Sri Lanka’s past, present and future continues to be clouded by the foul air of corruption and authoritarianism: The newly re-elected government of Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of orchestrating a fresh crackdown on the media after a series of websites were blocked and at least one reporter detained after raising questions about the conduct…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Over one million killed in Iraq but let’s not focus on details, writes Murdoch editorial
Unsure what to really think of the Iraq war? Let Murdoch’s Australian guide you through the complexity: Tony Blair was called a murderer on Friday by outraged activists after his evidence before the Chilcot inquiry into the origins of the war to remove Saddam Hussein. It is the sort of foolish sloganising that always characterised…
Donna Mulhearn’s “Ordinary Courage”
I’m honoured to be launching Donna Mulhearn’s first book, Ordinary Courage, which primarily examines her role as a human shield in Iraq in 2003: Murdoch Books and The Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at The University of Sydney are delighted to invite you to the launch of Donna Mulhearn’s first book, Ordinary Courage To…
What is happening to the war-scarred children of Gaza?
I’ve been publishing the compelling stories by Australian Donna Mulhearn during her recent trip to Gaza. Here’s her latest and last reflections: Dear friends, The children concentrated hard as they drew the blood spurting out of bodies, the helicopters firing bullets onto people below, the aeroplanes dropping bombs. They also drew weary palm trees, grey…
Zinn on the universality of human rights (Zionism not excepted)
The death of Howard Zinn has reminded us of his powerful and incendiary words. Take this essay (reproduced in full below) from 1999, titled, “A larger consciousness“: Some years ago, when I was teaching at Boston University, I was asked by a Jewish group to give a talk on the Holocaust. I spoke that evening,…
Did the IDF murder three Palestinians in cold blood?
I reported last week on the death of three Palestinians in Nablus at the hands of the IDF. B’Tselem has released a report that questions the legality of the deaths: In the pre-dawn hours of 26 December 2009, soldiers shot to death Ghassan Abu Sharakh, Nader a-Sarkaji, and ”˜Anan Subuh, while each of them was…
Israel must fully investigate activities in Gaza, demand human rights figures
The following statement was released on 26 December by a host of Israeli human rights groups: Adalah — The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel | Association for Civil Rights in Israel | B’tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories | Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom…
Chomsky on what should happen to Haiti right now
The following letter appeared in the London Guardian on 22 January: We the undersigned are outraged by the scandalous delays in getting essential aid to victims of the earthquake in Haiti (‘Chaotic and confusing’ relief effort is costing lives, aid agencies warn, 19 January). As a result of the US decision to prioritise the accumulation…
J Street may be starting to recognise Israel’s authoritarian tendency
The ongoing evolution of J Street continues. Its latest statement is pretty strong and shows the growing anger towards Israel’s crackdown on democracy. Times for the gloves to come off, activists: J Street is deeply concerned by recent actions taken by Israeli authorities in response to protests and dissent in Jerusalem and the occupied territories.…
Caring about Haiti from the desperation of Gaza
“As a humanitarian worker here [in Gaza], I can say that it has been really amazing to see that some needy people including women and children wanting to deliver food, toys, clothes and cash to disaster-affected people in Haiti. The scene in front of the office for the International Committee of the Red Cross in…