Newsroom

Update

Abdallah Abu Rahme is affable and articulate.  Last July, when I called to set up a time to talk before one of the weekly protests in his village, Bi'lin in the occupied West Bank, he made jokes and explained exactly the best way to get there from Jerusalem through all the checkpoints and roadblocks. Abdallah's vocation is teaching, but what takes up a good portion of his time is his involvement with the village's non-violent popular committee which protests the wall/fence built by Israel that snakes through the occupied West Bank (WB).  Israel says the wall is being built for security reasons; others that the wall is simply strangling villages' economies by cutting…

December 23, 2009

Update

As 2009 winds down, here's a wrap up of the year's highlights from the southern Africa region. From elections, to assassinations, to elections, to awards ,to elections, to boycotts, to elections, to what was all in all a fairly smooth year compared to what might have been, here are a few notes about human rights conditions in the 12 countries we monitor for Amnesty International USA. Angola Angola was supposed to hold presidential elections this year but didn't. Current (and for the last 30 years) president, dos Santos, said constitutional reform must come first and this will take another two years. …

December 22, 2009

Update

Yesterday, a United Nations panel, commissioned in October to investigate the September 28th massacre in Guinea, released their report on what really happened that day. The report echoes what NGOs have been saying all along, identifying at least 156 people who died that day and at least 109 women and girls who were subjected to sexual violence, including rape, sexual mutilation or kidnap for repeated rape. Up until now, the military junta in power in Guinea has denied these figures, saying that fewer than 60 people were killed that day and ignoring local and international NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human…

December 22, 2009

Update

OK, I admit that this post is not really about sex, but about gender identity and sexuality.  But, while you're here, have a look at some of the positives developments for the rights of sexual minorities in India in 2009.  One major caveat: India has a very long way to go before the rights of sexual minorities are fully acknowledged and protected. The victories of 2009 will only make the smallest of dents in India's large and growing population of people infected with HIV/AIDS and the mainstreaming of "alternative" sexual identities.  Organizations such as the Naz Foundation will theoretically be able to…

December 21, 2009

Update

The latest crude and ham-fisted attempt made by the Iranian government to stifle the legitimate expressions of dissent by its citizens--like all other similar attempts--failed spectacularly. Majid Tavakkoli, a student leader, was arrested after he gave a speech at Amir Kabir University in Tehran marking Student Day on December 7. The next day, in an apparent attempt to discredit him, a photo of Mr. Tavakkoli wearing women's clothes was published by the Fars News Agency (linked to the government), which claimed that he had been wearing those clothes at the time of his arrest as he was attempting to sneak…

December 21, 2009

Update

This week, on December 15, 2009, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law held the first ever Congressional hearing on U.S. implementation of its human rights treaty obligations.  The hearing examined what the U.S. government is doing and should be doing more of, to fulfill its obligations to protect and promote human rights domestically and abroad. Subcommittee Chair Durbin (D-IL), along with Senators Cardin (D-MD), Feingold (D-WI) and Franken (D-MN), expressed deep concern and commitment to ensuring that the U.S. continues to lead by example on the international stage, by prioritizing and addressing the numerous human rights…

December 18, 2009

Update

The White House has publicly committed to reforming the current immigration system, which permits arbitrary detention and deportation in violation of human rights. On December 15, 2009, Representative Luis Gutierrez (IL-D) introduced the first broad legislation of this session to address a broken immigration system that results in egregious and pervasive human rights violations against immigrants and asylum seekers. In the Senate, Senators Schumer and Graham are expected to introduce a comprehensive bill addressing immigration reform in early 2010.  No doubt, ensuring that the human rights of immigrants in detention and deportation are respected and protected will be a battle,…

December 18, 2009

Update

As 2009 draws to a close we marvel at the extraordinary—and what is sure to be remembered as pivotal—year in Iran. Amnesty International marked International Human Rights Day on December 10 with the launch of its comprehensive report on the post-June 12 election crackdown. While the litany of gruesome horrors visited upon the Iranian people by their own government’s agents detailed in the report is profoundly upsetting to us, what we come away with is the courage and determination shown by ordinary Iranians who doggedly refused to be bludgeoned into silence. The bravery shown by millions of Iranians: young and…

December 18, 2009

Update

On Thursday, December 10th, the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing to discuss the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009, for which AIUSA was invited to submit written testimony. The bill, a close approximation of the early Senate draft of the bill, would make crucial and desperately needed reforms in tribal justice systems, helping to address the epidemic of sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women and girls. Over the last few years, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) has worked to document the disconcerting realities of law enforcement in Indian Country, especially as…

December 18, 2009

Update

George Harrison, former Beatles, singing "Bangla Desh" (Ringo Starr, another Beatles member is at the drums) at the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh in New York City. Well, it's technically, Liberation Day but close enough.  On this day, December 16, 1971, the Pakistani Army surrendered to the Mukti Bahini and the Indian Army, ending one of the bloodiest conflicts since World War II.  Some estimates put the death toll from the violence at upwards of 3 million people, mostly civilians.  Ten million Bangladeshis fled to neighboring India, where cholera and other diseases took their toll on the innocent civilians trapped by the…

December 17, 2009

Update

It's amazing the power that music has to inspire people to stand up for what they believe in.  And it’s also amazing how human rights inspire musicians.  There’s a trio of artists who lent their voices this past Human Rights Day and they each have a unique story of their own... Tom Morello, a talented guitar player, has social activism streaming through his blood.  His mother founded the anti-censorship group, Parents for Rock and Rap and his father was Kenya’s first UN ambassador, so Tom's long term involvement with social justice and human rights, comes as no surprise.  Amnesty International…

December 17, 2009

Update

30 years ago tomorrow, December 18, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Treaty for the Rights of Women -- the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). CEDAW establishes international protections upholding the rights of women: it offers women redress against violence, guarantees equal access to education, and commits nations to fighting maternal mortality. For 30 years and counting, the United States has failed to ratify the treaty -- making it one of only a handful of nations that have not done so, including Iran, Sudan, and Somalia. The State Department supports CEDAW ratification --…

December 17, 2009