Posts Tagged ‘Nigeria’
September 21, 2013
In the Guardian of Nigeria of 21 September, Joseph Okoghenun writes that the American Bar Association [ABA] yesterday expressed their disappointments on the inability of the Nigerian Government to enforce rule of law and respect the rights of Nigerians, especially of those defending human rights in the country. In letter specifically addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, the Center for Human Rights of the ABA, said it was deeply “concerned at recent events in Nigeria that threaten the rights and activities of human rights defenders and undermine the rule of law.” The letter cited several reports it received from Nigerian NGO Civil Liberties Organisation [CLO] about conduct that “reflect a pattern of ongoing human rights abuses by security forces in Nigeria, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and extortion”. The ABA strongly but respectfully urged the minister of justice to look into this matter.
via American Lawyers Write Justice Minister, Seek Enforcement Of Human Rights.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: ABA, American Bar Association, attorney general, compensation, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, law enforcement, lawyers, minister of justice, Nigeria, Solidarity, United States
June 14, 2013
On 13 june 2013 Nigeria‘s Daily Post contained a nugget of gold for Human Rights Defenders: Apparently the National Orientation Agency, NOA, has invited the NGO, Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Group, to educate the military on the need to respect human rights. The Agency’s Assistant Director of Operations, Mr. Vincent Dung threw the challenge when the group paid a courtesy call to the Agency. According to him, “The soldiers especially those maintaining peace on the Plateau need to be sensitized on the need to respect the rights of civilians. I challenge you therefore, as defenders of those whose rights are violated to educate the military.“ [The military working on the Plateau have allegedly violated the rights of many people, especially at the checkpoints.] Dung advised the military working in crisis prone areas like Plateau to imbibe the culture of civil-military relations in order to avert further crisis. Dung also tasked the group not to restrict the campaign to the military alone, but that the campaign should be extended to other paramilitary establishments in the State. The NGO assured him of their readiness to protect the rights of individuals in the State and said they were willing to take the campaign against human rights violations to the doorsteps of all organizations, whether military or non-military.
via Human rights violation: NOA tasks human right group to educate Military – DailyPost Nigeria – DailyPost Nigeria.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Advocacy Organizations, Africa, checkpoints, Dung, human rights, Human Rights and Liberties, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Defenders Advocacy Group, Jos, military, National Orientation Agency, Nigeria, NOA, positive news, training
June 11, 2013
There is and always will be debate on who is a human rights defender. At a recent meeting in May 2013 at York University, UK, there were several sessions and academic interventions devoted to the topic (when the report is out, I will revert), but in the meantime is interesting to note the use of the term – posthumously – for one of the leading politicians in Nigeria: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abiola, Babatunde Fashola, definition of HRD, Democracy, Dosunmu, human rights, Human rights defender, Lagos State, National Democratic Coalition, Nigeria, politician, politics, Wahab Dosunmu, York university
March 4, 2013
On Thursday 7 March 2013 will take place “The Human Voices of Freedom – Securing Human Rights Online” event: a panel discussion and interactive webcast with human rights activists from across the globe at the Human Rights Council, highlighting the importance of protecting freedom of expression on-line. This public event, sponsored by the U.S. Mission to the UN, is to take place from on 7 March from 1pm to 3pm in room XXIII/United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Internet Freedom Fellows program brings human rights activists from across the globe to Geneva, Washington, DC, and Silicon Valley to meet with fellow activists, U.S. and international government leaders, and members of civil society and the private sector engaged in technology and human rights. This year’s Internet Freedom Fellows are human rights activists and active practitioners of digital media from China, Russia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan.
Please note: Registration is only required for those attendees who do not hold a United Nations badge.
via Internet Freedom Fellows | Event Registration Page: The Human Voices of Freedom – Securing Human Rights Online.
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: China, freedom of information, Geneva, Ghana, Human right, human rights, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, internet, Internet Freedom Fellows, Nigeria, on-line, Russia, side event, Silicon Valley, Sudan, United Nations, United Nations Human Rights Council, US permanent mission to the UN, USA
February 22, 2013
On 22 February 2013 Dan Smith published a post on his blog on the ‘state of States’. While not directly touching on human rights defenders, it gives in few words an excellent overview of the formation and deformation of States which provide much of the power and abuse that human rights defenders struggle against. I summarize some of the main issues here, but urge you to read the full text:
First he points out that most states are relatively new. By 1900 there were just 48 states in our modern sense of the term. In the years either side of World War I, with the break-up of the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires, there was considerable state-making. Even so, the UN was founded by just 51 states. Today, 193 states make up the UN, the newest being South Sudan in July 2011.

- From 48 to 193 (recognised states, that is) – from The State of the World atlas Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Afghanistan, conflict and peace, Dan Smith, Failed state, Fragile state, fragile states, historical perspective, Human Rights Defenders, Nigeria, non-state actors, Pakistan, politics, Somalia, South Sudan, sovereignty, state power, States, UN, ungoverned spaces, United Nations