Author Archive
June 5, 2013
At a time when other parties in Greece are squabbling over how to toughen anti-racism laws and ban denial of Nazi crimes, the neo-nazi Golden Dawn exploits the disarray by tabling on Tuesday tabled draft legislation seeking harsher laws for offences committed by undocumented migrants in Greece. The draft also seeks to criminalise denial of “genocides of Greeks [on the basis that Turks have massacred ethnic Greeks in what used to be the Ottoman Empire]. An explanatory memorandum to the draft bill says the law would “preserve the national memory”. No fewer than four other draft anti racism bills are now being submitted – separately by New Democracy, Syriza and Independent Greeks, and a joint bill by Pasok and Democratic Left. In a statement released last Thursday, Human Rights Watch slammed the government for not reaching an agreement on proposed anti racism legislation.“ With people being attacked on the streets, Greece urgently needs to beef up its criminal justice response to hate crimes,” said Judith Sunderland, senior Western Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This draft law contains some good provisions and should be improved in parliament rather than delayed further.”
via Golden Dawn submits draft bill to combat racism against Greeks | Article Page | Home.
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: anti-racism, anti-racsim bill, criminal justice response, ethnic greeks, Golden Dawn, Greece, Greek, Human Rights Watch, neo nazi, Ottoman Empire, undocumented migrants
June 4, 2013
(Bradley Manning – (c) US Army)
With the trial of Bradley Manning coming up, there is a wide-ranging and not always educating discussion raging on LinkedIn and other fora about why he is not a ‘prisoner of conscience’ for AI. Two of the few more substantive but not very flattering statements – in the absence of a formal reply by AI of course – are reported here, but I should point out that the authors are even more scathing about HRW or other large NGOs: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: AI, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Bradley Manning, Daniel Ellsberg, Manning, policy, prisoner of conscience, Pussy Riot, Trial, United States, WikiLeaks
June 4, 2013
The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC) is looking to recruit an editor for the Manual on Documenting Violations against Women Human Rights Defenders. The editor will work closely with members of the WHRD IC’s Documentation Manual Working Group to complete the manual. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, climate, consultant, digital security, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, human rights documentation, human rights organization, job opportunity, manual, Non-governmental organization, recruitment, research, women human rights defenders, Women's rights, Working Group
June 4, 2013
According to a statement from the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on 4 June there is an ongoing attack in Sri Lanka on Human Rights Defenders, NGOs & opposition politicians through the Independent Television Network (ITN). The statement give concrete and detailed indications to show that ITN – in spite of its name – has continued to follow the government line and started a fresh round of attacks in May this year. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Asian Human Rights Commission, Criminal Investigation Department, Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions, freedom of expression, Friedrich Nauman Foundation, friedrich nauman stiftung, Human Rights Defenders, intimidation, journalists, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE, media, NGOs, opposition, politics, reprisals, Sri Lanka, state media, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, United National Party
June 4, 2013
A really strange case has popped up in Athens, not immediately related to the demonstrations in Turkey but it could add to the tension: A Turkish activist, Bulut Yayla, was reportedly abducted from Solonos Street in Exarchia on Thursday 30 May 2013 and two days later he was traced in Istanbul’s antiterrorism department, where he was being held for questioning. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: abduction, asylum seeker, Athens, Bulut Yayla, Greece, Hellenic Police, human rights, Istanbul, Police, political asylum, refugees, Syriza, Turkey, UNHCR
June 4, 2013
The Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition submitted the following statement to the UN Human Rights Council whose Working Group on women’s equal, full and effective participation in Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Discrimination, equality, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, human rights of women, United Nations Human Rights Council, women human rights defenders, Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition, Working Group
June 3, 2013
With regard to the defectors sent back from Laos via China to North Korea – on which I reported a few days ago – it is interesting to note the reaction by China which has expressed anger at the criticism by two UN High Commissioners (for human rights and refugee): “We hope that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN does not make irresponsible remarks based on unspecified news,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, but also appeared to distance itself from the repatriation by saying the refugees had passed through the country with “valid documents and visas”. “In the whole process, China has not received a request by any party to assist in the repatriation of these persons“.
via China rebukes UN agency over North Korean refugees – Yahoo!7.
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: China, defectors, Hong Lei, Laos, non-refoulement, North Korea, North Korean defectors, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, refugees, UNHCR, United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
June 3, 2013
The FIDH Representative to the UN in Geneva (http://www.fidh.org) invites people to a side event entitled: RUSSIA & BELARUS: JOINT OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM, which will be held on 5 June 2013, in room VIII of the Palais des Nations, from 2pm – 4pm.
Participants:
Mr. Miklos Haraszti, Special Rapporteur on Belarus (TBC)
Olga Abramenko, Director of ADC Memorial (Russia) who was recently charged for publishing a report entitled “Roma, Migrants, Activists: Victims of Police Abuse” and submitting it to the UN Committee Against Torture.
Valentin Stefanovitch, Deputy Head of Human Rights Center VIASNA (Belarus) who will provide context on the Belarusian situation and draw comparisons with the harassment of Russian NGOs.
Dimitry Kolbasin, Head of the Information Department of AGORA (Russia) who will focus on the increasing repression of Russian human rights NGOs.
Valery Sozaev, Advocacy Manager, LGBT Network (Russia) who will specifically tackle issues facing LGBT people
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: ADC Memorial, AGORA, Belarus, FIDH, human rights, LGBT Network, Miklos Haraszti, Minsk, Non-governmental organization, palais des nations, Russia, russian ngos, side event, Special Rapporteur, UN Human Rights Council
June 3, 2013
Last week I informed you that the Geneva-based NGO, International Service for Human Rights Finally, organised a side-event on business and human rights defenders (co-sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and promised to keep you informed of the outcome. Thanks to the quick reply from Phil Lynch, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: business, corporate accountability, environmental issues, Geneva, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, International Service for Human Rights, ISHR, Non-governmental organization, Phil Lynch, side event, United Nations Human Rights Council, Working Group
June 3, 2013
Via Protection on Line I got this fairly detailed report by Katherine Ronderos done for AWID on the situation of women human rights defenders in Sudan. It tells how the Sudanese people, inspired by the Arab spring and led by women and youth, took the streets of Sudan demanding regime change in 2011. Authorities violently cracked down on these demonstrations, detaining more than 150 women, who were sexually abused or tortured, injured and beaten in the protests. Since June 2012, new protests against the Sudanese regime have intensified violence against women human rights defenders.
via Illegal detention of Women Human Rights Defenders in the midst of the border conflict of Sudan | | ProtectionlineProtectionline.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Arab, Arab spring, AWID, Human right, human rights, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, illegal detention, June 2012, Katherine Ronderos, Sudan, Sudanese, women human rights defenders, youth
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 