CHRI Human Rights Update
Your round up from CHRI on dd/mm/yyyy
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Selected news:
· Country: headline and link
· Country: headline and link
· Country: headline and link
The Commonwealth
Title, bold — link to the article (Insert, click Link/ Hyperlink, paste url)
Source (ie. name of newspaper) below title in italics
Brief description
Commonwealth Countries
Africa
Kenya
LGBT rights campaigner files case to decriminalize gay sex
Mediamax
A LGBT rights activist in Kenya has filed a case against the High Court calling for the decriminalization of homosexual sex as the legislation ‘violate constitutional rights to equality, dignity and privacy’.
Transfer of judges is both unlawful and unconstitutional
Star
The transfer of 105 judges around the country has been influenced by another lawyer to whom Mutunga owes his appointment, and is ‘unlawful and unconstitutional’.
Malawi
Mozambique praises Malawi for taking in refugees
Chronicle
The government of Mozambique has praised Malawi for taking in refugees from the country and providing for them as conflict continues in Mozambique.
Malawi police condemned for beatings
Malawi24
The Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) has spoken up against the police beatings in Blantyre saying that ‘police are abusing the human rights of Malawians’.
Nigeria
Schools and students becoming targets for attacks
HRW
Schools and students are becoming increasingly involved in the campaigns of Boko Haram and is hindering development in Nigeria through hindering education.
Buhari takes action against herdsmen
allAfrica
The Fulani herdsmen that destroyed villages and took innocent lives are being arrested and prosecuted now after a lot of pressure being put on President Buhari.
No male personnel has contact with female prisoners
allAfrica
After reports of human rights abuses through rape of female prisoners, the spokesman of the Nigerian Prison Service has said that no male personnel has any access to female inmates.
A miner brings IGP, EFCC and Chinese national to court
Daily Post
A miner from the Jos region has brought the Inspector General of the Police, the EFCC and a Chinese national to court over alleged human rights abuses.
South Africa
SAPS committed to uphold human rights
Times Live
The South African Police Services (SAPS) is committed to upholding human rights in the country it says, and acts on this through new human rights training for its officers.
The police is vital for human rights in South Africa
Business Day
An EU ambassador spoke at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and talked about the importance of the police for the implementation of human rights.
Uganda
Security forces not held accountable for killings
Big News Network
The Ugandan government has failed to hold the security forces involved in nine killings in protest in April, accountable for their crimes according to Human Rights Watch.
Tanzania
Human Rights complaints under investigation
allAfrica
According to the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance in Tanzania, a total of 13, 709 complaint have been filed in the country since 2010, more than half of these are still under investigation.
allAfrica
Last year’s General Election observers for Tanzania have come with recommendations for improvements of the electoral system to make it a more democratic process.
Americas
Belize
Indigenous rights discussed in Belize
7 News Belize
The Canadian funded organization IMPACT Justice has organized a conference in Belize where the rights of indigenous peoples will be discussed.
Canada
Human Rights Tribunal demands action from Canadian government
Huffington Post
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has demanded action from the Canadian government, especially concerning the child welfare ruling.
Introducing gender identity into British Colombia’s Human Rights Code
Metro News
A bill to include gender identity and expression into the Human Rights Code of British Colombia is a good step for making ‘the province a more inclusive and accepting place’.
Saudi Arms Deal violates export rules
AM980
The Saudi Arms deal supposedly violates Canadian export rules according to Amnesty, Project Ploughshares and the Rideau Institute, because of the human rights violations in the country.
Asia
Bangladesh
Judicial backlog causes years of waiting
Daily Star
Bangladesh has many problems with its judicial system. Once of these issues is the amount of time that people have to wait for their cases to be fully completed, this needs to be improved.
Extremist attacks need to be stopped
Dawn
Attacks on activists, bloggers and others have become commonplace in Bangladesh, however, this needs to end before Bangladesh completely loses its democracy.
Daily star
Bangladesh has had thousands of work related deaths and injuries and is not doing enough to secure the rights of the workers in the country.
India
Foreign Contribution Regulation Act slammed by UN rapporteur
Wire
Maina Kai, the UN special rapporteur in India has slammed its FCRA laws and claimed that they go against International laws and rights.
Human Rights defender continues to be threatened
OMCT
Ajimuddin Sarkar, a human rights defender who has denounced several human rights abuses in the country continues to receive threats against him, often through his relatives.
India take steps forward for gender rights
New Internationalist
India has taken productive steps forward for the rights of women, especially Muslim women, in the country. It has taken away some repressive legislation and given more freedoms to them.
Pakistan
Security situation in Pakistan hinders human rights
Dawn
Democarcy reporting International organised a seminar where human rights were discussed. During the seminar it was spoken about how the security situation in the country was ‘an impediment in promotion of human rights in the society’
(Implementation matters: Activists emphasise need for human rights compliance)
Pakistan assisted by Canada to empower women
Pakistan Observer
Heather Cruden, the Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan has emphasised the Canadian assistance that is being given to Pakistan to empower women in the country.
Sri Lanka
Arrests in Sri Lanka cause concern
Huffington Post
There have been several arrests in the Tamil dominated provinces of Sri Lanka, this has raised the concern of civil society, one such organisation is PEARL which has released a statement on the issue.
Caribbean
[Country 1 name here]
Title, bold — link to the article (Insert, click Link/ Hyperlink, paste url)
Source (ie. name of newspaper) below title in italics
Brief description
Europe
United Kingdom
United Kingdom accused of hypocrisy over human rights report
BBC
Russia has attacked the UK after the FCO released its human rights report on Russia. It has accused the UK of hypocrisy and of harbouring terrorists.
Questions on the FCO Human Rights Report
War on Want
The FCO released its human rights report last week where it outlined human rights in countries across the world. However, there are still questions to be answered.
Pacific
Australia
The human rights record of Australia is problematic for the Pacific
Radio NZ
Australia has gone backwards in meeting the obligations it has to uphold human rights, and this is causing problems throughout the Pacific.
Fiji
Fiji Sun
Lawyers, professors, and students at the University of Fiji have received training on how to raise awareness of human rights in new interactive ways.
Papua New Guinea
HRW
The Manus Island detention centre has been closed officially after a ruling by the highest court of Papua New Guinea that said that the detention centre was illegal.
