Aug. 22, 2016 – With at least eight human rights defenders killed in Honduras this year, two United Nations and international rights experts said the country is one of the most hostile and dangerous for rights defenders and urged the Government to take urgent steps to ensure their protection. “The Government of Honduras must immediately […]
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World Humanitarian Day Tragedy: IFRC calls for humanitarian solution to Mediterranean drownings as two young children confirmed drowned
Geneva, 19 August 2016: Two Syrian children, eight months and five years old, were today confirmed to be amongst five people who drowned at sea yesterday after their boat capsized trying to cross the Mediterranean. The Red Cross search and rescue boat, the Responder, is assisting in the operation to transfer those who had died […]
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Scientists link conflict and climate change
LONDON, Aug. 18, 2016 – Ethnic conflict linked to tragic episodes of civil war, waves of refugees and even the collapse of nation states could be made more likely by climate-related disasters. A team of European scientists say they can demonstrate, “in a scientifically sound way”, a link between civil violence based on ethnic divisions, and […]
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Israel/Palestine: Palestinian Rights Defenders Threatened
JERUSALEM, Aug. 15, 2016 – New anonymous death threats have been made against staff members of a Palestinian human rights organization advocating an investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes in Palestine, Human Rights Watch said today. The Gaza-based Al-Mezan issued a statement on August 11, 2016, that a staff member working […]
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Israel renders 53 Palestinians homeless in August heat; 2016 home demolition rate highest since 2006
Aug. 12, 2016 – The spate of demolitions in the West Bank continues in full swing: in the past week and half, since the beginning of August 2016, Israel’s Civil Administration demolished 20 homes and 13 other structures in Palestinian communities throughout the West Bank, leaving 53 people – including 25 minors – homeless. In […]
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‘Let’s build bridges, not walls,’ says UN chief, urging all countries to help refugees and migrants
Aug. 12, 2016 – Encouraging young refugees gathered for an event at resettlement centre in Los Angeles to “study hard [and] be a full part of your new communities,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the United States and other countries to keep reaching out to people in need, wherever they are, because “we will […]
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Women’s rights activists treated as enemies of the state in renewed crackdown in Iran
Aug. 11, 2016 – Iranian authorities have intensified their repression of women’s rights activists in the country in the first half of this year, carrying out a series of harsh interrogations and increasingly likening any collective initiative relating to women’s rights to criminal activity, Amnesty International said today. The organization’s research reveals that since January […]
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As 1 million dogs are killed and eaten for Bok Nal ‘soup’ in South Korea, Jane Goodall supports groups mobilising to end cruel dog meat trade
Aug. 9, 2016 – With South Korea’s Bok Nal days underway, the country’s animal protection campaigners mobilised at South Korea’s first ever global anti-dog meat conference. The days mark the hottest point of the summer between 17 July and 16 August when as many as 1 million dogs are killed to make ‘boshintang’ soup, which […]
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On anniversary of Hiroshima bombing, Ban urges all States to ‘galvanize global will for disarmament’
Aug. 6, 2016 – With global tensions rising and progress on nuclear disarmament hard to find, “the world needs the Hibakusha spirit more than ever,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, citing the determination and perseverance of those survivors of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb attacks as an example for championing peace […]
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Eight leading science and engineering societies express concern for welfare of Turkish scientific community, following failed coup
Aug. 3, 2016 – As the Turkish government restores order after the failed coup, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and seven other leading science and engineering societies today expressed concern for the human rights of the Turkish scientific community, which has reportedly been subject to restrictions including travel bans and the […]
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New Initiative from Privacy International Tracks the Global Surveillance Industry
Aug. 3, 2016 – A new initiative launched today by Privacy International aims to track the growth and scale of the global surveillance industry, a shadowy sector consisting of companies selling a wide range of electronic surveillance technology to government agencies across the world. Made available today is the world’s largest publicly available educational resource […]
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Brazil: Daily shootouts and alarming rise in police killings puts Olympic legacy at risk
Aug. 2, 2016 – A shocking 103% percent increase in police killings in Rio de Janeiro between April and June of 2016 and 2015 has shattered any chance of a positive legacy to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, said Amnesty International three days before the opening ceremony. According to the Institute for Public Security […]
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In Iraq, UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor urges help for children ‘ripped from their homes’
Aug. 2, 2016 – Just back from crisis-riven northern Iraq, were he visited refugee camps for Iraqi and Syrian families and children, actor Ewan McGregor, an Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for more action to save children suffering the devastating effects of brutal conflicts and crises. “Many of the children […]
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If evicting people were an Olympic event, Brazil would win gold
August 2, 2016 – Rumour has it that Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen will be robbed during the opening ceremony for Rio 2016. It will, of course, only be an act. But on Saturday night, as a predicted global audience of 900 million tunes in for all the razzmatazz, spare a thought for the many residents […]
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Iraq: Fast-tracking executions will only accelerate injustice – Zeid
GENEVA/BAGHDAD August 1, 2016 – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Monday expressed serious concern at the creation of a committee tasked with making recommendations to accelerate implementation of death sentences in Iraq. The committee, announced by Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, has been mandated to identify procedural or legislative delays […]
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Afghanistan: Forces Linked to Vice President Terrorize Villagers
New York, July 31, 2016 – The Afghan government should prosecute militia members responsible for killings and other abuses against civilians in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province in late June, 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch interviewed villagers in the aftermath of the attack. The Junbish militia is loyal to First Vice-President Abdul […]
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Iraq: Ban Abusive Militias From Mosul Operation
Beirut, July 31, 2016 – Iraqi military commanders should prevent militias with records of serious abuses from taking part in planned military operations for the city of Mosul, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s obligation to take all possible measures to protect civilians and ensure respect for the laws of war makes it essential […]
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German responses to terror range from cautious to conspiratorial
July 31, 2016 – Until this month, Germany had been spared from terrorist attacks with momentous losses of life. Since July 18, four attacks have occurred: one by a teenage refugee on a train in Würzburg; a mass shooting and suicide by a German schoolboy in Munich; a murder and attack by a refugee in […]