Today’s update of human rights events around the world.
GAZA: UN Official Pleads for Opening of Gaza Borders
The top U.N. aid official in the Gaza Strip urged Israel on Friday to ease restrictions on the flow of goods into the conflict-torn territory, saying they were “devastating” for the people. “It’s wholly and totally inadequate,” John Ging, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, said about the amount of goods Israel permits into the territory, where some 1.5 million Palestinians live. Common Dreams
FRANCE: ‘De Facto Impunity’ for French Police Unacceptable, Charges Amnesty International in New Report
Unlawful killings, beatings, racial abuse and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials are prohibited under international law in all circumstances. Yet in France, reports of such human rights violations are rarely investigated effectively and those responsible seldom brought to justice, Amnesty International said in a new report published today. Common Dreams
GAZA: Evidence That Israel Violated International Law, US Domestic Law Implicated
Israel violated international law by targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, misusing weapons, deliberately denying medical care to the wounded and attacking medical personnel, the National Lawyers Guild Delegation to Gaza said today upon releasing a 37 page report containing new evidence on the facts surrounding Israel’s 22 day military offensive in Gaza. The full report can be viewed at www.nlg.org. Common Dreams
COLOMBIA: 6th labor activist this year killed
Hitmen assassinated a union leader in the north west Colombian town of Montería. The victim is the sixth labor activist killed in the country this year, authorities say. Hernán Polo, a leader of the union for teachers was shot dead by sicarios (hitmen) while arriving home. His 16-year-old daughter was injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Colombia Reports
COLOMBIA: 97% of murders in Colombia go unpunished: EU
Less than three percent of the investigations of murders committed in Colombia between January 2005 and May 2008 led to a conviction, a European study shows. While in the researched period 62,737 murders were committed, only 1,699 cases (2.7 percent) led to a conviction, the European Union report says. The researchwas based on statistics by Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office. Colombia Reports
Stumble It!
{ 0 comments… add one now }