The Human Rights Blog

Human rights protests, people evicted for venues

Italian athletes will be able to campaign for human rights in the run-up to August�s Beijing Games, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said yesterday. The British Olympic Association had wanted its athletes to sign a contract forbidding them from commenting on �any politically sensitive issues� during the Games but were forced... .

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Human Rights Torch Arrives in Durban

DURBAN, South Africa�The Human Rights Torch Relay visited Durban, South Africa on Feb. 16, with a music concert capping off the ceremony in Durban City Hall Square. Durban City councilor Mr. Jayraj Bachu was the invited host for the event and delivered a supporting speech at the Relay ceremony, whose theme since the relay began in Athens, Greece, in August 2007 has been: "The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China." Councilor Fawzia Peer, Chief Whip of the Ethekwini (Durban) Municipality, wrote a supporting letter for the Torch Relay which was read by Councilor Jayraj Bachu. In the letter, Mr. Peer said: "Human rights, political persecution and oppression are nothing new to us. This very square where you have assembled was the red square where anti-apartheid freedom campaigners often gathered in large numbers to voice their opposition to colonialism and apartheid.

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Europe: 'Human rights and IT not mutually exclusive'

The Council of Europe has formally adopted a political statement on human rights in the IT-dominated society. The eight-page document sets out how the longstanding European Convention on Human Rights has been affected by the spread of communication technologies and the dominance of the internet. It also explains the duties incumbent on governments to spread technology usage without infringing on civil liberties. Among the topics the declaration discusses are how the internet can be used as a medium for human trafficking and the necessity of protecting intellectual property online. In addition the document attempts to guide European governments and businesses through how to deal with technologies that both enhance and jeopardise human rights. "ICTs facilitate access to legal material and knowledge� [and] facilitates better public scrutiny of court proceeding," the statement says.

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July 2006

Local ideas, opinions, humor, politics, musings & a few old salts thrown in for good measure. Thick, tasty and often pungent! You can visit all the Cape Bloggers below, browse blog archives, & even search our blogs. If you're interested in setting up a blog, it's free and easy. Just email us & we'll get you started. .

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Why I'm withdrawing my human rights complaint against Ezra Levant

Recognize my name? Lately, Ezra Levant of the now-defunct Western Standard has been doing his best to demonize me in interviews and blogs. Mr. Levant probably had never heard of me until I filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission against his decision to reprint the Danish cartoons that sparked a wave of violent and destructive protests across Europe and the Muslim world in 2005. The reprinting of the cartoons wasn't about free speech. The originals are readily available on the Internet for any who wish to see them. The reprinting seem aimed more at forcing people who are deeply unhappy about the cartoons, and who would not seek them out, to be faced with them again. This is hurtful to many in the Muslim community, and can create ill-will between Muslims and non-Muslims.

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Why I'm withdrawing my human rights complaint against Ezra Levant

Recognize my name? Lately, Ezra Levant of the now-defunct Western Standard has been doing his best to demonize me in interviews and blogs. Mr. Levant probably had never heard of me until I filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission against his decision to reprint the Danish cartoons that sparked a wave of violent and destructive protests across Europe and the Muslim world in 2005. The reprinting of the cartoons wasn't about free speech. The originals are readily available on the Internet for any who wish to see them. The reprinting seem aimed more at forcing people who are deeply unhappy about the cartoons, and who would not seek them out, to be faced with them again. This is hurtful to many in the Muslim community, and can create ill-will between Muslims and non-Muslims.

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Human Rights Watch critica acción de Comisión Nacional de DDHH de ...

La organizaci�n internacional Human Rights Watch present� este mi�rcoles una informe sobre la Comisi�n Nacional de los DD.HH de M�xico. Asegur� que no promueve recursos eficaces ni reformas necesarias para finalizar con pr�cticas abusivas. "Si bien su trabajo de documentaci�n de abusos y de identificaci�n de problemas es aceptable, no adopta medidas que son esenciales para generar cambios", expresa la organizaci�n en un informe titulado "La Comisi�n Nacional de los Derechos Humanos de M�xico: Una evaluaci�n cr�tica". Human Rights Watch (HRW) expres� que la Comisi�n Nacional de Derehos Humanos (CNDH) no impulsa a instituciones del Estado a exigir responsabilidades a personas que cometen violaciones a los derechos humanos ni promueve reformas legales necesarias para prevenir abusos. Entre otras cr�ticas, el organismo tambi�n remarc� que la CNDH "no objeta las leyes, pol�ticas y pr�cticas contrarias a est�ndares internacionales de derechos humanos".

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Australia: Apology essential first step in addressing legacy of ...

Amnesty International today welcomed the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the members of the 'Stolen Generation' of indigenous Australians and their families. Amnesty International Australia Campaign Coordinator Rodney Dillon said: 'We are greatly encouraged by the Australian government's decision to make a formal apology one of its first priorities. 'We hope this gesture will be a symbolic end to the tragic legacy of horrific treatment of Aboriginal children, and the first step towards addressing the serious human rights violations indigenous Australians face every day. 'An apology will help develop respect and establish meaningful relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and is essential to reconciliation.

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Lantos Was Voice For Human Rights

Americans are quick to notice abuses of human rights throughout the world and, when possible, to do something about them. That is our nature as a people. But this week, Americans — and the world — lost a powerful champion for human rights, in U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif. Lantos, 80, died Monday after a battle against cancer. For many years, Lantos was the only survivor of the Holocaust serving in Congress. Born in Hungary, he was a teenager during World War II. He also was Jewish. Lantos was among the few leaders of great stature in the United States who understood personally what it was to have a death sentence imposed simply because of one's faith. He escaped twice from Nazi forced labor camps, surviving the war only because he was one of thousands of Jews saved by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.

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Rights museum gets Ottawa's nod

Heritage Minister Jos�e Verner made it official today when she introduced legislation in the House of Commons to create the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The legislation amends the Museums Act to add the planned Winnipeg facility to the list of national museusm. It is the first new national museum in Canada in 40 years and will be the first ever to be built outside the Ottawa region. The $265 million museum will be built at The Forks. The museum is still $20 million short of the $105 million in private donations needed to get it built. Ottawa has pledged $100 million in capital, Manitoba will put forward $40 million and the city of Winnipeg is contributing $20 million. Ottawa will also spend about $22 million to operate the museum. [email protected] .

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