Author Archive
September 18, 2013
Today, 18 September 2013, the BBC and other news media brought the good news that Iran lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is among the freed political prisoners which Iran is reported to have freed (at least eight). Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested in 2010 and jailed for six years on charges of acting against national security. She was one of the three Final Nominees of the MEA in 2012 and winner of the European Parliament’s Sakharov award.
The release of the political prisoners comes just days before Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani visits New York for the UN General Assembly. In his election campaign, he promised to free political prisoners.
via BBC News – Iran lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh among freed political prisoners.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: BBC News, European Parliament, free, Hassan Rouhani, Human Rights and Liberties, Iran, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA, Nasrin, Nasrin Sotoudeh, New York, political prisoner, political prisoners, release, Sakharov Prize, UN General Assembly
September 18, 2013
On July 3, 2013, Komas program officer Ms Lena Hendry, Executive Director Mr Arul Prakkash and one of the Board of Directors, Ms Anna Har, were arrested during the screening of the film “No Fire Zone, the Killing Fields of Sri Lanka”. MSN Malaysia reports: that today the KDN issued a notice informing Komas that Ms Lena Hedry would be charged and for her to appear in the Magistrate court tomorrow, 19 September Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Asia, Board of Directors, censorship, documentary, film, freedom of expression, human rights, Human Rights Council, Komas, Lena Hendry, Malaysia, MSN Malaysia News, No Fire Zone, No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, Sri Lankan government
September 18, 2013
Hailey Colwell on 18 September describes how: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Antioquia, Colombia, environmental issues, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Law, Minnesota Daily, research, schooling, training course, University of Medellín, University of Minnesota, USA
September 18, 2013
On 17 September 2013 Pakistani education rights activist,
Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and almost killed by the Taliban, received the
Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience award in Dublin. “
I want to live in a world where free, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: AI, Ambassador of Conscience Award, Amnesty International, awards, Bono, Dublin, Harry Belafonte, human rights, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Malala Yousafzai, media, racial discrimination, Taliban, woman human rights defender
September 17, 2013
(Sister Angélique Namaika on her bicycle to visit the girls she helps in Dungu © UNHCR/ B. Sokol)
UNHCR announced today – 17 September – that the Nansen Refugee Award 2013 goes to Sister Angélique Namaika, who works in a remote north-east region of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with survivors of displacement and abuse by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Angélique Namaika, awards, Democratic Republic of Congo, democratic republic of the congo, displacement monitoring centre, Dungu, Geneva, human rights abuses, human rights awards, IDP, internal displacement, internal displacement monitoring centre, lords resistance army, LRA, Nansen Refugee Award, north eastern province, Uganda, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, woman human rights defender
September 16, 2013
On 12 September 2013 Cynthia Rothschild delivered a statement the Human Rights Council on behalf of World Organization Against Torture, with Amnesty International, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, Association for Progressive Communications, Association for Women’s Rights in Development, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Coalition of African Lesbians, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights, ISIS- WICCE, Latin American and the Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights, MADRE, Nazra for Feminist Studies, Urgent Action Fund, WOREC Nepal, and Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice.
“The Council has done strong work in support of the 6/30 gender integration resolution. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Center for Women's Global Leadership, Colombo, Gender identity, gender issues, human rights, human rights of women, OMCT, Sri Lanka, Sunila, Sunila Abeysekera, UN Human Rights Council, women human rights defenders, Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
September 13, 2013
On 6 September 2013 members of the Kyrgyzstan‘s Parliament Mr Tursunbay Bakir Uulu and Mr Madaliev introduced a draft law on “non-commercial organisations fulfilling the role of foreign agent” for public discussion. The text of the draft law is inspired by [the ‘success’] similar provisions adopted in the Russian Federation in 2012. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: civil society organisations, draft law, Foreign agent, foreign funding, Human Rights and Liberties, Kyrgyzstan, Law, NGO, Non-governmental organization, Russia, state organs
September 13, 2013
I remember from my visit to the Philippines in the early 80s that the nuns were extraordinarily active in the area of human rights (that was under Marcos). I was reminded of this when I saw the Bulalat report of 13 September that a long-time lay worker of a Catholic-run organization was arrested by elements of the Philippine Army on 8 September and the fierce reaction by Sister Somogod.
(Joel Yadao (in gray shirt) in June 2012. Photo courtesy of RMP-NMR) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: agrarian reform, arbitrary arrest, bulalat, catholic church, Economic rights, human rights, Human rights defender, illegal detention, impunity, indigenous groups, judicial harasment, military, Mindanao, Misamis Oriental, New People's Army, Northern Mindanao, nuns, peasant movement, Philippine Army, Philippines, rural areas, Somogod, United Church of Christ, Villanueva Misamis Oriental, Yadao
September 12, 2013
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Protection International | Leave a Comment »
Tags: computer, eLearning, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Information security, NGOs, Organization, protection, Protection International, security, technology, training course, User (computing)
September 12, 2013
On 11 September EurasiaNet published a piece implying that powerful people in Armenia can get away with violence and even murder. At least that is how human rights defenders have reacted to the September 8 decision to drop all murder charges against the son of former strongman governor, Suren Khachatrian. In a shootout near the ex-governor’s mansion in the southeastern town of Goris, Tigran Khachatrian [junior] this June shot dead local businessman Avetik Budaghian. Budaghian’s brother Artak, a military officer, was wounded in the clash with Kachatrian’s son and his bodyguards. Tigran Khachatrian and one of the bodyguards were arrested on murder and illegal weapons possession charges, but were released after the military police, which are handling the case, decided that all the shots fired by Khachatrian were made in self-defense. Human rights activists, the victims family and the familys lawyer all have condemned the ruling. A local representative of Human Rights Watch alleged in a conversation with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, a former defense minister, may personally have pushed for the ex-gubernatorial son. …It has been widely suggested that this quid-pro-quo relationship kept Kachatrian in office despite his long alleged record of violent behavior. Allegations like assaulting a journalist and a businesswoman had been piling up against Kachatrian, but never resulted in indictments or dismissal. Khachatrian père tendered his resignation after the shooting incident, but, critics say, he can still call in favors with the establishment.
via In Armenia, Like Father, Like Son | EurasiaNet.org.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Armenia, EurasiaNet, fair trial, fraud, human rights activists, illegal weapons possession, khachatrian, murder, politics, President of Armenia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serzh Sargsyan, Tigran Khachatrian
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 