(Picture courtesy of IRA Mauritania)
For those who are sceptical of human rights awards and their impact, the following report should give some food for thought: “Following a month-long trip across Europe,
Author Archive
Edward Snowden portrayed as a Human Rights Defender by US groups
June 28, 2013In a post on 4 June under the title “Bradley Manning not a Prisoner of Conscience for Amnesty International ?” I related the controversy surrounding the status of human rights defender for Breadly Manning. On 13 June, under title “Snowden a human rights defender? – Russia seems to think so” I referred to a similar issue with regard Read the rest of this entry »
Pillay discusses 20 years Vienna
June 27, 2013
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday 27 June said there had been significant achievements since a historic human rights document was adopted in Vienna 20 years ago, but there have also been many setbacks and “the magnificent construction is still only half built.” Read the rest of this entry »
The EU should toughen its stand on Bahrain on 30 June say 6 big NGOs
June 27, 2013A JOINT STATEMENT by the following 6 international NGOs: Front Line Defenders, Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR), World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) urge the EU to call for the release of human rights defenders and peaceful protest leaders in Read the rest of this entry »
Russian Rights Defender Gannushkina Fined For Refusing Documents
June 26, 2013
(Svetlana Gannushkina)Prominent Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina has been fined for refusing to provide documents demanded by prosecutors. A court in Moscow ruled late on June 18 that the chairwoman of Moscow-based Civic Collaboration Committee must pay 2,000 rubles (50 Euro) for failing to turn over papers related to the financial activities of her organization. Gannushkina, a Soviet-era veteran rights defender, has been refusing to provide the documents to investigators since April. Prosecutors made the request under the new law requiring all nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign funding and engage in political activity to register as ‘foreign agents’. [Last week, a Moscow court rejected an appeal by Russia’s independent election monitor, Golos, against the 300,000 ruble $9,500 fine imposed on the group under the legislation.] Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS
via Russian Rights Defender Fined For Refusing Demand For Documents.
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- Russian Gay-Rights Group Fined For Refusal To Follow Controversial Law (rferl.org)
- Russian NGO “For Human Rights” forcibly evicted from offices (thoolen.wordpress.com)
Human Rights Film makers kidnapped in Sulu, Philippines
June 26, 2013
UNIDENTIFIED GUNMEN abducted two Moro filmmakers who were working on an independent film project in troubled Sulu province in the Southern Philippines over the weekend. Read the rest of this entry »
Russian NGO “For Human Rights” forcibly evicted from offices
June 25, 2013Stockholm-based Civil Rights Defenders condemns the brutal use of force against the Russian NGO ‘’For Human Rights’’ and its chairman Lev Ponomaryov, during the organisation’s forcible eviction Saturday night, 22 June 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Groundbreaking LGBTI Human Rights Guidelines Adopted by EU
June 25, 2013The Council of the European Union [the EU’s 27 foreign affairs ministers], which previously adopted a non-binding toolkit to promote LGBT human rights, has upgraded its guidelines in order “to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.” The new document is binding and represents a step forward in international human rights law. The LGBTI Guidelines instruct EU diplomats around the globe to defend the human rights of LGBTI people. .
full document at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/137584.pdf
Related articles
Civil Society of South Sudan expresses concern in Human Rights Council
June 25, 2013On 12 June 2013 Rachel Nicholson, on behalf of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP), delivered an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council. It started by congratulating South Sudan Read the rest of this entry »
Just an example of on-going awareness raising: commencement address at Ross School by Brian Dooley
June 25, 2013(Ross seniors throw caps in the air (c): Daniel Gonzalez)
Not surprisingly this blog brings mostly ‘bad news’ or updates on HRDs in difficulty. It overlooks – like most other such sources of information – the day-to-day promotion work done by NGOs and activists. To remedy this a bit, here an arbitrary example of awareness building done all around the world: Brian Dooley, the director of the Human Rights Defenders program at Human Rights First, gave the commencement address to the 68 graduates leaving Ross School in East Hampton, NY.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 