Full Coverage: Human rights

27.02.2004 Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld's trip through Central Asia, including stops in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, brought nothing in the way of support for such ideals as democracy and human rights in Uzbekistan, writes Esmer Islamov. Nor did Rumsfeld have anything to offer beleagured Afghan President Hamid Karzai--not even a pledge to find Osama bin Laden.

27.02.2004 Leading human rights and refugee groups have issued sharp reminders to the United States about its legal obligation to permit Haitian refugees to seek asylum here. In New York, the UN Security Council yesterday refused to commit to any concrete steps to halt the growing violence, despite pleas from Haiti's Caribbean neighbors.

27.02.2004 The Commission for Africa launched by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and backed by the rock star Bob Geldof must not be another talking shop, says CAFOD.

27.02.2004 More than £2 million of humanitarian donations to the charity Sewa International have been sent to fascist-inspired '"indutva" groups that are involved in anti-minority violence in India, a recent report claims.

27.02.2004 This week, Nepal's Maoist rebels announced plans to raise a militia of 50,000 children by April, amid reports of mass abduction, even sexual abuse of kids, who they allegedly use as cannon fodder.

27.02.2004 The Government of Burundi and the international community should take urgent action to stop widespread sexual violence, including rape, against women in Burundi, Amnesty International has urged in a new report entitled Burundi: Rape - the hidden rights abuse.

26.02.2004 WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb 26 (OneWorld) -- Human rights groups in Uzbekistan and their international supporters achieved a victory this week, just hours before a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, when the Uzbek government agreed to free 62-year-old Fatima Mukhadirova. But news of the arrest of another human rights activist dampened the celebration.

26.02.2004 Le Congo – l'autre Congo – est séparé de la République démocratique du Congo, pays beaucoup plus vaste et connu, par le fleuve Congo. Comme son voisin du sud, le Congo est déchiré par les guerres civiles et l'instabilité depuis une dizaine d'années mais, contrairement à lui, il ne fait les manchettes que rarement en Occident. Au printemps dernier, une équipe médicale de Médecins Sans Frontières réussissait enfin à pénétrer dans la province du Pool. L'état de santé des habitants était déplorable et le taux de malnutrition élevé chez les survivants.

26.02.2004 Despite the piercing battle cries and menacing whirrs of bullets in a strife-torn Uganda, individuals and organisations from the private sector, government and civil society are coming together to work towards ICT-enabled development and rebuilding the nation. I-Network Uganda provides a platform for sharing knowledge and forming partnerships around the use of ICT for development.

26.02.2004 A new report released in the United Kingdom Thursday claims the British public is donating millions of dollars as charity to organizations linked to Indian groups accused of spearheading a campaign against minorities in India.

26.02.2004 The National Education Association has asked President Bush to fire Education Secretary Rod Paige for calling the union a "terrorist organisation.'' Paige, who made the comment in a private meeting with governors, later apologised for a poor choice of words, but maintained the union uses "obstructionist scare tactics.''

25.02.2004 Cette semaine la Cour internationale de justice (CIJ) a amorcé des auditions afin de rendre un avis consultatif sur les implications juridiques de la construction par Israël d'un mur/barrière. Ce rapport d'Amnistie internationale démontre que la construction de ce mur/barrière à l'intérieur des Territoires occupés est contraire au droit international et entraîne de graves violations des droits humains.

25.02.2004 À chaque jour, le mur de l'apartheid encercle davantage la Palestine. Entre-temps, Washington et ses alliés sabotent l'initiative de l'Assemblée générale des Nations unies via la Cour internationale de justice de La Haye. Aux insultes s'ajoutent les injures et aux injures s'ajoutent les blessures, gravées dans le corps des jeunes Palestiniens qui meurent à chaque semaine. Devant cette montagne de répression et de mépris, la colère gronde dans les bidonvilles de Gaza, de Naplouse, de Jénine.

25.02.2004 Des représentants de la Centrale unique des travailleurs (CUT) du Brésil seront à Montréal pour discuter des défis auxquels le mouvement syndical brésilien fait face. Organisée par la CSN en collaboration avec Alternatives et l’Observatoire des Amériques de l’UQAM, cette conférence aura lieu le jeudi 26 février.

25.02.2004 Profitant du climat de peur et d'insécurité qui règne depuis le 11 septembre 2001, des États ont adopté de nombreuses dispositions pour lutter contre le terrorisme. Au Canada, l'adoption de certaines dispositions menace les droits des citoyens de manière significative, selon la Ligue des droits et libertés, qui vient de lancer une campagne sous le thème « Nos libertés sont notre sécurité ».

25.02.2004 As France prepares to send a peacekeeping mission to Haiti, human rights groups are calling for a halt to the selective killing of civilian supporters of Pres. Aristide by the armed groups opposing his government, raising fears of a "bloodbath" if rebels overtake the capital city of Port-au-Prince. For background on Haiti see Global Issues.

25.02.2004

Coca-Cola

A recent fact-finding mission to Colombia has stirred up charges that the local Coca Cola bottling plant supported the murder by paramilitaries of trade union activists. While acknowledging that this might be true, Coke-Colombia has done nothing about it, while Coke-Atlanta is trying to distance itself from its wholly owned Colombian subsidiary, writes Mischa Gaus.

25.02.2004 A major loophole in BritainÂ’s arms export controls is allowing manufacturers to sell weapons components to countries where they could ultimately be used to violate human rights, reveals a report released today by the Control Arms Campaign.

24.02.2004 As rebels give brief consideration to an international peace proposal, relief groups warn that the crisis is beginning to impact food security, while the Pan American Health Organization issues a plea for respect for the neutrality of hospitals and health centers,

24.02.2004

Crimes against humanity

A prize-winning forensic scientist who has spent the last 10 years identifying victims of Guatemalan massacres will be in Washington, D.C. to give a talk on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Fredy Peccerelli recently received a human rights award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.