Senior UK Parliamentarians will investigate the state of human rights within Kazakhstan. The former director of public prosecutions Lord MacDonald will lead an independent investigation into the detention and treatment of Zhanbolat Mamai, the leader of the unregistered opposition Democratic party in Kazakhstan. Mamai has been detained since February 2022 over his role in nationwide protests over steep rises in fuel prices that were seen as the most serious dissent in the central Asian republic since Kazakhstan was granted independence from Russia 30 years ago. A crackdown after the protests...
Iran has announced that it will hold public trials for as many as 1,000 people detained during recent protests in Tehran alone – and more than a thousand others outside the capital. The judiciary made the announcement as protests continued following the death of 22 year-old Kurdish Mahsa Amini. The latest signs of external support for the Iranian protests led by women and students came as sit-ins continued in universities and more than 500 civilian journalists put their names to an internal petition demanding that reporters who helped break the story of Mahsa Amini be released from detention...
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...
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...
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-...
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...
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 2022 TM ." Qatar...
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...
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 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...