Archive for the 'human rights' Category
May 27, 2013
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Kuch Veng being arrested)
On 19 May 2013, human rights defender Kuch Veng was arrested by four police officers at Kbal Trach commune in Cambodia. Kuch Veng is a land rights activist and is a member of the Community Peace Network.At 9.30am, four police officers led by Nhoeuk Sophea arrested the human rights defender while he was visiting families of villagers who are effected by the land conflict with Pheapimex, a land development firm owned by a businessman Choeung Sopheap and the wife of the Cambodia Peoples Party Senator Mr Lao Meng Khin. According to an eyewitness, the police did not show the court order and did not state a clear reason for his arrest. During the arrest, Kuch Veng’s sister, Chrep Samuth, was intimidated and harassed. The police told the villagers that if they wanted to know the charges, they would have to go to the district police station. It is reported that Kuch Veng was sent to the Pursat Provincial Court on 20 May 2013. Kuch Veng has been active with the Community Peace Network since 2010. He has been involved in land rights work since 2000 when Pheapimex started to be active in the area. Kuch Veng has been arrested many times before on account of his work on land rights. Front Line Defenders believes that the arrest of Kuch Veng is directly related to his work in the defence of human rights, in particular on land rights, and sees this as part of a pattern of ongoing harassment against the human rights defender.
via Cambodia: Arbitrary arrest of human rights defender Mr Kuch Veng | Front Line.
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: arrest, Cambodia, Frontline Defenders, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, illegal detention, Kuch Veng, land rights
May 25, 2013
Posted in books, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Amnesty International, Double bind, Gita Sahgal, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, islamic fundamentalists, Islamism, London, Meredith Tax, Muslim, politics, religion, right-wing, United States, universal human rights
May 24, 2013
The Bangkok Post of 24 May 2013 contains a nice little item that should give heart to those who work on UN special procedures and of wonder about the impact of all this advocacy work: It seems that Thailand has conceded a bit on issues raised by a UN special rapporteurs regarding freedom of expression and migrant labour, and to the fatal harassment of human rights defenders.The ‘admission’ is in a document included in 108 pages of communications involving special rapporteurs of the United Nations recently made available ahead of the 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
via Thai government concedes abuses raised by a UN special rapporteur as abuses of human rights | Bangkok Post: news.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: advocacy work, Bangkok Post, enforcement, freedom of expression, Government of Thailand, Human right, Human Rights Defenders, lese majeste, migrant labour, migrants, rapporteurs, Special Rapporteur, thai government, Thailand, UN Special Rapporteur, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Special Rapporteur
May 24, 2013
On 23 May 2013, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) submitted a detailed statement to the UN concerning the increased pressure on HRDs in Nepal. Here are some highlights:
1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to highlight the continuing need for closer monitoring by the Human Rights Council and the international community of the renewed threats and attacks that human rights defenders working in Nepal have had to face since the beginning of the year. Worries about potential reprisals from the former belligerents have arisen following progress in the investigation and prosecution of cases of human rights violations committed during the conflict. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Agni Sapkota, AHRC, ALRC, Asian Human Rights Commission, Asian Legal Resource Centre, HRDs, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, impunity, journalists, legal resource centre, Maoism, Nepal, Non-governmental organization, threats, UN, UN Human Rights Council
May 24, 2013
On 22 May 2013 human rights defender George Reginald Freeman was driving to a guest house when he was intercepted by two unknown assailants on motorbikes. One of the men threw a stone through his car window and Freeman was badly beaten as he attempted to escape. The assailants also robbed valuables from his car after he escaped. George Reginald Freeman is the director of Pride Equality, an organisation which works on LGBTI rights in Sierra Leone. 
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Africa, assailants, Criminal Investigation Department, Front Line Defenders, gay rights, George Reginald Freeman, homophobia, homophobic comments, Human rights defender, LGBT rights, LGBTI, media, Pride Equality, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Police
May 24, 2013
(Undocumented immigrants in the courtyard of a detention centre near the Evros River in northern Greece – (c) Reuters)
I would be amiss in not reporting the criticism by Amnesty International of my adopted home country: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, Amnesty international, human rights | 1 Comment »
Tags: Amnesty, Amnesty International, AP, austerity measures, detention, economic crises, Greece, HIV, human rights abuses, Immigration, Italy, Refugee, refugees, Reuters
May 23, 2013
Bahrain‘s Human Rights Minister during a visit to Morocco on 22 May stated: “Bahrain Has Presented Itself as a Model in Implementing BICI’s Recommendations”
He said that despite the regretful incidents that happened in 2011, the kingdom of Bahrain has presented itself as a model in its wise dealing with those events, highlighting Bahrain’s bold steps in this regard, including the establishment of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), led by international eminent judges, the acceptance of the recommendations featuring in BICI’s final report and the political leadership’s commitment to implementing them, out of its belief in the importance of protecting human rights. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in CIHRS, Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Bahrain, Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, blogger, freedom of expression, Front Line Defenders, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, illegal detention, Minister for Human Rights, Nabeel Rajab, Naji Fateel, Zainab Al-Khawaja
May 23, 2013
On 22 May 2013 the Global Network Initiative (GNI) announced that Facebook had become the sixth company to join GNI. “Advancing human rights, including freedom of expression and the right to communicate freely, is core to our mission of making the world more open and connected,” said Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Public Policy at Facebook.
GNI brings information technology companies together with NGOs, investors and academics. Founding companies are: Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo!, as well as Evoca and Websense who joined the initiative in 2011. GNI’s principles and guidelines provide companies with a framework for responding to government requests in a manner that protects and advances freedom of expression and privacy. Companies that join GNI agree to independent assessments of their record in implementing these principles and guidelines.
“By joining this important collaboration between companies, human rights organizations, investors, and academics, Facebook is fully embracing its responsibility to protecting the rights of its users and setting an example that other companies should follow,” said Leslie Harris, President and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Contacts: David Sullivan, GNI, dsullivan@globalnetworkinitiative.org
via Facebook Joins the Global Network Initiative | Global Network Initiative.
Posted in human rights | 2 Comments »
Tags: advancing human rights, democracy and technology, digital security, Elliot Schrage, facebook, Global Network Initiative, GNI, google, human rights, human rights organizations, information technology companies, internet, Microsoft, privacy, technology, Yahoo
May 23, 2013
Yesterday, 22 May, Amnesty International published its annual Report 2013 which documents the state of human rights during 2012. In five regional overviews and a country-by-country survey of 155 individual countries and territories, the report shows how the demand for human rights continued to resound in every corner of the globe… Resistance to injustice and repression took many forms, often inspiring acts of courage and determination from the communities and individuals facing seemingly insuperable obstacles. In the face of indifference, threats and attacks, human rights defenders pursued legal challenges at the national and international level to long-standing impunity and endemic discrimination.
Posted in AI, Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, AI, Amnesty International, annual report 2013, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, State of the World, worldwide campaign
May 23, 2013
It is too early to jubilate but it is interesting to note that on 17 May 2013, charges were dropped in the case against the human rights organisation Van Women’s Association (VAKAD) and nine other civil society organisations in Turkey. Court proceedings for the closure of the ten groups were brought by the prosecutor on charges of links with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). The hearing of 17 May 2013 was the second in the trial.
Rightly Front Line Defenders remains deeply concerned that the charges were brought in the first place and that anti-terrorism legislation continues to be used against legitimate human rights defenders and their organisations.
http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/22664
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: anti terrorism legislation, charges, civil society organisations, civil society organizations, Frontline Defenders, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Kurdistan Worker's Party, NGOs, Non-governmental organization, Prosecutor, VAKAD, Van
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
HRD George Reginald Freeman attacked and threatened in Sierra Leone
May 24, 2013On 22 May 2013 human rights defender George Reginald Freeman was driving to a guest house when he was intercepted by two unknown assailants on motorbikes. One of the men threw a stone through his car window and Freeman was badly beaten as he attempted to escape. The assailants also robbed valuables from his car after he escaped. George Reginald Freeman is the director of Pride Equality, an organisation which works on LGBTI rights in Sierra Leone.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Africa, assailants, Criminal Investigation Department, Front Line Defenders, gay rights, George Reginald Freeman, homophobia, homophobic comments, Human rights defender, LGBT rights, LGBTI, media, Pride Equality, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Police