English

30 October 2013 Last updated at 07:40 GMT

Share this page •

Email

•

Print

• • •

Share Facebook Twitter

North Korea: UN human rights inquiry 'moved to tears'

Mr Kirby said the evidence pointed to systematic human rights violations Continue reading the main story

Related Stories • •

UN probe shows N Korea 'atrocities' •

'Horrifying' stories from N Korea UN rights panel hears of North Korea 'living hell' Watch

The chief of a UN inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea says he was "moved to tears" by testimonies of "gross human rights violations".

Michael Kirby, a retired judge, said the inquiry had "copious evidence" of rights abuses in North Korea.

During the inquiry's hearings, eyewitnesses described systematic torture, starvation and executions.

North Korea describes the inquiry as "a political plot" and has not given investigators access to the country.

However, the inquiry said that it was not biased against Pyongyang and that it had consistently asked North Korean representatives to take part in public hearings and question witnesses.

The inquiry is the UN's first-ever human rights investigation into North Korea.

The UN panel interviewed witnesses in South Korea, Japan and the UK, and is conducting hearings in the US on Wednesday and Thursday. It will submit a final report to the UN in March 2014.

'Not human' "Some of the testimony has been extremely distressing," Mr Kirby said.

"I am a judge of 35 years experience and I have seen in that time a lot of melancholy court cases which somewhat harden one's heart."

"But even in my own case, there have been a number of testimonies which have moved me to tears," he said.

Some of the atrocities reported included a woman forced to drown her own baby; children imprisoned from birth and starved; and families tortured for watching a foreign soap opera.

Kim Song-ju, a North Korean defector, told the hearing last week about the torture he experienced in a detention camp.

"The North Korean prison guards were telling us that once you get to this prison you're not human, you're just like animals," he said.

Meanwhile, fellow inquiry member Marzuki Darusman said that fewer North Koreans had fled to South Korea in 2013.

In 2013 so far, 1,041 North Koreans had entered South Korea, compared to 1,509 in 2012 and 2,706 in 2011, he said.

"This represents a reversal of the trend of steady increase in the number of annual arrivals since 1998, possibly due to recently tightened border control and increased incidents of refoulement," he said.

Refoulement refers to the forced return of refugees to their country of origin or another country where they are likely to be persecuted.

North Korean refugees tend to make their journey to South Korea via China, which borders the North. However, China often returns North Korean refugees, ruling them economic migrants. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24726013

Human Rights Violations By Michelle Maiese July 2003

What it Means to Violate Human Rights

"The 'disappearances' of detainees in the custody of Russian federal forces in Chechnya is a major human rights crisis that the Russian government and the international community must address."

"While combat between federal forces and Chechen rebels has for the most part ceased, the 'disappearance,' torture, and summary execution of detainees continues, marking the transition from a classical internal conflict into a 'dirty war,' where human rights violations and not the conquest or defense of territory are the hallmarks." -- Human Rights Watch, click here for web page.

There is now near-universal consensus that all individuals are entitled to certain basic rights under any circumstances. These include certain civil liberties and political rights, the most fundamental of which is the right to life and physical safety. Human rights are the articulation of the need for justice, tolerance, mutual respect, and human dignity in all of our activity.[1] Speaking of rights allows us to express the idea that all individuals are part of the scope of morality and justice.

To protect human rights is to ensure that people receive some degree of decent, humane treatment. To violate the most basic human rights, on the other hand, is to deny individuals their fundamental moral entitlements. It is, in a sense, to treat them as if they are less than human and undeserving of respect and dignity. Examples are acts typically deemed "crimes against humanity," including genocide, torture, slavery, rape, enforced sterilization or medical experimentation, and deliberate starvation. Because these policies are sometimes implemented by governments, limiting the unrestrained power of the state is an important part of international law. Underlying laws that prohibit the various "crimes against humanity" is the principle of nondiscrimination and the notion that certain basic rights apply universally.[2]

The Various Types of Violations The number of deaths related to combat and the collateral damage caused by warfare are only a small part of the tremendous amount of suffering and devastation caused by conflicts. Over the course of protracted conflict, assaults on political rights and the fundamental right to life are typically widespread. Some of the gravest violations of the right to life are massacres, the starvation of entire populations, and genocide. Genocide is commonly understood as the intentional extermination of a single ethnic, racial, or religious group. Killing group members, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing measures to prevent birth, or forcibly transferring children are all ways to bring about the destruction of a group. Genocide is often regarded as the most offensive crime against humanity.

The term "war crime" refers to a violation of the rules of jus in bello (justice in war) by any individual, whether military or civilian.[3] The laws of armed conflict prohibit attacks on civilians and the use of weapons that cause unnecessary suffering or long-term environmental damage.[4] Other war crimes include taking hostages, firing on localities that are undefended and without military significance, such as hospitals or schools, inhuman treatment of prisoners, including biological experiments, and the pillage or purposeless destruction of property.[5] Although clearly outlawed by international law, such war crimes are common. According to Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, it is increasingly true that "the main aim...[of conflicts]... is the destruction not of armies but of civilians and entire ethnic groups."[6] Women and girls are often raped by soldiers or forced into prostitution. For a long time, the international community has failed to address the problem of sexual violence during armed conflict.[7] However, sexual

assaults, which often involve sexual mutilation, sexual humiliation, and forced pregnancy, are quite common.

Such crimes are motivated in part by the long-held view that women are the "spoils" of war to which soldiers are entitled. Trafficking in women is a form of sexual slavery in which women are transported across national borders and marketed for prostitution. These so-called "comfort women" are another example of institutionalized sexual violence against women during wartime. Sexual violence is sometimes viewed as a way to destroy male and community pride or humiliate men who cannot "protect" their women. It is also used to silence women who are politically active, or simply inflict terror upon the population at large.[8] Mass rapes may also form part of a genocidal strategy, designed to impose conditions that lead to the destruction of an entire group of people. For example, during the 1990s, the media reported that "rape and other sexual atrocities were a deliberate and systematic part of the Bosnian Serb campaign for victory in the war" in the former Yugoslavia.[9] Rather than simply killing off whole populations, government forces may carry out programs of torture. Torture can be either physical or psychological, and aims at the "humiliation or annihilation of the dignity of the person."[10] Physical torture might include mutilation, beatings, and electric shocks to lips, gums, and genitals.

[11] In psychological torture, detainees are sometimes deprived of food and water for long periods, kept standing upright for hours, deprived of sleep, or tormented by high-level noise.

Torture is used in some cases as a way to carry out interrogations and extract confessions or information. Today, it is increasingly used as a means of suppressing political and ideological dissent, or for punishing political opponents who do not share the ideology of the ruling group.[12] In addition to torture, tens of thousands of people detained in connection with conflicts "disappear" each year, and are usually killed and buried in secret.[13] Government forces "take people into custody, hold them in secret, and then refuse to acknowledge responsibility for their whereabouts or fate."[14] This abduction of persons is typically intended to secure information and spread terror. In most cases, interrogations involve threats and torture, and those who are arrested are subsequently killed.[15] Corpses are buried in unmarked graves or left at dumpsites in an attempt to conceal acts of torture and summary execution of those in custody.[16] Because people disappear without any trace, families do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead.

Various lesser forms of political oppression are often enacted as well. Individuals who pose a threat to those in power or do not share their political views may be arbitrarily imprisoned, and either never brought to trial or subject to grossly unfair trial procedures. Mass groups of people may be denied the right to vote or excluded from all forms of political participation. Or, measures restricting people's freedom of movement may be enforced.

These include forcible relocations, mass expulsions, and denials of the right to seek asylum or return to one's home.[17] Political oppression may also take the form of discrimination. When this occurs, basic rights may be denied on the basis of religion, ethnicity, race, or gender. Apartheid, which denies political rights on the basis of race, is perhaps one of the most severe forms of discrimination. The system of apartheid in South Africa institutionalized extreme racial segregation that involved laws against interracial marriage or sexual relations and requirements for the races to live in different territorial areas. Certain individuals were held to be inferior by definition, and not regarded as full human beings under the law.[18] The laws established under this system aimed at social control, and brought about a society divided along racial lines and characterized by a systematic disregard for human rights.

In addition, women are uniquely vulnerable to certain types of human rights abuses -- in addition to the sexual abuse mentioned above, entrenched discrimination against women is prevalent in many parts of the world and leads to various forms of political and social oppression. This includes strict dress codes and harsh punishments for sexual "transgressions," which impose severe limitations on women's basic liberties. In addition, women in some regions (Africa , for example) suffer greater poverty than men and are denied political influence, education, and job training.[19]

Human Rights Violations and Intractable Conflict

Helen Chauncey likens their work in acheiving coexistence to the early human-rights era.

Many have noted the strong interdependence between human rights violations and intractable conflict. Abuse of human rights often leads to conflict, and conflict typically results in human rights violations. It is not surprising, then, that human rights abuses are often at the center of wars and that protection of human rights is central to conflict resolution.[20] Violations of political and economic rights are the root causes of many crises. When rights to adequate food, housing, employment, and cultural life are denied, and large groups of people are excluded from the society's decision-making processes, there is likely to be great social unrest. Such conditions often give rise to justice conflicts, in which parties demand that their basic needs be met.

Indeed, many conflicts are sparked or spread by violations of human rights. For example, massacres or torture may inflame hatred and strengthen an adversary's determination to continue fighting. Violations may also lead to further violence from the other side and can contribute to a conflict's spiraling out of control.

On the flip side, armed conflict often leads to the breakdown of infrastructure and civic institutions, which in turn undermines a broad range of rights. When hospitals and schools are closed, rights to adequate health and education are threatened. The collapse of economic infrastructure often results in pollution, food shortages, and overall poverty.[21] These various forms of economic breakdown and oppression violate rights to selfdetermination and often contribute to further human tragedy in the form of sickness, starvation, and lack of basic shelter. The breakdown of government institutions results in denials of civil rights, including the rights to privacy, fair trial, and freedom of movement. In many cases, the government is increasingly militarized, and police and judicial systems are corrupted. Abductions, arbitrary arrests, detentions without trial, political executions, assassinations, and torture often follow.

In cases where extreme violations of human rights have occurred, reconciliation and peacebuilding become much more difficult. Unresolved human rights issues can serve as obstacles to peace negotiations.[22] This is because it is difficult for parties to move toward conflicttransformation and forgiveness when memories of severe violence and atrocity are still primary in their minds.

What Can Be Done?

Helen Chauncey explains why the human rights movement is very inspirational for their work on coexistence.

International humanitarian law has been enacted to preserve humanity in all circumstances, even during conflicts. Such law "creates areas of peace in the midst of conflict, imposes the principle of a common humanity, and calls for dialogue."[23] It rules out unlimited force or total war and seeks to limit the use of violence in the hopes of maintaining the necessary conditions for a return to peace. Various international committees are in place to monitor compliance with human rights standards and report any violations. When breaches do occur, they are brought to the attention of international tribunals or tried in an international court or war crimes tribunal.

But conflicts sometimes progress beyond the state at which international law can help. As the number of victims grows and more individuals are taken prisoner, tortured, or executed, it becomes more difficult to resort to the legal path.[24] In addition, it is often difficult to "reconcile the safeguarding of human rights with conflict resolution."[25] Many peacekeeping and conflict-prevention initiatives have failed both to protect human rights and help the parties towards conflict resolution. In part this is due to the fact that while wars between states have diminished, wars within states have escalated. Many internal conflicts involve a surge in organized violence. Genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression against civilians have become a central part of warfare in these "internal" conflicts. Such violence often arises out of identity issues -- in-group/out-group dynamics -- and attempts of one ethnic or religious group to gain and maintain political control and to exclude other groups.[26] Such conflicts are often not fought over principles or ideas, but rather focus on differences. The "outsiders" are dehumanized, making human rights violations such as severe discrimination or ethnic cleansing all the more psychologically feasible. Thus, attacks on human rights are often at the very heart of these internal conflicts.[27] In response, public authorities must regain control of organized violence. This means a re-establishment of the rule of law and a rebuilding of trust in public authorities. In addition, more inclusive, democratic values are needed to defuse exclusivist ideals.[28] In the face of such violations, leaders must champion international legal norms and human rights. These human rights norms are central to the maintenance of civil society, and necessary for grounding attitudes of tolerance and mutual respect within communities.

Serious difficulties arise, however, when those in power are responsible for human rights violations. In this case, outside intervention is necessary to stop the abuse.

The Question of Humanitarian Intervention There is much disagreement about when and to what extent outside countries can engage in humanitarian intervention. More specifically, there is debate about the efficacy of using military force to protect the human rights of individuals in other nations. This sort of debate stems largely from a tension between state sovereignty and the rights of individuals.

Some defend the principles of state sovereignty and nonintervention, and argue that other states must be permitted to determine their own course. It is thought that states have diverse conceptions of justice, and international coexistence depends on a pluralist ethic whereby each state can uphold its own conception of the good. Among many, there is "a profound skepticism about the possibilities of realizing notions of universal justice."[29] States that presume to judge what counts as a violation of human rights in another nation interfere with that nation's right to self-determination. In addition, requiring some country to respect human rights is liable to cause friction and can lead to far-reaching disagreements.[30] Thus, acts of intervention may disrupt interstate order and lead to further conflict.[31] Others think, "Only the vigilant eye of the international community can ensure the proper observance of international standards, in the interest not of one state or another but of the individuals themselves."[32] They maintain that massive violations of human rights, such as genocide and crimes against humanity, warrant intervention, even if it causes some tension or disagreement. Certain rights are inalienable and universal, and "taking basic rights seriously means taking responsibility for their protection everywhere."[33] If, through its atrocious actions, a state destroys the lives and rights of its citizens, it temporarily forfeits its claims to legitimacy and sovereignty.[34] Outside governments then have a positive duty to take steps to protect human rights and preserve life. In addition, it is thought that political systems that protect human rights reduce the threat of world conflict.[35] Thus, intervention might also be justified on the ground of preserving international security.

Nevertheless, governments are often reluctant to commit military forces and resources to defend human rights in other states.[36] In addition, the use of violence to end human rights violations poses a moral dilemma insofar as such interventions may lead to further loss of innocent lives.[37] It is imperative that the least amount of force necessary to achieve humanitarian objectives be used, and that intervention not do more harm than good. Lastly, there is a need to ensure that intervention is legitimate, and motivated by genuine humanitarian concerns. The purposes of intervention must be apolitical and disinterested. However, if risks and costs of intervention are high, it is unlikely that states will intervene unless their direct interests are involved.[38]

Many note that in order to truly address human rights violations, we must strive to understand the underlying causes of these breaches. These causes have to do with underdevelopment, economic pressures, various social problems, and international conditions.[39] Indeed, the roots of repression, discrimination, and other denials of human rights stem from deeper and more complex political, social, and economic problems. It is only by understanding and ameliorating these root causes and strengthening civil society that we can truly protect human rights.

[1] Helena Kennedy. "Conflict Resolution and Human Rights: Contradictory or Complementary?" INCORE, 1.

[2] Don Hubert and Thomas G. Weiss et al. The Responsibility to Protect: Supplementary Volume to the Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. (Canada: International Development Research Centre, 2001), 144.

[3] Jordan J.Paust et al. Human Rights Module: On Crimes Against Humanity, Genocide, Other Crimes Against Human Rights, and War Crimes, (Carolina Academic Press.2001), 130.

[4] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 144.

[5] Paust, et al., 131.

[6] United Nations Press Release SG/SM/6524 SC/6503 "Secretary-General Says Proposals in his Report on Africa Require New Ways of Thinking, of Acting" (16 April 1998, accessed 30 January 2003).

Available at http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/sgreport/pressrel.htm; Internet.

[7] "Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict: United Nations Response." United Nations. Available at:http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm; Internet.

[8] "Sexual Violence." Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm; Internet.

[9] "Sexual Violence." Available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/cover.htm; Internet.

[10] Antonio Cassese, Human Rights in a Changing World. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990), 90.

[11] Cassese, 123.

[12] Cassese, 90.

[13] "Human Rights Today: A United Nations Priority," The United Nations, (2000), available at: http://www.un.org/rights/HRToday/; Internet.

[14] " 'Dirty War' in Chechnya: Forced Disappearances, Torture, and Summary Executions." Human Rights Watch, March 2001. Vol. 13, no. 1, 4. Available at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/chechnya/RSCH0301.PDF; Internet.

[15] Cassese, 122.

[16] " 'Dirty War' in Chechnya," 31.

[17] "Human Rights Today: A United Nations Priority" [18] Cassese, 108.

[19] Matthews, "Women's Rights are Human Rights" [20] Kennedy, 1.

[21] "Human Rights Today"

[22] Michel Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace." African Security Review, Vol. 7, No. 5, Institute for Security Studies, 1998. Available at: http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/ASR/7No5/InternationalHumanitarian.html; Internet.

[23] Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace."

[24] Veuthey, "International Humanitarian Law and the Restoration and Maintenance of Peace."

[25] Kennedy, 6.

[26] Kennedy, 8.

[27] Kennedy, 9.

[28] Kennedy, 9.

[29] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 133.

[30] Cassese, 58.

[31] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 133.

[32] Cassese, 55-6.

[33] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 135.

[34] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 136.

[35] Cassese, 58.

[36] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 136.

[37] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 137.

[38] Hubert and Weiss, et al., 141.

[39] Cassese, 59.

Use the following to cite this article: Maiese, Michelle. "Human Rights Violations." Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess.

Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 <http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/human-rights-violations>.

27 September 2013

Mexican Senate must end impunity for armed forces' human rights violations

Mexico’s military justice system is failing victims of alleged human rights violations by the army and navy. © Arturo Pérez

“ If the Mexican legislature wants to prove they have a real commitment to upholding human rights, they will seize this key opportunity to reform the military justice system once and for all, and ensure civilian justice to investigate and try all cases of human rights violations by the armed forces

” Daniel Zapico, Amnesty International Mexico director Fri, 27/09/2013

Mexico’s military justice system is failing victims of alleged human rights violations by the army and navy, but the Mexican Senate has a key opportunity to change that, Amnesty International said today.

“If the Mexican legislature wants to prove they have a real commitment to upholding human rights, they will seize this key opportunity to reform the military justice system once and for all, and ensure civilian justice to investigate and try all cases of human rights violations by the armed forces,” said Daniel Zapico, Amnesty International Mexico director.

“This would bring Mexico in line with international human rights standards as well as rulings by the Inter American Court of Human Rights on the matter over the last years.”

Numerous UN human rights mechanisms have recommended that the Mexican authorities reform the country’s military justice system – in particular, to limit its scope and ensure the civilian justice system is responsible for investigating and trying cases of alleged human rights violations by the armed forces. The Inter American Court of Human Rights and Mexico’s Supreme Court have further established that the state has an obligation to do so.

As Mexico’s Senate takes up debate on a bill to reform the Military Justice Code, Amnesty International is asking senators to modify the proposed bill to ensure that human rights violations are investigated and tried in the civilian justice system.

Amnesty International Mexico has been writing and lobbying Mexican members of Congress and today Daniel Zapico of AI Mexico will make a presentation to the Senate as part of a series of public hearings on the proposed bill to reform the Military Justice Code.

“Amnesty International’s experience around the world, in the Americas region, and, in Mexico in particular, shows that military justice is an obstacle to ending impunity for human rights violations committed by the armed forces, as military justice lacks independence, impartiality and transparency,” said Zapico.

“From the Tlatelolco massacre in 1968 until the enforced disappearances in Nuevo Laredo in August this year, Amnesty International has documented consistent failure to investigate human rights violations committed by the Mexican armed forces, leaving victims and relatives with no access to truth and justice,” said Zapico.

According to the report “Spiralling human rights violations and impunity” (AMR 41/019/2013), Amnesty International’s submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review which will take place in October 2013, there has been a surge in cases of grave human rights violations committed by the armed forces since 2006. Most of those cases have been accompanied by impunity.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/mexican-senate-must-end-impunity-armed-forces-human-rightsviolations-2013-09-27

Sudan’s rights body admits existence of human rights violations Article Comments (1)

• • Email Print Save

November 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has admitted the existence of human rights violations in the country including restrictions on freedoms and civil and political rights.

The NCHR’s complaints committee disclosed that it received 83 complaints in 2013 and 42 complaint in 2012 relating to human rights abuses.

The NCHR deputy chairperson, Joseph Khalil, said in press conference on Thursday that most of the complaints involve cases of security and freedoms abuses while some complaints are related to land disputes, pointing that few cases relate to violations committed by the police.

He acknowledged that the NCHR receives foreign funding, saying that several countries financed NCHR’s workshops in Sudan.

The government by the end of last year closed down different civil society and rights groups, accusing it of receiving foreign funds and collaborating with the opposition groups to overthrow the regime.

The NCHR member, Mohamed Ahmed Al-Shayeb, said that they face numerous problems including lack of a specific budget and experienced cadres, adding that they examined all complaints and submitted recommendations to the presidency, parliament, and the minister of justice to take the necessary action.

He pointed that the NCHR carry out executive and policymaking work which is not part of its mandate and acknowledged underperformance, saying that they use personal resources to carry out their duties due to lack of funding.

Last month, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) agreed to renew the mandate of the independent expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan for a further 12 months.

Earlier this month, a group of 11 international and African organisations called on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to order a fact-finding mission to investigate the deaths and detention of hundreds of protesters during recent demonstrations in Sudan.

Protests erupted on September 23 in Sudan’s major towns, following an announcement by the government the previous day that it was lifting subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities, leading to calls for regime change.

At least 200 protesters died, 15 of them children, and more than 800 others have been detained.

Sudanese authorities continue to crackdown hard on national and international media outlets ordering some to shut down.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

The NISS recently intensified its crackdown on press in the country, introducing tough new measures to prevent media outlets from covering recent anti-government protests which erupted following the lifting of subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities.

Several journalists were arrested amid accusations of “disturbing the public” and several daily newspapers were shut down, including Al-Intibabha and Al-Mejhar, while others such as Al-Ayam decided to stop working, saying the current conditions do not allow them to exercise their profession.

(ST)

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article48891 http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/iran http://www.hrw.org/nkorea http://www.hrw.org/middle-eastn-africa/syria http://www.hrw.org/americas/ecuador

Iran's human rights abuses offer glimpse into Tehran's power struggle

By Jonathan Hunt Published December 12, 2013 FoxNews.com

•

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ran for office as a moderate, and some observers believe the stepped-up executions there are a signal to him from more hard line members of the government. (AP)

Who’s really running Iran?

President Hassan Rouhani is the public face of the leadership, but is he the moderate reformer the West hopes he is, or is he, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing?” And does it even matter if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and his hard line allies are really running the show?

These are vital questions as the U.S. and European nations grapple with the question of easing sanctions against Tehran in return for changes in Iran’s nuclear program. The truth is, no one has definitive answers. But there are clues in certain aspects of Iranian life and politics. And human rights is one of those areas.

“There is some discussion that the spike (in executions) is in fact a message from the hard liners in Iran that are in the judiciary and otherwise to Rouhani and the more reformist-minded leaning elements of government that they are not going to go down without a fight.”

- Gissou Nia, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

The self-described non-partisan Iran Human Rights Documentation Center keeps a running tally of the number of executions in Iran, based on the organization’s

extensive range of contacts and the Iranian government’s general willingness to announce most executions.

According to the IHRDC, at least 529 people have been executed in Iran this year (Iranian officials admit to about 400 of those). Nearly half of the death toll has occurred since Rouhani took power on Aug. 4. The frenetic pace of executions, often of rapists, drug dealers and petty criminals, works out to a little over 13 executions every week, or about two per day.

In the U.S., the death penalty is reserved for what are considered the most heinous of crimes. There have been 35 executions in the United States this year, among a population of 317 million. Iran, which has a population of approximately 80 million, executes more people per year than any nation except China, and more - by far than any other nation on a per capita basis.

The brutal brand of justice has led some observers to embrace Netanyahu's view that, not only is his "moderate" posture an illusion, but that he is even more hard-line than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Those critics say Rouhani is a man who will say one thing while doing another, making him an especially dangerous man to deal with when it comes to nuclear issues.

There’s another possibility, according to Gissou Nia, executive director of the IHRDC, and formerly a lawyer with the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

“There is some discussion that the spike (in executions) is in fact a message from the hard liners in Iran that are in the judiciary and otherwise to Rouhani and the more reformist-minded leaning elements of government that they are not going to go down without a fight,” Nia said.

In Nia’s view, the rise in the number of executions might in fact be a “reaction to moderation” and part of an ongoing political battle in Iran.

“There is definitely a power struggle that's playing out right now internally inside Iran between those more reformist-leaning elements of government, like Rouhani and (Foreign Minister Javad) Zarif and his cabinet, and those who are conservative hardliners [who are] in the judiciary and control the sentencing,” she said.

The judges may have the Khamenei on their side, which, in Nia’s view makes human rights an urgent issue for the West to deal with, and one which shouldn’t be left aside while we focus on Iran’s nuclear program.

“Human rights needs to be elevated when Iran is at the table discussing nuclear issues,” she said. “I'd like to see human rights be a part of that conversation, very much in the mold of a Helsinki process where human rights were a core part of what was agreed upon in a way moving forward.”

Rouhani, who pledged from the campaign trail earlier this year to advocate for human rights, must be judged on actions, not words, when it comes to human rights, Nia said.

"He has talked about the rights of ethnic minorities, religious minorities, women, making sure that to improve gender equality, and bring equality to the sexes," Nia said. "So this is a president who in my view was elected on a human rights mandate. “ There are many Iranian activists who feel that Rouhani has already betrayed the campaign promises and that the Obama administration is being naive in engaging the Iranian regime. Nia sides with those who would talk with, rather than isolate, Rouhani.

“I am cautiously optimistic,” she said. “Now we have a president and elements in his government with whom one can have a conversation. Iran was essentially black for the previous eight years. So I think that him taking office is a very positive step but that step needs to be coupled with action.”

Nia argues, essentially, that we should give peace a chance, in the hope that it can change the lives of millions of Iranians, and perhaps reduce the frightening rate of executions.

“I'd say that engagement but with a high priority on discussing human rights,” she says. “It cannot be that the only things at the table to be discussed are the nuclear situation, the conflict in Syria, resolution of the Israel Palestine dispute. There needs to be discussion of human rights. What is affecting the citizenry inside the country. So I think that needs to be elevated and with engagement and conditioning, different conditioning, and opening some of these human rights benchmarks, then we'll see real progress.”

Someone is right about President Rouhani. Someone is wrong. And at some point we’ll find out whether he is a wolf or a sheep. It’s a high-stakes guessing game. And the result will affect every Iranian, and every one of us too, if we guess wrong. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/12/12/iran-human-rights-abuses-offer-glimpse-into-tehranpower-struggle/

China is not ending its human rights abuses

By Steve Tsang updated 1:10 PM EST, Tue November 19, 2013

A paramilitary policeman stands before a portrait of Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• • • •

Steve Tsang: It's good that China ending one-child policy and system of labor camps He says it would be naive to think that this will erase human rights problems He says the changes do not include outlawing other serious abuses Tsang: Changes are meant to reduce objections to rule of the party

Editor's note: Steve Tsang is the director of the China Policy Institute and professor of contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham.

(CNN) -- President Xi Jinping made a splash by announcing that China will ease its one-child policy and end its notorious policy of re-education through labor camps.

This is good news and represents an important step forward in reducing human rights abuses.

But it would be naive to think this effort will seriously address the human rights problems in China.

If human rights were the primary concern, more specific actions would have been taken. Xi and the Communist Party have other priorities.

Steve Tsang

Under the new family planning policy, couples will be able to have two children if one spouse is an only child. Until now, both spouses need to be only children or they must be from the ethnic minorities to be allowed to have two children. This is a modest change that will mainly benefit the upwardly mobile middle class living in cities.

The easing of the one-child policy cannot end the main abuses associated with it since it does not put an end to forced termination of unauthorized pregnancies, even at very late term. Nor does it remove power from the local authorities in enforcing the one-child policy, who have regularly been responsible for abuses.

The changes introduced are meant to deal with the projected decline in population, which would threaten China's capacity to sustain its economic growth. They're also meant to lessen the burden on the state in looking after the aging population before China becomes wealthy enough to handle the demands of its "pensioners."

Why did China ease its one-child policy?

Impact of China easing 'one child' policy

What does China's announcement mean?

The abolishment of the system of "re-education through labor" camps is a much more significant move.

The existing policy gives local law enforcement agencies the power to detain "undesirables" -people who are considered social misfits, prostitutes or troublemakers for authorities. The government can jail these people for several years and force them to work at next to no wage -all without going through the judicial process and without receiving a conviction. There is absolutely no place for such a policy in any country in the 21st century. It's about time that China do away with it.

However, if the Communist Party were committed to tackle human rights abuses, it would have also outlawed other similar practices.

Many of those jailed in labor camps are individuals who had grievances and tried to seek redress. Some of them were simply petitioners. They were deemed by local authorities to have challenged their power, or they were seen as destabilizing elements in society.

Unless the practice of putting petitioners in "black jails" (informal detention facilities) is abolished, ending the labor camps will have limited effect in reducing human rights abuses. There is no indication other similarly repressive measures will be terminated.

What the party will achieve is removing a source of discontent toward the government. By doing so, Xi projects himself as a reformer who is going beyond where his predecessors were willing to do.

But so far, he has done nothing to allow ordinary citizens to challenge the Communist Party's monopoly of power in any way, or acknowledge that the rights of dissidents or petitioners must be protected.

What is obvious with these Xi reforms is that they are really meant for one purpose only. It is to strengthen the capacity of the Communist Party to govern more effectively and to reduce the reasons for the Chinese population to find the party's rule objectionable.

These changes will not alter the nature of the political system at all. China's political system is anti-democratic in nature and is first and foremost dedicated to keeping the Communist Party in power.

Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter.

Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/19/opinion/tsang-china-policies/

Press Releases

New Report: Widespread Human Rights Violations Threaten Elections in Zimbabwe RFK Center Releases Report One Month before Election Click Here to download the report With just weeks to go before a watershed election, a political atmosphere of intimidation and violence has taken hold in Zimbabwe. Rather than promoting an environment in which civic participation and political tolerance are encouraged, the government of Zimbabwe has engaged in a systematic crackdown on civil society and the human rights community, including arbitrary detention of activists and opposition supporters, and widespread violations against freedom of expression and access to information.

These are the findings of a report released today by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) entitled, “A Promise in Peril: How Widespread Rights Violations Undermine Zimbabwe’s Elections.”

The report comes one month before Zimbabwe’s July 31 election, and presents findings that were collected during an international delegation organized by the RFK Center in March 2013.

“The routine intimidation, harassment, and arbitrary criminal prosecutions of human rights defenders, lawyers, and political activists in Zimbabwe threaten the rights of all citizens to participate freely in public affairs,” said Kerry Kennedy, President of the RFK Center. “With an election upcoming, the government must ensure an electoral environment that is consistent with international standards.”

“These ongoing human rights violations set the stage for the type of violence and chaos that has marred past elections in Zimbabwe. State authorities have engaged in a pattern of suppression that specifically targets groups engaged in voter registration, education, and mobilization initiatives,” said Santiago A. Canton, Director of RFK Partners for Human Rights. “This behavior is unacceptable and represents clear breaches of domestic and international law.”

In the report, the RFK Center urges the government of Zimbabwe—which is largely dominated by President Robert Mugabe and the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front—to immediately cease the continued harassment, intimidation, and violence perpetrated against civic actors. The report also encourages the government to respect international legal conventions to which Zimbabwe is a party or state signatory, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa.

Contact: Meaghan Baron Director of Communications 515 Madison Avenue, Suite 718 New York, New York 10022 (917) 284-6352 | (917) 426-2823 | baron@rfkcenter.org

http://rfkcenter.org/new-report-widespread-human-rights-violations-threaten-elections-inzimbabwe

Australia violated refugees' human rights, UN says Date August 22, 2013

•

Read later

Michael Gordon Political editor, The Age

View more articles from Michael Gordon

• • • • • • • •

inShare

submit to reddit Email article Print

• •

Reprints & permissions

Ads by Google

Australian Expats australian.internations.org Join the #1 Expat Community and meet Australian Expats!

The navy intercepts a boat full of asylum seekers: Australia has been found guilty of violating the human rights of 46 refugees. Photo: Sharon Tisdale

Federal Election 2013 coverage Have your say on YourView Election Live with Stephanie Peatling True or false? Election 2013 FactChecker People sent offshore will include children Australia has been found guilty of almost 150 violations of international law over the indefinite detention of 46 refugees in one of the most damning assessments of human rights in this country by a United Nations committee.

The federal government has been ordered to release the refugees, who have been in detention for more than four years, "under individually appropriate conditions" and to provide them with rehabilitation and compensation.

Consistent with Australia's treaty obligations, the government has been given 180 days to assure the committee that it has acted on the recommendations and taken steps to prevent "similar violations in future".

• • • • •

Advertisement

The UN's Human Rights Committee concluded that the continued detention of the refugees, most of them Sri Lankan Tamils, is "cumulatively inflicting serious psychological harm" and in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The committee's investigation followed a complaint lodged on behalf of the refugees in August 2011

by Professor Ben Saul, of the Sydney Centre for International Law, who said the finding proved the "grave lawlessness" of Australian refugee policies.

"It is a major embarrassment for Australia, which is a member of the Security Council and often criticises human rights in other countries. Australia should do the right thing by respecting its international obligations and treating the refugees decently," Professor Saul told Fairfax Media.

The committee found that, whatever justification there may have been for an initial detention, the government had not demonstrated on an individual basis that the continuous indefinite detention of the refugees was justified.

"The State party (government) has not demonstrated that other, less intrusive, measures could not have achieved the same end of compliance with the State party's need to respond to the security risk that the adult authors (refugees) are said to represent," it said.

It also found that those held were "not informed of the specific risk attributed to each of them".

While the committee has consistently found fault with Australia's system of mandatory immigration detention, Professor Saul said this finding went much further. "It is the largest complaint ever upheld against Australia," he said.

The UN body traditionally allowed governments wide discretion where issues of national security were concerned, but found 46 cases of illegal detention, 46 cases of no effective judicial remedies for illegal detention and 46 cases of inhuman or degrading treatment in detention.

It is believed that at least four of the 46 have since been granted visas after their cases were reviewed.

The UN committee is considering a similar complaint from another five refugees with adverse ASIO assessments.

"For the committee to come out and make such stark findings is a pretty firm indication of just how seriously the committee regards these breaches," Professor Saul said.

While the Coalition has signalled that it will continue to take a hard line against refugees deemed threats to security, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has conceded the need to explore alternatives to indefinite detention of those deemed security threats.

"I don't think it's enough to say you can do it, so we will, which has been the approach of successive governments," Mr Dreyfus recently told Fairfax Media. "I think we've got to think through what we are doing to other human beings and think through what principles we are bringing to bear, at all times keeping the security of Australia paramount."

Although the government appointed a former judge to review the cases of those in detention after a High Court challenge to their detention succeeded last year, it has not acted on various calls for alternatives to detention to be introduced for those considered security risks.

These include a recommendation last October from one of the nation's most senior authorities on security, Dr Vivienne Thom, for ASIO and immigration officials to work on "risk mitigation strategies and conditions" that would enable asylum seekers to be released from indefinite detention.

A spokesman for the Tamil Refugee Council, Trevor Grant, said the UN committee had vindicated the strong belief of many advocates and lawyers that indefinite detention was intolerable in a just society.

"The message to the Australian Government is unambiguous here. If its signature on a treaty means anything, it must immediately release these people," he said.

The UN committee chair, Sir Nigel Rodley, said the "arbitrary" nature of the detention informed the findings - not national security grounds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be able to invoke national security without giving any grounds for this and without giving people any possibility to challenge the determination would permit states to ignore all their international obligations to protect human rights," he said.

"They must find a way of reconciling these imperatives."

He said the report was decided in July and finalised in recent weeks according to usual practice and the timing of the release was not political.

With Daniel Flitton Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/australia-violated-refugees-human-rights-unsays-20130822-2sdxq.html#ixzz2pyPlaxGO

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/australia-violated-refugees-humanrights-un-says-20130822-2sdxq.html

Concealing NATO War Crimes: Britain’s Foreign Office Reports on Human Rights Violations in Libya and Iraq

By Vladimir Odintsov Global Research, November 10, 2013 New Eastern Outlook Region: Europe, Middle East & North Africa Theme: Crimes against Humanity In-depth Report: IRAQ REPORT, NATO'S WAR ON LIBYA 234 38 3

545

The remarkable aspiration of the British Foreign Office to only accuse the administrations of Libya and Iraq for the current state of events there, concealing their initial cause, consisting in initiation by the West and Great Britain in the first place of the recent military intervention in these states in breaking the international law.

On September 30 the British Foreign Office published updates for the annual report on the human rights in the “countries of concern”, which critically stated that “progress in abidance of human rights Libya and Iraq continues being very slow”.

According to British diplomats, such state of affairs in Libya is determined by the “volatile political situation, Libyan government’s ongoing difficulties in exerting full control over security, lack of government capacity, an under-developed judicial system, and limited understanding across the country of the practical application of human rights”. Serious problems are outlined in treatment of the prisoners, claims are made for the appropriate execution of rights of the convicts.

In Iraq case British analysts attribute the major problem in the sphere of human rights to “deteriorating security situation in Iraq” and mass executions of convicted accused of terrorism.

These updates of the Foreign Office cannot be overlooked not only because of the topics touched by the British experts and complexity of the inner-political processes, occurring in these recently influential and successful Arab states.

History of the Western, in the first place British manipulations of the Arab world goes far beyond the last century, although in the XX century Great Britain together with the USA actively tried to alter the map of the Middle East, overturning the undesirable regimes and getting rid of the hostile leaders.The major driving force of these policies were definitely the interests of the economic benefit, struggle for the access to the energy sources and control over the trading routes.

From the middle of the XX century the official London and Washington neglecting the rights of the people inhabiting Middle East countries organized military expeditions aiming at destabilization of the secular Arab states. Particularly, in 1956 the Suez crisis was provoked and an armed intervention in Egypt was prepared, which, however, failed. There were two attempts on Naser´s life, which also failed. There were attempts to stir up two revolutions in Syria, but these attempts weren´t successful either.

Today the recently prosperous Naser´s, Kaddafi´s and Hussein´s states are ravaged, their resources ransacked, state infrastructure ruined and children grow surrounded by gun sights. All these happened first of all because of the Western unlawful military interventions which broke the law of war prevention (jus contra bellum) and international humanitarian law (jus in bello). From the legal standpoint no armed rebels in the domestic conflict (either in Libya, Iraq, Syria or other country) cannot be looked at as civilians and NATO cannot have authority not only to lend assistance to a side of conflict, but even to its defense. To say nothing about the delivery of sophisticated weapons to opposition which is now spreading throughout the region and being used by various extremist and terrorist groups, including AlQaida jihadists.

Speaking of human rights violation in Libya and Iraq, Foreign Office by some “strange coincidence” didn´t point to the concern of the guilt by its authorities in the deaths of civilians in Libya during British air force attacks in Tripoli. Neither they speak about the deliberate deception of the kingdom´s nationals when the decision to intervene the British army in Iraq was made on the basis of the false data about Saddam´s Hussein´s possession of the weapons of mass destruction.

According to several competent NPOs, Great Britain attempting to keep its image of a leader in observance of the human rights standards carefully conceals many occasions of the domestic

human rights violations, which British authorities are responsible for. The acute problems of Britain are predominantly coinciding with ones attributed by Foreign Office to Libya and Iraq.

Thus, criticizing Libya for serious problems in treatment of the prisoners British experts don´t want to accept the use of tortures and non-human or humiliating treatment in their own penitentiaries. The examples of these may be particularly the resonant court case on the fact of use of tortures and violence against the Kenyan businessman O. Avadh , who sued the British authorities with the request to accept the involvement of the secret services of the country to unlawful kidnapping of people suspected of terrorism.

In this context, a report of the chief inspector of the prison in England and Wales promulgated in August 2011 is demonstrative about the conditions of prisoners´ keeping in one of the UK ‘s largest prison Wandswort. It has been listed numerous violations of prisoners’ rights, including the lack of access to basic hygiene.

Perhaps we should remind who has invented concentration camps? Those were Victorian gentlemen during the Second Boer War of 1899—1902, and not Nazis. The name of the inventor is Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, a British Field Marshal.

In September 2011, the Special Citizens Commission of the UK under the leadership of W. Hague completed the three-year investigation into the death of Iraqi citizen B. Musy, use of torture and severe bodily harm to another nine Iraqis detained by British troops in Basra in 2003.

In September 2011, one of the most high-profile scandals connected to the violations of the right to privacy, correspondence and telephone calls in the UK was the so -called “Newsgate” when employees of the edition of “News of the World” illegally wiretapped phone conversations of celebrities, politicians, and victims of high-profile crimes .

In April 2012, the National Black Police Association (NBPA) appealed to British Prime Minister David Cameron with a request to take control of the situation with a large-scale discrimination on grounds of race in London Police. But there’s little surprise, according to The Telegraph David Cameron himself stated that Britain should put a limit to the flow of the work force coming from the Eastern Europe. Among the “unwanted” are the workers from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, the same very countries that share membership with Britain in the EU and NATO. Such examples are multiple.

As for the relatively clear desire of the Great Britain to take the ‘watcher’ position over the countries of the “greatest menace” to democracy, we should not forget that no one has confered such authority to the Foreign Office. First of all, due to the flawed policies of London itself. http://www.globalresearch.ca/concealing-nato-war-crimes-britains-foreign-office-reports-onhuman-rights-violations-in-libya-and-iraq/5356891

14 Shocking Global Human Rights Violations of 2013 These stories will make your blood boil.

•

24 COMMENTS24 COMMENTS •

A

•

A

A

•

Email Print

• •

digg

• • •

• •

digg

• • •

December 26, 2013 |

From rampant violence and sexual abuse against women, to the commission of crimes against humanity by dictators, 2013 was a year filled with pervasive human rights violations worldwide. Government response to the atrocities was disappointing, marked by lack of transparency and accountability, blatant malevolence and a disregard for human life. Yet, international human rights advocates remained tenacious, inciting massive protests and public condemnation in an effort to demand an end to the culture of impunity. Here are some of most outrageous travesties of justice that captured our attention and had us up in arms this year.

1. Unsafe labor conditions in Bangladesh led to world’s worst garment industry tragedy as thousands died in horrific building collapse.

On April 24, the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which housed six factories that produce clothing for Western brands, collapsed, killing over 1000 factory workers and injuring over 2500 people. While the owners of the factory came under fire for ignoring previous warnings of cracks in the wall, many pointed the blame at global corporations like Walmart and the Gap for exploiting workers for cheap labor and failing to provide adequate fire and building safeguards in factories where their products are made. Worldwide protests ensued with a view to putting pressure on major retailers to sign a legally binding accord aimed at improving labor conditions in Bangladesh, which to date has 100 signatories.

2. Egypt’s

epidemic of violence and sexual abuse resulted in more than 600 deaths and

91 women assaulted in four days of riots at Tahrir Square.

On the first anniversary of the election of President Mohamed Morsi on June 30, thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in Tahrir Square in Cairo demanding the dictator’s resignation. During the four days of protests, at least 91 women were attacked and sexually assaulted by mobs, while government leaders and police stood by and failed to intervene. Some women required extensive medical surgery after being subjected to brutal gang rapes and sexual assault with sharp objects. After the protests, survivors came forward to tell their stories and demand better protections for women.

While the protests led to the end of Morsi’s presidency, the government downplayed the violence, prompting international calls to improve law enforcement and bring perpetrators to justice. These actions proved fruitless, as security forces again came under fire in August for using live ammunition against citizens resulting in 638 deaths.

3. Burma committed ethnic cleansing against thousands of Rohingya Muslims; 28 children hacked to death and mass graves uncovered.

Burma’s quasi-civilian government was accused of committing crimes against humanity in the Rakhine State for forcibly displacing more than 125,000 Rohingya Muslims, the religious minority. A Human Rights Watch report revealed that authorities denied tens of thousands of stateless Muslims access to humanitarian aid, destroyed mosques, conducted mass arrests and issued a public statement promoting ethnic cleansing.

Security forces stood aside and directly assisted Arakanese mobs in attacking and killing Muslim communities. In October, at least 70 Rohingya were killed in a day-long massacre in which 28 children hacked to death. Four mass gravesiteswere uncovered.

The persecution stems from a long internal conflict in Burma essentially emanating from an arbitrary citizenship law passed in 1982 which denies Burmese citizenship to Rohingya on discriminatory ethnic grounds. In recent times, lack of rule of law has led to thousands of Rohingya fleeing the country.

4. North Korea’s large-scale human rights abuses revealed: 120,000 prisoners held in gulags, citizens starved and publicly executed by firing squad.

North Korea’s appalling human rights record is no secret. Following the death of Kim Jong-il in 2011, any hope of improvement in the country was short-lived with the appointment of successor, Kim Jong-un. The young dictator quickly became more ruthless than his father, inflicting mass atrocities against his population. In September, a UN investigation revealed shocking evidence from defectors who compared life in DPRK to that of the German-run concentration camps in WWII. Prisoners in the gulags lucky enough to escape described atrocities including witnessing a woman forced to drown her own baby in a bucket. 120,000 people are still thought to be held in gulags. Public executions by firing squad have also continued at unprecedented levels under Jong-un’s rule, including the execution of the dictator’s own uncle and former girlfriend. The Security Council has been criticized for failing to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court, a move that seems unlikely given North Korea’s long alliance with China.

5. A chemical weapons attack in Syria.

Syria’s ongoing civil war, which in almost three years has claimed the lives of approximately 100,000 people, continued full, force and throttle. In August, Syrian government forces under ruthless leader Bashar al-Assad were suspected of launching chemical weapon attacks on two Damascus suburbs, killing hundreds of civilians including children. Following the attack, an influx of disturbing and emotionally wrenching video footage infiltrated social media. In September, Russia and the United States

announced an agreement that would lead to the abolition of Syria’s chemical weapons.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was subsequently tasked with ensuring all chemical weapons and equipment in Syria be destroyed by mid-2014, though many remain skeptical about Assad’s compliance with the order.

6. Uganda, India and Russia passed draconian laws against homosexuality.

While there were increasing wins for gay rights around the globe this year, including a number of U.S. states, LGBT rights took a major step back in other parts of the world.

Uganda abolished the death penalty as punishment for having gay sex, but it passed an anti-gay law punishing “aggravated homosexuality” with life imprisonment. The new provision drew international criticism by gay rights activists, particularly after Uganda’s parliament expressed that the anti-gay law was a “ Christmas gift” to all Ugandans.

Meanwhile, India’s Supreme Court reinstated a ban against homosexuality, making gay sex a criminal offense, prompting human rights groups to file a petition seeking a review of the decision on the grounds that the law is unconstitutional. Russia’s anti-gay laws also came under fire for a bill that banned propaganda of “ non-traditional sexual relations."

7. Turkey's Islamic fundamentalist regime attacked secular groups for peacefully assembling.

Once considered the most modernized and advanced Islamic nation after founding father President Ataturk created a secular state, a number of civil rights violations in 2013 have led to fears that Turkey’s conservative government is heading toward Islamic fundamentalism. This summer, Turkish authorities were accused of using excessive police violence to put down an environmental sit-in over government plans to build a barracks in Gezi Park. During the demonstration, police used live ammunition, tear gas, water cannons and plastic bullets to suppress the masses. Authorities were also accused of sexually abusing female demonstrators and severely beating protestors, leaving more than 8000 people injured. The actions have outraged Turkey’s secular population. Protestors viewed the move as another indicator of theauthoritarian propensities of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist party.

8. Qatar’s construction sector rife with migrant worker abuse leading up to World Cup preparation.

This year, the International Trade Union Confederation found that as a result of the construction frenzy surrounding the 2022 World Cup, 12 laborers would die each week unless the Doha government made urgent labor reforms. Half a million extra workers from countries like Nepal, India and Sri Lanka are expected to arrive to work in an effort to complete infrastructure in time for the World Cup kickoff. However, the ITUC said the annual death toll could rise to 600 people a year as construction workers are subjected to harsh and dangerous work conditions daily. A comparable study revealed that 44 migrant construction workers from Nepal died in the summer working in exploitive conditions, with workers describing forced labor conditions where they work in 122 degree heat and live in squalor.

9. Forced sterilization for disabled underage girls in Australia sparked outrage as attempts to reform the laws failed.

The involuntary sterilization of disabled people in Australia remains lawful after the Senate ruled that it would not ban the procedure in 2013. Disabled girls are sterilized to manage menstruation and the risks associated with sexual exploitation, which human rights groups argue is a form of violence against women. Australian families are able to apply for court orders to allow involuntary sterilization of their disabled children. A court previously ruled that it was in the best interests of an 11-year-old girl who suffered a neurological disorder to have a hysterectomy, which caused a media storm. Human rights groups argued that fertility is a basic human right and that sterilization is not a substitute for proper education about family planning and support during menstruation.

The Human Rights Commission said “one sterilization, one forced or coerced is one too many.”

10. Afghanistan attempted to reintroduce public stoning for adulterers; women were forced to undergo vaginal examinations to prove virginity.

Women’s rights suffered a massive blow in Afghanistan in 2013. Cases of violence against women grew by 28 percent and females continued to be treated as second-class citizens. President Hamid Karzai backed away from government plans to implement a controversial law reintroducing public stoning as punishment for adultery after the draft law was leaked causing international outrage. Women’s rights groups condemned invasive vaginal examinationswomen are forced to undergo to ascertain “virginity” every time a girl is arrested on a morality charge. As the 2014 deadline to withdraw combat action in Afghanistan approaches, activists fear that the removal of soldiers will trigger

further deterioration of the chaotic human rights situation in the country, particularly for women.

11. Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mistreatment of Palestinian children resulted in 700 child detentions.

The precarious situation in the Middle East between Palestinians and Israelis led to a number of gross human rights violations committed by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian children. AUNICEF report revealed that in the second quarter of 2013, 700 Palestinian children aged 12-17 were arrested and subjected to solitary confinement, threats of death and sexual assault by Israeli military and police in the occupied West Bank. In November, an Israeli Defense Force soldier on a Ukraine game show nonchalantly discussed killing Palestinian toddlers as young as 3 years old. A 12year-old Palestinian boy was paralyzed after he was shot and seriously injured by an Israeli solider as he attempted to retrieve his school bag, and a 14-year-old Palestinian girl died en route to hospital this month as a result of tightened Israeli security at Israelicontrolled checkpoints, prompting public outrage.

12. New wave of repression against civil society swept Saudi Arabia as women continued to protest against de facto ban on driving.

With more than 40,000 political prisoners in detention and democracy silenced by threats of intimidation and arrests, 2013 was one of the worst years for human rights in Saudi Arabia, according to activists. In addition, women faced major oppression. While women will now be allowed to vote in 2015, Saudi females are still not allowed to drive, despite the fact there is no express law making it illegal. In protest this October, women in Saudi Arabia defied the de facto ban on driving by getting behind the wheel in a brave display of civil disobedience, as part of their Women2Drive campaign. The move prompted threats of punishment by the government and resulted in the detention of 14 women.

13. South Sudan declared a humanitarian crisis with bloody massacres, 100,000 refugees, discovery of mass graves and violent attacks on U.N peacekeepers.

Post-independence, South Sudan was stricken with internal conflict in 2013 resulting in extrajudicial killings and numerous human rights atrocities. While Sudanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s north is home to mainly Arabic-speaking Muslims, South Sudan has no dominant culture. Instead, it is home to some 200 ethnic groups, each with its own beliefs and language. In a recent

spate of ethnically motivated violence between the two largest ethnic groups, the Dinkas and Nuers, security forces shot and killed more than 200 people in the capital Juba.

Almost 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the violence. In reponse, the Security Council doubled UN peacekeeping troops to bolster its mission to protect civilians. The United Nations compound was raided earlier this year killing Indian peacekeepers. This week alone, the UN discovered 75 bodies in mass graves, evidence of ethnic killings taking place.

14. French military intervention in Mali led to catastrophic escalation of retaliatory ethnic violence fueled by poverty and famine.

The security situation in Mali made headlines in 2013 following French intervention, which arguably exacerbated conditions in the wartorn country. The ongoing armed conflict led toappalling human rights violations fraught with a lack of government accountability. In June, UN investigation revealed countless cases of extrajudicial executions, torture and enforced disappearances of civilians carried out by both Tuareg rebels and the army. Soldiers were accused of torturing Tuaregs while French-led forces attempted to oust Islamist militants. The precarious situation was further aggravated by pervasive food insecurity and extreme povertythroughout Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sahel region, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/14-shocking-global-human-rights-violations-2013? page=0%2C3

UN Honcho: We Must Investigate North Korea NAVI PILLAY: NUKE WORRIES OVERSHADOWING HUMAN-RIGHTS CRISIS

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

(NEWSER) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; As the world keeps a vigilant eye on North Korea's nuclear program, the country's long list of human rights violations continue to slip under the radar, charges the United Nation's human rights head. The offenses, which have shown no sign of abating under Kim Jong Un, have "no parallel anywhere in the world," says Navi Pillay, who today called for an international probe. One particular problem, per Pillay: North Korea's "elaborate network ofpolitical prison camps."

The camps, which reportedly hold some 200,000, use "torture and other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment, summary executions, rape, slave labor, and forms of collective punishment that may amount to crimes against humanity," Pillay says. The government has been "allowed ... to mistreat its citizens to a degree that should be unthinkable in the 21st century." Some 40 activist organizations support the inquiry; a possible Japan-sponsored resolution at March's Human Rights Council session could launch the effort, the New York Timesreports. Click for more on the horrors of North Korea's camps.

http://www.newser.com/story/160916/un-honcho-we-must-investigate-north-korea.html

Putin: Ban on US Adoptions to Become Law OPPONENTS SAY LAW ONLY A RESPONSE TO HUMAN RIGHTS CRITICISMS

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Dec 27, 2012 8:06 AM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (17)

(NEWSER) – Vladimir Putin says he will sign a controversial bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children. Putin said in a televised meeting today that he "doesn't see any reasons" to object to the bill and "intends to sign it" into law. The president said US authorities deny access to adopted Russian children and let Americans suspected of violence toward Russian adoptees go unpunished.

Critics say that the bill will deprive many Russian orphans of an opportunity to get a family. The Russian parliamenthad voted for the bill, which is part of a larger measure by lawmakers retaliating against a recently signed US law calling for sanctions against Russians deemed guilty of human rights violations. UNICEF estimates that there are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia.

Opposition activists hold posters reading "Do not involve children in politics" and "Lawmakers, children are not your ownership" during a protest against a bill banning US adoptions of Russian children... (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

http://www.newser.com/story/159956/putin-ban-on-us-adoptions-to-become-law.html

Egyptian Protesters Leak Govt. Secrets on Facebook AFTER STORMING STATE SECURITY, WIKILEAKS-LIKE PAGE SET UP

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 7, 2011 3:25 PM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (7)

(NEWSER) – Hundreds of Egyptians stormed the State Security headquarters this weekend, and now they’re posting the damning documents they found WikiLeaks-style on a Facebook page, Fast Company reports. Amn Dawla Leaks, or State Security Leaks, already has more than 13,000 fans.

Egyptians have posted files there, and to other social networking sites, indicating that police spied on Facebook accounts, harassed Coptic Christians, knew about terrorist attacks in advance, and falsified voter registration cards, among other misdeeds.

The protesters stormed at least six State Security buildings, looking for evidence of the many human rights abuses the intelligence force is accused of. Many documents had already been shredded or burned before they arrived, al-Jazeera reports, but protesters were able to locate secret cells that may have been used for torture.

Egyptian protesters check the content of an office after breaking into the state security building headquarters in Cairo's northern Nasr City neighborhood, Egypt, Saturday, March 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)

Pakistan 'Disappearing' Thousands of Separatists US FEARS SOME MAY HAVE BEEN TORTURED, KILLED

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 30, 2010 7:46 AM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (0)

(NEWSER) – In Pakistan, thousands are missing—and the US fears the country may be using the war as an excuse to round up and disappear political separatists. For years, human rights groups have reported on Pakistan’s security forces holding prisoners incommunicado, without charges; there are also concerns that some have been tortured or killed. Captured Taliban insurgents are among those missing, but many others are members of a nationalist opposition that seeks separation from Pakistan. Last month, the State Department urged Pakistan to address the issue, the New York Times reports.

Pakistan officials are believed to be rounding up separatists—some guerrillas and others civilians—in Baluchistan, a province far removed from the Taliban fight. The State Department’s report on the issue also notes that the Pakistani military may have killed unarmed Taliban members instead of putting them on trial; two months ago, the US refused to train or equip Pakistani Army units suspected of doing so. “There continue to be gross violations of human rights by Pakistani security forces,” the report concludes, marking a rare public scolding of the US ally.

Pakistan's paramilitary soldiers patrol on a road to ensure security in Quetta, a capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province, Monday, Dec. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

Dem Lobbyist Defends Work for Ivory Coast Leader LANNY DAVIS QUESTIONS MEDIA REPORTS OF HIS CLIENT'S BRUTALITY

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 22, 2010 1:30 PM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (3)

(NEWSER) – As reports of human rights violations in theIvory Coast swirl, a Democratic lobbyist and PR expert continues to work for the incumbent president who refuses to step down despite having lost last month’s election. Why does Lanny Davis stay on the payroll of Laurent Gbagbo, despite “reports of military police literally killing dozens of marchers,” asks Salon? Davis says he’s “agnostic” about the election results, and questions the accuracy of the reports.

Interviewer Justin Elliott points out that those reports come from the New York Times, the AP, and the UN, to name a few. “I would certainly not continue if I had evidence of intentional killing by the military of civilians,” says Davis. “Why don't I resign now based on the New York Timesreports? I guess I'd like to know what the New York Timesreports are based on. I'd like to see more." He also holds that

he has “had some constructive effect” toward a peaceful transition. For more, read the Lanny Davis interview at Salon.

Images (2)

[Quotes (1)]

If my role urging transparency, non-violence and dialogue saves a single life by helping Mr. Gbagbo see a peaceful pathway to finding a resolution, then I will feel I made a contribution.- Lanny Davis

Chinese Complainers Kidnapped PEOPLE ROUTINELY HELD IN 'BLACK JAILS,' JOURNALISTS BEATEN

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 12, 2009 4:44 AM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (2)

(NEWSER) – Chinese citizens en route to Beijing to lodge complaints with China's central government are routinely nabbed by thugs and tossed into makeshift "black jails" where they are illegally detained for days or months, deprived of food and water, beaten and threatened—then sent back home without filing their complaints. So claims a new report by Human Rights Watch, which alleges that police and officials refuse to crack down on the problem.

The report blames a point system that penalizes regional officials when residents of their jurisdictions complain to Beijing, motivating the officials to pay kidnappers to head off complaints. News of the kidnappings comes at the same time that a Beijing lawyer has released a report documenting more than 30 cases in the past two years of Chinese journalists being beaten, detained, or sued.

Human rights activist Liu Dejun looks through a room in a "black jail" in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)

Obama Puts Human Rights on Back Burner, Activists Say SOMETIMES CONFRONTATION ISN'T BEST TACTIC, ADMINISTRATION SUGGESTS

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted May 5, 2009 11:03 AM CDT

• •

STORY COMMENTS (0)

(NEWSER) – Human-rights workers had high hopes for the Obama administration after President Bush’s inconsistent, too-hot-too-cold policies—but so far, the Washington Postreports, activists think President Obama has let rights take a back seat to more pressing concerns. For example, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said pushing China on human rights “can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis.”

Administration officials argue that what feels most satisfying—confronting regimes that violate rights— is not always most effective, even when the governments in question, such as Sudan’s, are extremely brutal. A Darfur genocide activist points out that the situation there is becoming ever-grimmer: “The

Obama people must know this, which makes the decision to go the accommodationist route even more bewildering.”

[Images (3)]

Quotes (1)

US special envoy J. Scott Gration, left, arrives at the Sudanese foreign ministry for meetings after his arrival in Khartoum, April 2, 2009. (AP Photo)

Mexico Protests Chinese Quarantine of 70 Travelers QUARANTINES IN CHINA OF MEXICANS PROMPT SPEECH BY CALDERON

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted May 4, 2009 9:54 AM CDT

• •

STORY COMMENTS (1)

(NEWSER) – Mexico is sending a charter plane to China today to rescue more than 70 Mexican travelers who have been quarantined by the Chinese government regardless of whether they had symptoms of the swine flu. President Felipe Calderon protested what he called "repressive and

discriminatory measures," AP reports. Other Mexican nationals have been taken into isolation after arriving on flights, and even the country's consul was detained after he returned to China.

"I think it's unfair that because we have been honest and transparent with the world some countries and places are taking repressive and discriminatory measures because of ignorance and disinformation," Calderon said last night. "There are always people who are seizing on this pretext to assault Mexicans, even just verbally." Mexico has recommended that citizens not go to China.

Images (3)

[Quotes (1)]

The good news is that, when we look at this virus right now, we're not seeing some of the things in the virus that have been associated in the past with more severe flu. That's encouraging.Richard Besser, acting chief of the CDC

Zimbabwe Activist Kidnapped in Mugabe Crackdown HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST WAS GATHERING ABUSE TESTIMONIALS

By Amelia Atlas, Newser User

Posted Dec 14, 2008 5:01 AM CST

• •

STORY COMMENTS (1)

(NEWSER) – A prominent Zimbabwe activist collecting evidence of human rights violations by President Robert Mugabe's regime has been kidnapped from her home by 15 armed men claiming to be police officers, reports theGuardian. Jestina Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was the best-known of 20 activists and dissidents to disappear in recent weeks.

She was collecting handwritten testimonials of abuses to be used in future human rights investigations. Mukoko's abduction is the latest sign of a major government crackdown by Mugabe, who fears the UN will demand an International Criminal Court investigation as cholera decimates his nation.

[Images (4)]

Quotes (2)

Zimbabwe's Lawyers for Human Rights march to Parliament in Harare last week calling for the release of Jestina Mukoko, shown on the banner. (AP Photo)

South Korea to Back UN on North Korea SEOUL SHIFTS GEARS TO JOIN IN CRITICISM OF HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 26, 2008 9:57 AM CDT

• •

STORY COMMENTS (0)

(NEWSER) – South Korea is set to vote in favor of a United Nations resolution that criticizes the "systematic, widespread, and grave violations" of human rights in North Korea, the AP reports. The South's new president, Lee Myung-bak, is changing a decade of precedent: earlier administrations have either abstained or been absent when the UN considers issues relating to the North.

North Korea is one of the world's most flagrant abusers of human rights; it is believed to operate a network of prison camps housing around 200,000 political detainees. The UN resolution will also extend the mandate of the organization's rapporteur on North Korean human rights, who has never been allowed to visit the military dictatorship.

South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak, left, and his wife Kim Yoon-ok cheer at the 89th anniversary of the Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule in 1919, in Seoul, Wednesday, March. 1,... (AP Photo)

US Multinational Faces Human Rights Trial MINING COMPANY ACCUSED OF PLAYING ROLE IN COLOMBIAN MURDERS

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 9, 2007 2:47 PM CDT

• •

STORY COMMENTS (0)

(NEWSER) – A landmark trial addressing corporate culpability for human-rights violations committed on foreign soil gets under way this week, testing whether an 18th-century antipiracy law applies to modern business practices. At issue is the 2001 murder of three Colombian mining-union leaders,

the Wall Street Journal reports, and under scrutiny is the alleged involvement of an American mining company.

Birmingham, Alabama-based Drummond denies complicity in the murders. Rights groups see the case as a bellwether, and accusations that sound like something out of a spy thriller have other corporations on high alert. This is the first case of its kind to reach trial; another, involving an oil company doing business in Myanmar, was settled, and others are pending.

A train laden with coal leaves Drummond Ltd's La Loma coal mine, in northeastern Colombia, bound for the company's Caribbean port Monday, June 25, 2007. A U.S. jury is to hear a civil suit Monday July... (Associated Press)