Human Rights Today: 2-27-09

by admin on February 27, 2009

Today’s update of human rights events around the world.

COLOMBIA: Spurious Cases Against Human Rights Defenders

Colombian flagSix months after human rights defender Julio Avella was put behind bars, a prosecutor reviewing the case threw out the charges against him, which were based on the testimony of former guerrillas and police and army reports, on the grounds that they were “contradictory, incoherent, inconsistent and illogical.” IPS

U.S.: Jobless Angry at Possibility of No Benefits

American flagAs governors in nine states, mostly in the South, consider rejecting millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for increased unemployment insurance, there is growing anger among the ranks of the jobless in those states that they could be left out of a significant government benefit. NY Times

BANGLADESH: Dozens missing in revolt

Bangladesh flagAuthorities in Bangladesh continue their search for the bodies of people killed in a two-day revolt by border guards inside the capital, Dhaka. Al Jazeera

SERBIA: UN court acquits ex-leader

Serbian flagMilan Milutinovic, the former Serbian president, has been acquitted of the murders of hundreds of Kosovan Albanians in 1999 by a United Nations war crimes tribunal. Al Jazeera

CHINA: Government rejects US rights criticism

Chinese flagChina has rejected US criticism of its human rights record, with state media describing the charges as “groundless, irresponsible and an interference in Chinese affairs”. Al Jazeera

GERMANY: Headscarf Bans Violate Rights

German flagGerman state bans on religious symbols and clothing for teachers and other civil servants discriminate against Muslim women who wear the headscarf, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch

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