· January, 2007

Stories about Human Rights from January, 2007

Bahrain Jails Political Activists

  31 January 2007

A court in Bahrain today sent two political activists to jail for possessing leaflets calling for a boycott of recent legislative elections, reports blogger Mahmood Al Yousif, who describes the sentence as “Disgusting. Another blow for freedom of speech in Bahrain.”

Nepal: Madhesh Is Burning

  31 January 2007

Madhesh is the southern plains of Nepal where half of the country lives. Madhesi are the people of Nepal, roughly half of the country. The Madhesi have been discriminated against for centuries. Now they are in a revolt that feels like the second part of the world shaking April Revolution....

Maldives struggles with Chikungunya

  30 January 2007

Chikungunya, a viral fever accompanied with joint pains, is spreading throughout the Maldives. The disease was first noticed in the country in late 2006 and so far it has not been controlled. Maldives Today accuses the government of reacting slowly to this outbreak and not taking appropriate measures to combat...

Guinea: Victory over Dictatorship?

  29 January 2007

Seckasysteme comments on the end of a national strike in Guinea last week that resulted in the signing of an encouraging agreement with the Lansana Conte regime (Fr): “The 17 days of violence with their arrests, killings, persecutions and sacrifices of all sorts were worth it for the valliant people...

Africa: French Double-Standard Vis-a-Vis China

  29 January 2007

Says Generation Consciente (Fr): “I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry about the French giving ethics lectures to the Chinese presence in Africa, urging them to encourage democracy and peace, as France itself hasn't ceased doing so for a half century through coups, killings of nationalist leaders and...

Iran:Revolutionary Gurads say abducting Americans is easy

  29 January 2007

Kamangir reports that Sepah (Revolutionary Guards) internal journal, Sobh-e Sadegh [the real sunrise], published a short article in which the author, Reza Zaker, refers to the highly-spread pattern of American presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Pakistan, India, Africa, Latin America, and even Europe. The article threatens that “abducting Americans...

Zimbabwe: latest on Zimbabwe

  29 January 2007

The Bearded Man's update on Zimbabwe, “After a few exchanges, one of the women digs deeper into her handbag and fishes out some cash that she discreetly hands over to the police officer. And with that, she buys her freedom.”

Africa: plight of being a homosexual

  29 January 2007

An incident at the World Social Forum illustrates the plight of being a homosexual in Africa, “The organisers threw her piece on the floor and refused to allow her to speak. Kasha stood her ground saying she, like everyone else, had a right to speak here at the WSF. Despite...

Crime and Punishment in Kazakhstan

  29 January 2007

Blogger's Trial Kazis Toguzbayev, a journalist who uploaded his articles on KUB, a group blog, was tried in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 22 January. In his article, Toguzbayev implied that the President was covering the murders of the opposition figures. He got a two-year suspended sentence for violating the Criminal Code...