Senior Australian unionist Paul Howes wrote recently that Israel’s murder of a Hamas operative in Dubai was a wonderful thing to celebrate. Retiring Labor MP Julia Irwin disagrees and said the following in Federal Parliament on 15 March: Mrs IRWIN (Fowler) (9.18 pm)—I rise tonight to comment on an article in the Sunday Telegraph on…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
What do Tamils face when they return home?
These comments seem incredibly suspicious, considering the ongoing human rights abuses in Sri Lanka: Tens of thousands of refugees, who belong to the minority Tamil ethnicity, have lived in camps across India’s Tamil Nadu state for more than two decades and have assimilated into local communities. But many yearn to return and rebuild their lives…
Palestinians show the world what life is like under occupation
The brave Palestinian videographers risking life and limb to document soldier and settler abuse in the West Bank:
Being gay is a fact of life, in Uganda or anywhere else
The role of Christian fundamentalism against homosexuality is pathological. In Uganda, clergymen are whipping up anti-gay fervour and many American supporters seem more than happy to back the trend. When one man in the US writes a book called “The Pink Swastika” – claiming that the Third Reich was led by mainly gay people –…
How “illegal” immigrants are held by the civilised West
The voices of refugees around the world deserve to be heard. Instead, demonisation seems order of the day. Britain: Torture survivors seeking sanctuary in Britain are being wrongly held in government detention centres, despite independent medical evidence supporting claims of brutal violence against them in their home countries. According to Home Office guidelines, in cases…
Goldstone threatens the chances of killing civilians, anywhere
Surprise, surprise. So the real issue with the UN Goldstone report over Gaza isn’t really the innocents killed, it’s that the recommendations could be used against the West (via the Forward): In Congress, New York Democrat Gary Ackerman, chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, is one of those leading…
The risk of speaking out for human rights (in Palestine or Iran)
A curious and rather disturbing story in Haaretz: It is not easy to scare Simone Dinah Hartmann, but lately she has been fearing for her life. Although she resides in serene Vienna, Hartmann is not convinced the law enforcement officials in Austria are sufficiently aware of the dangers threatening her. Her concerns come in the…
Hanging refugees out to dry, courtesy of the Australian authorities
This proposed collusion between the UN and Australia, to remove a potential headache for Kevin Rudd in an election year, should be condemned in the strongest possible sense. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan remain highly dangerous nations for minorities and dissidents. The idea that the Australian government will be sending refugees back to their nations of…
Israel and Sri Lanka make love in the only way they know how – violently
Two nations with a blatant disregard for minorities and human rights find each other. So beautiful you want to prosecute them in the Hague: Israel supported Sri Lanka throughout in its war against terrorism and now that the war is over the Israeli Government is determined to go for a robust economic co-operation agreement with…