Posts Tagged ‘Human Rights and Liberties’
March 8, 2013
The local NGO Samaj Chetna Adhikar Manch has been working in 20 villages in Madhya Pradesh, India, and has been in the forefront of the struggles to end malnutrition from the area as well as widespread corruption in welfare schemes that defeats all attempts of snatching the children away from the death trap of absolute poverty induced malnutrition. The organisation has earned the ire of the local goons because of its complaint to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that led to an enquiry and consequent dismissal of those responsible for irregularities. The relatives of those dismissed are now harassing and threatening the activists with dire consequences.
The continuing harassment and brazen attacks on the activists of the organisation despite the local administration being aware of the threats is akin to criminal negligence and points to complicity with the accused. T
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: AHRC, Asia, Asian Human Rights Commission, Convention on the Rights of the Child, corruption, criminal negligence, death threats, Government, Human Rights and Liberties, India, Madhya Pradesh, malnutrition, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, poverty
March 5, 2013
In IPP Media of 5 March 2013 appears a lengthy piece by correspondent GERALD KITABU who interviewed the head of the NGO ‘Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition’ (THRD-Coalition) Mr ONESMO OLENGURUMWA on the protection of human rights defenders in Tanzania. It interesting to see such an article which demonstrates the depth of the Human Rights Defenders issue at the local level. Here follow a few quotes:
QUESTION: Who is a human right defender?
ANSWER: A human rights defender is any individual, groups and organs of society seeking to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and freedom. Human rights defenders include lawyers, judges, journalists, whistle blowers, bloggers, students, religious leaders, trade unionists and any other person working to combat human rights abuses in a peaceful manner.
Q: What is the current situation of human rights defenders in Tanzania?
A: Our organization has recorded a number of security incidents towards human rights defenders. Despite being change agents, these activists are continuously harassed, detained, interrogated, imprisoned, tortured and even at times paying the ultimate price when they are killed for what they do. A good example is the last year’s killing of Iringa based Channel Ten journalist Daudi Mwangosi, the barbaric and brutal torture of Dr. Stephen Ulimboka, the death of Issa Gumba, the suspicious death of women human right defender in Mara Eustace Nyarugenda who was the director of Action Based Foundation, continuing constant threats towards other journalists like Cosmas Makongo, Josephat Isango, Charless Misango, the indefinite ban of Mwanahalisi and the arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders. These are just few incidents that paints a bad picture on the map of Tanzania when it comes to observing human rights….
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Tags: Human right, human rights, human rights abuses, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, impunity, IPP media, journalists, Non-governmental organization, Non-state actor, ONESMO OLENGURUMWA, protection, Tanzania, THRD-Coalition, UN Declaration
March 4, 2013
It seems that International Women’s Day is increasingly becoming a day on which human rights defenders become a central theme. An example is York University in the UK where 8 international human rights defenders studying at the University of York’s Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) spoke in recognition of International Women’s Day on Saturday 2 March about their experiences as “Women of the Front Line”. Relaying their own backgrounds and the influences that encouraged them to begin defending human rights, the women spoke for over an hour on displacement of women and children in periods of conflict, inequalities of women’s rights in their countries’ legal systems, and on cases of domestic violence including beating and rape. The speakers included, Karak Denyok Miakol, a social worker and the founder of Diar for Rehabilitation and Development Association DRDA, Samira Hamidi, the Country Director of the Afghan Women’s Network, Kultan Sh. Hassan, the human rights officer of the Women’s Action for Advocacy and Progress Organisation in Somaliland and Lineo Tsikoane, a human rights defender from Lesotho. Challenging the traditions and cultures of society presents these women with constant challenges and threats; Lineo Tsikoane admitted how “on many occasions I do not sleep at home” for fear of being arrested by the government. Questioned on the conflict between being a human rights defender and a mother, all acknowledged the challenge, but as Kultan Sh. Hussan stated, they accept that “we have a responsibility more than that”. They also emphasised the importance of engaging men in their campaigns and ensuring that women had equal access to education. They encouraged the use of letter writing, internet petitions and campaigns here in support of their causes as a source of solidarity and inspiration that their plight is being acknowledged 
internationally. Sanna Eriksson, the Centre Coordinator for the CAHR, hoped that the event would foster a better engagement of these International Human Rights Defenders and the local community in York as well as raise awareness of International Women’s Day. The event also showcased poetry by the Human Rights Defenders, depicting personal insights on issues of female genital mutilation and the continuing oppression of women’s voices around the world.
York’s CAHR is planning a special issue of its respected Journal of Human Rights Practice on the topic of the Protection of Human Rights Defenders for the last quarter of this year.
via Showcase of International Human Rights Campaigners | Nouse.
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Tags: Advocacy Organizations, CAHR, Centre for Applied Human Rights, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, international women's day, protection, Somaliland, Special Rapporteur, United Nations, women human rights defenders, Women's rights, York university
March 2, 2013
The first side event “Killings and Violence against Women based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” will take place on 5 March 2013 (16h30) at the Armenian Convention Center
630 2nd Avenue (at 35th street)
Panelists
TAMARA ADRIAN (Venezuela)
General Director of Diverlex Diversidad e Igualdad a Través de la Ley,
World Trans Secretary of ILGA
MONICA TABENGWA (Botswana)
Africa Researcher, LGBT Program, Human Rights Watch
KIM VANCE (Canada)
Co-Director, ARC International
Moderator
CYNTHIA ROTHSCHILD (USA)
Consultant, COC Netherlands Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, CSW, Gender identity, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, impunity, intimidation, LGBT rights, New York, protection, Sexual orientation, side event, UN, United Nations, Violence against women, women human rights defenders
March 1, 2013
Protection International – based in Brussels – announces the launch of its new documentary, The Law of the Strongest, an in-depth account of the work of Honduran human rights defenders and the many challenges they face. You can watch it now at http://vimeo.com/58640439 (Spanish version with English subtitles). On 6 March 2013, The Law of the Strongest will be screened in Geneva.
“In this country, everything is being sold : water, earth and even oxygen” says Salvador Zúñiga, leader of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) standing on a muddy road. Behind him, a no-trespassing sign bars the way to a dam construction project. “This project will not benefit the local population, but only the private interests”.
Like other members of his organization, Salvador Zuñiga denounces judicial harassment, threats and attempted corruption aimed at putting an end to their peaceful resistance to these mega projects.
Pascale Boosten and Eric Juzen, directors at the PI video team, met with COPINH representatives and other human rights defenders in order to produce the documentary, The Law of the Strongest.
Contact : Pascale Boosten, pboosten@protectioninternational.org
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Tags: Brussels, corruption, dam, documentary, environment, environmental issues, film, Geneva, Honduran, Honduras, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Pascale Boosten, Protection International, Salvador Zuñiga, The Law of the Strongest, video, Vimeo
February 27, 2013
The Jakarta Post of February 26 2013, reports that Human Rights Defenders suspect the government’s recent initiative to hold discussions on the possibility to open human rights tribunals relating to the 1997/98 abuses were politically motivated. They argued that the discussion, which was raised in the run up to the 2014 General Elections, could implicate some of the strong presidential candidates. “We are actually surprised to learn that the Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister, Djoko Suyanto, had just begun talks with the House of Representatives leadership on the plan to establish an ad hoc human rights tribunal on the 1997-1998 forced disappearance case” the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Families of Missing Persons Association (IKOHI) said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday. “On the one hand, it is good that the tribunal might be finally established. On the other hand, however, we are concerned that the tribunal is merely [a] political tool to crush political opponents,” they added. The activists were referring to two former military leaders who are active in politics: General Wiranto and Lt. General Prabowo Subianto, who were both implicated in the violations during the 1998 riots. Kontras and Ikohi are among the organizations who have repeatedly accused the government of ignoring the victims of past human rights abuses because it failed to establish an ad hoc human rights tribunal even though a mandate had been given by the House already in 2009.
via NGOs accuse Govt of delaying human rights tribunal | The Jakarta Post.
Posted in human rights | 1 Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Forced disappearance, gross violations, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, IKOHI, impunity, Indonesia, Jakarta, Jakarta Post, Kontras, Non-governmental organization, Prabowo Subianto, students, tribunal, Wiranto
February 26, 2013
Since 2003, the Geneva Human Rights Film Festival (with the more complicated French name and abbreviation: le Festival du film et forum international sur les droits humains – FIFDH) takes place in parallel to the UN Human Rights Council. Based on the concept “A film, a subject, a debate”, the FIFDH features documentary as well fiction, on themes linked to human rights such as: violence against women, poverty, torture, international justice and even climate change. During 10 days the public is invited to watch the films, meet film makers, actors, experts and victims of human rights violations. There are special screenings for students, and teachers are issued with thematic material. This year a total of 40 films will be screened. New this year is the competition for international fiction. The Jury includes filmmakers and human rights defenders such as: Ai Weiwei, Patrick Chapatte, Romain Goupil and Fadwa Suleiman, Syrian actress in exile. The longstanding festival director is Leo Kaneman: for the programme see: http://www.fifdh.org/
In the meantime, a big controversy has erupted about the showing of the documentary “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” in what is called in UN terminology a ‘side event’, organised by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the above-mentioned FIFDH, on the premises of the UN. As reported by AP on 25 February, the Sri Lankan Ambassador has sent a letter to the whole Human Rights Council denouncing the film as “discredited, uncorroborated and unsubstantiated” and warning that the Council would be violating its own rules if the film is screened March 1 in Geneva as planned.
The 90-minute documentary alleges government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels engaged in war crimes during the final stages of the conflict in 2009. The film shows interviews with eyewitnesses and original footage of alleged atrocities against civilians including summary execution, sexual violence and torture. The film director Callum Macrae denied that it distorted the facts: “We believe that our film contains very important evidence about the terrible events in the last few months of this war and we believe we have a duty to make that evidence available to the diplomats and country missions at the U.N. Human Rights Council who must make important decisions about how to ensure accountability and justice in Sri Lanka“. See: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/sri-lanka-opposes-screening-critical-film-18590958. The Sri Lankan Ambassador’s letter which certainly will help to attract a larger audience is to be found on: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/465065/Letter-to-the-President-Human-Rights-Council-2.pdf.
Posted in AI, films, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: Ai Weiwei, Amnesty International, documentary, ECOSOC, Fadwa Suleiman, film festival, fims, Geneva, Geneva Human Rights Film Festival, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Watch, impunity, International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, international justice, Kaneman, media, No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka, reconciliation, Sri Lanka, Tamil Tigers, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, war crimes
February 25, 2013
This interesting story starts in February 2011 with a peaceful demonstration against deaths of pregnant women at the Huruma Nursing Home, a hospital serving Huruma, one of the major slums in Nairobi. Two human rights defenders, Ruth Mumbi and Ms Victoria Atieno, were accused of incitement to violence. Their case has dragged on for 2 years with at least 5 adjournments triggered by the absence at the trial of the administrator of Huruma Nursing Home, both a key witness and complainant. During the latest hearing on 21 February 2013, the administrator of Huruma Nursing Home turned up at the Court. However, this was a new administrator who replaced the person who managed the establishment at the time when the protest took place. As the judge raised questions about this change of witness, the administrator responded that the sole purpose of his presence at Makadara Law Courts was to present Huruma Nursing Home’s desire that the case be dismissed! The judge interestingly decided to allow the accused human rights defenders to express their opinion on it. On 26 February 2013 (tomorrow), Ruth Mumbi and Victoria Atieno hope to tell how they were victims of malicious prosecution and file a lawsuit to claim damages. And on top of this a great occasion to alert the public about poor health services!
The case against Ruth Mumbi and Victoria Atieno was referred to in an urgent appeal http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/20473 on 30 October 2012. 
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Africa, court, demonstration, freedom of assembly, Front Line Defenders, Human right, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, malicious prosecution, Nairobi, Nursing home, right to health, slum, women human rights defenders
February 25, 2013
The HURIDOCS network publishes a Newsletter with many items that are of importance to Human Rights Defenders. The latest issue carries e.g. interesting news on access to human rights case law from the Asian and American scene. In the future it should be possible to have on-line access to the case load of these regional systems which until now are very difficult to find. Connecting these two databases in the future will be possible, but only if they are built on common standards. Developing these is a core function of HURIDOCS as illustrated by an interview with Judith Dueck who has been involved in standard formats for almost 25 years (Judith Dueck looks back upon how it was done).
One reason to refer to this article of course the youth picture of me (from 1988) they added!
To get the HURIDOCS newsletter free every 15 days subscribe via the homepage: http://www.huridocs.org/
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Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Africa, Americas, case law, documentation, documenting, Hans Thoolen, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, HURIDOCS, information technology, internet, Judith Dueck, jurisprudence, Latin America, newsletter, Standard formats, technology
February 25, 2013
Protection International (PI) is published on 23 February 2013 its first FOCUS report. To commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), the report presents the results from PI’s research on public government policies to protect human rights defenders internationally. It analyzes the development of public policy meant to protect human rights defenders. While acknowledging advances that have clearly enhanced existing regional and international mechanisms, the report adopts a critical approach since States are ultimately responsible for protecting Human Rights Defenders, starting with governments.PI hopes this report will contribute to the discussion on how to improve existing public policies and spur discussion between civil society organizations and governments of countries where protection of human rights defenders is far from being ensured.
The full report can be downloaded in several languages via: FOCUS Report 2013 : “Public Policies for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders: The State of the Art” | | ProtectionlineProtectionline.
Posted in books, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: 2013, Advocacy Organizations, annual report, Civil society, Focus 2013, Human right, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, PI, policies, politics, protection, Protection International, UN Declaration, United Nations
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 