Stories about Human Rights from July, 2013
Open Letter Calls for Lawyer's Release
More than 400 Chinese citizens signed an open letter on July 23, 2013, calling on Chinese authorities to release Xu Zhiyong, a prominent lawyer and rights campaigner who was detained on July 16 after calling for the release of activists and campaigning against government abuses. CHINA MEDIA PROJECT has translated the letter...
Visit to Israel Gets Filmmaker “Cleansed” from Iran's Cinema Museum
Mohsen Makhmalbaf accepted an invite to the Jerusalem Film Festival in the name of peace, courting controversy in his native Iran.
Violence Against Children Rampant in India's Kerala
Five-year-old Shafiq, who is fighting for his life after being tortured by his parents, is the latest horrific case of child abuse in the state of Kerala.
Pakistani Journalist Takes on Taliban Militant for Malala
As a Taliban militant writes an open letter to Malala, urging her to return home and continue her education, a well-respected Pakistani journalist responds with advising him against picking a fight with Pakistani women.
Sixty Killed During Fighting in Nzérékoré, Guinea
Guinee News reports the latest death toll – 60 – from the killings in Nzérékoré, Guinea [fr] : Les cinquante deux corps qui étaient non identifiables ont été enterrés dans une fosse commune hier. Les autres corps reconnaissables ont été remis à leurs familles. 52 non-identified bodies were buried in a mass...
Saudi Women Banned From Attending Public Trials
Even the wife and mother of Umar Al-Saeed, a member of Saudi Arabia's leading human rights organisation, were forbidden from attending his trial.
China: Crackdown on Citizen Movement Activists
Chinese Human Rights Defenders has an update on the arrest of citizens and activists in China. The latest detainee is prominent activist Xu Zhiyong, who is considered a moderate reformer. 25 individuals have been confirmed criminally detained since February for publicly appealing for an end to official corruption and for...
Pakistani Taliban Militant Writes an Open Letter to Malala
The militant urges Malala to return home and continue her education at a madrassa and reveal the conspiracy of a 'tiny elite who want to enslave the whole humanity."
Tainted School Lunches Kill Nearly Two Dozen Children in India
The food is believed to have been contaminated by pesticides. The incident is raising questions about the quality of school lunches for poor students.
Poet Aimé Césaire's Battle Continues Stronger than Ever
The verdict in the Trayvon Martin case coincided with what would have been Césaire's 100th birthday. Our new author Amadou Lamine Badji from Senegal, examines the correlation.
Judges Go After Soldiers Suspected of Slaughter in Guinea
Ethnic killings have been reported yet again in Guinea. Judges in the country are doing all they can so that such tragedy does not strike anymore.
Furore Over Sudanese President Al-Bashir’s Visit to Nigeria
The president of Sudan traveled to Nigeria for a summit amid calls for his arrest.
Russian Blood on the Asphalt, Armenian Hands on the Wheel
A fatal bus crash that killed 18 has heightened anti-immigrant tensions in Russia.
With Russian Netizens Like These, Who Needs Trolls?
Pavel Astakhov, Russia's children's ombudsman, blithely raises the possibility of sending Russian orphans to be adopted in the North Caucasus. Again.
Thousands of Congolese Refugees Flood Uganda
More than 30,000 refugees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fleeing a rebel attack on the town of Kamango arrived in neighbouring Uganda on Saturday, July 13, 2013.
Artists Capture a Bloody Ramadan in Syria
Mubarak (Blessed), Kareem (Generous), Peaceful, Happy … are the usual adjectives accompanying any greeting during the Muslim month of fasting – Ramadan. Not so for Syrians.
Snowden Airport Saga Polarizes Russian Human Rights Community
Are some of Russia's human right defenders guilty of letting the Kremlin score a few PR points?
Teen Activist Malala Yousafzai Impresses UN, Polarizes Pakistan
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban on her way to school less than a year ago, celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering a powerful speech to world leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York. A symbol for child education and women empowerment around the world, some in Malala's country Pakistan continue to spin conspiracy theories to malign her.
Caring For The Migrant Workers in Maldives
Amira at Mindblur comments: The population of the Maldives is a little over 300,000 people and we employee over 100,000 expatriate workers mainly in menial jobs in the construction industry, as housemaids, cleaners, helpers in various places, etc. This high proportion of the population would mean the Government should put...
New Internet Law in The Gambia Puts Gag on Government Criticism
Parliamentarians in the tiny West African state of the Gambia have ratified and passed a new law that seeks to tighten laws on Internet freedom. The law seeks to punish “instigating violence against the government or public officials”, and also targets individuals who “caricature or make derogatory statements against officials” or “impersonate public officials”.
VIDEO: Police Brutality Under the Acropolis
Blogger alepouda remixed footage from a 2007 Greek tourism campaign promoting the “true Greek experience” with a video of police aggression against protesters at a rally on 10 July, 2013 in Thisseio in support of anarchist Kostas Sakkas, accused of terrorism and detained without trial since December 2010, who is in the terminal stages of a...
