Human rights

Dhaka, Nov 16 – Arab film and TV star and World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador Hend Sabry wanted to visit the Rohingya families in the Rohingya camps, what she says, to show that suffering has no borders and humanity has no boundaries. Read More »

By Crystal Orderson Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 13 2019 (IPS) – Young women and girls are still subjected to a range of harmful practices and violence, including early marriage. Every year, an estimated 12 million girls get married before the age of 18. Read More »

Jerusalem – The Israeli Supreme Court on November 5, 2019, upheld the Israeli government’s authority to deport Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director of Human Rights Watch. The decision now shifts back to the Israeli government; if it proceeds with deportation, Shakir will have to leave Israel by November 25. Read More »

Sister Brigitte Queisser walks slowly along the decaying remains of the Berlin Wall, its rusty rebar reinforcement exposed where the concrete has crumbled away. Read More »

People responsible for killing journalists from 2006-18 not convicted, says Unesco UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said societies as a whole pay a price when journalists are targeted. Read More »

Disband All Irregular Paramilitary Forces, Cooperate With Independent Investigations New York – United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-backed Afghan forces have committed summary executions and other grave abuses without accountability, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. These strike forces have unlawfully killed civilians during night raids, forcibly disappeared detainees, and attacked healthcare facilities for allegedly treating insurgent ... Read More »

Repeal or Amend Laws Criminalizing Speech, Assembly London – Thai authorities over five years of military rule prosecuted numerous peaceful critics of the government to stay in power, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Concerned governments should press Thailand to protect the rights to expression and assembly, and reform laws penalizing peaceful speech to bring them in ... Read More »

The European Union awarded its top human rights prize to economist Ilham Tohti for his work defending China’s Uighur minority and urged Beijing to release him from jail. Read More »

By Ed Holt Rising populism, anti-media rhetoric from politicians, cyber-harassment of journalists and physical attacks are among the reasons why press freedom in Europe is on the decline, according to the global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Read More »

London, Oct 21 (AP/UNB) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in court Monday to fight extradition to the United States on charges of conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer, with his legal team saying it needs more time to prepare its case. Read More »

Dhaka, Oct 20 (UNB) – Gambia will be taking Myanmar to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to face charges of genocide against its Rohingya minority, said Gambia’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice Abubacarr Marie Tambadou. Read More »

By Shayda Naficy and Ebuata Pholip Jakpor Geneva / Lagos, Oct 16 2019 (IPS) – In Geneva this week, a treaty process is underway that promises to usher in a new era for human rights around the globe. The process—the intergovernmental working group on the binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights—could mean that for the first time, human ... Read More »

By Umar Manzoor Shah Srinagar, Oct 11 2019 (IPS) – Haseena Akhtar was only 13 when an agent told her parents that they could earn a good amount of money by letting her marry a Kashmiri man. The man was, however, three times older than Akhtar, the agent said. Read More »

A delegation will visit twelve countries to warn authorities, companies and European society about violence against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil Brasília, Brazil – A delegation of Indigenous leaders will visit twelve European countries between October 17 and November 20 to report serious violations against Brazilian Indigenous Peoples since President Jair Bolsonaro took office. Read More »

By World BEYOND War, October 8, 2019 Letter to Julian Assange from NoWar2019 The fourth annual conference of World BEYOND War, which was held on October 4th and 5th in Limerick, Ireland, produced this letter, which is being delivered to Julian Assange. Read More »

By James Reinl UN, Oct 2 2019 (IPS) – Financiers in Wall Street, the City of London and other banking centres should play a bigger role in freeing the millions of people who endure slave-like working conditions globally, according to a new study. Read More »

Dhaka, 02 Oct 2019: ‘We are about 27 million disabled people in Bangladesh are part of the families of more than 80 million people. These huge numbers of population are somehow involved with different Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs). We, the disabled people have been in peaceful movement led by NADPO for more than 15 years to increase status and implementing ... Read More »

Dhaka, Oct 01 – 200 disabled persons’ organizational network, National Alliance of Disabled People’s Organizations (NADPO) staged a rally around the Bangladesh Secretariat and moved through roadside from North-East corner of the National Press Club and ended at the same place where disabled leaders demonstrated and distributed leaflets among the people on Tuesday 11 AM. Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 30 – Disabled persons at a human chain in Dhaka on Monday demanded the fulfilment of their five demands which include access to all facilities and representation in the National Parliament. Read More »

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview that he takes “full responsibility” for the grisly murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but denied allegations that he ordered it. Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 29 – The National Alliance of Disabled People’s Organisations (NADPO) has started a 4-day programme to press their 5 demands beginning on Sunday through a press conference at the National Press Club Dhaka. The programme will continue till October 2, says a press release. Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 28 (UNB) – Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Saturday expressed deep concern over the government move to amend the Road Transport Act-2018 before its enforcement ‘amid pressure from transport owners and workers’ associations’. Read More »

24 September 2019, Climate Change – The failure of governments to act on the climate crisis, constitutes a violation of children’s rights, according to a landmark complaint presented to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by 16 youth activists. Read More »

New York, 23 Sept – Sixteen child petitioners – including Greta Thunberg and Alexandria Villaseñor – from 12 countries around the world today presented a landmark official complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to protest lack of government action on the climate crisis. Read More »

by Sébastien Duyck on 18th September 2019 A ‘people’s summit’ in New York ahead of the official UN climate summit brings environmental and human-rights campaigners together in pursuit of climate justice. Read More »

Geneva (AP/UNB) — Myanmar’s envoy to the top U.N. human rights body says his country rejects any move to bring the issue of alleged rights violations against ethnic Rohingya Muslims to an international legal forum. Read More »

At heart, democracy is about people, says UN chief Dhaka, Sept 15 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all governments to respect the right to active, substantive and meaningful participation. Read More »

Charlie Cole, one of the photographers who captured the famous Tank Man on film during the Tiananmen Square protests, has died. Read More »

by Anita Inder Singh on 12th September 2019 If Vladimir Putin thinks liberalism is obsolete when it comes to managing cultural diversity, democratic western-European leaders should not be echoing him. Greece is one of the latest member states of the European Union to be framing measures to tackle a fresh wave of human arrivals. And the handling of such newcomers—whether ... Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 11 – In a new development of Rohingya crisis, Myanmar government has agreed to take high level representatives of Bangladesh to make a visit to the affected areas in Myanmar from where Rohingya people were displaced due to the persecution of the Myanmar army. Read More »