Author Archive
May 22, 2013
I reported earlier in this blog on the Panic Button idea of Amnesty International. Now I have learned that it has been chosen as a finalist in Google’s Global Impact Challenge for work on a mobile alert system that enables human rights activists to trigger rapid response from their network in an emergency. Four out of ten projects will win £500,000. Public voting is open until 31 May! You can watch the video and vote here: g.co/impactchallenge/amnesty
If AI wins this Challenge, the work could be scaled up substantially. Amnesty and partners would launch the mobile alert system and directly train and support activist networks globally to set-up and use the system safely as part of their security protocols.
via Danna Ingleton, Research and Policy Adviser, Individuals at Risk.
Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, AI, Amnesty International, google, Human right, human rights activists, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, information technology, networking, Panic Button, policy adviser, protection, security, security protocols
May 22, 2013
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon met on 21 May 2013 with the newly elected members of Mozambique‘s National Human Rights Commission and stressed the need to communicate with human rights defenders:
“Good governance, justice, human rights and anticorruption are central to the Government’s plans to reduce poverty and accelerate development. You have an essential role to play. Mozambique is faced with a number of human rights challenges. The Universal Periodic Review of Mozambique two years ago highlighted several, including arbitrary detention, torture and extrajudicial killings, access to justice and conditions in places of detention. Another major issue is discrimination and violence against women, especially in rural areas. …… The people of Mozambique expect this new institution to play a critical role in combating corruption and guaranteeing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. You will have the power to investigate alleged human rights violations and issue recommendations. I commend the inclusive nature of the membership of the Commission, and especially that it includes representation from civil society. Your decision to hold periodic open sessions with civil society is commendable and wise, and I encourage you to pursue regular communication with human rights defenders….”
via United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons Statements.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ban Ki-moon, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Mozambique, National Human Rights Commission, United Nations, United Nations Secretary General, Universal Periodic Review, Universal Periodic Review of Mozambique
May 21, 2013
Canada LRWC is a committee of Canadian lawyers and law professors who campaign internationally for advocacy rights and advocates in danger and on rule of law issues. The following is both an illustration of professional solidarity and giving information on a Sudanese woman human rights lawyer, Asma Ahmed: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, Asma Ahmed, Canada, Human right, human rights, Human rights defender, Jalila Khamis Koko, lawyer, lawyers, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, legal profession, National Security Service, Solidarity, Sudan
May 21, 2013
On 16 May 2013, human rights defender and maternal health activist Ms Madhuri Ramakrishnasway was arrested outside the court in Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, in a case brought against her after a protest. Madhuri Ramakrishnasway is a leader of Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), a tribal and Dalit Rights Collective which has been working for fourteen years in Madhya Pradesh. Advocacy organisations often come together under the banner of JADS to hold peaceful protests in order to raise awareness of the extremely poor health care for women in pregnancy and labour. Sit-in protests are now taking place outside police stations in the district in solidarity with the human rights defender. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Adivasi, arrest, Bania (caste), Barwani, Dalit, freedom of demonstration, Front Line Defenders, human rights, Human rights defender, India, Madhuri Ramakrishnasway, Madhya Pradesh, poor health care, pregnancy and labour, right to health
May 21, 2013
(Ayşe Berktay in Bakırköy Women’s Prison – Photo courtesy Ali Berktay)
On 15 April 2013 PEN American Center named Ayşe Berktay, a translator, writer, and activist in Turkey, as the recipient of its 2013 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Berktay, a leading advocate for peace, women’s rights, and Kurdish rights in Turkey, was arrested on October 3, 2011, and is currently being tried for “membership in an illegal organization” for her pro-Kurdish cultural advocacy. One of at least 130 writers currently in prison or on trial in Turkey, many on false terrorism-related charges, she could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: awards, Ayşe Berktay, Human rights defender, New York City, PEN, PEN American Center, PEN International, President of Turkey, prison, translator, Turkey, woman human rights defender, writer
May 21, 2013
(Magamed Abubakarov)
Magamed Abubakarov, a Russian human rights lawyer specialized in terrorist cases in the North-Caucasus, will receive the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2013. Magamed Abubakarov will accept the award on 31 May at the end of a seminar called ‘Lawyers controlled, independence at stake?’ in Amsterdam. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, L4L | 1 Comment »
Tags: Amsterdam, awards, Chechnya, Egbert Myjer, Els Swaab, Gustaf Kawer, Hague’s Shelter City Program, Heikelien Verrijn Stuart, human rights, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, Independence of Lawyers, Indonesia, Kabardino-Balkaria, L4L, lawyers, Lawyers for Lawyers, Magamed Abubakarov, Nalchik, North Caucasus, Olga Hamadi, Pakistan, Russia, Shahzad Akbar, Theo van Boven
May 21, 2013
(Konstantin Dolgov -Image from vaseljenska.com)
On 16 May 2013 Russia Today spoke with the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Commissioner for Human Rights Konstantin Dolgov, to find out his view on the situation as the hunger strike in Guantanamo hits its’ 100-day landmark. It is good to see Russia express its concern about this and even invoke the views of human rights defenders. Below I give some quotes from the interview. If only Russia would always be so concerned with their views! As to illustrate this the Moscow Times comes today with an article by Jonathan Earle Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: AI, Baltic countries, Council of Europe, EU, Foreign agent, Gitmo, Guantanamo, homophobia, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights organization, illegal detention, jonathan earle, Konstantin Dolgov, minority rights, Moscow Times, politics, Ravil Mingazov, registration, RT (TV network), Russia, Russia Today, terrorism, United States, USA
May 20, 2013
(Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng Photo: AP)
On 19 May 2013
Bruno Waterfield, reports for the Daily Telegraph from Brussels that the blind human rights lawyer,
Chen Guangcheng, the exiled
Chinese dissident has demanded that the European Union (EU) must go public with the results of human rights talks with China’s leaders, and publish its own list of people known to be suffering repression and persecution. Chen Guangcheng wants Western leaders to be more straightforward about their dealings with China so that the public can hold them to account: “
The Chinese authorities try and pretend that they dont care about the highlighting of human right abuses but they do care. It is a responsibility to do this. If it is not pursued more actively the situation will go backwards.“
via Chen Guangcheng pressures the EU on secret human rights talks with China – Telegraph.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Brussels, Chen Guangcheng, China, Daily Telegraph, dialogue, diplomatic pressure, EU, European Union, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights lawyer, List of Chinese dissidents, politics
May 20, 2013
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ahmad Gharbeia, Chris Horn, communication, digital security, Dublin, Frontline Defenders, Human right, Human rights defender, IBM, information technology, internet, Ireland, Karlin Lillington, NGO, technical support, Wojtek Bogusz
May 20, 2013
A long and very interesting blog post on Al-Jazeera (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/05/2013519690697916.html) by Rebecca Vincent goes back to Azerbaijan 2012 and reflects on the pros and cons of boycotts as an action to tool for human rights defenders:
“As an estimated 125 million viewers tuned in to watch the grand final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, on May 18, I could not help but think how different this year’s Eurovision experience was from last year’s, when the contest was held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Al-Jazeera, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Baku, blog, boycott, Denmark, Eurovision, Eurovision Song Contest, festival, human rights, Loreen, Malmö, Rebecca Vincent, tactics
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 