Author Archive
April 25, 2014
Libereco, a Swiss-German human rights organisation, called on Lukashenka to grant amnesty to the Belarusian political prisoners on the occasion of the Ice Hockey World Championship, The statement on Libereco’s website reads that nine people remain under arrest for political reasons in Belarus. They are former presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich, Ales Bialiatski, activists Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dziadok, Andrei Haidukou, Eudard Lobau, Vasili Parfiankou, Artsiom Prakapenka and Yauhen Vaskovich.
Interesting to note that the appeal to Lukashenka was signed by Christoph Strässer, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy; Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Ales Bialiatski, Amnesty, Belarus, Bundestag, Christoph Strasser, EP, Human Rights Defenders, Ice Hockey World Championship, Libereco, Lukashenka, Mikalai Statkevich, political prisoners
April 24, 2014
The same day it was announced that Cao Shunli had been selected as one of the Final Nominees for the MEA 2014, Front Line reports the sentencing of 4 other human rights defenders in China. On 18 April 2014, human rights defenders Messrs Ding Jiaxi and Zhao Changqing were sentenced to 3.5 years and 2.5 years’ imprisonment respectively, while Messrs Li Wei and Zhang Baocheng were both given prison sentences of 2 years. The four human rights defenders were convicted of “illegal assembly” over their role in small-scale demonstrations associated with the New Citizens Movement. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cao Shunli, China, Ding Jiaxi, fair trial, freedom of demonstration, Front Line (NGO), Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyers, illegal detention, Li Wei, MEA final nominee 2014, Zhang Baocheng, Zhao Changqing
April 24, 2014
The Natalia Project [http://www.nataliaproject.org], the assault alarm for human rights defenders which I referred to in previous posts, won two gold and one silver at the 53rd annual Guldägget Awards in Stockholm. Guldägget [Golden Egg] is Sweden’s oldest and most prestigious competition in creative communication. The Natalia Project earned recognition for using innovative technology to safeguard individuals at risk. In his acceptance speech, Robert Hårdh of Civil Rights Defenders said, “This campaign is for real, it saves lives.” The Natalia Project was launched in April 2013 as a security solution for human rights activists at risk. In the case of an assault, a wearer can directly notify the Civil Rights Defenders, as well as the world through social media. PFO Tech developed the assault alarm bracelet, GPS tracking system and social media integration behind the Natalia Project. The bracelet and system, which is easily integrated into individual company security platforms, now protects journalists and human rights defenders around the world.
via PFO tech AB: GPS Alarm Bracelet Wins Big at Golden Egg Awards – MarketWatch.
for previous posts see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/natalia-project/
Posted in Civil Rights Defenders (NGO), human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 3 Comments »
Tags: alarm, Civil Rights Defenders, digital security, Golden Egg Awards, GPS, Guldägget, Human Rights Defenders, Natalia bracelet, Natalia project, protection, security, social media, Stockholm
April 24, 2014
Cathy Salucon, Philippines via L4L
On 23 April 2014 Amsterdam-based Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) warn in an open letter to President Aquino of the Philippines for the continued labeling of lawyers as enemies of the state by the military. Since March, Atty. Maria Catherine L. Dannug-Salucon has been the subject of death threats, labeling, surveillance and verbal intimidation by military officers. Mrs Dannug-Salucon is reportedly on the Filipino military’s Watch List of so-called ‘Communist Terrorist’ supporters providing legal services. She has also been under the surveillance of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces. The surveillance is particularly worrisome in view of the killing – reportedly by members of the Intelligence Services – on 25 March 2014 of Mr. William Bugatti, a human rights defender who was also working as a paralegal for Atty. Dannug-Salucon.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, L4L | 1 Comment »
Tags: anti-terrorist laws, Canada, Dannug-Salucon, Front Line (NGO), Independence of Lawyers, L4L, lawyers, Lawyers for Lawyers, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, Maria Catherine L. Dannug-Salucon, Netherlands, Philippines, William Bugatti
April 23, 2014
It was just announced that the following three Human Right Defenders have been selected as the Final Nominees for the Martin Ennals Award 2014: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in awards, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Adilur Rahman Khan, Alejandra Ancheita, Bangladesh, Cao Shunli, China, human rights award, Human Rights Defenders, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA, MEA final nominee 2014, Mexico, woman human rights defender
April 23, 2014
HURIDOCS General Assembly has recently elected a new board, adopted considerably revised statutes and reflected on five years of growth.
Current Board members Eddie Halpin (Chair) Hannah Forster (Treasurer), Agnethe Olesen and Rosario Narvaez Vargas, will be joined by the following new board members:
Gisella Reina (Italy, Netherlands) is an expert in institutional development. Currently, Gisella is Director Development and Donor Relations at the International Commission of Jurists. Before joining the ICJ in 2007, she was in charge of donor relations and development for ten years for NGOs specialized in emergency aid and food security. Prior to that, Gisella worked as an Economic advisor for various consulting and engineering firms, and as expert in evaluation of development programmes, and development of project planning capabilities. She holds a Master in Agricultural Economics and Planning from Reading University (UK), and has 25 years of work experience in project management and programming in various profit and non-profit organizations. She has lived in Italy, the Netherlands, UK, Pakistan and India and speaks Italian, Dutch, English and French.
Douglas Arellanes (United States of America) is a technology entrepreneur. One of the founders of Sourcefabric, Douglas is an American expatriate who has lived in the Czech Republic since 1992 (though he claims Dakar has the best music anywhere in the world and Cape Town the best scenery). Previous roles have included new media consultant for the Media Development Loan Fund, special projects director at Contactel, (a subsidiary of TeleDanmark) and co-founder of First Tuesday Praha, an organisation devoted to helping internet start-ups. When Doug is not translating some of the Czech Prime Minister’s speeches into English, he’s making households dance as a Saturday morning DJ on Prague’s Radio 1.
Alix Dunn (United States of America) is the co-founder and Creative Lead at The Engine Room where she designs programs and supports advocacy partners to integrate technology into their work. In the past she has acted as a program advisor and consultant for Tactical Technology Collective’s Evidence & Action and Privacy & Expression programs, the lead for trainings and partnerships at the SaferMobile program of MobileActive, and as a digital security trainer. Prior to this, she worked as program development officer at Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies working to incorporate technology strategies into advocacy programs, and as a media studies researcher. She has a master’s degree in media studies from the University of Oslo and a BA from Colorado College.
New board elected, statutes updated and looking back at five years of growth | HURIDOCS.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, HURIDOCS | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alix Dunn, Douglas Arellanes, Gisella Reina, governance, HURIDOCS, HURIDOCS General Assembly, information technology, internet, network, NGO
April 23, 2014
On 21 April 2014, the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network announced the loss of its founding member, Osman Hummaida. Mr Hummaida, who died of natural causes on Thursday 17th April 2014, was a leading Sudanese human rights defender and an inspiration to countless activists in the international and African human rights community. He advocated for human rights in Sudan, challenging the impunity of those responsible for atrocities carried out against civilians. Forced to leave Sudan, having been detained and tortured on account of his work, Mr Hummaida founded the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies in exile. The Centre’s success and strength in documenting and reporting ongoing human rights violations in the country and advocating for justice is a living testament to Mr Hummaida’s vision and determination.
via Human Rights Defenders Mourn the Loss of Osman Hummaida – East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, death, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, exile, human rights, Human rights defender, impunity, in memoriam, Osman Hummaida, Sudan
April 16, 2014
The Wisconsin Gazette of 15 April 2014 carries a good summary of a major report by Global Witness that shows that killings of human rights defenders protecting environmental and land rights increased sharply in the last decade due to the intensification of competition for natural resources. The report “Deadly Environment” highlights a severe shortage of information or monitoring of the problem.
“It has never been more important to protect the environment, and it has never been more deadly,” said Oliver Courtney of Global Witness. “There can be few starker or more obvious symptoms of the global environmental crisis than a dramatic upturn in killings of ordinary people defending rights to their land or environment. Yet this rapidly worsening problem is going largely unnoticed, and those responsible almost always get away with it. We hope our findings will act as the wake-up call that national governments and the international community clearly need.”
Key findings in “Deadly Environment”:
• At least 908 people were killed in 35 countries protecting rights to land and the environment between 2002 and 2013, with the death rate rising in the last four years to an average of two activists a week. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Brazil, corporate accountability, environmental issues, Global Witness, harassment, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, indigenous groups, killings, land rights, Mining, Philippines, threats, Wisconsin Gazette
April 16, 2014
There are many international NGOs doing excellent work for human rights defenders, but I want to highlight one here in particular: the International Service for Human Rights. It has a clear mandate and niche, based in Geneva for 30 years (with a small office in New York) is the main advocate for human rights defenders in the UN. The Director, Phil Lynch, sent out an overview in April 2014 of its activities covering the recent months, especially the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council. Please read the statement in full and – if you want regular updates – subscribe to the ISHR Newsletter: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, ISHR | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cao Shunli, China, Egypt, freedom to demonstrate, Human Rights Council, Human Rights Defenders, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, Michael Ineichen, North Korea, Phil Lynch, reprisals, Shin Dong Hyuk, training
April 15, 2014
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has started a most interesting campaign using social media to free human rights defenders. I strongly advise readers of this blog to take action by subscribing to the idea and retweeting or reblogging it on their own platforms. Let us see what can be achieved by 27 April when the campaign finishes!
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/9969-forfreedom
Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: campaign, FIDH, free human rights defenders, Human Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, internet, social media, twitter
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 