The Nobel peace prize: Peace comes dropping slow | The Economist.
Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’
Peace comes dropping slow says The Economist in relation to Malala being passed over for Nobel Prize
October 14, 2013Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: awards, Barack Obama, European Union, human rights awards, Kissinger, Le Duc Tho, Malala, Malala Yousafzai, Mikhail Gorbachev, Nobel Peace Prize, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, peace prize, The Economist, woman human rights defender
NGOs jointly call on world to focus on Bahrain on 14 August
August 13, 201313 NGOs have signed an open letter concerning the situation in Bahrain in the light of the upcoming mass demonstration on 14 August. As it is short and to the point here is the full text copied from the FIDH website: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: AI, Bahrain, Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Bahrain Human Rights Society, Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry, Bahrain Watch, Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, Bahraini, Barack Obama, David Cameron, European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights, FIDH, freedom of demonstration, Front Line (NGO), Gulf Centre for Human Rights, HRW, human rights, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights First, human rights organizations, IFEX, Manama, mass protests, Physicians for Human Rights
Centre for Constitutional Rights calls for action on death of US HRD, Furkan Doğan, in Mavi Marmara incident
May 22, 2013The New York based Center for Constitutional Rights called on US President Barack Obama last week to break his three-year silence over Israel’s 2009 killing of 18-year-old US citizen Furkan Doğan during its siege on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship in international waters.
The CCR states in its 16 May 2013 letter (emphasis theirs): Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Barack Obama, CCR, Centre for Constitutional Rights, Furkan Doğan, Gaza, Human rights defender, impunity, Israel, killing, Middle East, MV Mavi Marmara, Turkey, United States
Burma frees 450 prisoners before Obama’s visit but what about the real HRDs?
November 15, 2012Human rights campaigners say no dissidents are among prisoners to be released in ‘goodwill gesture’ reports Jason Burke in Delhi (guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 November 2012)
The Guardian and many other newspapers have announced that the Burmese authorities have freed more than 450 detainees in a goodwill gesture before a historic visit by the US president Obama but local and international human rights campaigners said the list of released prisoners did not include any political dissidents.
Announcing the amnesty – the latest in a series that have coincided with high-profile visits of foreign dignitaries or trips by senior Burmese leaders overseas – state media said late on Wednesday that its aim was “to help promote goodwill and the bilateral relationship”. A home ministry official told Reuters that a certain number of the remaining 300 political prisoners would be released. However Bo Kyi, of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), said no prisoners of conscience had been freed so far. “All are common criminals or foreign nationals …… We know of no political prisoners among the 452 freed today,” he said.
However the Wall Street Journal (15 Nov) just reported that U Myint Aye, a 61-year-old human rights activists and one of the most high-profile dissidents currently detained, held at Loikaw, was included.
No word on Aung Naing either (see my post of 24 September this year).
Let’s wait and see whether President Obama is willing to press for a more substantive release.
Related articles
- Burma frees more than 450 prisoners before Barack Obama’s visit (guardian.co.uk)
- Burma announces prisoner amnesty (bbc.co.uk)
- No Political Prisoners Released in Amnesty (irrawaddy.org)
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Aung Naing, Aung San Suu Kyi, Barack Obama, Burma, Human Rights Defenders, Jason Burke, Loikaw, political prisoner, U Myint Aye, United States
Human Rights First gives Obama its agenda for human rights
November 8, 2012
Human Rights First (HRF), a New York based international NGO and member on the Jury of the Martin Ennals Award, reacted with speed to Obama’s reelection and issued a statement of what it thinks is ready for bi-partisan action on human rights:
1. Champion Women’s Rights. A record number of women will serve in the U.S. Senate in January. And Republicans and Democrats—men and women—agree on the importance of protecting women’s rights around the world. The Obama administration and Congress should work together to make sure that women’s rights are enshrined in the Egyptian constitution and that women in the region who stood side by side with men in demanding their freedom are fully represented in public life, including in elected legislatures, and not forced out of the public square.
2. Support Freedom. Last night, President Obama said, “We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter.” The United States should stand with those people. That means pressing our allies—like Bahrain—to stop cracking down on dissent. It means working effectively with the international community to bring an end to the human rights crisis in Syria. And it means supporting activists in repressive societies like Russia, China, and Cuba.
3. Protect Freedom of Religion. As the recent furor over the anti-Islam film showed, the second Obama administration will have to navigate difficult issues at the intersection of religion and foreign policy. In his second term, the President should push back against efforts to impose an international standard outlawing “defamation of religions,” which would be used, like national blasphemy laws in countries like Pakistan, to persecute religious minorities and restrict freedom of speech, and which would fuel sectarian violence and empower extremists.
4. Protect Gay and Lesbian People from Violence. Voters in Maryland, Maine, and Washington voted to legalize same-sex marriage-the first time gay marriage won at the ballot box. Wisconsin elected the first openly gay U.S. Senator. But while the tide of public opinion on gay rights has rapidly turned here, around the world, gay and lesbian people face discrimination and violence. In his second term, President Obama should build on the work of his first to provide protection for gay and lesbian people, including those forced to flee for their safety.
5. Provide Safe Haven for Refugees. Washington may finally be poised to tackle comprehensive immigration reform. While this issue has been politically challenging, there is broad bipartisan support for keeping America’s promise to be a refuge for those fleeing oppression. For starters, that means reforming the policies that land those seeking freedom in jail.
6. Close Guantanamo. Before it became a political football, national security experts and elected officials from both parties agreed that Guantanamo needed to close. President George W. Bush said he wanted to close it. Senator John McCain campaigned on it. And on his second full day in office, President Obama, flanked by retired Admirals and Generals, promised to do it. He doubled down on the Daily Show right before the election. Now it’s time to get it done. This is a legacy issue.
http://actions.humanrightsfirst.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=6824
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Barack Obama, freedom of religion, Guantanamo, HRF, human rights, Human Rights First, human rights of women, LGBT, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, Obama, refugees, United States