(2019-01-24). How a human rights club in Africa's biggest slum helps young people stay on track. amnesty.org Bossvill and Sylvia, both 17, are members of Amnesty International's Human Rights Club, which takes place in their school in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. They reveal how their new-found skills are helping them solve problems at home and in their community… | Bossvill's story: | | Life has its positives and negatives in Kibera. Sometimes friends want you do things you're uncomfortable with, often bad things. If you don't, they will leave you out. | I want to stay in school and I want to gain the skills that will help me…
(2019-01-24). "A human rights defender should have no limits" amnesty.org Vincent, 27, grew up in Kibera, Kenya. Many of his friends dropped out of school, but he was determined to take a different path… | School was an hour's walk away. It had its good and bad sides. Some students came from rich families. It was frustrating as I didn't understand why we were poor. But I came to realise that's life and I wanted to make the best of the situation. | In Kibera, poverty is a huge problem. People live here because they do not have the opportunity or means to live elsewhere. Young people start taking drugs at an early age, gender-based violence is rife and children, especially girls, are r…
(2019-01-24). "Kibera should be seen as a place of hope" amnesty.org Kibera should be seen as a place of hope. There's great potential here. I have grown up in the slums. I have been to primary and secondary school here. Now I am taking electrical engineering at university. This is just one story. Many other people are taking other courses, but people don't see them, they just see the small evil that is happening. | I am aware of the issues that exist in the slums, but the fear of them remaining encourages me to speak out. | Gender-based violence is a big issue. People fear mentioning it. They don't want to talk about domestic violence, but I want to break this silence. Through my…
(2019-01-24). "Educating people through entertainment – key in Kibera" amnesty.org Julian, 24, is a member of Wasanii Sanaa in Kibera. Since she joined the youth organisation she's grown in confidence and is now a role model in her community… | I've spent my whole life in Kibera. In my community there's a lot of drugs, which leads to young people dropping out school. As kids grow up, they become thieves or fall pregnant. My parents have always been strict, but if you don't have people to take care of you, it's as though there's no way out. | Some of my friends in high school took drugs and they wanted me to join in I said no, and ran the risk of looking uncool, but it wasn't the path for me.
(2019-01-23). Assange Takes Legal Action to Force Trump Administration to Reveal Charges Against Him. mintpressnews.com 
The Trump Administration is refusing to reveal details of the charges against Mr. Assange despite the fact that sources in the U.S. Department of Justice have confirmed to Associated Press and the New York Times that Mr. Assange has been charged under seal.
(2019-01-23). Supreme Court Returns to Gun Rights for 1st Time in 9 Years. truthdig.com The court will take up a challenge to New York City's ban on carrying a licensed, locked and unloaded handgun outside the city limits.
(2019-01-23). The Times of Israel's Flawed Attack on the NY Times' MLK and Palestinian Rights. mintpressnews.com 
Calling Michelle Alexander's editorial in the New York Times a "new low" was a hyperbolic act of click-bait to appeal to the Times of Israel's readers. One that lacked journalistic and editorial integrity.
(2019-01-23). South Africa's president calls for lifting of Zimbabwe sanctions. aljazeera.com President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for international sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe to be lifted.
(2019-01-23). The Brazen Detention of Marzieh Hashemi, America's Newest Political Prisoner. mintpressnews.com Today Marzieh Hashemi sits alone. Isolated and entombed deep in a government catacomb, she stands charged with no offense but in the eyes of this administration guilty as charged . . . a Muslim, a journalist, and a US ex-pat who has found shelter from its storm in Iran.
(2019-01-23). US Detention of American-Iranian Journalist Draws Local, International Protests. mintpressnews.com Iran's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest on Tuesday with the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, who has represented the U.S. in diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, when diplomatic ties were severed between the countries.
(2019-01-23). Rights Defenders Accuse Zimbabwe Security Forces of Torture. telesurenglish.net The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) denounced Thursday cases of torture and arbitrary detentions during the protests that have taken place since last week, warning that among the detainees are children as young as 11 years old. | RELATED: | Zimbabwe: 12 Dead in Protests, Gov't Crackdown to Intensify | "In the aftermath of Jan. 14 disturbances, armed and unifo…
(2019-01-23). Zimbabwe soldiers 'beating' protesters as crackdown continues. aljazeera.com Zimbabwe government-appointed rights group says soldiers used 'systematic torture' during crackdown on protests.
(2019-01-23). Canada Arrest of China's HuaWei CFO Meng Wanzhou: Diplomatic Blunder or Cold War Stratagem? globalresearch.ca The arrest and detention by Canadian authorities of one of China's most important business executives boggles the mind. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's CFO, was arrested as she changed planes at Vancouver International Airport en route to Mexico on December 1….
(2019-01-23). 'Fake judicial case': Protesters demand US release detained Iranian journalist. rt.com 
Protests have broken out outside UN offices in Tehran, as a US-born Iranian journalist prepares for an appearance before a grand jury in America. The demonstrators are demanding the release of the detainee. |
(2019-01-23). Mauritania: Activistas contra la esclavitud liberados. amnesty.org Dos activistas contra la esclavitud, Biram Dah Abeid y Abdellahi el Housein Mesoud, fueron liberados de la Prisión Civil de Nuakchot el 31 de diciembre de 2018. El Tribunal de Arafat en Nuakchot condenó a los dos activistas a seis meses de prisión, dos de ellos con suspensión de la condena; dado que ya habían pasado más de cuatro meses bajo custodia, Biram y Abdellahi quedaron en libertad ese mismo día.
(2019-01-23). Championing hope and human rights in Kibera. amnesty.org …
(2019-01-23). Mauritania: Further Information: Mauritanian anti-slavery activists released: Biram Dah Abeid and Abdellahi el Housein Mesoud. amnesty.org Two anti-slavery activists Biram Dah Abeid and Abdellahi el Housein Mesoud were released from Nouakchott civil Prison on 31 December 2018. The Tribunal of Arafat in Nouakchott sentenced them to six months, two months of which would be a suspended sentence. Having already spent more than four months in prison, Biram and Abdellahi were released the same day.
(2019-01-23). IAR Solidarity- Peter Biar Ajak. amnesty.org Peter Biar Ajak, is a prominent South Sudanese academic and activist. He was arrested by National Security Service (NSS) agents at Juba International Airport in the capital Juba on Saturday 28 July 2018 while preparing to travel to a youth forum he had organised in the north-western Aweil State. He remains arbitrarily detained at the NSS headquarters in Juba and has not been charged with a recognizable criminal offence in accordance with international law and standards. He is only allowed sporadic access to his family and has been denied access to his lawyer since 7 October 2018.
(2019-01-23). MALAYSIA: FULLY RECOGNISE AND PROTECT INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. amnesty.org Amnesty International welcomes the Government of Malaysia's pledges to recognise and protect the rights of Indigenous peoples, and the announcement that it will "seriously" consider the recommendations made by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) on Indigenous land rights.
(2019-01-23). KAZAKHSTAN: SUBMISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS. amnesty.org Amnesty International submits this briefing in advance of the examination of Kazakhstan by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights during its 65th session in March 2019. | In this document, Amnesty International sets out its concerns about the implementation of the International Covenant on Social Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) by Kazakhstan, focusing on the rights of persons with disabilities.
(2019-01-23). China: Canadian sentenced to death in a one-day retrial: Robert Schellenberg. amnesty.org Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian national, was sentenced to death after he was convicted of drug trafficking at his re-trial. First arrested in 2014, he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment by the Dalian Municipal Intermediate People's Court on 20 November 2018. Schellenberg subsequently appealed the verdict and on 14 January 2019 at his retrial, he was found guilty of a more serious drug-related offence and sentenced to death. Announcing a death sentence at the same time of the conviction was unprecedented, according to Mo Shaoping, a partner of the law firm representing Schellenberg.
(2019-01-23). Indonesia: Ex-Governor's Blasphemy Sentence Ends. hrw.org 
| | Former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is released from prison but Indonesia keeps its notorious blasphemy law. | ©2019 Toni Malakian/Human Rights Watch | (Jakarta) — The expected release of the former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama from a Jakarta prison on January 24, 2019 underscores Indonesia's dangerous and discriminatory blasp…
(2019-01-23). Dutch Postcode Lottery Continues Support Human Rights. hrw.org 
| | Dutch Postcode Lottery's Ambassador Quinty Trustfull with Human Rights Watch's Executive Director Kenneth Roth 2018 © Roy Beusker Fotografie | (Amsterdam) — Human Rights Watch thanks the Dutch Postcode Lottery and its players for their steadfast support of our work with ‚Ǩ1.35 million a year for another five years. Support from players of the Dutch Postcode Lottery since 2009 has helped Human Rights Watch strengthen its research and advocacy work worldwide, as well as establish and develop i…
(2019-01-23). US: Protect Right to Asylum for Domestic Violence. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-23). Pakistan: Garment Workers' Rights at Risk. hrw.org 
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(2019-01-23). Disappearances of South Sudanese Critics Demand a Response. hrw.org 
| | Aggrey Ezbon Idri (L) and Dong Samuel Luak. | © Private/Human Rights Watch | Two years ago, South Sudanese lawyer Dong Samuel Luak disappeared off the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. I recently sat with Kur Lual, Dong's law partner, in South Sudan's capital, Juba. Holding his head in his hands, he asked me, "How does someone like Dong disappear just like that?" It's a question many others inside and outside of South Sudan are still asking themselves. | Dong fled South Sudan in August 2013, but continued to denounce huma…
(2019-01-23). Nigerian Rights Group Estimates 20,000 Kidnapped Girls in Mali. telesurenglish.net A Nigerian rights group is reporting that some 20,000 Nigerian girls were kidnapped by sex traffickers and made to work in 'slave-like' conditions in Mali. | RELATED: | Governor Removes Homicide Charges from Sex Trafficking Victim | "We received reports concerning the stranded girls and sent a team to find out," the director general of the Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Julie Okah-Donli said. | The trafficking discovery came to light after NAPTIP sen…
(2019-01-23). Ocasio-Cortez: "Breathe Fire" in Face of Trump. truthout.org "The choice isn't what I'm breathing in, it's what I'm exhaling," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declared this Monday at an event organized by Blackout for Human Rights celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in New York City. "Right now, I think with this administration, with the current circumstances, with the abdication of responsibility that we've seen from so many powerful people … I feel a need for all of us to breathe fire." | In conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates at Riverside Church, Ocasio-Cortez was responding to his comments about the level of "toxicity and stupidity" the new con…
(2019-01-22). Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Trump's Ban on Transgender Service Members. truthdig.com In a decision LGBTQ rights advocates immediately denounced as an "awful attack" on the rights of transgender Americans, the Supreme Court's conservative majority on Tuesday gave a green light to President Donald Trump's widely condemned ban on transgender people serving in the military. | While one nationwide injunction against the ban remains in effect—meaning Trump's policy cannot yet be implemented—Slate's Mark Joseph Stern noted that the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling makes it likely that the remaining injunction will "soon be reversed." | "This is heartbreaking and temporary," declared ACLU staff att…
(2019-01-22). SPLC sues Trump administration for violating due process rights of immigrant children and their sponsors. splcenter.org J.E.C.M., a 14-year-old boy, fled from Honduras with a friend to escape persecution, including threats to his life.
(2019-01-22). Amid a Deteriorating Landscape for Abortion Rights, a Critical Victory in New York. aclu.org On Tuesday, New York passed the Reproductive Health Act, finally bringing state law in line with Roe v. Wade. | On the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that secured the right to abortion, the nationwide picture could not look grimmer. That's what makes Tuesday's victory in New York, which protected and expanded abortion rights in the state through the Reproductive Health Act, so important. | Across the country, anti-abortion politicians have been eroding abortion rights in state after state. Since 2011, they have…
(2019-01-22). US Singer Chris Brown Investigated Over Rape Accusations. telesurenglish.net Singer Chris Brown claimed on Tuesday that a rape allegation against him was false, a day after the French prosecutor's office said he had been arrested in Paris with two other suspects. | RELATED: | Mini Series Reveals New 'Irrefutable Evidence' Against R. Kelly | The arrests were first reported by Closer magazine, which said Brown, his bodyguard and a friend were detained after a 24-year-old woman said she was raped at the singer's suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on the nig…
(2019-01-22). Another 170 immigrants drown in the Mediterranean. wsws.org With the statement "The ports are and will remain closed!" Italian Interior Minister Salvini summed up the EU's contempt for human rights in its policies towards refugees.
(2019-01-22). México: Dos activistas muertos en plena escalada de violencia. amnesty.org El 17 de enero, unos hombres armados no identificados atacaron a manifestantes en Amatán, estado de Chiapas, en el sur de México. Noé Jiménez Pablo y José Santiago Gómez àÅlvarez, dos activistas de los derechos económicos sociales y culturales y miembros del Movimiento Campesino Regional Independiente (MOCRI), fueron aprehendidos y privados de su libertad por los hombres armados. Al día siguiente, sus cadáveres, con heridas, aparecieron arrojados en un vertedero local. En reacción a este ataque, el gobierno tomó medidas como enviar a unos cuantos funcionarios encargados de hacer cumplir la ley, pero los mie…
(2019-01-22). Sudan: 'Not guilty' verdict welcome but torture in prison must be investigated. amnesty.org Responding to the 'not guilty' verdict issued today at the re-trial of Sudanese student activist, Asim Omar Hassan, who was originally sentenced to death for allegedly killing a police officer during protests in 2016, Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, said: |
(2019-01-22). The Peace Process Should Not Be At The Cost Of Human Rights. amnesty.org There is suddenly a rush to establish a peace process in Afghanistan. The United States of America has installed Zalmay Khalilzad, a special envoy, who has been shuttling between various regional capitals, seeking to rally different stakeholders. At the same time, President Ashraf Ghani appears to be running a parallel effort, which began with his "Achieving Peace: The Next Chapter in the Afghan-lead Peace Process" proposal at the Geneva Conference late last year. Neither effort, however, has addressed key human rights concerns. There is scarcely any representation of women — just three women have been incl…
(2019-01-22). Palestina ( Estado de): Riesgo de cargos contra activista tras "confesión" forzada. amnesty.org El 9 de enero de 2019, Suha Jbara quedó en libertad tras haber pasado detenida más de dos meses, en el transcurso de los cuales afirma que sus interrogadores la torturaron. Estuvo más de 26 días en huelga de hambre para protestar por el trato que recibía de las fuerzas de seguridad y los fiscales. Aún no se han leído los cargos contra ella en los tribunales, ante los que está previsto que comparezca el 30 de enero. Corre el riesgo de que se presenten cargos basados en información obtenida por medio de tortura, porque la fiscalía no ha presentado ninguna prueba creíble contra ella. El 13 de diciembre de 2018, la F…
(2019-01-22). State of Palestine: Further Information: Activist Risks Charges Over Forced 'Confession': Suha Jbara. amnesty.org On 9 January 2019, Suha Jbara was released after spending over two months in detention where she says she was tortured by interrogators. She spent over 26 days on hunger strike in protest against her treatment by security forces and prosecutors. Suha Jbara still has not been read her charges in court and her upcoming hearing is scheduled for 30 January. She is at risk of being charged based on information obtained under torture, although the prosecutor's office has not provided any credible evidence against her. On 13 December 2018, the Palestinian Attorney General's office concluded a brief investigation into he…
(2019-01-22). Iran: Labour rights activists at imminent risk of further torture. amnesty.org Two labour rights activists who were rearrested after speaking out about beatings and other abuse they suffered in detention last year are at grave risk of further torture, Amnesty International has warned. | Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian were violently arrested in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, on 20 January in apparent reprisal for talking publicly about the torture they have said they endured in detention during November and December 2018, provoking a public outcry. | "There are real fears that Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian could be facing a second round of torture after their rearrest. The timing of the…
(2019-01-22). Algeria: Absurd conviction of journalist Adlène Mellah must be overturned. amnesty.org Algeria's Court of Appeal must end the ordeal of the journalist, Adlène Mellah, who was jailed simply for covering a peaceful public gathering last month, said Amnesty International today ahead of his appeal hearing on 23 January. | Adlène Mellah, director of news websites Algerie direct and Dzair Press has been held in solitary confinement since he was jailed in El Harrach prison on 11 December 2018. | "It is outrageous that a journalist has been imprisoned simply for carrying out his work and exercising his rights to freedom o…
(2019-01-22). China: Defensor de los derechos humanos, juzgado en secreto. amnesty.org Huang Qi, fundador y director de la página web de Sichuan "64 Tianwang", fue juzgado en secreto por el Tribunal Popular Intermedio de Mianyang el 14 de enero de 2019, tras pasar más de dos años detenido. Aún no se ha dado a conocer el fallo, pero, si es declarado culpable, podría ser condenado hasta a cadena perpetua. En diciembre de 2018, la policía de Sichuan se llevó a su madre, Pu Wenqing, de 85 años, a quien mantuvieron detenida más de un mes y dejaron libre el 21 de enero de 2019.
(2019-01-22). China: Human Rights Defender Tried in Secret: Huang Qi. amnesty.org Huang Qi, founder and director of Sichuan-based human rights website "64 Tianwang", was secretly tried at Mianyang City Intermediate People's Court on 14 January 2019 after being held in detention for more than two years. No verdict has yet been announced but, if convicted, the maximum punishment could be up to life imprisonment. Pu Wenqing, his 85-year-old mother, was taken away by Sichuan police in December 2018 and only released after more than a month in detention.
(2019-01-22). Will Human Rights turn around in 2019? amnesty.org 2018 has been a difficult year for human rights in South Asia. Crackdowns on the Right to Freedom of Expression intensified across the region. Enforced disappearances continued to scar communities in Pakistan and Bangladesh; civilian casualties remained at record highs in Afghanistan, civil society organisations continued to be harassed and shut down in almost every country. Journalists continued to be targeted, members of the political opposition were arbitrarily arrested, religious and ethnic minority groups and Indigenous Peoples continued to be demonised. | The year began with the tragic news of the death of…
(2019-01-22). Learn how to protect yourself online and promote digital security. amnesty.org Amnesty's latest course on digital security, launching on edX January 28th, will teach you about digital threats, how to strengthen your security online and to take action to promote digital security and human rights worldwide. | Malware. Phishing. Data retention. Mass surveillance. We know there are real risks in the digital world, but we don't always know what to do about them. How do these threats work? How important is digital security? Where do we even start? | This course is a starting place for learning more about digital threats and how…
(2019-01-22). Bahrain: Court upholds unlawful dissolution of major opposition political group. amnesty.org Responding to the Bahraini Court of Cassation's decision to uphold a ruling to dissolve the opposition group National Democratic Action Society (Wa'ad) and confiscate its assets, Amnesty International's Middle East research director Lynn Maalouf said: | "The court's decision to dissolve the opposition political group Wa'ad, a group committed to non-violence, is just the latest manifestation of how the authorities have been resorting to all means, including the judiciary, to crush any form of dissent in their country. |
(2019-01-22). Public opposition to killer robots grows while states continue to drag their feet. amnesty.org More than three in five people across 26 countries oppose the development of autonomous weapons that could select and kill targets without human intervention, according to a new poll commissioned by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. | | The poll, which was carried out by Ipsos MORI, fou…
(2019-01-22). Laos: Investigate Disappearance of 3 Thai Dissidents. hrw.org 
| | Surachai Danwattananusorn, prominent Thai anti-monarchist, and two close aides were reportedly abducted in Vientiane in December 2018. | © 2018 Private | (New York) — The Lao government should urgently investigate the disappearance of three Thai political activists who were last seen in the capital, Vientiane, in December 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 22, 2019, Thai authorities told Human Rights Watch tha…
(2019-01-22). Trials in China Kept Secret by Silencing Lawyers. hrw.org 
| | Huang Qi. | Prominent Chinese human rights activist Huang Qi went on trial last week on dubious charges of "leaking state secrets," but the proceedings before a court in Sichuan province remained a mystery hours after the trial ended. Why? Because one of Huang's lawyers was disbarred a few days before the trial and the other, who was in the courtroom, was threatened by authorities not to speak about it. | In China, lawyers who represent…
(2019-01-22). US Supreme Court Says Transgender Military Ban Can Go Ahead. hrw.org 
| | People protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, in Times Square, in New York City, New York, U.S., July 26, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday gave a green light for the Trump Administration's ban on transgender military service to take effect. | When the…
(2019-01-22). Children in the Philippines as Crime Scapegoats. hrw.org 
| | Detainees sit next to an anti-drug mural of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte inside the Manila City Jail, October 16, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | The Philippine government is one step closer to prosecuting young children as adults, a key plank in President Rodrigo Duterte's abuse-ridden anti-crime campaign. | On Monday, a congressional committee approved a bill that would lowe…