Syria has received widespread international criticism over the massacre at Houla, after the UN Security Council met on Sunday in an emergency session. The killings saw at least 90 civilians including 34 children killed, many due to either shelling injuries, opr shot and stabbed to death. A UN Security Council statement said that its members "condemned in the strongest possible terms the killings... in the village of (Houla), near Homs, in attacks that involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighbourhood... Such outrageous use of force against civilian...
UN observers have confirmed over 90 people, including 32 children, were killed in a massacre in the Syrian city of Houla. The observers were met by horrific scenes when they arrived at Houla to inspect the site. Some of the victims died through shelling, others were stabbed, shot or bludgeoned to death. Videos posted on YouTube indicate people were summarily executed. The head of the UN mission, Maj-Gen Robert Mood told the BBC the killing in Houla was "indiscriminate and unforgivable". The ceasefire brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan looks increasingly worthless, with the Free Syrian Army...
The US has cut $33m in aid in response to the imprisonment of Dr. Shakil Afridi by Pakistan. A Senate panel has said US aid will be cut by $1m for every year of Dr. Afridi’s sentence. Dr Afridi was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for treason. He has been found guilty of assisting the CIA in locating Osama bin Laden. The cuts in aid are part of a bill sending $1bn worth of aid to Pakistan. "We need Pakistan, Pakistan needs us, but we don't need Pakistan double-dealing and not seeing the justice in bringing Osama Bin Laden to an end," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. Secretary...
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called on western countries to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, as they were hurting the poor. "I would urge those countries that are currently applying sanctions on Zimbabwe to suspend them, at least until the conduct of the elections and related reforms are clear," she said during a visit to the country. "Sanctions should be entirely suspended for people to entirely focus on economic issues that need to be addressed," she added. Ms Pillay also urged the Zimbabwean government to pass reforms to avoid violence at the next elections...
The International Criminal Court has rejected an appeal by Kenyans alleged to have been behind mass-violence after the 2008 elections in the country. This could mean that the four men have to face trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity. The men deny the violence which cost the lives of 1,200 people, after the conclusion of controversial presidential elections. The suspects were supporters of the two main candidates, who orchestrated violence as clashes surrounding the elections escalated. One of the suspects, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the deputy prime minister and son of Kenya’s first...
Politicians and world leaders guilty of abusing human rights may be barred from the 2012 Olympic Games due to be held in London, stated Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne on Wednesday. In a written statement to British Parliament, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office stated , "Entry will be refused where an individual's presence at the Games or in the UK would not be conducive to the public good.” "Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the UK ." "Anyone...
Millions of Egyptian voters took to the polls on Wednesday, to mark the country’s first Presidential elections since the emerging from 60 years of military-backed rule. The elections have been hailed as a transition to democracy, since the overthrow of President Mubarak and the assumption of power by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Praising the event, US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said , "I don't know if you've seen the ballot. It's really quite stunning. It's about this long with many, many candidates." "Today does mark the start of a first round of Egypt's...
A report, commissioned by the UN, has found that the Syrian Army is responsible for most of the human rights abuses committed since March. The report , compiled by a commission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, looked into human rights violations committed between March and mid-May, and detailed abuses committed by both the government and the rebels. "Most of the serious human rights violations documented by the Commission in this update were committed by the Syrian army and security services as part of military or search operations conducted in locations known for hosting defectors...
In their annual human rights report, Amnesty International has slammed the United Nations Security Council, labelling it "tired, out of step and increasingly unfit for purpose". The London-based human rights group, stated that world leadership has failed when action was needed, saying , “A failure to intervene in Sri Lanka and inaction over crimes against humanity in Syria – one of Russia’s main customers for arms – left the UN Security Council looking redundant as a guardian of global peace.” Amnesty Secretary-General Salil Shetty commented , "There is a clear and compelling case for the...
A doctor who helped the US secret service has been jailed for 30 years by a tribal court. Dr Shakil Afridi ran a fake vaccination programme is Abottabad to gather information on its residents for the CIA. The information gathered may have led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in a covert US operation in Abbottabad in 2011. Islamabad reacted with anger at the operation, which it saw as a violation of its sovereignty. Dr Afridi was tried by a local court under the tribal system, which often delivers swift justice at the expense of a fair trial. State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told...