Sometimes a necessary comparison must be done. First, Hamas in Gaza tightens its rule and undoubtedly increases the chances of human rights abuses: Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip plan to introduce the death penalty for gangs getting rich off smuggled narcotics. Security officials of the Hamas movement and human rights groups say drug smuggling…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Palestinians without rights under the nose of Western backing
Former Meretz leader Shulamit Aloni, a woman unafraid to take her country to task for its human rights abuses, unloads on her 81st birthday to Ynet: “We are a nefarious people. What we are doing in the West Bank is worse than all the pogroms done to the Jews.” But she qualified her statement by…
Not all Jews want never-ending war against Gaza
Congratulations to these Jewish brothers and sisters standing up for human rights, not simply Zionist loyalty: British Zionist activists reacted on Tuesday with “bemusement” to a letter cosigned by hundreds of pro-Palestinian Jewish compatriots urging Gordon Brown to adopt the Goldstone Report, which accuses Israel of committing war crimes during its operation last winter in…
On World AIDS Day, we must fight this disease every day
The news that South Africa is finally acknowledging the profound issue of HIV/AIDS is a welcome development after a decade of neglect: The United States is giving South Africa $120 million for AIDS treatment drugs in response to a plea from President Jacob Zuma that underlines his new approach to fighting the epidemic in the…
Hamas willing to investigate its own crimes?
Al Jazeera English scores an exclusive interview with Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya in Gaza and seemingly finds a regime far more willing to investigate its own crimes than Israel: Hamas says it is on the verge of starting its own investigation into whether it committed war crimes during Israel’s war on Gaza. The probe…
The horrors of Auschwitz by choice
A remarkable British solider in the Second World War, Denis Avey, smuggled himself into Auschwitz so he could tell the world the truth: Now 91 and living in Derbyshire, he says he wanted to witness what was going on inside and find out the truth about the gas chambers, so he could tell others. He…
The Elders demand Sri Lanka abide by legal norms
The crisis in Sri Lanka still demands international attention. Here’s the latest statement by an influential group of people: The Elders – a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela – have made a direct appeal to the President of Sri Lanka to protect the rights of civilians displaced after the government’s…
Is Australia capable of looking at itself honestly in the mirror?
John Pilger on Australia’s secret shame: …The rate of incarceration of black Australians is five times that of South Africa during the last years of apartheid. The state of Western Australia imprisons Aboriginal men at eight times the apartheid figure, an Aussie world record. … There is currently a liberal clarion call in Australia for…
Sri Lanka will not be treated like a normal country
Resistance lives: Several American Tamil activists protested in front of the midtown Manhattan New York State armory building where Victoria’s Secret catwalk event was being held Thursday evening. While celebrities were arriving to attend the popular event, the protesters highlighted the Corporation’s trade with Sri Lanka as aiding and abetting crimes against humanity, and war-crimes.…
The eyes of the world must remain on Colombo
Sydney University’s Jake Lynch, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, writes in his weekly column about Sri Lanka and the need to continue pressure over its appalling treatment of the Tamils: The news that the Government of Sri Lanka is to close the internment camps where thousands of Tamils were illegally detained, following the…