So the West is about to launch another war, this time against Libya. Who exactly is the West backing? Who are the rebels? What do they represent? Are we providing arms to groups who may turn against the Libyan people? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Egypt is sending arms to the Libyan rebels,…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Wikileaks reveals how India helped Sri Lanka win its war against Tamils
India’s The Hindu has the exclusive documents that show the role played by New Delhi during Colombo’s brutal war against the Tamils that ended in May 2009. Nearly two years on, justice is denied to the victims: In the final stages of the war with the LTTE, New Delhi played all sides but discouraged international…
Keeping the issue of Sri Lanka and cultural life in the frame
After the controversy over holding a literary festival in Sri Lanka in January – white-washing war crimes? – the issue continues to resonate. Here’s an event organised by English PEN in London on 10 April: Should writers boycott festivals in countries with poor records on free speech and human rights? Or is it always better…
Next move in Australia; Serco guards carrying deadly weapons?
This is the state of human rights against faceless asylum seekers in Australia. Justified frustration, after months and years of waiting for decisions, is met with violence. And under-staffed Serco are the battering rams of the failed policy? From yesterday’s ABC’s The World Today: BRENDAN TREMBATH: Refugee advocates and the Greens say they’re horrified that…
Who says BDS isn’t working against Israel?
Example one: The Israeli security firm Hashmira, which is owned by the Danish concern G4S, announced last weekend it will stop providing equipment to security installations over the Green Line. The move comes in the wake of public pressure in Denmark following a report from the Coalition of Women for Peace, which runs the “Who…
US govt says shocking treatment of Bradley Manning is just fine
And who really believes them? Quantico is a military brig, not a prison, and it is not a maximum security facility. http://www.quantico.usmc.mil/activities/display.aspx?PID=588&Section=SECBN Manning, however, is considered a maximum custody detainee. He is not “under isolation 23 hours a day.” Here are the facts of his pre-trial confinement: PFC Manning is not in solitary confinement. He…
What I’m hearing about Christmas Island chaos
This last weekend saw a large break-out at Australia’s Christmas Island detention facilities. The federal government acknowledges tear gas was used to quell the protests. Thousands of asylum seekers languish for months and often longer with no indication when their cases may be resolved. It’s a prison camp designed to punish those seeking asylum. My…
Sri Lankan regime can only teach the world how to murder Tamil civilians
The recent push to boycott and/or highlight the gross human rights abuses in Sri Lanka during the Galle Literary Festival – something I supported with a strongly worded petition – continues now in a different form: An international human rights watchdog has called on over 50 invited countries to boycott a conference aimed at sharing…
Warning, NSW: companies like Serco aren’t your real friends
My following story appears in today’s edition of Crikey: The New South Wales election is weeks away and privatisation is a key issue of concern for voters. Liberal opposition leader Barry O’Farrell, the likely next premier, leads a team that openly talks about restructuring the ways in which public assets could be sold. It’s possible…
Serco will keep failing because the system is broken in Australia
As more asylum seekers are crying for help on Australia’s Christmas Island – locked up for months on a remote island – all the federal government talks about is fining Serco: The federal government will take action against detention centre service provider Serco if it has breached any part of its contract following two breakouts…