According to an independent analysis of criminal justice in the European Union, carried out by the London based organisation Fair Trials International, the abuses of Human rights in EU based criminal trials has doubled in the past five years. The analysis found that states on the eastern fringes of the EU habitually violated individual’s right to liberty and a fair trial. The figures, which were taken from a 5 year between 2007 and this summer, showed the number of right to a fair criminal trial violations increase by over a 100%. The most frequent violation was delay in bringing cases to...
The International Criminal Court is considering the venue of Saif al-Islam’s trial at a public hearing in The Hague. Libya wants to try Gaddafi in the country and lawyer Ahmed al-Jehani told the hearing that patience was needed as it will take the authorities some time to organise a fair trial. However, lawyers of the ICC argued that Gaddafi will not receive a fair trial in Libya and the hearing will hear evidence from ICC defence lawyer Melinda Taylor, who was arrested by Libyan authorities earlier this year while visiting Muammar Gaddafi’s son. Libya has repeatedly rejected calls by the ICC...
A 14-year-old Pakistani rights activist, Malala Yousafzai, was shot and injured in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Malala rose to fame in 2009 for keeping a diary on BBC Urdu about life in the Swat Valley under Taliban rule. She was internationally recognised for criticising Taliban policies, especially the shutting of schools for girls, and was awarded the first National Peace Prize by the Pakistani government in 2011. The BBC reports conflicting accounts of how the shooting, which happened on Malala’s way home from school, unfolded but she is now reportedly out of danger. Ehsanullah Ehsan,...
A group of Northern Christian leaders - the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NORSEF) demanded that the 2015 presidency be allocated to a Christian, citing marginalisation, reported The Guardian Nigeria. The NORSEF chairman, Mathew Owojaiye and Secretary Illiya Yusuf said that Northern Christians would protest against Muslim politicians putting themselves forward for the contest. In a statement, NORSEF said: “The Federal Government must understand that Christian leaders are being put in a very difficult position. Why must we keep apologising to our people on behalf of the Federal Government? Why must we keep telling our people to be calm in the face of such provocations, slaughter and terrorist acts? Why is the Federal Government making us cowards, inactive and incapable leaders to protect our people and fight for their interest? Our youths are becoming restless and furious. We urge the Federal Government to show that they are truly in control. This nation is fast becoming a failed state”. Owojaiye said: “We the Christians boldly affirm that the next person to be president of this country from the north must be a Christian”
Hugo Chávez won the presidential vote on Sunday, securing another six year term in office. Chávez's socialist part, polled 54.66% compared to 44.73% for the opposition leader Henrique Capriles of the Movement for Democratic Unity (MUD). Addressing cheering crowds from the balcony of Miraflores Palace, Chávez said people had "voted for socialism" and exclaimed, "the revolution has triumphed!" Celebrating the victory, President Fernandez of Argentina tweeted: "Your victory is our victory! And the victory of South America and the Caribbean!"
The former president of the Maldives, Mohamad Nasheed, has been arrested for failing to turn up at his trial for illegally arresting a judge. A spokesman for Mr Nasheed's party, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, tweeted that Nasheed was "grabbed from protesting supporters" before being arrested and "taken away" from the southern atoll of Fares Mathoda. "I also fear for his safety given the brutality shown by armed and covered police. We do not know where he is being taken," he told the BBC. Nasheed resigned earlier this year, after which he claimed he was threatened to do so by rebellious security forces.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged Nepal to proceed with plans to investigate its 10-year-civil war which saw abuses committed by both sides. Pillay outlined that, “Perpetrators of serious violations on both sides have not been held accountable, (and) in some cases have been promoted and may now even be offered an amnesty”, in the introduction to an online report documenting the violations. The report , linked to a database of 30,000 documents detailing atrocities in the conflict, was compiled to help the Nepalese official bodies and non-government...
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has decreed that all political prisoners detained from last year’s uprising be pardoned on Monday. According to the President’s Facebook page, an amnesty was declared for all acts "committed with the aim of supporting the revolution and bringing about its objectives, in the period January 25, 2011 to June 30, 2012, with the exception of crimes of first-degree murder." It applies from those arrested from the first day of protests that forced former President Mubarak to leave, 25th of January 2011 until June 2012. All those who have been convicted and currently...
The Philippine government has agreed a peace deal with the largest rebel group in the country, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). After lengthy negotiations between MILF and the government, the new agreement creates a larger autonomous region in the Muslim south of the majority-Catholic country. The MILF's vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP news agency: "We are very happy. We thank the president for this." The president Benigno Aquino said in a speech that the framework can create an "enduring peace" in the region. “This Framework Agreement paves the way for a...
On Saturday a drone was spotted over Israeli territory of Yatir forest, with it's origin and full purpose in crossing into Israeli airspace uncertain. According to Israeli military, the drone was not carrying explosives and within twenty minutes of crossing into Israeli territory, it was shot down by Israeli air force. The Israeli military has ruled out Hamas as the origin and has instead blamed Hezbollah in Lebanon with the backing of Iran as the potential culprit. Hezbollah has in the past used unmanned aerial drones in 2004 and 2006 over Israel during its confrontation. Many have...