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☆ Sri Lankans yearn for answers on relatives who disappeared in civil war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Jeevan Ravindran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/7] A woman holds up a photo of her missing relative during a protest in Kilinochchi, Northern Province, Sri Lanka, August 12, 2022. Thousands of people, mostly Tamils, went missing duringthe civil war in what were known as "enforced disappearances". The instances of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka rank among the world's highest, with human rights group Amnesty International estimating them to number between 60,000 and 100,000 since the late 1980s. Sri Lanka says it remains committed to pursuing tangible progress on human rights through domestic institutions. Mahesh Katundala, chairman of the Office on Missing Persons, defended the institution against criticism that it was not doing enough.

☆ Syrian refugees return home as Lebanese repatriation scheme begins
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Syrian refugees sit with their belongings on a pick-up truck as they prepare to return to Syria from Wadi Hmayyed, on the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirARSAL, Lebanon Oct 26 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon returned home on Wednesday, the first day of repatriations organised by Beirut, amid concerns from rights groups that the scheme may involve elements of coercion. Lebanese authorities say the repatriations, under a revived programme run coordinated by the country's General Security agency, are voluntary. In 2018, the General Security agency launched a mechanism through which any Syrian refugee could signal a desire to return home, liaise with Syrian authorities to make sure that individual was not wanted there. That pathway saw around 400,000 Syrians return home but was put on hold with the outbreak of COVID-19.

CNN —Dozens of people have been killed in military airstrikes that hit a celebratory event in Myanmar’s mountainous Kachin state on Sunday, according to local news outlets and international organizations. Reuters and local news outlet The Irrawaddy reported at least 50 people were killed. CNN cannot independently verify the number of reported deaths and has reached out to the military for comment. Kachin Alliance, a Kachin community organization based in Washington, DC, said Kachin artists, local elders, and KIO leaders were among those killed. The attack on Sunday drew international condemnation, with the United Nations saying it was concerned over reports of more than 100 civilians impacted.

☆ A feared Iranian militia is leading the crackdown on protesters. Who are the Basij?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Dressed in black, the group of chanting schoolgirls in the Iranian city of Shiraz appeared determined to make themselves heard. Several videos posted to social media since her death have featured demonstrators shouting angry chants against the Basij. The Basij gave them access to higher education, subsidized consumer goods, free health care and job security, he added. Suppression methodsThere are three primary methods the Basij use to suppress anti-government protests, Golkar said. In 2009, rights groups including Amnesty International, said the group had used excessive force during peaceful anti-government protests triggered by a disputed presidential election.

☆ Iran's Guards warn cleric over 'agitating' in restive southeast
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Molavi Abdolhamid, Zahedan's leading Sunni cleric, said during his Friday sermon that officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, head of the Shi'ite-dominated state, were "responsible before God" for the Sept. 30 killings. State media said at the time of the Sept. 30 violence that "unidentified armed individuals" opened fire on a police station, prompting security forces to return fire. The Revolutionary Guards said five members of its forces and the volunteer Basij militia were killed during the Sept. 30 violence. Abdolhamid, the Sunni cleric, described the Sept. 30 killing as a massacre, saying bullets had been fired at heads and chests. The activist news agency HRANA reported on Friday that 244 protesters had been killed in the countrywide unrest, including 32 minors.

☆ Amnesty urges dropping of defamation charges against Bosnia environment activists
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Amnesty International has urged a Belgian-owned hydro-power company to drop defamation charges against young Bosnian activists who publicly criticised the environmental impact of their projects in Bosnia, saying they were baseless. Kovacevic and Tusevljak are part of a larger movement in Bosnia protesting against small hydro-power plants as authorities embrace the technology in an effort to replace aging coal-fired power stations. Activists were successful in getting legislation to ban the construction of small hydro-power plants through the country's Bosniak-Croat Federation parliament last July. The Serb Republic, the other Bosnian region where East Sarajevo is located, also passed legislation in February limiting the size of future small hydro-power plants. "People of Bosnia-Herzegovina have the right to oppose to small hydro-power plants but you cannot attack existing permits," Green Invest's Delacroix said.

☆ Iranian cleric calls for tough crackdown against protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Iran's judiciary should take tough measures against protesters and anyone who thinks the country's rulers will fall is dreaming, a senior cleric said on Friday. The nationwide protests have turned into one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution. Protesters have called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, although the protests do not seem close to toppling the system. Amnesty International has said security forces killed at least 66 people in a violent crackdown after Friday prayers in Zahedan on Sept. 30. Videos of protests have been delayed because of internet restrictions imposed in Iran by authorities, activists say.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Deadly Iran jail fire erupted as police clashed with inmates, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

A view of the aftermath of the fire in Evin prison in Tehran, Iran October 17, 2022. The patrols at the Tehran jail began without any apparent provocation by inmates, the sources said. The prisoner and other sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to concern for their safety. Ward 7 holds prisoners convicted of general crimes and political prisoners, and is in the same building housing ward 8. "Prisoners from ward 7 tried to break the door of ward 8 to let them out too.

☆ Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi returns home after competing without hijab
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Given Iranian female athletes always wear a hijab while competing abroad and Rekabi had previously done so herself, what appeared to be a daring political statement was widely noticed by Western media and Iranian observers. South Korea’s foreign ministry told NBC News that "it is understood that all members of the Iranian delegation including Elnaz Rekabi have already left (South) Korea" after attending the event. The International Federation of Sport Climbing said in a statement Tuesday that it has been in contact with Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation. What Elnaz did contributes to breaking off the fear, and the authorities can’t tolerate it. The demonstrations that followed have developed into the most serious challenge to Iran’s government in more than a decade.

☆ Senator blocks $75 million in U.S. military aid to Egypt over rights concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Egypt has missed out on an additional $75 million in American military aid after a senior Democratic U.S. senator blocked the funding over concerns about Cairo’s human rights record including holding political prisoners. We all have a responsibility to uphold the law and to defend the due process rights of the accused, whether here or in Egypt,” Leahy said. The United States allocates around $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt annually. Talks between his office and the State Department failed to resolve the issue, and the $75 million in funding expired on Sept. 30. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Factbox: Ethnic groups swept up in Iran's nationwide protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Critics say these accusations aim to present the protests as ethnic unrest rather than a country-wide uprising, and to justify a crackdown. Rights group Hengaw says it has recorded the deaths of at least 32 civilians killed by government forces during protests. Estimated to number some 10 million, Iranian Kurds are also Sunnis and mostly live in northwestern regions bordering Turkey and Iraq - which also have large Kurdish minorities. Kurdish human rights organisation Hengaw has identified 23 Kurdish people killed in the latest protests. The Revolutionary Guards, which have put down unrest in the Kurdish region for decades, have accused armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents of involvement in the protests.

☆ Khamenei warns Iran is like a 'mighty tree' that cannot be uprooted
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"That seedling is a mighty tree now and noone should dare think they can uproot it," he said in remarks shown on state TV. Rights groups say more than 200 people have been killed in the crackdown, including teenage girls. Amnesty International said at least 23 children have been killed by security forces in Iran during the protests. State TV reported at least 26 members of the security forces have been killed. Security forces have also pressed their crackdown this week in Kurdish regions where the Revolutionary Guards have a track record of putting down dissent.

☆ Factbox: Iran's minority Kurds in focus after woman's death in custody
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The demonstrations began in reaction to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and then spread to every one of Iran's 31 provinces. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe death of the ethnic Kurd raised tensions between the establishment and Iran's Kurdish minority, which human rights groups say have been long oppressed by Iran's leadership. Here are some facts about Iran's Kurds, part of a community that is spread across several Middle East countries and one of the world's largest people without a state. Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution touched off bloodshed in its Kurdistan region with heavy clashes between the Shi'ite revolutionaries and the Kurdish Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) which fought for independence. Rights groups say Kurds, who form about 10 percent of the population, along with other religious and ethnic minorities face discrimination under Iran's Shi'ite clerical establishment.

☆ Iranian news broadcast hacked after female students heckle president
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Hyder Abbasi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Unrest on the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday. Throughout the 15-second hack, a caption read “Join us and stand up!” along with text criticizing Khamenei for their deaths. Several state-run Iranian media outlets noted Sunday that similar hacks had taken place in the past. Police initially said Amini, an Iranian Kurd, died after falling ill and slipping into a coma. Elsewhere, a visit by Iran's president, Ebrahim Raisi, to a women's university in Tehran seemingly backfired after the students there began to heckle him.

What is the latest challenge for Iran's cleric-led government as it works to crush weeks of anti-government protests? “It’s an indication that this is a struggle for the future,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran. Last month the human rights group Amnesty International also said it had documented children among the people killed by the government in its crackdown. On Wednesday Human Rights Watch said that Iran's security forces have used excessive force against women protesting peacefully across the country. Human Rights Watch said assault rifles and shotguns have been employed against the demonstrators - even against people fleeing from the police and the military.

On Wednesday, OPEC+, the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, agreed to slash production by 2 million barrels per day, twice as much as analysts had predicted, in the biggest cut since the Covid-19 pandemic. “Saudi Arabia is looking to head off a repeat of 2008 when the market crash sent the global economy into a recession and oil prices suddenly plummeted, requiring emergency action by OPEC,” said Wald. Analysts also say Saudi Arabia cannot afford to let oil prices go below a certain level for budgetary reasons. For its budget to break even, global oil prices must be at around $79 a barrel, according to the International Monetary Fund. That was a warning sign for Saudi Arabia and other oil exporters, who depend on oil for a majority of their revenue.

☆ Rohingya seek reparations from Facebook for role in massacre
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But some very narrow minded and very nationalist types escalated hate against Rohingya on Facebook,” he said. Instead, Meta’s algorithms “proactively amplified and promoted content” on Facebook, which incited violent hatred against the Rohingya beginning as early as 2012. And they are asking Meta to pay reparations for its role in the violent repression of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, which the U.S. declared a genocide earlier this year. “These algorithms are really dangerous to our human rights. The Rohingya refugees are seeking unspecified reparations from the Menlo Park, California-based social media giant for its role in perpetuating genocide.

☆ Qatar World Cup organizers dispute Denmark kit manufacturer’s claims of human rights violations
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Qatar World Cup organizers disputed Denmark kit manufacturer Hummel’s claims of human rights violations in the host country following the unveiling of the Danish kits the country will wear at this year’s tournament. On Wednesday, Hummel revealed “toned down” kits that Denmark will wear during the men’s World Cup. Tournament organizers on Wednesday disputed Hummel’s claims and said they have engaged in “robust and transparent dialogue” with the Danish Football Federation (DBU). Qatar has been the subject of criticism for its treatment of migrant workers and the country’s anti-homosexuality laws. The 2022 World Cup kicks off on November 20 and runs through December 18 in the Gulf nation.

☆ Youth activist Jerome Foster is skipping the UN's climate conference in Egypt because of the country's record on LGBTQ rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jerome Foster is protesting the UN climate conference in Egypt, citing LGBTQ abusesThe young climate activist also advises the White House on environmental justice issues. Foster spoke to Insider as part of its Climate Heroes 2022 event. Foster spoke as part of an Insider event moderated by Catherine Boudreau, senior sustainability reporter. The event was part of Insider's series Climate Heroes 2022: Working Toward Solutions, which highlighted various leaders' efforts to address the climate crisis. "We shouldn't be scared to go to a climate conference, where we're trying to fight for the right for our planet, but putting our lives at risk just because we love someone," Foster said.

☆ Iran's 'trajectory' is another revolution — but the hijab protesters need leaders to topple the Islamic regime, Middle East experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran's "trajectory" is another revolution, an expert told Insider, but this won't happen any time soon. The protest movement lacks the organization needed to topple the regime, Iran experts say. Amnesty International said that at least 30 people, including four children, have died amid the Iranian crackdown on the protests. The protests spread across the country, and the Iranian regime has responded by using police and internet censorship to stifle dissent. Iran last underwent a revolution in 1979, which saw the Pahlavi dynasty fall and the Islamic Republic rise.

LOS ANGELES — Painful memories of a violent and chaotic past were resurrected this week for many Iranian Americans watching from afar as protesters flooded the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities following the death of Mahsa Amini. Her death has sparked outrage across Iran and waves of protesters clashed with Iranian security forces this week. The deadly unrest has been documented on social media and triggered demonstrations in other parts of the world, including in Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian population outside Iran. Gladkikh was born and raised in Southern California after her family fled Iran in the 1990s. Iranian officials are investigating after they said Amini had a pre-existing condition and suffered a heart attack while in custody.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s army on Friday hinted that it was prepared to deepen its crackdown on protests triggered by the death of a young woman who had been detained by the morality police. In one video uploaded on Twitter, a group of demonstrators in the city of Pakdasht shout, "Death to the dictator." While in New York, Raisi was scheduled to be interviewed by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour. Anna Moneymaker / Getty ImagesAmanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor, said she planned to ask Raisi about the protests that have swept across Iran. On Thursday, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police, accusing it of abusing Iranian women and holding the unit responsible for Amini's death.

☆ Hoffenheim website will not cover World Cup over human rights issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Workers are seen inside the Lusail stadium which is under construction for the upcoming 2022 Fifa soccer World Cup during a stadium tour in Doha, Qatar, December 20, 2019. REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachBERLIN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Bundesliga club Hoffenheim's media department will not run any stories on the World Cup in Qatar due to the country's record on human rights violations, it said on Thursday. Qatar, which will host the World Cup from Nov. 20-Dec. 18, has faced intense criticism from human rights groups for years, especially over its treatment of migrant workers, who along with other foreigners comprise the bulk of the country's population. Homosexuality is illegal in the Gulf state while Human Rights Watch says Qatari laws discriminate against women and LGBT individuals. It said providing the coverage could not come without discussing the major non-sporting issues such as human rights.

Amini’s death in the capital has ignited a wave of protests across the country, exposing a raw anger among Iranian women about their treatment by the regime and an unprecedented willingness to defy the government. She invites Iranian women to post their protest videos on social media under her #WhiteWednesdays hashtag campaign. At least four people have been killed so far by police in this week’s protests, according to Iranian-focused human rights organizations. Every prison sentence and arrest meted out by the regime has only radicalized Iranian women and served as a catalyst for more protests, Alinejad and other activists said. To me, I don’t see Iranian women like victims.

☆ England's FA calls for Qatar's migrant workers to be compensated
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachSept 21 (Reuters) - England's Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday families of migrant workers in Qatar who were injured or killed while constructing the infrastructure for this year's World Cup should be compensated. Qatar has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers, who along with other foreigners comprise the bulk of the country's population. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and FairSquare said on Tuesday FIFA's partners and World Cup sponsors must urge world soccer's governing body and the Qatari government to compensate migrant workers. The government of Qatar has said that its labour system is still a work in progress, but denied a 2021 Amnesty report that thousands of migrant workers were still being exploited. The World Cup begins on Nov. 20 and runs through to Dec. 18.

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