• Tigray peace talks extended

    Peace talks between the warring sides of the TPLF and the government of Ethiopia have been extended into this week.

    According to an official, the peace talks between Ethiopia’s federal government and representatives from the northern Tigray region continued in South Africa.

    Speaking to the China Global Television Network, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that “we’re working towards peace." Ahmed asserted that Ethiopians can resolve matters themselves, he added that Ethiopian forces were currently in control of the Tigray towns of Shire, Axum, and Adwa."

    Eritrean forces who have been fighting alongside Ethiopian forces are not currently party to the peace talks. It is not clear whether neighbouring Eritrea will respect any agreement reached during the peace talks. According to witnesses who spoke with AP Eritreans were killing civilians even after the talks began.

    Estimates made by academics and health workers place the death toll of the war at around hundreds of thousands of people. The United Nations-backed International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia found of evidence of the Ethiopian government using drones in an “arbitrary and indiscriminate manner." The UN commissioners warned that without the cessation of hostilities “atrocity crimes are imminent."

    Read more here

  • West-Papuan ex-political prisoner found dead on beach


    A leading West Papuan Human rights and independence campaigner Filep Karma,  was found dead on November 1,  on a beach in the Melanesian region’s capital Jayapura.

    The death of the former political prisoner has shocked Papuans and activist communities in Indonesia and around the Pacific.

    “It is true that a body was found by a resident on the beach at Bse G, suspected to be Filep Karma, but to be sure, the police are still waiting for confirmation from his family,” North Jayapura police chief Police Adjunct Commissioner Yahya Rumra told Antara News.

    The head of the Papuan Human Rights Commission, Frist Ramandey, confirmed Karma’s body had been found on the beach, reports CNN Indonesia.

    However, he said his group was still investigating the circumstances of Karma’s death.

    Karma was shot in the leg during the Biak massacre in 1998 – when scores of West Papuan independence demonstrators were killed by Indonesian security forces – and was later jailed for raising the Morning Star flag, a symbol of West Papuan independence outlawed by Indonesia.

    Filep Karma, 63, led the raising of the Morning Star flag of independence, banned by Indonesian authorities in Biak in 1998 and was eventually imprisoned was released two years later.

    In 2004, he again carried out a similar act and was accused of “treason” and  he was jailed for 15 years but released in 2015.

    Read more at the Guardian 

  • Our fight is in search of spring' - Lula is elected in Brazil

    Brazil's former President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has claimed victory in a tightly contested election which saw far-right Bolasanaro narrowly lose. 

    Brazil’s former leftist president sealed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant in the country’s history.Lula had secured 50.9% of the vote. Bolsonaro,  who was elected in 2018, received 49.10%. Since Mr Bolsonaro took office in 2019, forest fires and deforestation soared in the Amazon, with the federal government turning a blind eye to illegal logging, mining, cattle-grazing and land-grabbing. Brazil's rainforests went from a carbon sink to a carbon source. 

    Addressing journalists at a hotel in São Paulo, Lula vowed to reunify his country after a toxic race for power which has profoundly divided one of the world’s largest democracies.

    “We are going to live new times of peace, love and hope,” said the 77-year-old, who was sidelined from the 2018 election that saw Bolsonaro claim power after being jailed on corruption charges that were later annulled.

    “I will govern for 215m Brazilians … and not just for those who voted for me. There are not two Brazils. We are one country, one people – a great nation,” he said to applause. “It is in nobody’s interests to live in a country that is divided and in a constant state of war.”

    Mr Bolsanaro was nicknamed the “Trump of the tropics” – and he used a similar playbook. Like the former US president, Mr Bolsanaro polarised his divided country by denigrating women, gay people and minorities. He armed his supporters by flooding the country with guns. A pandemic that killed almost 700,000 people helped push poverty numbers to the highest on record and saw him sink in the polls.

    Read more at the Guardian 

  • Myanmar airstrike kills 60 people at concert

    Myanmar’s military has killed 60 people, including musicians, in a devastating airstrike that targeted a concert held by a rebel faction of the country’s minority Kachin ethnic group, according to organisers and a rescue worker.

    Mynamar minorities have sought greater autonomy for decades, but anti-government resistance has increased in recent years following last year's military takeover. 

    Swathes of the country have been engulfed by fighting. Nearly 2,300 civilians have been killed in the crackdown on dissent and 15,000 people have been arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

    Amnesty has accused the junta of committing widespread atrocities since the 2021 coup, including unlawfully killing, arbitrarily detaining, torturing and forcibly displacing civilians. “It has been able to carry out these crimes in the face of an ineffective international response to a human rights crisis that is only worsening,” Young said.

  • A process of education? Australia responds to Qatar's dire human rights record

    In the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Football Australia has released a statement claiming that they are "engaged in a process of education" concerning the dire state of human rights in the host country of Qatar. 

    "Football Australia, in collaboration with Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), representing the Australian Men's National Team, the Socceroos, has been engaged in a process of education and dialogue to gather information on the situation regarding the advancement of human rights and workers' welfare in connection with the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM."

    Qatar has faced scrutiny over the treatment of migrant workers engaged in preparation for the World Cup, with Human Rights organisations raising concerns over withheld pay, dangerous working conditions and the alarming number of deaths of migrant workers. Most of these workers are recruited from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However, Qatar's issues with the treatment of immigrant workers is nothing new. The Kafala (sponsorship) system has long been criticised as leaving immigrant workers vulnerable to abuse and forced labour. 

    "In the lead up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, Football Australia and the PFA, engaged and undertook extensive consultation with stakeholders including FIFA, FIFPRO (the international body representing players), International Labour Organisation, Amnesty International, Builders and Woodworkers International, the International Trade Union Confederation and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy about the situation in Qatar." 

    Although Qatar has made significant steps to protect worker rights, human rights groups have raised concerns over current rules and have emphasised the importance of enforcing them. 

    According to Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International's Head of Economic and Social Justice; "Although Qatar has made important strides on labour rights over the past five years, it's abundantly clear that there is a great distance still to go. Thousands of workers remain stuck in the familiar cycle of exploitation and abuse thanks to legal loopholes and inadequate enforcement,". 

    Football Australia's statement also addressed concerns over the safety of individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community who intend to attend the festivities in Qatar. 

    "As the most multicultural, diverse, and inclusive sport in our country, we believe everyone should be able to feel safe and be their true authentic selves. Whilst we acknowledge the highest levels of assurances given by HH Amir of Qatar and the President of FIFA that LGBTI+ fans will be safely welcomed in Qatar, we hope that this openness can continue beyond the tournament."

    In 2020, Qatar released a statement assuring the community that they would be welcome and safe during the events. 


    However, the Human Rights Watch has raised concerns over the safety of LGBTQIA+ residents of Qatar. 

    "Qatar's steady reference to "culture" to deny LGBT people's rights deflects responsibility away from abusive state systems. "Culture" should not be used as a cover for discourse, practices, and legislation that have effectively excluded content related to sexual orientation and gender identity from the public sphere."

     

  • Airline hired for UK Rwanda deportations pulls out of scheme

    A charter airline hired to remove people seeking refuge in the UK to Rwanda has pulled out of the scheme after pressure from campaigners.

    A plane operated by Privilege Style first attempted to fly asylum seekers to the east African country in June but was grounded by an 11th-hour ruling by the European court of human rights.

    The Mallorca-based carrier had become known as the UK government’s “airline of last resort” for its willingness to conduct deportation flights that other airlines refused.

    But after an email campaign by torture survivors and refugee organisations, Privilege Style has said it will no longer operate flights to Rwanda.

    The development will leave the UK government in a fix. Two other charter airlines that previously conducted deportation flights, Titan Airways and AirTanker, have already ruled themselves out of the scheme.

    The UK signed a £120m deal with the Rwandan government in April to outsource the UK’s asylum system as it sought to find a solution to a growing number of refugees entering the UK via small boats in the Channel.

    It was criticised by human rights organisations because of Rwanda’s record as an authoritarian state that repeatedly imprisons, tortures and murders alleged political opponents.

    No flights have taken off yet to Rwanda because of legal challenges in the high court.

    Read more at the Guardian 

  • Almost 12,500 people arrested in Iran protest crackdown

    Almost 12,500 people have been arrested and nearly 250 killed since the street protests began in Iran, according to a prominent human rights group, HRANA.

    Maj Gen Hossein Salami, said security forces were close to snuffing out the remaining protests. He said: “Sedition is going through its last moments.”

    But protesters have insisted that defiance was continuing. One group pointed to truck drivers joining oil refinery workers on rallies, as well as demonstrations among Baloch people in Zahedan. As many as 200 refinery workers have been arrested since their protests started a fortnight ago.

    The Writers Union of Iran issued a statement about the crackdown, saying: “Repression of people who protested with empty hands has been a daily occurrence in the last 40 years. But what happened to children and prisoners last week is one of the blackest pages in the record of the current government.”

    The union added that “the attack of security forces on schools and prisons and the beating and killing of children and prisoners is a tragedy beyond the killing of protesters in the streets. In this stage of repression, the government, as always, denies the reality, spreads rumours, and distorts public opinion in order to thwart the efforts of people’s organisations and groups to express the truth”.

    The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman who collapsed while in custody of the morality police and later died. Lawyers for Amini in a fresh statement disputed the official account that she collapsed due to a pre-existing neurological condition.

    Iranian human rights groups say journalists are being targeted, especially if they report on individuals being detained. Reporters Without Borders says there are more than 30 journalists in jail, forcing censorship across many publications.

    The arrest number of 12,450 must be an estimate, partly because the government is unlikely to provide accurate figures, and the internet remains heavily restricted. Iranians who have left the country recently say the scale of the arrest is much higher than the west had presumed.

    Read more at the Guardian. 

  • UN sanctions Haitian 'gang leader'

    The United Nations security council has approved a "sanctions regime" to punish criminal gangs in Haiti, as protests intensified against a possible foreign intervention.

    The UNSC on Friday unanimously passed a resolution proposed by the United States and Mexico that sanctioned powerful gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as “Barbecue”. The sanctions include an assets freeze and a travel ban.

    While Cherizier was the only target named in the resolution, the measure establishes a foundation for further sanctions going forward.

    “This resolution is an initial answer to the calls for help from the Haitian people,” the US representative at the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the Security Council.

    “They want us to take action against criminal actors, including gangs and their financiers, who have been undermining stability and expanding poverty in their vibrant society.”

    The resolution comes as Haiti faces a cholera outbreak that has been worsened due to ongoing political and economic upheaval.

    The measure expressed concern over “the protracted and deteriorating political, institutional, economic, security, human rights, humanitarian and food security crises in Haiti” and reaffirmed “the commitment of the international community to continue to support” the country.

    Haiti, which has faced years of political instability, is in the middle of a deepening crisis as powerful gangs recently seized control of a key petrol terminal in Port-au-Prince, cutting residents and healthcare facilities off from much-needed supplies. The UN has warned of risks of famine if the blockade persists.

    Thousands of Haitians demonstrated last Monday in Port-au-Prince to protest against the government and its call for foreign assistance to deal with endemic insecurity, a humanitarian crisis and a burgeoning cholera epidemic.

    Several people were shot and one person was reported to have been killed during the rallies. Protesters blamed the police for the fatality.

    "We certainly need help to develop our country, but we don't need boots" on the ground, one protester told AFP, charging that the international community was "interfering in the internal affairs of Haiti" and that the government had "no legitimacy to ask for military assistance."

    Previous deployments have been marred in controversy. United Nations peacekeepers deployed in Haiti, including Sri Lankan soldiers, have fathered hundreds of babies with young mothers - sometimes through sexual violence - before abandoning them, reports a study published by the Conversation.

     The Conversation, says that “girls as young as 11 were sexually abused and impregnated by peacekeepers and . . . ‘left in misery’ to raise their children alone”.

    That includes Sri Lankan peacekeepers linked to a paedophilic sex ring in Haiti, where at least 134 soldiers exploited nine children from 2004 to 2006. The Sri Lankan military repatriated 114 of the soldiers after a group of children identified them as paedophiles, but none have ever been prosecuted. 

    Read more at Al Jazeera and France24

  • New date set for Tigray Peace Talks 

    The Ethiopian government have announced that peace talks with the TPLF would commence next week.  

    Representatives from the TPLF and Ethiopian governments will meet on the 24th of October 2022 in South Africa. 

    The announcement was made by Redwan Hussein, National Security Adviser of the Ethiopian Prime Minister, via Twitter. He also spoke on the Ethiopian government's commitments to the peace talks. "We have reconfirmed our commitment to participate." adding, "We are dismayed that some are bent on preempting the peace talks & spreading false allegations against the defensive measures." 

     

    Earlier this month, the African Union's initial attempts to mediate discussions between the two opposing sides fell through due to logistical oversights by the organisation. The fall through of these initial plans has led to some parties questioning the organisation's competency and ability to lead these talks to peace. 

    The proceedings will be led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, former President of Kenya, and H.E. Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa and Member of the AU Panel of the Wise.

    Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed a positive outlook towards the peace talks in his speech at the inauguration a talent development centre in Oromia regional state. "The situation in northern Ethiopia will come to an end, peace will prevail. We will not continue fighting forever. I believe that in a short period of time, we will stand with our Tigrayan brothers for peace and development," Mr Abiy said.

    While officials prepare for meetings, the situation in Tigray continues to worsen. 

    Speaking to the press on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed grave concern regarding the situation in Tigray, where the violence has "reached alarming levels.". There have been reports of intensified airstrikes on Tigrayan cities, including Shire. 

    In a speech on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke of the conflict at some length. "There is no other situation globally in which 6 million people have been kept under siege for almost two years. Banking, fuel, food, electricity and health care are being used as weapons of war. Media is also not allowed and destruction of civilians is done in darkness." 

    Due to a lack of access to the region and accurate data, it is difficult to understand the true impact of the conflict on the region. "There are no services for tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, hypertension and more – those diseases, which are treatable elsewhere, are now a death sentence in Tigray." Said Mr Ghebreyesus. 

    "There is a very narrow window now to prevent genocide in Tigray." Warns Mr Ghebreyesus. 

    Read more at AFP

  • BJP bans Popular Front India for 5 years

    India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) outlawed the Popular Front of India (PFI) and eight affiliate organizations for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. The ban came close on the heels of raids on PFI offices across the country. Hundreds of its leaders have been arrested.

     The government of Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has alleged that the PFI has links with terror groups such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    founded as a Muslim socio-cultural organization in India in 2007 in the aftermath of the ban on SIMI, PFI emerged out of the merger of three Muslim organizations – the National Democratic Front in Kerala, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity, and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu.

    The PFI was set up mainly with the idea of protecting Muslim rights in India. It describes itself “as a non-governmental social organisation whose stated objective is to work for the poor and disadvantaged people in the country and to oppose oppression and exploitation.” With the aim of safeguarding freedom, justice, and security for minorities, PFI was registered in Delhi under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860.

    In its mission statement on its website, the PFI claims to want to establish an "egalitarian society where everyone enjoys freedom, justice and a sense of security". It says that changes in economic policies are required so that Dalits (formerly untouchables), tribal people and minorities get their rights.

    Security expert Swaran Ram Darapuri, a retired police services officer, said the allegations against PFI seemed to be preconceived as “no related specific charge or crime has been investigated or proved” in the cases.

    Read more at the Guardian and The Diplomat 

  • Paris joins in TV boycott of World cup matches from Qatar

    Paris has decided not to broadcast any world cup games on giant screens in public fan zones amidst concerns over the rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar. 

    Several other French cities have joined the boycott. More than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 11 years ago,

    The total death toll is significantly higher, as these figures do not include deaths from a number of countries which send large numbers of workers to Qatar, including the Philippines and Kenya. Deaths that occurred in the final months of 2020 are also not included.

    Read more at the Independent 

  • Failure to extend Yemen ceasefire leaves millions at risk

    The expiry of a six-month ceasefire in Yemen has pushed the country back into conflict. 

    Charities have criticised the failure to extend the ceasefire beyond Sunday. The truce was first agreed upon in April.

    “The end of the truce is terrible news for the people of Yemen. Millions will now be at risk if airstrikes, ground shelling and missile attacks resume,” said Ferran Puig, Oxfam’s country director in Yemen.

    “The past six months have brought hope to millions of Yemenis who have seen a 60% decrease in casualties, a significant reduction in violence, more fuel imports and much easier access to essential services and aid. In addition, fewer people have been forced from their homes.” Puig added speaking to the Guardian. 

    The Norwegian Refugee Council said in a statement on Monday: “We call on the parties to the conflict to reconsider, refrain from pulling the trigger, put aside their differences and extend the arm of diplomacy, as they have done successfully for the last six months. Indeed, the last two months have shown that solutions are within sight when they agree to focus on them, instead of the fighting.”

    According to the UN refugee agency, the war between the Saudi-led, pro-government coalition and Houthi rebels has left 73% of Yemen’s population dependent on humanitarian aid and has internally displaced 4.3 million people. There have been more than 13,000 civilian casualties.

    In a report on humanitarian needs released on Sunday, the UN highlighted problems in access to water and sanitation, with only a quarter of people it assessed having clean water sources in their homes, and the same amount not having a latrine.

    The report also said 40% of children were not going to school and a third of households had to travel more than an hour to reach any kind of health facilities.

    Read more at the Guardian 

  • Burkina Faso coup: ousted leader resigns

    Burkino Faso ousted leader, Paul Henri Sandaogo Daminba has offered his resignation to "avoid confrontations". 

    Religious leaders and community leaders held mediation talks between Damib and the new self-proclaimed leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore. 

    The second change of leadership in a year started on Friday when military officers announced the deposition of Damiba, the dissolution of the transitional government and the suspension of the constitution.

    With a lack of strong democratic institutions in a country where the military has long been dominant, Capt Traoré seized power with a pledge to improve security in a nation living in fear of the militants.

    Traore promised to overhaul the military so it is better prepared to fight “extremists”. He accused Damiba of following the same failed strategies as former President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, whom Damiba overthrew in a January coup.

    The landlocked state of Burkina Faso has been struggling to contain rebel groups, including some associated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

    Since 2015, the country has become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel region, where thousands of people have been killed and about two million displaced.

    Commentators have noted that Burkina Faso has found itself in a cold war rivalry that the conflict in Ukraine has reignited, as Russia seeks to expand its influence in the region. 

    Read more at Al Jazeera and BBC  

  • Russia annexes four regions of Ukraine

    Vladimir Putin has signed “accession treaties” formalising Russia’s illegal annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine,

    The Russian government spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the signing of the “treaties on the accession of territories into the Russian Federation” would take place at 3pm local time in the Kremlin’s St George’s Hall. Putin would deliver a “major” speech at the ceremony.

    The announcement set off a fresh round of international condemnation. “Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told reporters.

    Joe Biden said that the US would never recognise Russia’s claims on Ukraine’s territory, and denounced the fake referendums as an “absolute sham,” saying, “The results were manufactured in Moscow.”

    The annexation will make the chance of a negotiated settlement to end the war even more remote. Russia amended its constitution in 2022 to forbid ceding territory the country has formally annexed.

    It was initially seen as a way to prevent a future Russian leader from ceding Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. But the law would also forbid Russia from ceding territories occupied since February or those not currently under Kremlin control.

    Taken together, Russia is annexing at least 40,000 square miles of eastern and southern Ukraine, about 15% of Ukraine’s total area, equal to the size of Portugal or Serbia.

    Kyiv has indicated it will fight to reclaim all of its lands. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, promised a strong response to the annexations and has convened an emergency meeting with his defence and security chiefs.

    Read more at the Guardian

  • Guinea puts ex-leader on trial for stadium massacre

    Over a decade after 150 were killed Guinea puts Ex-President Moussa Dadis Camara on trial. 

    The trial of Guinea's former President and 10 others accused of responsibility for a 2009 stadium massacre and mass rape began on Wednesday in the country's capital. 

    13-years ago, on September 28, 2009, security forces stormed a stadium where tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters were demonstrating against the president at the time, Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara, who had seized power in a coup.

    Capt Camara, 58, seized power in 2008 when long-time President Lansana Conté died, but he was ousted and fled the country not long after the Conakry killings and following an assassination attempt. He had been living in Burkina Faso before returning to Guinea on Sunday.

    After Capt Camara left Guinea, an investigation was set up to establish the facts surrounding the tragedy - it sat from 2010 to 2017. During that time some alleged perpetrators were charged, including Capt Camara.

    More than 150 people were killed, hundreds of others were wounded and at least 109 women were raped or sexually assaulted, according to a U.N. investigation and witness accounts gathered by Human Rights Watch.

    The trial is unprecedented in Guinea, with a new courtroom built in the capital, Conakry, for the occasion. The case is seen by many human rights experts as a test for a West African country in holding army officers to account.

    It was the current military junta head - Col Mamady Doumbouya, a U.S trained officer - who came to power after a coup in 2021, who ordered the trial to be held.

    Since Colonel Doumbouya seized power in September, 2021, the Guinean authorities have cracked down on civil liberties, including banning protests, dissolving the country’s main pro-democracy coalition, and firing live ammunition at demonstrators. At least seven protesters died in clashes with security forces this summer.

    The United Nations has labeled the violence in 2009 as a crime against humanity, and Human Rights Watch said the violence was premeditated.

    Witness testimony revealed that hundreds of members of the red beret presidential guard, gendarmes and anti-riot police stormed the stadium and opened fire as civil society activists and opposition supporters were chanting in a largely peaceful atmosphere.

    Soldiers later raped dozens of women inside the stadium and around it, sexually assaulted them with their weapons and killed several after raping them, according to testimonies collected by Human Rights Watch. The United Nations said that the security forces were armed with pistols, clubs, knives and AK-47-style rifles, among other weapons.

    Read more at BBC News

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