Human Rights
Thursday, June 23, 2016 - 06:29
Bahrain has fallen short in implementing a series of political and human rights reforms, according to the State Department, undermining efforts to stabilize the tiny island kingdom after its Sunni-ruled government crushed Arab Spring protests five years ago.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 06:59
Berta Cáceres, the murdered environmental campaigner, appeared on a hitlist distributed to U.S.-trained special forces units of the Honduran military months before her death, a former soldier has claimed.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 06:49
The National Indigenous Congress, CNI, and the Zapatista National Liberation Army, EZLN, condemned Monday the “cowardly police attack” against teachers affiliated with the CNTE union, and against the Indigenous community of Nochixtlan in Oaxaca, violence that left at least a dozen dead and dozens more injured.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 06:46
Armenian American foreign aid priorities will be among the broad range of issues considered this Thursday by members of the influential U.S. House subcommittee tasked with drafting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 foreign assistance bill, setting the stage for full House and Senate consideration in upcoming months, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 06:43
Since the end of the Tajik civil war in the 1990s, Emomali Rahmon has ruled his country with an iron fist. The U.S. has mostly ignored the rising repression in Tajikistan. Rahmon's commitment to the West’s so-called war on terror has all but guaranteed Washington’s silence about his tyrannical practices. When the United States invaded Afghanistan, Rahmon opened his country's airspace to the U.S.-led coalition and provided it with logistic collaboration. In return, Washington secured Rahmon's power by making him stronger than ever before.
Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 06:57
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill Tuesday to pull out security from Honduras in light of the recent murder of Indigenous environmentalist Berta Caceres. Security training, equipment and loans would be on hold until Honduras fulfills a list of demands, including ending police impunity, withdrawing military from domestic policing and protecting communities most vulnerable to attack.
Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 06:42
A year ago the State Department even thought it was a good idea to lift holds on arms sales to Bahrain’s military, citing “meaningful progress on human rights.” Such a hopelessly naive analysis does nothing to deter the dictatorship, which earlier this month increased the jail sentence for peaceful opposition leader Shiekh Ali Salman from four to nine years.
Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 06:35
Violence against members of Honduras' LGBTQ community has skyrocketed since the 2009 U.S.-backed coup, with 36 people killed in the first six months alone.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 06:52
In the safety of a UN body in Geneva and in other countries, the Mexican government has become a strong advocate for human rights. Unfortunately, though, the Mexican state’s diplomatic and moral commitment to popular sovereignty and the right of international organizations to defend human rights doesn’t extend to its own borders.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 - 06:59
The U.S.-backed Honduran coup ushered in a wave of neoliberal policies that have systematically violated the economic, cultural, and social rights of the nation's Indigenous people, women, and farmers, while leaving activists and rights defenders—such as the late Berta Cáceres—vulnerable to criminalization and violence.