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The Crosses of Juarez

Since 1993 over 400 women from Ciudad Juarez, a large city on the US-Mexico border, have been murdered and over 70 are still missing. The victims are young women, generally under 29 years old. They are mostly poor, often workers in the maquiladoras (assembly factories), and live in the marginalized areas of the city. The Mexican authorities, under much pressure from human rights groups and NGOs, have so far failed to carry out proper investigations into the killings, and those responsible for the crimes remain unpunished. In this Open-Democracy piece journalist Carlos Reyes-Manzo documents in images and words a terrible and touching situation that shows no sign of abating.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/arts-photography/crosses_3273.jsp

(Added: Tue Feb 28 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 325)

The Crushing Burden of Rape: Sexual Violence in Darfur [PDF ]

Médicins sans Frontières (MSF), March 2005. Since early 2003, the people of Darfur have endured a vicious campaign of violence, which has forced almost 2 million people to flee from their destroyed villages in search of safety. Rape against women children and men has sadly been a constant factor in this violence throughout this campaign of terror. More tragically, it continues to this day even long after people have fled from their villages. The stories of rape survivors give a horrific illustration of the daily reality of people in Darfur and especially of women and young girls, the primary victims of this form of violence. It has to stop. MSF Head of Mission Paul Foreman, a British national, was arrested in Khartoum, Sudan. MSF's Head of Mission has been charged with crimes against the state. The charges relate to this MSF report "The Crushing Burden of Rape: Sexual Violence in Darfur" which was published on March 8, 2005. Faced with hundreds of women and girls seeking medical care following rape and sexual violence in Darfur, MSF wrote and published this report in order to raise awareness about the ongoing violence against women. It is noteworthy that the report does not accuse the government of Sudan. MSF defends its right to speak about the humanitarian situation in Darfur and views these baseless charges as intimidation against the humanitarian community by the Government of Sudan.

http://www.msf.ca/press/images/070305_darfur_sexualviolence.pdf

(Added: Tue May 31 2005   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 445)

To Stay Alive, Iraqis Change Their Names

In Iraq these days, being called Omar or Ali can get you killed. Iraqis say the country is rife with checkpoints where armed men ask for identity cards and then kill people on the spot if their names identify them with a rival religious sect. In the first seven months of this year, 1,000 Iraqis officially changed their names, far more than in any similar period since the American invasion of 2003, a New York Times reporter recently found. (New York Times through Truthout, September 6, 2006)

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090606F.shtml

(Added: Wed Sep 13 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 166)

Trinidad and Tobago: End police immunity for unlawful killings and deaths in custody

Amnesty International's report looks at the issue of police killings and deaths in custody through cases reported since 2003. The report highlights the authorities' failure to conduct investigations and to bring those responsible to justice. This report argues that structural reforms within the police forces -- including the implementation of a human rights- based Code of Conduct, a transparent chain of command and criminal prosecutions in cases of human rights abuses -- are key to regaining community support, essential for preventing and combating crime. (Amnesty International, 26 April 2006)

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR490012006

(Added: Wed May 17 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 201)

USA: Excessive and lethal force? Amnesty International's concerns about deaths and ill-treatment involving police use of tasers

The use of stun gun (electro-shock) technology in law enforcement raises a number of concerns for the protection of human rights. Portable and easy to use, with the capacity to inflict severe pain at the push of a button without leaving substantial marks, electro-shock weapons are particularly open to abuse by unscrupulous officials. Taser use violates international standards prohibiting torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as well as standards set out under the United Nations (UN) Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. More than 200 people have died after being shot by a taser. The testimonies in this report serve as a warning for Aotearoa New Zealand, which is set to introduce the taser for police use in September 2006. (Amnesty International, August 2006)

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511392004

(Added: Wed Aug 16 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 217)

Will You Listen: Young Voices from Conflict Zones

The 1996 UN report "The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children", widely known as the Machel study, for the first time brought the issues faced by children in armed conflict to international attention. This Companion to the 10 year Machel Strategic Review compiles the views and recommendations of some 1,700 children and young people in 92 countries. Their thoughts and ideas were collected as a key contribution to the Review through a series of focus group discussions and an online questionnaire (UNFPA, UNICEF, Women's Commission for Refugee Children and Women, 2007)

http://www.humanrights.net.nz/newsitems/WillYouListentoYounginConflictZones

(Added: Thu Oct 25 2007   Hits: 75)

Write a letter about human rights to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Hosting the Olympic Games in 2008 is an excellent opportunity for the People's Republic of China to demonstrate its commitment to international standards on human rights. Call for the immediate release of all individuals jailed for seeking to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Call for the right for Chinese citizens to speak openly and honestly without fear of censorship, detention or imprisonment.

http://hrw.org/campaigns/china/beijing08/toolkit.htm

(Added: Tue Oct 03 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 138)

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