Mustafa Nayem, Ruslana Lyzhychko, Yelyzaveta Schepetylnykova and Tetiana Chornovo, nominated by Jacek Saryusz-Wolski and 52 other MEPs,
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, nominated by the EFDD group,
- Denis Mukwege, nominated by the S&D and ALDE groups and Barbara Lochbihler, and
- Leyla Yunus, nominated by The Greens/EFA group and Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Marietje Schaake and Ramon Tremosa.
via Nominees for Sakharov Prize 2014 announced.
Posted in awards, EU, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: awards, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Denis Mukwege, digest of human rights awards, European Parliament, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Leyla Yunus, MEPs, Sacharov, Sakharov Prize, Strasbourg
September 22, 2014
Chris Kelly‘s film on Cambodia [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/documentary-the-rights-of-others-shows-human-rights-defenders-in-cambodia-against-evictions/], was also shown at a side event: “Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia: A Call For Support” which took place in the Palais des Nations, Geneva today. In 2014, human rights defenders in Cambodia continue to be the target of intimidation, arbitrary arrests and spurious criminal charges, particularly when their activism relates to land and labour rights. This side event will present the perspective and outlook of human rights defenders with a view to explore ways for the international community to support the protection of human rights defenders in Cambodia. The screening of the documentary was followed by a panel – moderated by OMCT’s Anne-Laurence Lacroix – with:
- Surya Prasad Subedi UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Cambodia
- Am Sam Ath Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, LICADHO,
- Chan Puthisak Boeung Kak Lake community
- Chhay Chhunly Cambodian Center for Human Rights
via Cambodia: Side Event: “Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia: A Call For Support” / September 22, 2014 / Events / Human rights defenders / OMCT.
Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Anne-Laurence Lacroix, Cambodia, Chris Kelly, Documentary film, Human Rights Defenders, human rights film, Land issues, LICADHO, OMCT, Surya Prasad Subedi, The Rights of Others
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 