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Africa Subsaharan

Gbagbo regime survives as he plans new cocoa export tax

2011-03-28

[The Nation (Nairobi)] An article on the Cote d'Ivoire crisis carried in a British newspaper last week seemed to have beat feet West African leaders' attention. The Financial Times story appeared on Tuesday. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, began a two-day summit in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, a day later. Twelve from 12 of the 15 member states attended. The day the summit ended was supposed to be the African Union and Ecowas's deadline for Laurent Gbagbo ... President of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent has refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints... to step down. Since November, he has refused to let Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of the November presidential elections, take office. According to the Times, Mr Gbagbo wants international cocoa traders to pay export taxes on cocoa stocks worth $1.3 billion. Cote d'Ivoire produces 40 per cent of the global crop. Cocoa isn't anywhere close to petroleum in world trade. Nonetheless, millions of sweet teeth abound. The commodity fetches good money. Gbagbo's demand has caused jitters among some traders. They are inclined to pay. Reasons vary: Gbagbo might confiscate the stocks or have them destroyed. One trader, Ricardo Leiman, head of a Hong Kong-based trading house, the Noble Group, reportedly said, "If the local government who is in charge tells us to pay the taxes, we will pay the taxes." The Times said the stocks are about 400,000 metric tons. At 22 per cent taxation rate, Gbagbo would pocket nearly $300 million. Diplomats believe he needs $150 million a month to pay the military and civil servants. If Gbagbo can't pay, he would become expendable. It isn't an accident that one of the anti-Gbagbo measures the Frenchie-loving, West African states who use the CFA franc, did was freeze Cote d'Ivoire's money at their central bank in Senegal. ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... Already, due to sanctions imposed by various countries and organizations, Gbagbo can't boast of an economy. Businesses, including banks, have shut down; employees continue being laid off, and little activity exists at the once busy Abidjan port. That means loss of revenue for the government. Reasons exist why Gbagbo shouldn't get any money, at least not enough to maintain loyalty of the army and civil servants. Gbagbo has obviously taken advantage of the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations ... aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... ' et al preoccupation with Libya's Muammar Qadaffy benga benga (alleyways and alleyways) slaughter. In Cote d'Ivoire, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Friday 700,000 people have decamped their homes. Louise Arbour, president, International Crisis Group, said last week, "Ivory Coast is no longer on the brink of s civil war; it has already begun." The ECOWAS leaders whined about "incendiary rhetoric" against themselves by Gbagbo's supporters and then passed the buck to the UN, with Nigeria and La Belle France as emissaries to seek tougher sanctions against Gbagbo & Co. Just as they abandon their threat to use "legitimate force" to oust Gbagbo, ECOWAS states failed to give support to cocoa traders who plan to deny Gbagbo one thing he needs most: money. That's some support for Gbagbo.

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Africa North

Mubarak calls out army as protesters go on rampage across Egypt

2011-01-29

[Ma'an] Embattled Egyptian geriatric President Hosni Mubarak called out the army and declared a curfew in three major provinces on Friday, as tens of thousands of protesters rampaged through the streets of major cities demanding his ouster. A curfew in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez kicked in at 6:00 pm and will run until 7:00 am, state television reported. ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? Mubarak "has asked the armed forces, in cooperation with the police, to implement the decision, and maintain security and secure public establishments and private property," it said. In the capital Cairo, protesters poured out of mosques after Friday prayers and ran rampant through the streets, throwing stones and torching two cop shoppes as police chased them with batons, firing tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets. The nationwide demonstrations, inspired by the "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia, have swelled into the largest uprising in three decades, sending shockwaves across the region. Eight people have been killed, hundreds injured and some 1,000 jugged. But in a hint that authorities might heed the rising tide of popular anger, a senior politician and member of the ruling party called for "unprecedented reforms" in order to stave off a revolution. As the violence raged, Mustafa al-Fekki, National Democratic Party member and chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, said security forces alone could not prevent revolution in Egypt, that reform was necessary. "Nowhere in the world can the security forces put an end to revolution," he said in remarks to Al-Jazeera television. "The security option alone is not sufficient, and the president is the only one to put an end to these events," he added, calling for "unprecedented reform." US President Barack B.O. Obama said on Thursday that "violence is not the answer in solving these problems in Egypt" and that it was "absolutely critical" for Mubarak to move towards political reform. Egypt is one of Washington's closest allies in the region, but analysts say the United States is growing increasingly concerned that its refusal to implement more political reforms could lead to further unrest and instability. That was reflected on Friday when Fitch ratings agency said it had revised its ratings outlook for Egypt to negative. "A continuation or intensification of significant unrest that seriously threatened economic and financial performance and the economic reform process would lead to a rating downgrade," Fitch said. "By contrast, an effective government response that eased political tensions up to and beyond September's [presidential] elections and allowed economic reforms to continue, would mean the rating outlook would return to stable." The Cairo bourse was closed for the weekend, after having plunged 10 percent this week. Mubarak, aged 82 and said to be in poor health, has not been seen publicly since the unrest erupted. However, The infamous However... the culture ministry has said he is to make an appearance on Saturday at the opening of the annual Cairo book fair. Demonstrations spread around the capital of Cairo, where police appeared overwhelmed as protesters broke through several police barriers. Protesters were seen being dragged away and pushed into police vans, as others defied the heavy police presence and made their way to the central Tahrir Square. Leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei, who has said he would be prepared to lead a transitional authority if he were asked, was among a crowd of around 2,000 targeted by police and was forced to take refuge inside a mosque in Giza Square and not allowed to leave. ElBaradei is a board member of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, which issued a statement of condemnation. "His detention has no credible basis. It also will not serve Egypt's interests at this critical juncture," Crisis Group President Louise Arbour said. "In a situation as tense as this, repression and abuse can only further inflame the situation. Rather than resort to repression, the authorities should heed demands of the population for dramatic political, social and economic transformation." In Alexandria, protesters threw stones at police after prayers with cries of "God is greatest" followed by "We don't want him," referring to Mubarak. The crowd attacked police vans, torching one, after a civilian had most of his hand blown away, allegedly by police. Protesters also set fire to the governorate building in the city center. In the Delta city of Mansura, hundreds chanted "Down with Mubarak" as they emerged from prayers, heavily outnumbered by security forces. Some imams had encouraged worshipers to "go out and seek change," an AFP correspondent reported. In another Delta city, Damietta, tens of thousands protested and set fire to the NDP headquarters, witnesses said. Egypt's largest opposition group, the banned Mohammedan Brotherhood, has also joined the uprising, and at least 20 of its members were jugged overnight, a lawyer for the group said.

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International-UN-NGOs

South African lawyer nominated as UN rights chief

2008-07-25

One of South Africa's leading female jurists who won acclaim defending apartheid opponents was nominated Thursday to serve as the next United Nations high commissioner for human rights. Navanethem Pillay was formally put forward for the job by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who cited her "outstanding credentials in human rights and justice." Pillay, who holds a Harvard Law School degree, serves as an appeals chamber judge with the Dutch-based International Criminal Court, where she has been since 2003. Pillay, who is in her mid-60s, is of Tamil descent. Her selection now goes to the General Assembly for consideration where she is likely to be approved at a plenary meeting next Monday, U.N. officials and diplomats said. The world body previously elected Pillay as a judge to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1995. She became that court's president in 1999. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador, said Pillay will occupy a very important position. "She has to be the voice for human rights, focus on the violations of human rights, speak clearly and focus world attention on the egregious violations of human rights that unfortunately still take place in many places around the world," he said. "We look forward to working with her." In 1967, Pillay became the first woman to establish a law practice in South Africa's Natal Province, where she defended apartheid opponents. She also became the first woman of color to serve on her country's High Court, whose divisions hear both civil and criminal cases. She also co-founded Equality Now, a New York-based international women's rights organization. During the selection process some nations, including the United States, had expressed reservations about Pillay, including her support for women's access to abortion, contraception and other reproductive freedoms, and how she might handle next year's follow up to the 2001 U.N. World Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, which drew controversy due to anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stands. If confirmed to the job, Pillay will take over the fast-growing U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, based in Geneva, Switzerland. During the coming year, the office will have almost 1,000 employees and budget approaching $120 million. She would succeed Louise Arbour, a former Supreme Court judge in Canada, who stepped down at the end of June. Pillay won out over two other finalists for the job, Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist Hila Jilani and Argentine human rights lawyer Juan Mendez.

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Africa Subsaharan

Angola: Lack of Cooperation Prompts UN to Close Human Rights Office

2008-04-19

The United Nations announced today that it will close its human rights office in Angola, after authorities in the southern African nation decided not to sign an agreement that would have formally established the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country. OHCHR, which has had a presence in Angola since 2003, has been asked by the Government to cease its activities in the country by 31 May, according to a news release issued by the Geneva-based Office. This came "after the authorities decided not to proceed any further with negotiations on establishing a formal Memorandum of Understanding similar to those under which OHCHR usually operates in other countries." UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said she "respected but regretted" the Government's decision. "We look forward to examining any fresh initiatives the Government may suggest in line with its voluntary pledge to the Human Rights Council to increase its cooperation with my Office," Ms. Arbour said. This is all it takes to evict the UNHCHR? Wonder if Israel could try the same thing.

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Europe

Louise Arbour condemns the film "Fitna"

2008-03-29

(KUNA) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Friday that she joins in the condemnation, as expressed by the Secretary-General and the three UN Special Rapporteurs, of the tone and content of the film 'Fitna' by Dutch Geert Wilders. Who asked her? Arbour urged all those who understandably feel profoundly offended by its provocative message to restrict themselves to denouncing its hateful content by peaceful means. "There is a protective legal framework, and the resolution of the controversy that this film will generate should take place within it," she added. She also urged lawmakers everywhere to discharge their responsibility under Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "They should offer strong protective measures to all forms of freedom of expression, while at the same time enacting appropriate restrictions, as necessary, to protect the rights of others," Arbour said. What does all that mean? She noted that equally, they should prohibit any advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. Oh. That's what all that means.

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International-UN-NGOs

Arbour stepping down as UN Human Rights chief

2008-03-07

The United Nations' top human rights official, who has criticized many countries and been attacked by them in response, said Friday that she is quitting after only one term. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour announced that she has told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that she will be unavailable for a second term in the job, which is a magnet for criticism from a broad range of countries. She acknowledged that she found much of the criticism had been hurtful, but she said, "I am not quitting because of this pressure. On the contrary, I have to resist the temptation to stay to confront it, she said. Ms. Arbour has been critical of many governments, ranging from Zimbabwe to China. Her criticism of the American-led "war on terror" drew an angry response from the United States in 2005. She criticized China's use of the death penalty and said the U.S. war on terror was eroding the worldwide ban on torture, noting reports of secret U.S. detention centres. John Bolton, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN at the time, said it was "inappropriate and illegitimate for an international civil servant to second-guess the conduct that we're engaged in the war on terror, with nothing more as evidence than what she reads in the newspapers." At the end of a 2006 trip to Russia that included a visit to Chechnya said expressed serious concern about reports that Chechen security forces use torture. "I have no doubt that these phenomena are more than mere allegations, and have a considerable basis in reality," Ms. Arbour said. Israeli ambassador Itzhak Levanon last year rejected Ms. Arbour's criticism of Israeli military action against Palestinians. "The misguided and deeply disturbing statement by the high commissioner blatantly disregards events on the ground," Mr. Levanon said. A recent mistake by her office inflamed anger among pro-Israel groups. While the office later clarified that Ms. Arbour did not endorse a provision in an Arab human rights charter equating Zionism with racism, her original support for the document led to a fury of reaction among pro-Israel websites, with some blog entries calling for her death. Zimbabwe Justice Minister Patrick Anthony Chinamasa told the council on Monday that his country "joins others in voicing its discontent with the office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights for repeated dereliction of duty." Last year Ms. Arbour denounced as "shocking" police violence against opposition party members in Zimbabwe. Ms. Arbour, however, has been well-regarded by human rights organizations. "The criticism she receives is a tribute to the good work that she's been doing," said Amnesty International spokesman Peter Splinter. "The criticism she receives is directly proportional to the work she does." Mr. Splinter said Amnesty regretted that she is leaving. "She's done a very good job. She's brought direction to the office. She's brought resources. She's been outspoken. She's been unflinching in challenging human rights violations in big and powerful countries as well as in countries not so big and not so powerful. It's going to be a real challenge for the secretary-general to replace her." The previous article is very much in the MSM tradition of the "she annoys everyone, so she's doing her job well" spin. However, on the Heritage Foundation website, I found some things the AP neglected to mention: During her tenure as High Commissioner, Arbour oversaw a number of positive actions, such as criticizing the government of Zimbabwe for attacking and oppressing its political opposition. However, Arbour has also demonstrated a troubling willingness to provide cover for authoritarian regimes. The following examples are from the past year alone: During a February 2008 trip to Cuba, Arbour praised the Communist nation for taking "significant" actions in the field of human rights and demonstrating "unprecedented positive engagement with the UN human rights system." She cited the visit to Cuba by the U.N.'s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Jean Ziegler, and the country's announcement that it intends to sign international agreements on civil and political rights and on economic, social, and cultural rights. As the human rights group UN Watch pointed out, Arbour should not have praised Cuba but instead should have criticized the government's widespread oppression of its citizens and rejection of human rights standards. Arbour traveled to Iran in September 2007 to attend a human rights conference sponsored by the Non-Aligned Movement. As reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency, Arbour "expressed pleasure with being at the NAM meeting and described Iran's representation office in the U.N. in Geneva as 'very good.'" Although the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights has not posted her remarks, she apparently failed to mention Iran's extensive human rights abuses and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's infamous statements that Israel "must be wiped off the map" and that "Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan." Arbour has also displayed a troubling lack of clear thinking on the primacy of rights, including on the following occasions: In early 2008, Arbour praised the Arab Charter on Human Rights as "an important step forward" to help "strengthen the enjoyment of human rights" and welcomed its entry into force despite the fact that the Charter explicitly calls for the elimination of "Zionism." This phrasing is commonly known among Islamic nations to mean the elimination of Israel. Only after being challenged did Arbour retreat and clarify that she did not endorse that part of the Charter. In January 2008, Arbour encouraged the U.N. to push for "economic and social rights, including the human rights responsibilities of companies, to be given greater attention in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Arbour criticized Western countries' "overemphasis" on political and civil liberties at the expense of economic and social rights. It is doubtful that the victims of political repression in Belarus, Cuba, China, Sudan, or Zimbabwe would agree. Arbour specifically faulted anti-terrorism laws for making human rights activists shift their attention from economic and social issues to the supposed erosion of civil liberties caused by anti-terrorism efforts. Arbour went further to dismiss economic freedom: "[The] assumption was that prosperity will look after the right to health and education, which I think is a completely misguided view of what human rights are about. There's no reason to assume that prosperity will transform itself naturally into any form of social justice." Arbour refused to stand up for free speech after cartoons published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten elicited riots and protests in Islamic countries. The newspaper requested the submissions after hearing that artists were refusing to illustrate works about Islam due to fear of retribution. Arbour wrote the Organization of the Islamic Conference emphasizing that she understood Muslims' concerns and deplored "any statement or act showing a lack of respect towards other people's religion," and charged U.N. experts in religious freedom and racism to investigate the matter. This gave justification to efforts by the OIC to constrain freedom of speech in the U.N. Human Rights Council.

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International-UN-NGOs

Ban Ki-moon criticises top UN rights body

2008-03-04

Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, on Monday criticised the organisation’s top human rights body for selective condemnation of abuses and warned it not to interfere with the work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR). In a speech to the opening of a four-week session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr Ban questioned whether the council was “fully meeting the high expectations” of the international community. These were “that this council will recognise and promote the universal application of human rights values – and that it will do so without favour, without selectivity, without being impacted by any political machinations around the world”. In its nearly two years of existence, the council has attracted many of the same criticisms as the discredited UN Human Rights Commission it replaced. In particular it has issued repeated condemnations of Israel while showing a strong reluctance to denounce rights abuses elsewhere. African and Muslim countries, which have a majority of seats on the 47-nation body, have consistently blocked criticism of the Sudanese government for human rights violations in Darfur and its failure to bring perpetrators to justice. African solidarity has also protected Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe from censure. Mr Ban’s remarks additionally appeared aimed at heading off a bid by the African group to rein in the office of the UNHCR, who is appointed by the UN secretary-general with an independent mandate to advance the cause of human rights globally. The office of Louise Arbour, the present high commissioner, has issued highly critical reports and statements on abuses around the world, including Darfur, Iraq and Uzbekistan. Mr Ban said the UNHCR had “all the authority of my office behind it” and told the council that it should proceed on a “collaborative path”, as envisaged by the UN General Assembly. Separately, Ms Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court judge and chief UN war crimes prosecutor, is expected to announce soon that she will not seek reappointment when her four-year term of office ends in June.

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International-UN-NGOs

UN official to probe Kenya violence

2008-02-06

The UN's top human rights official is heading to Kenya to assess allegations of grave human rights violations since the country's disputed presidential election, which sparked weeks of deadly violence. The three-week mission by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, will gather information from the government and the opposition, along with victims and witnesses. The findings will be made public. "Truth and accountability are of critical importance in putting an end to the violence and preventing future human rights violations," she said. The December 27 election, which foreign and local observers say was rigged, returned President Mwai Kibaki to power for a second five-year term after opposition leader Raila Odinga's lead evaporated overnight. The ensuing violence has killed more than 1,000 people and has devastated the country's economy. Violence continues in western Kenya, scene of some of the worst post-election clashes. Police said opened fire to disperse hundreds of residents who had barricaded the gates of the police station in Litein, 145 miles west of Nairobi. Two teachers were killed. In a forest nearby, officers retrieved 18 bodies with gunshot and machete wounds. They had been killed in four days of clashes between rival gangs which police stopped by throwing grenades. Aside from clashes with police, much of the fighting has been between rival ethnic groups, with much of the anger aimed at President Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, long resented for dominating politics and the economy. Mr Odinga is demanding a new election, but President Kibaki has refused, arguing his re-election was fair. Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement threatened to organise more mass rallies and stop a gathering of African foreign ministers in Nairobi because they were not consulted about the meeting.

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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka rejects UN human rights monitoring call

2007-10-14

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka on Saturday rejected demands for international monitoring of human rights by a top UN envoy who warned of a “disturbing” lack of investigation into reports of killings and abductions. Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, that Sri Lanka would not agree to her call for UN monitoring of human rights in the country. “We are not willing to discuss a UN presence in Sri Lanka for monitoring purposes nor are we willing to allow an office of the High Commissioner (here),” Samarasinghe told reporters at the end of Arbour’s four-day visit. Apparently the Lankans have figured out that UN 'human rights' aren't for all humans, just the favored ones. And the Lankans aren't too favored since the Tamil Tigers are trés chic. Arbour and Samarasinghe addressed a news conference together, but both made it clear they disagreed on how to tackle the human rights situation in the embattled country, where more than 60,000 people have been killed since 1972. Arbour said authorities had dismissed allegations of human rights violations as propaganda by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, but she believed there were “credible allegations that deserved to be investigated.” “There is a disturbing lack of investigation that undermines the confidence in the institutions set up to protect human rights,” Arbour said, adding Sri Lanka’s culture of “impunity” was a serious concern and calling for thorough investigations and monitoring. “In the context of the armed conflict and of the emergency measures taken against terrorism, the weakness of the rule of law and prevalence of impunity is alarming,” she said. I think the major mistake the Lankans made here was allowing Louise into their country. Bet they don't make that mistake again. “There is a large number of reported killings, abductions and disappearances which remain unresolved... While the government pointed to several initiatives it has taken to address these issues, there has yet to be an adequate and credible public accounting for the vast majority of these incidents.” It's a civil war, Louise. Nasty things are done by both sides in civil wars. They aren't pretty at all, and the quickest way to stop the human rights violations is for one side to war the war completely and utterly. Arbour was not allowed by the government to travel to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi for talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). “I regret I did not have the opportunity to visit Kilinochchi,” she said. “I would have liked to convey directly to the LTTE my deep concern about their violations of human rights and humanitarian law including the recruitment of children, forced recruitment and abduction of adults and political killings.” Oh sure you would have, just as well as the mealy-mouthed Carla del Ponte no doubt. Human rights activists accused the government of ”stage-managing” Arbour’s visit, but Samarasinghe said they did not want her to travel to the Tigers’ political capital out of concern for her own safety. However, she travelled to the former rebel stronghold of Jaffna in the north of the island and met families of people who had been killed or disappeared allegedly at the hands of government forces.

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Southeast Asia

UN rights council hears calls for condemnation of Myanmar junta

2007-10-02

Yeah! You're in big trouble now, junta boys! GENEVA (AFP) - Top human rights officials on Tuesday attacked Myanmar's crackdown on peaceful protests at a special UN rights council session on the unrest. Attacked. Made faces. Stamped their feet. Wagged their finger. Made a lotta speeches. It's all relative, I guess... The European Union has tabled a resolution urging the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to "condemn the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Myanmar." It also calls for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Yeah, we're not gonna get anything from them anyways so throw that in there so we can feel so much better about ourselves at dinner tonight... However China and non-aligned members of the council could oppose the resolution, stressing the need for dialogue with Myanmar's military rulers. Ah, yes, round eye. Diarouge! It will solve everything! Give the guys a chance, why doncha... UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour said that Myanmar's leaders should not be allowed to escape international scrutiny. "The shocking response ... is only the most recent manifestation of the repression of fundamental rights and freedoms that has taken place for nearly 20 years in Myanmar," she said. Well, geez, Louise. But that was easy. She just dusted off her Joo speech and changed "Israel" to "Myanmar"... "The Myanmar authorities should no longer expect that the self-imposed isolation will shield them from accountability. As the protestors become invisible, our concern only increases," Arbour said. "Invisible". A much more palatable word then "dead" or "murdered" or "executed"... Protests erupted in mid-August after a massive hike in the price of fuel, but escalated two weeks ago when Buddhist monks emerged to lead the movement and drew up to 100,000 people onto the streets. The protests have abated in recent days following last week's bloody clashes, but UN and regime officials told AFP on Tuesday that over 1,000 people remain detained at a campus in the main city of Yangon. Speaking at the session in Geneva, Myanmar's ambassador U Nyunt Swe said the protests had sought to overthrow the regime and had been stoked by outside interests, but that the government had managed to restore calm. "The government has firm evidence that these protests were being helped both financially and materially by internal and external anti-government elements," he said. "As all are aware, things have calmed down. We are able to bring normalisation to the situation," he added. Everything's fine now. Please go away. Oh, look, Louise! An Israeli sneezed near a Palestinian! Where! WHERE! Amnesty International welcomed the council's session but insisted the members must hold their nerve and strongly condemn the crackdown. "We're concerned by certain governments, the Russians and others, (seeking) to water down the resolution," Judit Arenas, an official with the rights group told AFP. "Now is not the time for consensus building," she added. We call for "in no uncertain terms" to be inserted into the statement, and we want it inserted RIGHT NOW! Russia's ambassador to the council did strike a more moderate tone, saying that Myanmar's problems should be solved by peaceful dialogue and democratic changes without any pressure from outside. Sure. Just like the last twenty or thirty years... The humanitarian situation is far from catastrophic in the country, he added. Yeah. Just think of all those new monk jobs that suddenly opened up. The UN's special rapporteur to Myanmar meanwhile condemned the crackdown on demonstrators and the fate of those detained by the security forces. "We are deeply concerned by the fate of thousands of peaceful demonstrators who have been arrested," Paulo Sergio Pinheiro told the session. I believe this is the UN's special rapporteur to Myanmar who has never been to Myanmar. But seeing how effective they are, there's probably nothing wrong with that. Myanmar has been the focus of a flurry of diplomatic activity since a government crackdown on anti-regime protests turned bloody last week with at least 13 people reported killed. UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari met Myanmar's junta leader Than Shwe in the nation's capital Tuesday, as the military regime insisted it was not to blame for the crackdown. Oh. All righty then. So I guess it's back to New York for me... China, a key trading power and importer of gas from Myanmar, has refused to take sides in the unrest so far, and Premier Wen Jiabao called Saturday on "all parties" to exercise restraint and seek stability "through peaceful means". At least until this all dies down and everybody forgets about it...

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

UN should probe women’s rights in Iran: Ebadi

2007-08-28

TEHERAN - Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi said she had asked the United Nations to investigate the status of women in Iran and accused Iranian authorities of detaining activists demanding more women’s rights. Ebadi, speaking at a press conference on Monday marking the first anniversary of a campaign to gather 1 million signatures in favour of women’s rights in the Islamic state, said she had contacted top UN human rights official Louise Arbour. Yeah, sic Louise on it. Louise is always concerned about violations of human rights -- in the United States. I don't think Iran is on her map. She said about 50 activists had been detained over the last 14 months for involvement in women’s rights protests and some of them faced charges of acting against national security. She did not say how many -- if any -- were still being held. ‘Unfortunately, about 50 people involved in gatherings demanding equality ... had cases (against them) and were in prison for a while and some of them are waiting for their verdicts now,’ Ebadi said. Sucks to live in an Islamic dictatorship, huh. The Islamic Republic rejects allegations it discriminates against women, saying it follows sharia law. Like Ebadi was just saying ... Teheran usually laughs off reacts dismissively toward criticism from any foreign organisations, including the United Nations. ‘I have written a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and complained for the first time, and said this is the situation of women rights in Iran and these are our demands,’ Ebadi said. ‘Please send a special rapporteur to Iran to report on women, to investigate the conditions for women,’ she said, describing her message to Arbour. Send the special rapper, that'll do it.

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Africa Subsaharan

Violence against women "beyond rape" in Congo: U.N

2007-07-30

What's nice is to think that Europe is a beacon for africans emigrating from their sweet homeland, bringing their cultural habits along them, including violence toward wimmen (compounded by the perceived lack of virility of white men and the "white women are easy" sterotype); one famous example is the infamous "black demolition" gang (from the Congo area) in Brussel/Belgium, with its spree of recreational gangrapes. By Robert Evans GENEVA (Rooters) - Extreme sexual violence against women is pervasive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and local authorities do little to stop it or prosecute those responsible, a U.N. investigator said on Monday. Rape and brutality against women and girls are "rampant and committed by non-state armed groups, the Armed Forces of the DRC, the National Congolese Police, and increasingly also by civilians", said Turkish lawyer Yakin Erturk. "Violence against women seems to be perceived by large sectors of society to be normal," she added in a report after an 11-day trip to the strife-torn country. Erturk, special rapporteur for the United Nations Human Rights Council on violence against women, said the situation in South Kivu province, where rebels from neighboring Rwanda operate, was the worst she had ever encountered. The atrocities perpetrated there by armed groups, some of whom seemed to have been involved in the 1994 Rwandan massacres in which 800,000 people were killed, "are of an unimaginable brutality that goes far beyond rape", she said. "Women are gang raped, often in front of their families and communities. In numerous cases, male relatives are forced at gun point to rape their own daughters, mothers or sisters," she said. After rape, many women were shot or stabbed in the genital area, and survivors told Erturk that while held as slaves by the gangs they had been forced to eat excrement or the flesh of their murdered relatives. Widespread sexual abuse in the various conflicts racking the republic -- which last year held elections hailed as marking a new era -- "seems to have become a generalized aspect of the overall oppression of women", Erturk said. Her report followed charges from U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour last week that soldiers and police used excessive force, including summary executions, in quelling opposition protesters in the west of the DRC earlier this year. In the central Equateur province, the police and army often responded to civil unrest "with organized armed reprisals that target the civilian population and involve indiscriminate pillage, torture and mass rape", the report found. Although the DRC parliament outlawed sexual violence in July 2006, "little action is taken by the authorities to implement the law and perpetrators continue to enjoy immunity, especially if they wear the state's uniform," Erturk said. Erturk said Congo's justice system was corrupt and in "a deplorable state", while conditions in prisons were "scandalous". Senior army and police officers shielded their men from prosecution, and when some were arrested they escaped easily, probably "with the complicity of those in charge". In a few cases courts had ordered the state and individuals to compensate victims. But "to this day the government has not paid reparations to a single victim who has suffered sexual violence at the hand of state agents", said Erturk.

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