In the wake of a new cholera outbreak in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced a plan to raise 400 million dollars to treat and eradicate this disease and to provide financial assistance to affected communities and individuals, including victims of the 2010 outbreak that killed over 9,500 people and infected 800,000 others. [NY
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In the month of November, various universal and regional bodies will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through debates, the consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, and the review of individual complaints. Six United Nations treaty bodies will meet throughout November to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to civil and political rights,
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Civil Society After recent protests in Argentina over the murder and rape of a teenage girl, two women who participated in the protest were murdered this week, causing civil society to argue that femicides and gender-based violence are on the rise. [Guardian] The police in South Africa this week used water canons, tear gas, and stun grenades against students protesting
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Activities of International Bodies The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights started its 59th Ordinary Session this week and will review draft guidelines on the rights to freedom of association and assembly, as well as conduct reviews of States parties and hold additional discussions. [IJRC: Guidelines; IJRC: Sessions] The United Nations General Assembly recognized the 50th anniversary of the
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Civil Society The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern over intimidation of human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan. [United Nations in the Kyrgyz Republic] Demonstrators in Colombia are demanding that the peace deal between the government and FARC is upheld. [BBC] The Ethiopian government this week denied the use of extreme force against protesters in the country.
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Civil Society After demonstrators in Poland protested a new law to ban abortion early this week, a parliamentary committee recommended parliament vote against the bill. [Guardian] Anti-government protests continued in Ethiopia this week after tear gas and shots from the police instigated a stampede at a religious festival last weekend, trampling between 55 and over 100 people. [Al Jazeera] The authorities
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The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has referred four cases over the last two months to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) involving Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Two of the cases, against Mexico and Nicaragua, involve sexual violence against women and girls. The case against Chile concerns the need to obtain informed consent prior to medical proceedings
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During the month of October 2016, numerous universal and regional human rights bodies will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations, visit countries, and hold hearings on individual complaints. Five UN treaty bodies meeting this month will engage in dialogues with States regarding their implementation of treaty obligations related to civil and political rights; economic, social, and cultural rights;
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Civil Society A court in China sentenced three activists to three years imprisonment in one case and over a year for the other two individuals. [Jurist] The Facebook accounts of Palestinian journalists who work in occupied Palestinian territories were frozen last week. [Al Jazeera] United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association called
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On September 23, 2016 more than 100 people gathered at University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco for a training on the human rights of migrants hosted by the International Justice Resource Center and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies. The distinguished line-up of speakers included experts on international human rights advocacy and on migrants’
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