Caribbean countries announce their intention to demand compensation from European governments for crimes of slavery

Caribbean countries announce their intention to demand compensation from European governments for crimes of slavery

    6:13 PM   No comments

The British newspaper "The Times" reported that "Caricom", a bloc of 15 Caribbean countries, will demand an official apology from European governments, and compensation worth $33 trillion, for their centuries-long enslavement.

In detail, these countries hope to begin negotiations with Britain, France, Spain, and Denmark on a 10-item plan, which includes an official apology for their role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

In addition, Caribbean countries are seeking $33 trillion in compensation from European governments. The plan also includes that these former colonial powers finance health, education, debt cancellation, and direct payments to Caribbean governments, according to what the newspaper reported.

Britain owes $19.6 trillion, Spain must pay $6.3 trillion, while France owes $6.5 trillion, according to a report issued by an American consulting firm, which worked to calculate legal compensation for the enslavement of 19 million people, over 4 centuries.

Although it is impossible to calculate the true extent of the damage caused by the slave trade carried out by European powers, these numbers constituted a “starting point for negotiations,” according to Verene Shepherd, a Jamaican history professor and vice-chair of the Caribbean Reparations Commission.

Shepherd stressed the need for “a number to start with,” stressing that “the crime is huge, and the responsibility for what happened is great.”

In 2013, Caricom established a Compensation Committee. CARICOM, or the Caribbean Community, represents a political and economic union of 15 countries in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean.

In subsequent years, the group reached out to former European colonial powers about reparations, but did not receive a “positive response” to its letters, Shepherd said.

According to The Times, some have suggested that Caribbean countries pursue reparations through the courts in the countries they target.

In turn, Peter Esbut, dean of studies at a theological college, said: “By granting slave owners compensation for the loss of their property, they are setting a precedent... If you compensate the owners for the loss of their property, you must also compensate the slaves for the loss of their freedom.”

Most European governments rejected the idea of reparations. In response to a question in the British House of Commons, last April, about whether he would offer an apology and “commit to reparative justice,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “No, I think that trying to dismantle our history is not the right way forward, and it is not something We focus our energies on it.”

The UK is becoming the third largest consumer of the child sexual abuse “market”

The UK is becoming the third largest consumer of the child sexual abuse “market”

    3:41 PM   No comments

Thousands of children in the Philippines are being sexually abused in order to make money via live video streaming technology, and most of the cases are directed by child molesters in the United Kingdom, according to a report by the British newspaper “The Telegraph”.

According to the newspaper, estimates by the University of Nottingham and the International Justice Mission indicate that the number of children exposed to abuse in the Southeast Asian country may reach 500,000 children, or one in every 100 Filipino children.

The International Justice Mission found that more than half of the children who were subjected to violations were 12 years old or younger, and the youngest was only a few months old.

The new report notes that Western consumers are also guilty of directing child sexual abuse in the Philippines, and local traffickers are sexually abusing Filipino children, while one or more spectators watch and direct the action via an encrypted video call.

“Perpetrators pay traffickers in the Philippines at least £15 to engage in online child sexual abuse,” the report says.

The UK is the third largest consumer of live-streamed abuse, according to the National Crime Agency, and the US, Australia and Canada are also major consumers.

The newspaper reported that the use of end-to-end encryption services such as WhatsApp and Telegram to enable criminals to broadcast live abuse is not limited to child sexual abuse. Last June, it was revealed that monkeys were being tortured live through these services, with paid callers directing the torture procedures, and three women were arrested in Britain for their involvement.

HUQUQ: Muslims Right To Education Is Superseded By France's Commitment To Secularism

HUQUQ: Muslims Right To Education Is Superseded By France's Commitment To Secularism

    2:42 PM   No comments

 As the new academic year starts, Muslims’ right to education in Europe is denied in order to uphold and enforce secularism. This seems to be the logical conclusion of the events taking place in France this week: Muslim men and women who are wearing traditional clothes are denied entry to schools unless they take off such clothes and wear French style clothes; many refused to do so.

According to a memorandum sent by French Education Minister Gabriel Attal to heads of educational institutions, wearing the abaya and long shirt "expresses religious affiliation in the school environment and cannot be tolerated."

France, home to Europe's largest...

Banning the cloak in French schools begins tomorrow, and Macron is calling for its strict implementation

Banning the cloak in French schools begins tomorrow, and Macron is calling for its strict implementation

    5:21 AM   No comments

The French authorities have confirmed that female students who wear abayas and students who wear long shirts will not enter their classes on Monday, the first day of the school year, amid condemnation by human rights organizations and opposition political currents.

According to a memorandum sent by French Education Minister Gabriel Attal to heads of educational institutions, wearing the abaya and long shirt "expresses religious affiliation in the school environment and cannot be tolerated."

France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, has banned the Islamic headscarf in public schools since 2004.

According to French press reports, the ban on the abaya is a continuation of the implementation of the 2004 law, which prohibits the wearing of clothes or symbols that show religious affiliation in French educational institutions.

In July of last year, Le Figaro newspaper published an investigation revealing that despite the continued application of the 2004 law, there is a significant increase in the abayas worn by girls and long shirts worn by boys, so that they doubled in secondary schools, especially when Ramadan begins, so that some The managers expressed their dissatisfaction and wondered why the clothes were so popular.

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called - in statements he made the day before yesterday, Friday - for firmness in implementing the abaya ban.

"We will not let anything pass," Macron said during his visit to a vocational high school in Orange, southern France. "We know that there will be cases - perhaps due to negligence - but many cases of trying to challenge the republican system. We have to be firm."

He added that "teachers and school principals should never be left alone to face the existing pressures or challenges on this subject," adding that these "knights of the republic" have "the right to defend secularism," as he put it.

On the other hand, a broad spectrum of French people expressed their condemnation of the decision to ban the cloak, led by the leftist opposition inside and outside Parliament.

Prominent French left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon strongly criticized the decision, and called on officials to avoid provoking conflicts of a religious nature.

Manuel Bombard, coordinator of the France Independence Party - which is led by Melenchon - said that he would propose to the party's parliamentary group to reject this decision - which he described as dangerous and cruel - and to submit it for review before the Council of State in order to prove that it is a decision contrary to the constitution.

Meanwhile, French female students expressed their annoyance at the decision and considered it a blatant interference in their personal freedom.

A student - who asked not to be identified - said in a statement to Al-Jazeera, "It is not within their authority to decide what to wear. They removed the veil from us in 2004, and now they are working to remove the abaya, which is not a religious dress, but rather a cultural traditional dress. To what extent will they continue this?"

Amnesty criticizes a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim soccer players

Amnesty criticizes a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim soccer players

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Amnesty International has criticized a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim female soccer players, describing it as "very disappointing" and violating freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

This came in response to Monday's decision by the Council of State which ruled that the French Football Federation did not need to change its discriminatory policy which effectively bars Muslim players who wear headscarves from participating in competitive soccer matches.

"The deeply disappointing decision by the Council of State  entrenches both racism and gender-based discrimination in French football," the organization said.

"The FA's ban on religious clothing not only prevents Muslim female soccer players who wear a hijab from playing in competitive matches, but also violates their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of religion," she add

According to the organization, the decision ignores the recommendation of the general rapporteur to end this discriminatory ban and seriously undermines efforts to make women's sports more inclusive. It means that Muslim female soccer players in France will continue to be treated differently from other players, in clear violation of many of the country's international human rights obligations."

Founé Diawara, co-chair of Hijabeuses, which brought the case against the French Football Federation to the highest administrative court, said the decision was "a missed opportunity to right a long-standing wrong and simply allow us to play. Our struggle is not political or religious but rather "It is about our human right to participate in sports. Many women are excluded from football fields in France every weekend simply because they wear a headscarf."

The first article of the French Football Association's rules, drawn up in 2016, prohibits players from wearing "symbols or clothing that clearly shows one's political, philosophical, religious or trade union opinions" during matches. This ban remains in place, although FIFA abolished the ban imposed by itself in 2014 on wearing head coverings in football.

A court in France condemns the State for violating the rights of detainees: prisons infested with bugs and mold

A court in France condemns the State for violating the rights of detainees: prisons infested with bugs and mold

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Administrative wisdom in the French city of Montpellier condemned the French state for the inhuman and degrading treatment of convicts held in Perpignan prison.

The court's decision stated that the conditions in the prison violate the rights of detainees who are subjected to ill-treatment by the authorities.

The General Inspectorate's latest report submitted to the court showed that the prison occupancy rate is 280% for men, and that more than 300 detainees share about 130 beds.

The report found that "some sleep on mattresses on the floor, without space to move around, and most of them are infested with bed bugs. Mold is visible everywhere, on the walls and toilets, which are sometimes clogged," adding that "the windows were broken and the electrical network was faulty, causing At risk of fire for the prisoners."

The court ordered state authorities to ensure that dormitories are repaired and improved, fire threats are eliminated, and investigations are opened against guards for alleged mistreatment and humiliation of prisoners.

A report published by the French TV network "France Info" stated that France had broken a new record for the sixth time in a few months, regarding the number of detainees, after imprisoning more than 74,000 prisoners on the first of last July.

This prompted the European Court of Human Rights to condemn the French authorities for detaining large numbers of prisoners that exceed the capacity of the prisons, and obligated them to pay an amount of $50,000 to the plaintiffs.

A total of 16,643 detainees currently suffer from overcrowding, compared to the places available in French prisons. The total density of prisons now stands at 122.8%, compared to 118.7% just a year ago.

The report confirmed that the occupancy rate in pretrial detention prisons amounted to 146.3%, which are the prisons in which detainees awaiting trial are held. So they are presumed, according to the law, to be innocent.

To address this problem, the French government promised to build an additional 15,000 new places in prisons by 2027, stressing that the growing use of measures that constitute an alternative to detention "will show its effects in the coming months."

In 2020, the European Court of Human Rights found that France violated European Human Rights Convention Due to Overcrowded Prisons. 

The US, EU condemn Ben Gvir's statements about the rights of Jews compared to the rights of Palestinians

The US, EU condemn Ben Gvir's statements about the rights of Jews compared to the rights of Palestinians

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US State Department brands national security minister’s remarks ‘inflammatory’. In a rare comment calling out the Otzma Yehudit party leader by name, a State Department spokesperson condemned the remarks as inflammatory and compared them to racist rhetoric dangerously amplified by senior officials.

In Europe, the European Union relaeased a statement about the same issue. It "strongly" condemned the statements of the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, in which he claimed that his and his family's right to movement in the West Bank "exceeds the right of the Arabs," as he described it.

And last Wednesday, the leader of the far-right "Jewish Power" party, Ben Gvir, said - in an interview with the Israeli Channel 12 -, "My right and the right of my wife and children to move on the roads of the West Bank is more important than the Arabs' right to freedom of movement."

Ben Gvir added, "This is the reality, this is the truth, my right to life precedes their right to freedom of movement."

According to data from the left-wing Israeli "Peace Now" movement, which rejects settlements, about half a million settlers live in 132 settlements and 146 outposts in the West Bank.

These data do not include settlers in 14 Israeli settlements built on occupied East Jerusalem lands.

Ben Gvir is seen as a phenomenon of the rise of the far-right in Israel, and his supporters chant "Death to the Arabs". He is also known for his extremist stances towards the Palestinians, and he is a resident of the "Kiryat Arba" settlement, which is built on the lands of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

The disappointing legacy of the ICC

The disappointing legacy of the ICC

    7:46 AM   No comments

Since it came online, the ICC built a record of focusing on crimes committed in the Global South and ignoring those committed by leaders of the West. The evidence was so damning that Many African leaders called for mass exit from the first permanent international criminal court that promised more in terms of holding abusers of human rights to account. Since the statute that powered the court came to force in 2002, prosecutors of the ICC have been eager to indict anyone the West does not like and ignore crimes committed by Western leaders or friends of Western leaders. For example, despite the damning evidence of torture, murder, and unlawful detention of persons since the illegal Western invasion of Iraq in 2003, the ICC did not take any measurable outcome action against the perpetrators of the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and war of aggression—the very crimes that fall under its jurisdiction. Yet, before the war in Ukraine closed its first year, the ICC gathered enough evidence to indict a sitting president. 

This article sheds some light about the corrupting power of money, political interference, and ideological biases that have infected the once promising institution on which many human rights activists pinned much hope. 

The director of the International Organization for Migration warns against "demonization" of migrants and their use as "weapons" for political gain

The director of the International Organization for Migration warns against "demonization" of migrants and their use as "weapons" for political gain

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The incoming director-general of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, has denounced the tendency to "demonize" migrants who are considered among the most vulnerable for political gain, saying she aims to bring about a shift in this regard.

Pope, 49, last month became the first woman elected director-general of the organization, and said in an interview this week that she was deeply concerned about the way some countries and groups use migrants as "weapons" to win political points at home.

Several countries in Europe are facing criticism for their harsh and even illegal dealings with migrants, including Britain, following its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and Greece, where a video recording spread last month showed what appeared to be a forceful expulsion of migrants who were left to go to sea without a specific destination.

A group of migrants, including women and children, was also stuck this week at the border between Poland and Belarus, while border guards were accused of preventing them from seeking asylum.

"What we've seen in recent years is people in extremely desperate situations being turned into weapons and using their vulnerability as a way to fuel what would normally be seen as a political conflict," Pope said, when asked about this case.

"I find this tactic very disturbing because it is above all inhumane, and I think in the end it does not lead to a better outcome for any party," she added.

"The main concern is that people have an opportunity to seek protection," said Pope, who will take up her new position in October. "The matter should be considered fairly rather than being used as political leverage."

And when the agency's current deputy director last month won the race to take over its presidency against its current director, Antonio Vitorino, she pledged to adopt a more positive narrative on migration and stress that "the people we talk about are human beings".

"We've all seen that when people acknowledge others as human beings, which I think is the lesson we learned from Ukraine, they show goodwill and a lot more openness," she said.

Pope stressed that more needs to be done to show that immigrants can be the solution, not the problem.

Along with warnings about how immigration can cause stress and pressure on governments, Pope points to the pressures of labor shortages.

"This is a good window," she said, noting that the organization can help connect migrants with opportunity and emphasize "the benefit of migration for economies."

"It must start with identifying the existing labor needs and then the available skills," she said, adding that the United Nations organization can help facilitate skill training, warning that unless this happens, "that demand for labor will fuel irregular migration."

UK's Illegal wars and human rights violations in Islamic Societies

UK's Illegal wars and human rights violations in Islamic Societies

    6:14 AM   No comments

Citing declassified materials, the organization, Declassified UK, reported that Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who held this post from 1997 to 2007, authorized a military operation against Iraq in December 1998, despite repeated warnings from legal advisers about the illegality of such actions.

How the Cold War and now the War in Ukraine have Justified Abuse of Human Rights, Inhumane Sanctions, and Abuse of Power

How the Cold War and now the War in Ukraine have Justified Abuse of Human Rights, Inhumane Sanctions, and Abuse of Power

    7:34 AM   No comments

Working hard to put pressure on countries from around the world to take a stand against Russia in relation to its military operation in Ukraine, the US government and its Western allies schedule two UNGA public votes just months apart, the most recent was just days before the one year anniversary of the start of the conflict. In both sessions, more countries from Africa voted against the resolution or abstained than from any other continent. Commentators and analysts attribute this neutrality to the role played by Russia and China most recently shoring up African economies. That may partly true. The more determinant factor that influence African leaders’ decision is the historical one: Africa’s lack of economic development was the outcome of Western colonialism (plunder of natural resources) which was motivated by racism (Apartheid systems), for which Western countries did not legally acknowledge and did not practically take full responsibility. If the West wants to have a “normal” relation with the African people, they must start there; not think in terms of handouts and bribery.

In the past, the US government and its allies justified their support to colonial, apartheid regimes in Africa, and their placement of self-determination movements and figures, like the ANC and Nelson Mandela, by the “cold War” conditions. They care for countering communism more than they cared for human rights.

Today, the US administration and its Western allies are operating with the same mentality: Countering Russia and China comes before respect for human rights and comes before remediation for past crimes and abuses.

These self-interested approaches are short-sighted, bigoted, and offensive to the people who were subjected to hundreds of years of Darwinian colonialism.

 

Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

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More than 100 children have been discovered to be illegally employed by a slaughterhouse cleaning firm across the country, federal authorities said.

The Department of Labor announced that a federal investigation found Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI) employed at least 102 children, ranging from 13 to 17 years old, to work overnight shifts at 13 meat processing facilities in eight states.

The investigation discovered that children were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment including back saws, brisket saws and head splitters. At least three minors suffered injuries while working for PSSI, one of the country’s largest food safety sanitation service providers.

The states in which the children were employed include Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. The processor which had the largest number of employed minors is JBS Foods, with 27 children employed, followed by Cargill Inc, which had 26 employed children.

Other processors include Tyson Food, George’s Inc, Buckhead Meat of Minnesota, Gibbon Packing Co, Greater Omaha Packing Co Inc, Maple Leaf Farms and Turkey Valley Farms.

According to court documents, a 14-year-old child who worked at a Nebraska facility from 11pm to 5am five to six days a week from December 2021 to April 2022, cleaned machines “used to cut meat”.

Read original article: Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

More than 7 mln children affected by major quakes

More than 7 mln children affected by major quakes

    9:01 AM   No comments

More than 7 million children have been affected by the massive earthquake and a major aftershock that devastated Türkiye and Syria last week, the United Nations said on Feb. 14. 

The death toll has risen to 31,974 in the Feb. 6’s quakes, approaching the number of people who lost their lives in the Erzincan quake in 1939, in which the most casualties were experienced in the history of the country.

Apart from the estimated death toll, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) also reported that more than 81,000 others were injured following the tremors felt in 10 southern provinces.

More than 3,170 aftershocks occurred in the region since the first earthquake hit 10 provinces on Feb. 6.

Over 8,000 people have been recovered alive from rubbles by search and rescue teams so far.

Over 6,500 professionals have inspected 763,000 buildings and 1,586,901 single spaces. Damage assessment is set to be completed within a week, while constructions are aimed to start before the end of the month. Permanent residences are planned to be delivered to earthquake victims within a year.

Read news story

Chinese envoy urges US to immediately lift Syria sanctions to return 'hope of survival' to children

Chinese envoy urges US to immediately lift Syria sanctions to return 'hope of survival' to children

    7:56 AM   No comments

Chinese envoy urges immediate lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria to return the "hope of survival" to children in the country as the US' long-arm jurisdiction has further exacerbated the earthquake disaster and hindered rescue efforts with more children's lives as the cost.  

Nearly a week since the most devastating earthquakes in recent history, the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 38,000 while searches for signs of life in the rubble amid freezing temperatures continues.  

A UN official pointed out on Sunday in a post on Twitter that international help has "failed the people in northwest Syria," where more than 12 years of civil war have resulted in a complex political situation. ( Read the reporting on the Chinese statement about Syria).

This call for the lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria comes after UN officials have made a similar demand.

UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. 

“I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said.

In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country. (Read the reporting on the UN statement on sanctions).

New Report: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians is a cruel system of domination and crime against humanity

New Report: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians is a cruel system of domination and crime against humanity

    9:26 AM   No comments

On February 1, 2023, Amnesty said that "Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed." 

The organization added: 

Since the organization launched a major campaign against apartheid one year ago, Israeli forces have killed almost 220 Palestinians*, including 35 in January 2023 alone. Unlawful killings help maintain Israel’s apartheid system and constitute crimes against humanity, as do other serious and ongoing violations by Israeli authorities such as administrative detention and forcible transfer.

Over the past few days, a series of deadly attacks has underscored the urgent need for accountability. On 26 January, Israeli forces carried out a raid on Jenin refugee camp and killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman. On 27 January, seven Israeli civilians were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in Neve Ya’akov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In response to this attack, Israeli authorities have stepped up collective punishment against Palestinians, carrying out sweeping mass arrests and threatening punitive home demolitions.

Previously, 

On 1 February 2022, Amnesty International released a report  setting out how Israel enforces an institutionalized system of oppression and domination against Palestinians  wherever it has control over their rights: in Israel, the OPT and against displaced refugees by denying their right to return. It showed how Israeli laws, policies and practices are enacted with the overarching aim of maintaining a Jewish demographic majority, and maximizing control of land and resources to benefit Jewish Israelis to the detriment of Palestinians.  

Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed, Amnesty International said today. Since the organization launched a major campaign against apartheid one year ago, Israeli forces have killed almost 220 Palestinians*, including 35 in January 2023 alone. Unlawful killings help maintain Israel’s apartheid system and constitute crimes against humanity, as do other serious and ongoing violations by Israeli authorities such as administrative detention and forcible transfer.

Over the past few days, a series of deadly attacks has underscored the urgent need for accountability. On 26 January, Israeli forces carried out a raid on Jenin refugee camp and killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman. On 27 January, seven Israeli civilians were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in Neve Ya’akov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In response to this attack, Israeli authorities have stepped up collective punishment against Palestinians, carrying out sweeping mass arrests and threatening punitive home demolitions.

Report can be read in many languages from this link 

Why do western media and governments react to human rights abuses only when they happen outside western countries?

Why do western media and governments react to human rights abuses only when they happen outside western countries?

    8:58 AM   No comments

When human rights abuses take place in Muslim-majority countries, Western governments impose sanctions and Western media provide extensive coverage of instances of abuse. But when similar or even more egregious or persistent human rights abuses take place in a Western country, Western governments and media outlets ignore the event or treated it like an isolated secondary event. Why?

Reprieve: Executions doubled under King Salman

Reprieve: Executions doubled under King Salman

    6:30 AM   No comments

The human rights organization Reprieve, which opposes the death penalty, in cooperation with the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, announced that execution rates in Saudi Arabia have doubled since King Salman came to power in the year 2015 and appointed his son Muhammad to prominent positions.

The death penalty rate in Saudi Arabia has doubled since Salman came to power in 2015 and appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, to prominent positions, according to the text of a report prepared by the “Reprieve” human rights organization against the death penalty, which documented, in cooperation with the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, executions. Saudi Arabia accurately in order to issue a new report.

The report was titled, Saudi Arabia and the death penalty: Everything you need to know about the rise in executions under Mohammed bin Salman.

The results concluded, based on the data collected since 2010 through this organization, that the Saudi government has used the death penalty periodically to silence dissidents and demonstrators, which violates international human rights law, which stipulates that it should be used only in the most serious crimes. About eleven people who were arrested as boys were executed in 2015, despite repeated allegations by Saudi Arabia that it limits the use of the death penalty against minors and the spread of torture in Saudi prisons, even for accused boys.

Last year, Reprieve documented 147 executions in Saudi Arabia, but says the number could have been much higher. It also says the country has used the death penalty "disproportionately" against foreign nationals, including domestic servants and defendants in minor drug cases.

Muhammad bin Salman, who promised after assuming power to modernize the kingdom, and said in an interview in 2018 that his country seeks to “reduce” the use of the death penalty. However, Saudi Arabia is still one of the world’s most executed countries.

Maya Foa, director of Reprieve, said the Saudi crown prince did exactly the opposite of what he promised and oversaw a large number of executions and brutal repression of people who took part in pro-democracy protests.

Ali al-Dubaisi, director of the Berlin-based European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, says the death penalty is part of a Saudi legal system that is "intrinsically unfair".

The latest report issued by Human Rights Watch describes Saudi Arabia's record in the field of human rights as "unfortunate", and a disgrace, and that the kingdom is busy in efforts to distort that record by promoting sports and entertainment activities.

UN: 26 Rohingya refugees died at sea making perilous journey

UN: 26 Rohingya refugees died at sea making perilous journey

    5:20 AM   No comments

 At least 26 Rohingya Muslims had died in dire conditions during a month at open sea while making a dangerous voyage that brought scores of others to safety in Indonesia, a U.N. agency said Tuesday, adding there will likely be more.

Exhausted women and children were among 185 people who disembarked from a rickety wooden boat on Monday in a coastal village in Aceh’s Pidie district, authorities said. A distressing video circulated widely on social media showed the Rohingya worn out and emaciated, with many crying for help.

“They are very weak because of dehydration and exhaustion after weeks at sea,” said local police chief Fauzi, who goes by a single name.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that survivors told the agency that 26 people died during the long journey.

One of the refugees, who identified himself as Rosyid, told The Associated Press that they left the refugee camp in Bangladesh at the end of November and drifted on the open sea. He said at least “20 of us died aboard due to high waves and sick, and their bodies were thrown into the sea.”

According to UNHR, more than 2,000 people are reported to have taken risky sea journeys in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal this year, and nearly 200 have reportedly died.

UNHCR has also received unconfirmed reports of one additional boat with some 180 people still missing, with all passengers presumed dead.

Chris Lewa, the director of the Arakan Project, which works in support of Myanmar’s Rohingya, said the latest arrivals were among five groups of Rohingya who had left refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh by smaller boats to avoid detection by local coast guards before they were transferred onto five larger boats for their respective journeys.

Myanmar security forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and burning of thousands of homes belonging to minority Rohingya Muslims, sending them fleeing to Bangladesh and onward.

Malaysia has been a common destination for many of the refugees arriving by boat, but they also have been detained in the country. Engine troubles make others seek safety in Aceh province in Indonesia, on the way to Malaysia.

UNHCR praised authorities and Indonesia’s local community who brought ashore more than 200 desperate Rohingya, many of whom were in need of urgent medical attention.

Indonesian fishermen and local authorities rescued and disembarked two groups, 58 on Sunday and 174 on Monday, said Ann Maymann, the UNHCR representative in Indonesia, “We welcome this act of humanity by local communities and authorities in Indonesia.”

UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people

UN expert calls for lifting of long-lasting unilateral sanctions ‘suffocating’ Syrian people

    2:29 PM   No comments

 DAMASCUS/GENEVA (10 November) – UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. 

“I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said.

In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country.

Douhan said 90 per cent of Syria’s population was currently living below the poverty line, with limited access to food, water, electricity, shelter, cooking and heating fuel, transportation and healthcare and warned that the country was facing a massive brain-drain due to growing economic hardship.

“With more than half of the vital infrastructure either completely destroyed or severely damaged, the imposition of unilateral sanctions on key economic sectors, including oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction and engineering have quashed national income, and undermine efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction.

The expert said blocking of payments and refusal of deliveries by foreign producers and banks, coupled with sanctions-induced limited foreign currency reserves have caused serious shortages in medicines and specialised medical equipment, particularly for chronic and rare diseases.  She warned that rehabilitation and development of water distribution networks for drinking and irrigation had stalled due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts, creating serious public health and food security implications.

“In the current dramatic and still-deteriorating humanitarian situation as 12 million Syrians grapple with food insecurity, I urge the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely harm human rights and prevent any efforts for early recovery, rebuilding and reconstruction,” Douhan said.

“No reference to good objectives of unilateral sanctions justifies the violation of fundamental human rights. The international community has an obligation of solidarity and assistance to the Syrian people.”

The Special Rapporteur also dealt with other issues showcasing the multifaceted negative impact of sanctions, including international cooperation in the areas of science, arts, sports, preservation of national cultural heritage and restitution of cultural artefacts, access to new technologies, cyberspace and online information platforms, criminality and regional/international security, as well as the issue of frozen foreign assets of Syrian financial institutions and other entities.

“I urge the international community and the sanctioning states in particular, to pay heed to the devastating effects of sanctions and to take prompt and concrete steps to address over-compliance by businesses and banks in accordance with international human right law,” she said.

“In the words of one of my interlocutors, echoing numerous others: ‘I saw much suffering, but now I see the hope die,’” Douhan said.

During her visit the UN expert met representatives from national and local government institutions, non-governmental organisations, associations, humanitarian actors, businesses, UN entities, academia, religious leaders and faith-based organisations, as well as the diplomatic community. In addition to the capital Damascus, she also visited Homs city, rural Homs, and rural Damascus.

The Special Rapporteur will present a report to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

ENDS

Ms Alena Douhan (Belarus) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights by the Human Rights Council in March 2020. Ms. Douhan has extensive experience in the fields of international law and human rights as, a Professor of international law at the Belarusian State University (Minsk), a visiting Professor at the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed conflict, (Bochum, Germany) and the Director of the Peace Research Centre (Minsk). She received her PhD at the Belarusian State University in 2005 and obtained Dr. hab. in International Law and European Law in 2015 (Belarus).

Ms. Douhan’s academic and research interests are in the fields of international law, sanctions and human rights law, international security law, law of international organizations, international dispute settlement, and international environmental law.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

Bahrain: Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials; Court Records Show Pervasive Rights Violations

Bahrain: Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials; Court Records Show Pervasive Rights Violations

    2:13 AM   No comments

(Beirut) – Bahraini courts have convicted and sentenced defendants to death following manifestly unfair trials, based solely or primarily on confessions allegedly coerced through torture and ill-treatment, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said in a joint report released today.

The 61-page report, “‘The Court is Satisfied with the Confession’: Bahrain Death Sentences Follow Torture, Sham Trials,” based primarily on court records and other official documents, found serious and persistent human rights violations underlying the convictions and death sentences of cases of eight men examined for the report. The men are among 26 who are currently on death row, their appeals exhausted. Trial and appeal courts cavalierly dismissed credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment during interrogation instead of investigating them, as required by international and Bahraini law. The courts routinely violated defendants’ rights to fair trials, including the right to legal counsel during interrogation, the right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, and through reliance on secretly sourced reports.

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