Posts Tagged ‘HRW’
September 19, 2013
Further to my earlier blog post about Kyrgyzstan following the bad example of Russia in trying to create a ‘foreign agents’ obstacle for human rights defenders, I am happy to refer to Front Line latest update of 19 September 2013 which says that during a press interview on the outcomes of his working visit to Brussels on 17 September 2013, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev stated to journalists that Kyrgyzstan does not need a “foreign agent” law, a draft bill of which was opened for public discussion on 6 September 2013.
On 16 September 2013, ahead of President Atambaev’s visit to Brussels, Front Line Defenders and Human Rights Watch published a joint letter to the European Union urging EU leaders to raise concerns about human rights abuses in Kyrgyzstan and getting specific commitments from President Atambaev to address them. The letter also contained an appeal to the EU to press the Kyrgyz President for the immediate release of the wrongfully imprisoned human rights defender Azimjan Askarov http://www.hrw.org/news/2010/09/15/kyrgyzstan-free-human-rights-defender-ensure-fair-retrial as well as on the draft bill http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/23774. 
Posted in Front Line, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Almazbek Atambayev, Azimjan Askarov, Brussels, draft bill, European Union, Foreign agent, foreign funding, freedom of association, Front Line Defenders, funding restrictions, HRW, human rights, human rights abuses, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, illegal detention, Kyrgyzstan, President of Kyrgyzstan, Russia
September 19, 2013
The World association for the School as an Instrument of Peace & the International Training Centre for Human Rights and Peace Teaching organise on 25 SEPTEMBER, from 10.00 – 12.00 in ROOM XXIV – PALAIS DES NATIONS, Geneva a side event:
“Making Human Rights a Reality : Challenges for Human Rights Education“.
Speakers include:
Ms Rebiya Kadeer, President of the World Uyghur Congress [who is the laureate of the HRW “Human Rights Defenders Award” in 2000 as well as the Norwegian Rafto Award in 2004. Former member of the Political Consultative Congress of China (1992 -1997).
Mr. Emmanuel Decaux, Professor, University of Paris II, Member of the UN Committee on Forced Disappearances
Ms. Amina Lemrini, President of the High Council for Audiovisual Communication, Morocco
Ms. Nadira Eshmatova, Youth Human Rights Group, Kyrgyzstan
Ms. Géraldine Puig,
Education program on citizenship and human rights, Ministry of public education, Republic and Canton of Geneva.
Moderator : Ms. Stefanie Rinaldi, University of Teacher Education, Lucerne
if you are interested contact: Cifedhop cifedhopATmail-box.ch.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, amina lemrini, audiovisual communication, Canton of Geneva, HRW, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, human rights awards, Human Rights Defenders, human rights education, human rights group, International Service for Human Rights, International Training Centre for Human Rights and Peace Teaching, Rafto award, Rebiya Kadeer, School as an Instrument of Peace, side event, training course, United Nations, World Uyghur Congress
September 3, 2013
A recent 100-page report by Human Rights Watch, “Tightening the Screws: Azerbaijan’s Crackdown on Civil Society and Dissent,” documents the dramatic deterioration of the government’s record on freedom of expression, assembly, and association in the past 18 months. The authorities have arrested dozens of political activists on bogus charges, imprisoned critical journalists, broken up peaceful public demonstrations, and adopted legislation imposing new restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
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Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: activism, Azerbaijan, Civil society, critical journalists, Election, facebook, freedom of expression, Giorgi Gogia, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, illegal detention, imprisonment, judicial harasment, protest, twitter
August 22, 2013
Repressive governments are using different and increasingly ‘indirect’ means to silence human rights defenders. Intimidation, administrative restrictions, fiscal regulations aimed at reducing funding, terminating rental agreements, judicial harassment, etc. According to a report by Human Rights Watch of 14 August 2013, Rwanda is practicing a slightly different tactic: wholesale infiltration and ‘take over’ of independent NGOs.
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Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, freedom of association, HRW, human rights, human rights abuses, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, human rights group, human rights groups, Human Rights Watch, infiltration, LIPRODHOR, Non-governmental organization, Rwanda
August 13, 2013
On 12 August Human Rights Watch issued a report on Ecuador and urged it to revoke a presidential decree that grants far-reaching powers to the government to oversee and dissolve nongovernmental organizations.
On June 4, 2013, President Rafael Correa adopted a decree [a similar decree in December 2010 was shelved after criticism] that creates new procedures for Ecuadorean nongovernmental organizations to obtain legal status and requires international organizations to undergo a screening process to seek permission to work in Ecuador. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: administrative rules, Bahrain, decree, Ecuador, foreign funding, freedom of association, HRW, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, NGOs, Non-governmental organization, Rafael Correa, Russia, Uganda, Venezuela
August 13, 2013
13 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
August 2, 2013
In the ongoing saga concerning the asylum request by Snowden, Kenneth Ross, the director of Human Rights Watch, makes on 2 August an interesting and courageous comment on Twitter: “Instead of trying to extradite Snowden, Congress should ask him to testify by video as spur to end mass NSA snooping.”
Defiant Russia Grants Snowden Year’s Asylum – NYTimes.com.
Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: asylum request, HRW, Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Ross, Moscow, National Security Agency, nytimes, right to privacy, Russia, Sheremetyevo International Airport, Snowden, United States
May 31, 2013
(Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi)
In the context of restrictive legislation to hinder the work of human rights defenders, the Egyptian case deserves urgent attention now. The law on NGOs is being rewritten in this important country and others in the region may follow the example. Despite recent amendments Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, CIHRS, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: AI, Arab Network for Human Rights Information, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Civil society, controversial restrictions, Egypt, empowering civil society, foreign funding, Forum of Independent Human Rights Organisations, freedom of association, funding, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, Middle East, Morsi, Navanethem Pillay, NGO, NGOs, Non-governmental organization, Shura Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Rapporteur
May 3, 2013
As readers of this blog know I would have readily reported on any developments surrounding the MEA especially since the Final Nominees 2013 were announced recently. A few days ago a controversy arose around the nomination of Mona Seif, the courageous Egyptian human rights defender who was selected because of her campaign against military trials for civilians. UN Watch, an NGO affiliated to the American Jewish Committee, and famous for its strident monitoring of anything that smacks of criticism of Israel, accused Mona Seif of being a terrorist sympathizer on the basis of 3 older tweets in which she strongly defended the right of Palestinians to resist Israeli occupation. The organisation started a twitter campaign to have Mona recalled as nominee.
Mona Seif, Egypt – Final Nominee MEA 2013
The problem is that I am – in a personal capacity – the Chair of the Jury which is composed of ten of the world’s leading human rights NGOs (see list http://www.martinennalsaward.org). I am a non-voting chair whose only role is to facilitate the process and I do not participate in the selection. The board of the Martin Ennals Foundation also has no role in the selection as the Statutes provide for a fully independent Jury. Only the NGOs on the Jury can vote on the recipient of the MEA. Still, I feel that my capacity of Chair of the Jury obliges me to show restraint in speaking out.
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Posted in HRW, human rights | 1 Comment »
Tags: American Jewish Committee, Egypt, freedom of expression, HRW, Human Rights Defenders, HumanRights, Israel, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Jury, Martin Ennals, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA nominees 2013, MonaSeif, No To Military Trials for Civilians, Non-governmental organization, Robert Mackay, terrorism, twitter, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Watch
April 25, 2013
(EU) High Representative Catherine Ashton should publicly raise concerns over ongoing and persistent human rights violations in China when she visits Beijing, said Human Rights Watch. “As EU’s top foreign policy official, Ashton cannot ignore the deteriorating human rights environment in China,” said Lotte Leicht, European Union advocacy director. “She needs to make it a central part of her agenda in Beijing.” Ashton should also urge top Chinese officials to stop obstructing Security Council action on Syria, including humanitarian access to all civilians in need, and referring jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court.
In recent months the EU has issued strong statements, including ones at the United Nations Human Rights Council, on China’s use of the death penalty and the crisis of self-immolations in Tibet, among other issues.
The EU also provides some support to human rights defenders in China…..Yet, the EU’s engagement on human rights in China has been extremely weak since Ashton was nominated as the EU’s first foreign policy chief. The more than thirty rounds of the official EU-China dialogue on human rights have had little discernible positive effect for those standing up for human rights in China, and at other levels of political dialogue the EU has failed to give human rights and the rule of law a degree of public attention commensurate with the importance of these issues in China…
…Although the new Chinese leadership has expressed rhetorical support for reform on some key human rights concerns, such as re-education through labor, abuses remain rampant throughout the country. The Chinese government denies people the full exercise of basic rights such as freedom of expression, association, and religion, and systematically suppresses dissidents and human rights activists…
“Ashton should be prepared to tell her Chinese government interlocutors who speak of the need for reform that a good start would be freeing Liu Xiaobo and lifting the appalling and abusive house arrest imposed on Liu Xia,” said Leicht.
Even the new leadership’s commitment to robustly grappling with rampant corruption – identified as a high priority – is already being called into question. In early April, eight activists were arrested for their involvement in a grass-roots anti-corruption campaign.
China: EU Commitments Demand Tough Response | Human Rights Watch.
Posted in human rights | 3 Comments »
Tags: Beijing, Catherine Ashton, China, dialogue, European Union, HRW, Human right, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights violations, Human Rights Watch, International Criminal Court, Liu Xiaobo, Lotte Leicht, repression, Syria, United Nations Human Rights Council
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 