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☆ U.K. Backsliding on Civil and Political Protections, U.N. Rights Body Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Nick Cumming-Bruce | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An influential United Nations human rights body delivered a scathing assessment Thursday on the protection of civil rights in Britain, accusing the Conservative government of backsliding and urging the country to abandon its controversial legislation to allow asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda. The criticisms from the U.N. Human Rights Committee came as it presented its conclusions from two days of meetings in Geneva this month with a delegation of 24 British officials to review the country’s compliance with an international treaty for the protection of civil and political rights. “We are witnessing a really regressive trend and trajectory” in Britain, Hélène Tigroudja, a committee member, said at a news conference in Geneva. She said that the trend was occurring “in many, many sectors when dealing with civil and political rights, and I hope our message will be heard by the U.K.”The 18-person U.N. committee addressed wide-ranging concerns over the two days. Britain is one of more than 170 countries that ratified the treaty — the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights — and member states go through periods of review.

Persons: Hélène Organizations: United, Conservative, backsliding, Human Rights, U.K, Civil Locations: United Nations, Britain, Rwanda, Geneva

☆ Mohammad Ghobadlou: Iran executes protester with mental health condition, judiciary says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Iranian protester with a mental health condition has been executed over the death of a local official during mass demonstrations that rocked the country in 2022, the Iranian judiciary’s news agency reported on Tuesday. International law and standards prohibit using the death penalty against people with mental disabilities, according to the rights group. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of Norway-based Iranian human rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR), called Ghobadlou’s execution an “extrajudicial killing.”On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote that “the Islamic Republic’s leader Ali Khamenei and his Judiciary must be held accountable for this crime. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) placed the number of dead at more than 500, including 70 children. Thousands were arrested across the country, the UN said in a report last year, citing research from its Human Rights Committee.

Persons: “, Mohammad Ghobadlou, Farid Karampour Hassanvand, Ghobadlou, Robat, Abolqasem Salavati –, ”, Mizan, ” Ghobadlou, Mahmood Amiry, Ali Khamenei, Mahsa Amini Organizations: CNN, Amnesty, Revolutionary, Supreme, Iran Human, United Nations, Rights, News Agency, UN, Human Rights Locations: Robat Karim, Tehran province, United States, Norway, Iran

☆ As Turkey intensifies war on Kurdish militants, Iraqi civilians suffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Lena Masri | Amina Ismail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Seventeen-year-old Samir Saado was finishing his cleaning shift at the village medical centre when an airstrike hit the building. Four members of the PKK-allied Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), who were guards at the clinic, were killed, local officials said. All five said the medical centre was hit by at least three strikes about three minutes apart. Reuters showed Zwijnenburg the footage of the red crescent symbol on the wall of the medical centre. Across northern Iraq, local people say they are powerless to prevent armed groups setting up in their villages and districts.

Persons: Samir Saado, ” “, “, ACLED, Tayyip Erdogan, Iraq’s, Mustafa al, ”, Tatyana Eatwell, Jonathan Lord, ” Lord, Saeed Hasan, Isa Khoudeda, Turkey’s, wailed, Wim Zwijnenburg, Zwijnenburg, Saado, Yazidis, Saado’s, ” Saado, Schlier Namiq, Tuta Qal, Aram Kakakhan, Kakakhan, Ismail Ibrahim, Namiq, Saddam Hussein, Namiq’s, Ryam Ziad, Ziad Khedr, Hassan Kashmoula, Ryam, Mustafa Anwar, Khedr’s, ‘ neutralised, Nidal Mahmoud, Khedr's, ” Mahmoud Organizations: Turkish, Turkish Defence Ministry, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Turkey’s Defence Ministry, Reuters, Anadolu, Human Rights, Defence Ministry, Unit, Justice, United Nations Human, NATO, Pentagon, ISIS, ., Coalition, United Nations, Mission, Middle East Security, Center, New, New American Security, Military, Islamic State, Tuta, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government, SDF, ” Reuters, International Crisis Group, Crisis, “ Locations: Iraq’s, Sinjar, Turkish, Saado, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Ankara, Northern Iraq, United States, PKK, U.S, Islamic State, Skeiniya, Germany, Turkish Government, Washington, New American, ”, Iran, Istanbul, Gaziantep province, Sabah, Europe, Greece, Iraq’s Sulaimaniya, Kurdish, Tuta, Ibrahim, Chamchamal, Chicago, Mosul, Iranian, Khedr

CNN —Activists on Wednesday accused Iran’s morality police of assaulting a teenage girl for not wearing a headscarf in a Tehran metro station, leading to her hospitalization with serious injuries. But Iranian authorities and the teenager’s parents said she was hospitalized due to low blood pressure. The CEO of the Tehran metro however told state media that there was no physical or verbal interaction between Geravand and members of his staff. There was nothing recorded on the videos,” Tehran metro managing director Masoud Dorosti, told state media. In a video posted on state-affiliated Fars News Agency’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, a group of girls are seen entering the metro train.

Persons: Iran’s, Geravand, “, ” “, Armita, ” Hengaw, Awyer Shekhi, Shekhi, Hengaw, Masoud Dorosti, ”, Shahin Ahmadi, …, Ahmad Garavand, Amini, Maryam Lotfi Organizations: CNN, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Fars News, Twitter, Fars News Agency, Fajr Air Force Hospital, UN, Rights, News Agency, Human Rights Locations: Tehran, Norway, Fars, Iran, Iranian

CNN —Iranian authorities detained the father of Mahsa Amini on the one-year anniversary of her death Saturday, Iranian journalists and rights groups have said. Iranian journalist and founder of activist outlet “IranWire” Maziar Bahari told CNN that Amini’s father, Amjad, has been regularly summoned by security officers in the months following his daughter’s death. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in January placed the number at more than 500, including 70 children. Thousands more were arrested during the months of nationwide protest, the UN said in a report in June, citing research released last year by their Human Rights Committee. Iran executed seven protesters for their involvement in the unrest, according to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Persons: Mahsa, Amini, Maziar Bahari, Amjad, ” Bahari, Amini’s, IranWire, Bahari, Safa, Hengaw Organizations: CNN, Helicopters, Human, News Agency, UN, Rights, Human Rights Committee, UN’s, Human Rights Locations: Iran, Iranian, Kurdish, Saqqez

☆ One year since Mahsa Amini’s death, a protester shot in the eye during Iran’s crackdown continues her struggle from exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Adam Pourahmadi Sarah El Sirgany Jomana Karadsheh | Adam Pourahmadi | Sarah El Sirgany | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Milan, Italy CNN —Elahe Tavakolian’s shooter was so close, she could see him pointing his gun at her. Flares of dissent were slowly lighting up cities and small towns like Esfarayen in the northeast of the country, where Tavakolian was shot. Help!’” she tells CNN in an interview in Milan, Italy, where she has sought asylum. Tavakolian felt like her fight wasn’t over. Now fitted with a prosthetic eye in Italy, Tavakolian is coming to terms with her new reality.

Persons: Italy CNN — Elahe, ”, “, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tavakolian, ” Tavakolian, can’t, ‘, didn’t, ’, I’m, Mahsa, IranWire, ophthalmologists, Mark Esplin, Roberta Rei, she’s Organizations: Italy CNN, Iran’s, CNN, Taxi, Amnesty, UN, Rights, News Agency, Human Rights, San Locations: Milan, Italy, Iran

Paris CNN —France’s highest court on Thursday upheld the government’s ban on students in public schools from wearing the abaya, a long, robe-like garment often worn by Muslim women, in a decision that rights groups warn will lead to more discrimination. The ban has its legal foundation in a law passed in 2004 forbidding the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols in French schools. Action Droits Des Musulmans (ADM), the Muslim rights group that filed the appeal, argued that the ban infringes on “fundamental rights,” such as the right to personal freedom. Macron said the ban was not “stigmatizing” anyone, but “people who push the abaya” are. Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions.

Persons: Musulmans, Vincent Brengarth, “, Gabriel Attal, ”, ” Attal, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, – Organizations: Paris CNN — France’s, ADM, Twitter, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Republic, France

CNN —French authorities will be “uncompromising” in their enforcement of a new ban on abayas in schools, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday, following the decision to ban the robe-like garment in the upcoming academic year. He reiterated that “religious symbols of any kind have no place” in French schools under the country’s principle of “laïcité,” which translates roughly to “secularism” in English. Because this is the very condition that makes citizenship possible and therefore religious symbols of any kind have no place in them. And we will vigorously defend this secularism,” Macron remarked. Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Danièle Obono, Macron, ” Macron, “, ”, – Organizations: CNN, “, United Nations Human Rights Locations: Vaucluse, France

CNN —France will ban schoolchildren from wearing abayas ahead of the upcoming academic year, the government has said, the latest in a series of contentious restrictions in the country on clothing associated with Muslims. French Education Minister Gabriel Attal said the long, robe-like garments often worn by Muslim women wouldn’t be permitted in the nation’s schools from the new term, which starts in September. Last year lawmakers backed a ban on wearing the hijab and other “conspicuous religious symbols” in sports competitions. France’s earlier ban on the niqab – full-face veils worn by some Muslim women – violated the human rights of those who wore it, the United Nations Human Rights Committee said in 2018. Muslim women are pictured in a shopping mall in Nanterre, France, in July.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, wouldn’t, ”, ” Attal, Danièle, Jean, Luc Mélenchon, ” Mélenchon, –, Romuald Meigneux, Sarah Alouane, Attal Organizations: CNN, French, “, TF1, United Nations Human Rights, & State Locations: France, Republic, Nanterre

☆ Iran rounds up activists and relatives of killed protesters ahead of Mahsa Amini anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is moving to head off a possible repeat of unrest ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting women’s rights activists and family members of people killed during last year’s nationwide protests, local and international human rights groups said Wednesday. More than 300 people were killed in the protests, including more than 40 children, the UN said in November last year. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in January placed the number at more than 500, including 70 children. Iran executed seven protesters for their involvement in the unrest, according to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Meanwhile, Bidarzani, an independent women’s rights group, alleges in social media posts that 11 women’s rights activists and one man were arrested in Gilan province over the last week.

Persons: Mahsa Amini, ”, Shermin Habibi, Fereydoon, Mahsa, Tara Sepehri Far Organizations: CNN, UN, Rights, News Agency, Human Rights Committee, UN’s, Human Rights, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amnesty, Prosecutors Locations: Iran, HRANA, Gilan province, Tehran, Gilan

☆ Israeli construction in West Bank no bar to peace, Netanyahu says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank were not an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians in an interview published Friday, testing ties between Washington and its main Middle East ally. The expansion of settlements in the West Bank has been among the most contentious issues between Israel, the Palestinians and the international community for decades. I think that's the obstacle to peace," said Netanyahu. The West Bank is among territories Israel occupied in a 1967 Middle East war where Palestinians exercise limited self-governance under decades of Israeli military rule. According to a report by the U.N. Human Rights Committee, just under 700,000 settlers live in 279 settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, up from 520,000 in 2012.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Biden, Israel, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, Mahmoud Abbas, Henriette Chacar, Ali Sawafta, Nick Macfie Organizations: West Bank, Sky News, The West Bank, Human Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington, Israel, United States, East Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Tehran

☆ Israel publishes tenders for new West Bank settlement units
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, May 7 (Reuters) - Israel has published tenders for more than 1,000 new housing units in settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite a commitment it made in U.S.-backed talks in February that discussion of new settlement units would be halted for the next four months. Since the meeting in Jordan, attended by U.S., Egyptian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli officials, the Israel Land Authority has published on its website separate tenders for 1,248 new housing units in West Bank settlements. The settlements include Beitar Illit, Efrat, Kiryat Arba, Ma'ale Efraim and Karnei Shomron in addition to 89 units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo. The expansion of settlements in the West Bank has been among the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians and the international community for decades. Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political ties to the West Bank, as well as security interests.

☆ Lawyers exit Hong Kong as they face campaign of intimidation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

The event that precipitated his hasty departure, Vidler said, was the appearance of articles in the state-backed media in Hong Kong about him. “This was in my view state-sponsored intimidation and harassment,” said Vidler, whose wife and children later left Hong Kong. One Hong Kong solicitor who has relocated to England told Reuters that she knew of at least 80 Hong Kong lawyers who had moved to Britain since the security law was imposed in June 2020. Another lawyer, now living in Australia, estimated that several dozen Hong Kong lawyers had moved there. Mainland officials have long sought influence over these two influential bodies, according to senior Hong Kong lawyers.

☆ South Korea debates scrapping Cold War-era ban on North's propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Debate is brewing in South Korea over efforts to scrap a decades-old ban on North Korean media, as changing attitudes fuel renewed calls to review a national security law dating from the Cold War. South Korea's National Security Act blocks access to the North's government websites and media, barring efforts at "praising, inciting or propagating" its activities. In a statement to the court before the hearing, the national rights watchdog had called the clauses vague, disproportionate and damaging to fundamental rights. North Korean films, songs and other content are already widely available on YouTube and elsewhere, they added. "The North will likely produce television shows and publications specifically designed to sow more division in the South," said defector Kim Tae-san, a former North Korean ambassador to the Czech Republic.

☆ Miami Beach adopts ordinance banning hairstyle discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Florida's Miami Beach adopted an ordinance Wednesday banning race-based hair discrimination in housing, employment and access to public services and facilities. The Miami Beach City Commission voted unanimously to prohibit discriminatory practices "based on the texture or style of a person's hair," the city said in a news release Wednesday. “It’s unacceptable in 2022 that Black Americans and other minorities still face discrimination based on something so trivial as whether or not they have textured or curly hair,” Miami Beach Vice Mayor Alex Fernandez said in a statement. “This serves to protect cultural identity and not have to worry about sacrificing who you are in Miami Beach.”The city's human rights ordinance had already prohibited discrimination based on a number of characteristics, including weight and height. Miami Beach City did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment.

☆ As with Ukraine, a coalition should pressure Myanmar's junta, U.N. expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Russian weapons being used in Ukraine are also killing people in Myanmar, an independent U.N. expert said on Wednesday, urging countries to form a coalition - just as they have on Moscow over Ukraine - to target and pressure Myanmar's military junta. "The international community should be coordinating their efforts to target them, and then work together to implement these measures," Andrews told reporters in New York. And they come from the very same source - they come from Russia," Andrews said. You have been appointed the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, so deal with Myanmar instead of Ukraine," Kuzmin told the committee. "I'd frankly be surprised if they're alive right now," Andrews told reporters.

☆ Superyacht struggle: Is Hong Kong now safe harbor for sanctioned Russians?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Marie Brockling | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A superyacht linked to a Russian oligarch has produced the latest ripple of tensions between the United States and China after it moored in Hong Kong’s harbor. Hong Kong said Tuesday it would not seize the superyacht, defying Washington and raising fears that the global financial hub could become a haven for individuals sanctioned over the war in Ukraine. “Secondary sanction is more a practical matter rather than a legal or moral matter as Hong Kong banks handling Russian transactions could be sanctioned,” Sun added. The Hong Kong Marine Department did not respond to a request for comment on the number of Russian yachts in its harbors. “We will have to see how much money eventually flocks to Hong Kong and how they are being handled in order to assess the impact on U.S.-China relations,” Sun said.

Over 2,500 people lined up to offer condolences to Queen Elizabeth II outside the British consulate in Hong Kong on September 12, 2022. It originally defined sedition as speech that brought “hatred or contempt” against the Queen, her heirs, or the Hong Kong government. The colonial flag of Hong Kong and images of Queen Elizabeth are placed outside the British Consulate in Hong Kong on September 12. “I feel angry that the Hong Kong government is not showing any respect properly (to the Queen). Since the introduction of the national security law, Britain has created what it calls a path to citizenship via a new type of visa.

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