In recently published country reports on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, and Luxembourg, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) found several areas in which migrants, Roma communities, LGBTI persons, and other minorities are susceptible to discrimination and unequal treatment. [COE Press Release: ECRI] In each report, the ECRI – an independent human rights body of the Council of Europe
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ILO Finds Asian Countries Inconsistently Protect Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has identified trends in national policy in Asia that deny indigenous peoples certain rights, such as to property and to consultation, in a recent human rights-based review of the region’s domestic laws. See ILO, The right of indigenous peoples in Asia, Human rights-based overview of national legal and policy frameworks against the backdrop of country
Read moreNews Clips- March 3, 2017
Civil Society On Wednesday, Russian security officials raided the home of well-known journalist and human rights defender Zoya Svetova. [Committee to Protect Journalists] On Tuesday, hundreds protested the evacuation of settlers from homes in the West Bank settlement of Ofra, after courts found the homes were built on Palestinian land in violation of the law. [CNN] Last Friday, United States
Read moreUN Finds Libyan Trial Violated Rights of Gaddafi Regime Members
In a report published on February 21, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded that the trial of 37 former members of the Gaddafi regime, including Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, failed to meet international due process standards. See UNSMIL & OHCHR, Report on the Trial of
Read moreMarch 2017: United Nations and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session
In the month of March 2017, various universal and regional bodies and experts will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, review of individual complaints, and deliberation over thematic reports. Five United Nations treaty bodies will meet to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to economic, social,
Read moreNews Clips- February 24, 2017
Civil Society This week, civil society reported that journalist Shamael Al-Bur has been attacked and threatened by radical Islamists in response to her column criticizing Sudan’s spending on health and education. [Reporters Without Borders] On Wednesday, ten protesters in the United States were arrested during the closure of the Dakota Access pipeline central camp. [Guardian] On Thursday, eight demonstrators were
Read moreYemeni Civilians Suffer Famine, Mass Casualties in Ongoing War
Due in large part to an ongoing civil war as well as high levels of poverty, civilians in Yemen face a worsening food crisis, death and injury due to direct targeting in the conflict, and other human rights abuses, including forced displacement, sexual abuse, child marriage, and harassment of journalists and human rights defenders. [UN News Centre; OHCHR Press Release]
Read moreNew Clips- February 17, 2017
Civil Society On Wednesday, the Court of Appeals in Kenya released seven imprisoned doctors’ union officials who had been jailed in relation to a strike demanding promised wage increases. [Washington Post] On Sunday, more than 60,000 Romanians protested for the 13th consecutive day in Bucharest, Romania, prompting the Romanian parliament to agree to a national referendum on anti-corruption reforms. [Al
Read moreNews Clips- February 10, 2017
Civil Society On Wednesday, four protesters were arrested in the United States while protesting the Dakota Access pipeline at a bank in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune] On Wednesday, human rights groups in Israel petitioned a high court to block a law that enables the seizure of private Palestinian land for Jewish settlements. [Washington Post] Following recent mass protests in Romania, the
Read moreRefugee Crisis Reaches New Peak amid Ongoing Conflicts, Islamophobic Policies
In 2016, more than 65 million people were estimated to be refugees or internally displaced persons – the highest number in history. [World Economic Forum] Many of the migrants who are fleeing their countries are unable to permanently resettle for a number of reasons, including the global underfunding of refugee support programs and national policies motivated by Islamophobia or isolationism.
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