human-rights

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Swaziland: TV Cameraman Harassed, Camera Confiscated
Phesheya Sibiya, a cameraperson employed by the privately-owned Channel Swazi television station, was harassed and had his camera confiscated by a traditional group performing "sacred" rituals for King Mswati III.
Source : AllAfrica | 20-Nov-2008 07:03

Journalists Arrested At Censorship Rally
Police in Sudan arrested more than 60 journalists during a protest against media censorship, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and news sources. Riot police armed with canes and shields rounded up the journalists outside parliament on 17 November and took them to a police station. Those detained were subsequently released.
Source : AllAfrica | 20-Nov-2008 06:46

Somalia: Humanitarian Situation in Serious Decline as Security Worsens, Warns UN Chief
The deteriorating security situation in Somalia poses a serious threat to the delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of desperate people in the Horn of Africa country, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned in his latest report to the Security Council today.
Source : AllAfrica | 20-Nov-2008 06:32

Congo-Kinshasa: Feingold, Brownback Call for Ceasefire
Today U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following escalating violence in the country.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 22:58

Sudan: UN Chief Concerned Over Fresh Darfur Fighting
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged all sides to the Darfur conflict to refrain from hostilities as the United Nations tries to verify "troubling reports" of aerial bombings by Sudanese military forces and renewed fighting in recent days across the war-torn region.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 22:28

Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Proceeds With New Troop-Configuration in North Kivu
MONUC has markedly stepped up its military presence in North Kivu, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the DRC, Alan Doss told on 19 November 2008, during the weekly press conference.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 21:55

Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Promotes the Adoption of a Law for the Protection of the Child
In advance of Universal Children's Day, celebrated on 20 November each year, at the MONUC weekly press conference of 19 November 2008, Congolese children transmitted their demands to members of Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 21:55

Congo-Kinshasa: Kisangani - the United Nations Envisages an Operation to Assist Dungu Refugees
A plan to redeploy humanitarian agencies to Dungu, in Haut-Uélé territory 800 kilometres to the north of Kisangani, is being considered to allow aid to reach 34,000 internally displaced refugees in the area. It follows a series of attacks, looting and abduction of children carried out by Ugandan fighters from the Lords Resistance Army, (LRA).
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 21:55

Nigeria: Lagos Warns Parents Over Child Abuse
Lagos state government will from January 2009 commence the arrest and prosecution of parents or guardians whose wards are found hawking during the school hours.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 21:14

CHRAJ Calls for Tolerance As Election Day Approaches
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice has called for tolerance as Election Day approaches. "Tolerance is respect and appreciation of the variety or diversity of views, ideas, cultures as well as forms of expression by individuals to relay whatever information they want to put within the public domain,".
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 21:01

Equatorial Guinea: Torture is Rife in Country's Prisons, Says UN Expert
Detainees kept in police custody in Equatorial Guinea are victims of systematic torture, and prisoners suffer inhuman conditions, an independent United Nations human rights expert said in a press statement today, blaming a break down in the country's judicial system.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 20:35

Swaziland - Attorney general warns outspoken journalists they could be arrested for ?supporting terrorism? - 19.11.2008
Reporters Without Borders condemns the attorney general's threatening remarks to journalists on 17 November. The senior official said journalists who criticise the government could be arrested. "After the political opposition movements, it is now the turn of journalists to be directly targeted under the facile and phoney charge of terrorism", the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
Source : Reporters Without Borders | 19-Nov-2008 19:11

Congo-Kinshasa: What is the Future for the Peacekeeping Force?
Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria and newly-appointed U.N. envoy in the Great Lakes Region, has visited both Congolese president Joseph Kabila and CNDP rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda, attempting to chisel the outlines of a new peace in the region.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 17:23

South Africa: Diane, 'Most People Hate Sex Workers'
Diane* is a sex worker in South Africa's tourist capital, Cape Town. She spoke to IRIN/PlusNews about her 12 years in the business.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 17:07

Congo-Kinshasa: Aid Workers Fear New Wave of Sexual Violence
Soaring insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has raised fears of a new wave of sexual violence in a region termed "the worst place in the world to be a woman" by aid workers.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 17:07

Rwanda: The Unpardonable Distortion of Rwanda's Tutsi Genocide
On November 14, The Daily Monitor, one of Uganda's leading dailies, in its editorial commentary titled, "Rwanda, France need neutral arbitrator," committed the most unforgivable transgression similar to that [some] international media outlets are fond of: blatantly and dishearteningly distorting facts on Rwanda's 1994 Tutsi genocide.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 15:11

Nigeria: Expert Seeks End to Violence Against Women
The National Assistant Secretary General, Counseling Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Celine Njoku, has called for the stoppage of violence and discrimination against women in the society.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 14:36

Nigeria: NGE Flays Harrassment of Leadership Editors
Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on those it called 'overzealous security agents from the State Security Services (SSS) and the Nigeria Police' to leave the editors of Leadership newspaper alone, saying the on-going harassment of the editors can only damage the reputation of the Federal Government.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 14:35

Nigeria: Rights Activist Decries FG Clampdown On Media
A civil rights activist has condemned the clampdown on Leadership Newspapers and the arrest of its team of editors by security agents of the Federal Government, saying it is an infringement on the right for free press. Malam Shehu Sani, who is the Chairman, Socialist Front, noted that democracy in Nigeria cannot strive without a free press, adding that government's harassment of the media and clampdown on media houses negates the position of the administration and its stance on rule of law. Sani who said this in Kaduna yesterday added, "One of the strongest elements of a free and democratic society is a free press. A government that lays claim to democratic norms must be able to observe, protect and encourage a free press because it is a free press that energizes, mobilises and gives moral authority to democracy. The attack on the Leadership Newspapers by security agents is therefore condemnable and unacceptable.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 12:41

Nigeria: Curbing Indiscriminate Siren Usage
Like many other privileges in this country, the use of sirens in times of emergency has been thoroughly abused. Such is the bastardization of this special facility that it now causes confusion, noise pollution and even accidents on our roads.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 11:50

Nigeria: Obasanjo-Bello - Senate Investigates Brutality By Security Agents
In response to a motion by Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello in which she claimed to have suffered 'brutality' in the hands of security agents at a church service last Saturday in Ogbomosho,Osun state, the Senate yesterday mandated its Committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, National Security and Intelligence to investigate the case along with other cases of brutality of civilians by security agents in the country.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 11:50

Congo-Kinshasa: UN Press Conference on Situation
Alan Doss, the Secretary-General?s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, outlined efforts to address the crisis in North Kivu Province this afternoon, including diplomatic efforts by the new Special Envoy, the redeployment of forces to the east of the country, the request for an additional 3,000 peacekeepers and plans to create a separation zone between the belligerent parties.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 11:00

1994 Genocide - Ex-Rwandan Mayor Denies Conspired With His Co-Accused
The last defendant in a six-man trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Elie Ndayambaje, Tuesday strongly denied that he assisted his co-accused, former Rwandan Colonel in charge of civil defence in Butare prefecture, South Rwanda, Alphonse Nteziryayo, to train the militia and distribute weapons used during the 1994 genocide.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:41

Military II Trial - Witness Claims There Were Three Types of Road Blocks During 1994 Genocide
A subaltern of the former Rwandan army stated Tuesday before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) that there were, in 1994, three types of road blocks in his country.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:41

Nigeria: Special - Report On Religious Freedom in the World
From: Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2007/2008. By the Catholic pastoral charity, Aid to the Church in Need
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:38

Bishops' Statement on Ongoing Conflict
Full text of a statement issued last Thursday by the Permanent Commission of the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo on the situation of the war-torn country.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:37

Sudan: Seventy Journalists Arrested At Demonstration Against Government Censorship
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the arrest and detention of about 70 journalists on Monday, as they were demonstrating against the censorship practice and tactics employed by the Sudanese government.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:25

Niger: Two Journalists Given Suspended Prison Sentences for "Defamation"
Reporters Without Borders has condemned three-month suspended prison sentences handed down for libel against the weekly "L'Evénement" journalists Moussa Aksar and Sani Aboubacar.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:25

Swaziland: Critical Journalists Could Be Viewed As 'Supporting Terrorists' And Arrested, Warns Attorney General
On 17 November 2008, Swaziland's Attorney General, Majahenkhaba Dlamini, warned that journalists who report critically against the government would be viewed as supporting "terrorists" and arrested.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 08:14

Rwanda: ICTR to Open Documentation Centres Countrywide
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) recently opened a documentation centre at the Gasabo Judicial Palace, the seat for the Gasabo Tribunal of Higher Instance.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 07:28

Nigeria: Newspaper Editors, Publisher Harassed And Detained By Security Service And Police
For about a week, the publisher and editorial managers of the Abuja-based private daily "Leadership", have faced a series of harassments from both the State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria's intelligence police and the regular police.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 07:07

Provincial Reporter Sentenced to Two Months in Prison Two Years After Leaving Newspaper
Reporters Without Borders condemns the two-month prison sentence which an appeal court in Saida (440 km southwest of Algiers) imposed on journalist Hassan Bourras on 28 October 2008 in addition to the fine of 40,000 dinars (460 euros) to which he was originally sentenced.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 07:07

Sudan: UN-AU Mission in Darfur Probe Reports of Fresh Bombings
The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is trying to confirm reports received from various sources that Sudanese military planes bombed an area in the war-torn region in recent days.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 06:52

Burundi: Unicef Sounds Alarm After Brutal Murder of Albino Girl in Burundi
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is working with authorities in Burundi to better protect the country's albino children in the wake of a brutal crime in which a six-year-old girl was shot and dismembered, apparently in the mistaken belief of some locals that the body parts have magical qualities.
Source : AllAfrica | 19-Nov-2008 06:43

Uganda: New Report Indicts State for Failing Victims of War
Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who suffered abuses during the 20-year conflict in Northern Uganda remain destitute and traumatized due to government failure to set up a comprehensive reparation programme, Amnesty International has said.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:33

Kenya: Diocese Condemns Lynching of Suspected Criminals
The Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa has condemned mob violence in which eleven youths suspected to have been terrorising the residents of Tiwi village in Kwale District were lynched last week.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:33

Sudan: Catholic Bishops Warn Peace Pact is Losing Drive
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 to end the civil war in Sudan is losing momentum because of slow implementation, the Sudanese bishops have said.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:33

Zimbabwe: World Church Leaders Call for Protection of Life
Leaders of world church movements have criticised the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for failing to effectively address the crisis in Zimbabwe.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:33

Congo-Kinshasa: Bishops Alarmed by 'Silent Genocide' in the East
A silent genocide is taking place in the east and northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Catholic bishops say.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:33

Country is a Caricature of a State And Not a Real State
Labor Minister Samuel Kofi Woods has called for the dismantling of the Liberian state.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 23:19

Congo-Kinshasa: International Criminal Court Rules That Rebel Leader's Trial Back On Track
The International Criminal Court (ICC) today "announced its decision to reverse its earlier suspension of the trial of Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, accused of recruiting child soldiers to serve in his militia.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 21:54

Congo-Kinshasa: War Crimes Suspect Finally Faces Trial
The first suspect to face war crimes charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) - Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo - is now scheduled to go on trial next January.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 21:51

Zimbabwe: Opposition Leader Biti Still Faces Treason Charge
MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti still faces a treason charge, despite a court on Tuesday dropping two other charges.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 21:03

Zimbabwe: Seven NCA Members Still Behind Bars Despite Paying Bail
Seven members of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), arrested in Mutare last week, are still behind bars despite bail being posted for the group on Monday.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 21:03

Ghana: Ghana is Free!
The Managing Editor of the Accra Daily Mail and president of the Ghanaian Center of International PEN, Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Harrunna Attah has called on writers not to allow their personal interests to undermine that of the nation.
Source : AllAfrica | 18-Nov-2008 19:30

Somalia - Reporters Without Borders calls for reopening of Radio Galkayo and the release of its director - 18.11.2008
Reporters Without Borders today expressed dismay after police in the semi-autonomous Puntland region in north-eastern Somalia, raided and shut down Radio Galkayo and arrested its head, Hassan Mohammed Jama. "It is outrageous that police should raid a radio station and shut it down. Behaviour like this only reveals the weakness of the authorities and makes them enemies?, Reporters Without Borders said.
Source : Reporters Without Borders | 18-Nov-2008 19:22