Human Rights

The Canada Palestine Association will host social justice activist Brian Avery, and Craig Corrie and Cindy Corrie, parents of fallen activist Rachel Corrie, to mark the International Day (Year) of Solidarity with the Palestinian people on December 2nd. The event will “commemorate Palestinian steadfastness”, with speeches from US activist Brian Avery and Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of the late …

International human rights group Amnesty International on Thursday said that rebel and pro-government militias battling in Libya are committing war crimes, including attacking civilians and torturing detainees. According to the rights group, militias fighting in the western part of the country showed “an utter disregard” for civilians and accused them of aimlessly firing artillery into crowded neighborhoods, damaging hospitals and …

The UN Human Rights Committee advised Israel to respect the rights of the Palestinian people, and demanded that the country investigate violations committed during the attack on Gaza. The committee published its conclusions in a report on Thursday after a month-long review of Israel’s human rights record and amid near-daily clashes in East Jerusalem. The committee bemoaned continued demolitions of …

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has asked for greater access to a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus where refugees have had to live without water for 40 days. Deputy Commissioner General for the UNRWA Margot Ellis said that increased access to Yarmuk camp was top priority. “In the conversations we had with the government, we were imploring them, …

On Tuesday, an international conference held in Berlin about the Syrian refugee crisis promised to extend long-term financial support to countries struggling to deal with Syrian refugees, which the UN has labeled the world’s “most dramatic humanitarian crisis”. Almost 40 international bodies and countries adopted a declaration saying that they would “mobilize for years to come” increased developmental support to …

At least 850 people were executed in Iran in the last 15 months, a UN official stated on Monday, emphasizing the worsening human rights situation in the country under President Hassan Rouhani. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN’s rights rapporteur for Iran, said that the “surge in executions” has resulted in Iran having the world’s highest death penalty rate per capita. “The …

The Australian government has drawn flak from various quarters over its current media campaign against undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers, seemingly sending the message that they are not welcome. The government hopes that the rhetoric will discourage immigrants from settling in the country. The latest government-approved poster in the hard hitting campaign, already printed in 17 languages, says “No way. …

Islamophobia has been rife post the 9/11 WTC attacks. Bias has been evident – though not prevalent – even in Canada. According to several surveys conducted post 9/11, hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims has seen an appalling increase. According to the survey conducted in 2002 by CAIR-CAN, a civil rights organization, majority of Muslims in Canada felt there was …

Spotlight on Political Prisoners in One Iranian City – HRW   The 59-page report is based on a review of 189 cases in three prisons in the city of Karaj, near the capital, Tehran, including the charges they faced, details of their trials before revolutionary courts, and information from lawyers, prisoners’ families, and others. Human Rights Watch concluded that in …

Israel’s Coercion of Eritrean and Sudanese Asylum Seekers to Leave Israel –HRW   This 83-page report documents how Israel’s convoluted legal rules thwart Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers’ attempts to secure protection under Israeli and international law. Israeli authorities have labelled Eritreans and Sudanese a “threat”, branded them “infiltrators,” denied them access to fair and efficient asylum procedures, and used …