share information on human rights defenders, with special focus on human rights awards and laureates
Photo: Stian Skaget
It is right to congratulate Loreen as she was the only of the contesting artists who stood up for human rights. During her visit to Baku she visited human rights defenders at risk during a meeting the NGO Civil Rights Defenders arranged. The Government of Azerbaijan may have tried to downplay the issue by saying that music and human rights have to be separate but that did not work.
http://www.civilrightsdefenders.org/news/loreen-is-a-winner/
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Image via CrunchBase
On 24 May 2012 two NGOs, WITNESS and Storyful, launched a new channel devoted to human rights videos. The channel specializes in collecting and sharing citizen videos relevant to human rights. “The new human rights channel will give people an ‘on-the-ground’ perspective of underexposed stories often absent from mainstream media, highlight ways to take action and develop new collaborations amongst interested citizens,” says Sam Gregory, WITNESS’ Program Director. The exponential growth of portable video devices – especially in developing countries – has enabled everyday citizens to record otherwise hidden abuses and to advance human rights from the grassroots level.
The channel will feature:
This project will offer users new avenues for action and impact on Google+, where the broader human rights community will take part in discussions, share their material, and find collaborators.
The channel can be found at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/humanrights
And the conversation continues on Google+: https://plus.google.com/100621536540324323611/posts
WITNESS http://www.witness.org.
from: WITNESS And Storyful Launch New Global Channel For Human Rights Video – PR Newswire – The Sacramento Bee
High Commissioner’s message for International Day Against Homophobia 2012
Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and the UN has published a video. In this video message the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay (the one whose mandate has just been renewed for 2 years) talks about the human cost of homophobia and transphobia. Around the world, people are arrested, attacked, tortured and killed, just for being in a loving relationship. “We cannot let these abuses stand”, she says, calling on States to repeal discriminatory laws and ban discriminatory practices. “Punish violence and hatred, not love”.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Amnesty International shows its ‘new’ broadened mandate with this short video on forced evictions in Africa. In 4 languages on YouTube: video by AI on forced evictions in Africa. It highlights the kind of human rights violations that the 2012 nominee of the MEA in Cambodia is dealing with: see short film on the multimedia monk on http://www.martinennalsaward.org
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, 17 May, watch a video message from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, who has shown consistently that she is concerned with human rights of all and not afraid to speak out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-_kzl-_mrg (subtitled in English, French, Spanish and Arabic. click on the “CC” button at the bottom of the YouTube viewer)
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High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This recent film is not directly about Human Rights Defenders (although they are certainly victims of it) nor about the treatment of ethnic minorities. Rather is demonstrates. through a large variety of interviews with victims, lawyers – including Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission – and experts, how a lack of investigative skills and high-level condoning have led the Sri Lankan policy to use torture routinely. Most shockingly a former police officers confirms that this is what is expected from the police by the system. It has become a mindset at all levels, including most of the judiciary. It is a long film but worth it. The Danish film maker, Josefina Bergsten, manages to demonstrate the disconnect between international procedures (which are based on functioning institutions that have to address a few bad apples) and the reality on the ground in Sri Lanka where the good apples are the exception. See it and forward it: https://vimeo.com/41898677
The streaming of the press conference in Geneva on 24 April has some technical problems but now there is a nice and short summary of it on the website http://www.martinennalsaward.org. Also the 3 mini portraits on the 3 nominees are available on that site.
On March 14, 2012 the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) opened its “Speak Truth To Power” photography exhibition at Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport . “Speak Truth To Power” is a collection of powerful photographs by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams. The images document courage by featuring human rights defenders around the globe. The photography exhibit is an important component of the RFK Speak Truth To Power program, which has traveled to more than 20 cities around the world.
The newspaper the Zimbabwean comes with the following story: the MDC – although technically part of a unity government – denounces today’s conviction of human rights activist, Munyaradzi Gwisai and five others of conspiracy to commit crime by plotting to topple the government of Zimbabwe. The MDC dissociates itself from claims by the State that the six human rights defenders wanted to topple the government of Zimbabwe through watching video clips.
Gwisai, a former MP for Highfield, is the general coordinator of International Socialist Organisation (ISO). The others who were found guilty today are; Antoinette Choto, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Edson Chakuma, Hopewell Gumbo and Welcome Zimuto. The MDC quite rightly calls it “beyond belief” to assume that people can topple a government by simply viewing old video footage of events from Tunisia and Egypt.
How can anyone be convicted for watching video material that is already in the public domain and can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world?
The interest in the Kony-2012 video discussion has been such that I would be amiss in not referring you to the irreverent but sometimes funny treatment given by Charlie Brooker in the 10 o clock live on Channel 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igw8fA962X8
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 