Stories about Human Rights from June, 2014
Historic Court Ruling Empowers Brazil to Confront Its Dark Past
Forty-three years after he went missing, five retired military officers will have to answer in court for the torture, disappearance and death of Deputy Rubens Paiva.
Video: Brazil's Military Police Assaults Subway Workers on Strike
The Brazilian independent media collective Midia Ninja posted a video and a news report [pt] on Youtube that expose the violence of the Military Police of São Paulo against subway workers on a peaceful strike in the early hours of June 5, 2014. The video shows riot police officers charging against workers...
After an Indian Minister Says ‘Sometimes Rape is Right’, #MenAgainstRape Stand Up in Pakistan
Hundreds of young men from Pakistan started standing up to join the hashtag campaign.
Why Do the Taiwanese Need to Remember the Tiananmen Massacre?
Hong Kong may have taken the lead in observing the Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but other Chinese speaking communities, such as the people of Taiwan, also organize annual candlelight vigils in memory of the incident. In 1989, thousands of Taiwanese had rallied in support of of the student-led...
Human Rights Situation in Laos
The International Service for Human Rights has prepared a briefing paper on the human rights situation in Laos: Human rights defenders prefer to be known as ‘community workers’ and are afraid of reprisals if they are associated with regional and international human rights organisations. As Laos is scheduled to undergo...
Are Bangladesh's “Men In Black” Fighting Crime or Killing for Money
Bangladesh's elite crime-combat force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is under intense scrutiny for alleged cases of abductions, torture and extra judicial killings.
This Baloch Student Has Been on Hunger Strike For 45 Days in Pakistan
Since 2006, a renewed battle for independence has been waging between Baloch separatists and the government of Pakistan.
Homosexual Asylum Seekers from The Maldives Face Prosecution Upon Return
Same-sex relationships, civil unions, or domestic partnerships are illegal in the Maldives under Sharia law and there are several cases of prosecution against persons of same-sex orientation. Ibrahim Muaz, a spokesman at the President’s Office recently said that Maldivians seeking asylum abroad on grounds of religion or sexuality can be...
One Year After the Snowden Revelations: How the NSA Violates International Human Rights Standards
Under NSA surveillance programs, the US government has violated international human rights doctrine and even its own laws. Know the facts and learn how you can reclaim your digital privacy.
China: Chronology of Tiananmen Crackdown Revealed in Wikileaks’ Cables
Students in the data journalism class at Northeast Normal University searched Wikileaks for references to the 1989 demonstrations at Tiananmen Square and organized the diplomatic cables into a chronology of the protests since April 19 1989 till March 26 1990.
Informal Wedding “a Small Victory” for Gays in Tajikistan
Tajikistan may just have had its first informal gay wedding. Many Tajiks are unhappy with what they see as "western propaganda".
Did You Share Those Images of the Indian Girls Who Were Gang-Raped and Hanged?
Shocking images of two teenage Indian girls, gang-raped and hanged from a tree went viral on social media, leading to heated debates about our motives behind sharing such images indiscriminately.
Live Tweets of Trial of Human Rights Lawyer and Journalist in Swaziland
MISA-Swaziland is live tweeting the the trial of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and journalist Bheki Makhubu for contempt of court in Swaziland. The two were arrested on 17 March 2014.
Thailand's Coup Protesters Are Looking to The Hunger Games for Inspiration
Protest ban? No problem for anti-coup protesters in Thailand as they adopted the 'Hunger Games' salute while some conducted 'read-in' activities in public places.
Indonesians Assert #15yearsNOTenough for Child Predators
The surge in child molestation cases in Indonesia has prompted many parents to ask the government to amend the law and hand out harsher punishment for perpetrators.
3 Ways the Russian Government Plans to Police the Web
Several state agencies in Russia are now involved in drafting bylaws that will determine how officials actually enforce a series of controversial new Internet regulations.
What Democracy? Questioning Oscar López Rivera's Imprisonment in the United States
Puerto Rico's most widely circulated newspaper, El Nuevo Día, published an editorial [es] in its Sunday edition on June 1, 2014 in which it questions the moral standard of the United States’ government to intercede in favor of political prisoners around the world while insisting on unjustly maintaining Puerto Rican political...
Puerto Rican Diaspora Calls for Oscar López Rivera's Release
The digital magazine La Respuesta has put together a series of photo galleries that chronicle efforts in Chicago, New York City, and Cleveland to release Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera from prison. Oscar has already served 33 years in prison, an exaggerated amount of time for the charge...
Peacekeepers Involved in the Disappearance of 11 Rebels in the Central African Republic
Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, reports that African Union peacekeepers were involved in arresting at least 11 anti-balaka rebels on March 24. The detained rebels have not been accounted for since their arrest : Since March 24, there has been no news about the people who were...
This Brazilian is Using Twitter to Take on Aggressive and Racist Housemaid Employers
In 111 tweets, A Minha Empregada (My Maid) exposes the social prejudice, racism and lack of empathy existing in Brazilian society, especially when it comes to attitude towards domestic workers.
Free Speech Remains Under Threat in Myanmar
Deji Olukotun observes how Myanmar's so-called transition to democracy has not yet made a lasting impact on the state of free expression in the country: …in many ways Myanmar’s relatively open society could close at a moment’s notice. Writers are able to write and to criticize the government not because...
