In a powerful victory for the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, last Thursday 66 nations at the UN General Assembly supported a ground breaking statement confirming that international human rights protections include sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the first time that a statement condemning rights abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, [...]

Tags: Global, LGBT, UN

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Israel should extend an open invitation to all United Nations human rights experts to visit the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and reverse the expulsion of Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories.
Israel refused to allow Falk to enter the country when he arrived at Ben Gurion airport [...]

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The UN Security Council should respond to escalating violations against children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including the recruitment of child soldiers and sexual violence, said Human Rights Watch in a letter sent on December 10, 2008, to Security Council members. The Security Council’s working group on children and armed conflict is expected to [...]

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Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Nigerian Bar Association and Nigerian NGOs have called on Nigeria to abstain during the vote on a second resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty which will be introduced at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 63rd Plenary Session, in the week starting 15 December.
The [...]

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The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda’s (ICTR) prosecutor’s failure to date to bring cases against Rwandan Patriotic Front officers responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 genocide risks undermining the court’s legacy. On December 12, 2008, ICTR Prosecutor Hassan Jallow will brief the Security Council, which is finalizing plans to [...]

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Recent claims by the Sudanese government that the situation in Darfur is improving are not borne out by reality, 15 organizations said in a report released today. In an effort to bolster their argument that the UN Security Council should suspend the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) consideration of an arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir, [...]

Tags: Darfur, ICC, Sudan, UN

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Civilians in eastern DRC need more than half measures
The population of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo need actions that will bring an end to repetitive cycles of gross human rights violations, rather than mere words, Amnesty International said today. The organization’s call came as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unanimously adopted a [...]

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What exactly is happening in North Kivu?
In late October, the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) armed opposition group launched a major offensive against government military positions in North-Kivu province. Within days, government forces in the province all but collapsed. The CNDP captured the important town of Rutshuru, and advanced to the [...]

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Amnesty International welcomes today’s adoption by the General Assembly’s Third Committee of a second resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on the use of the death penalty. More countries voted for the resolution and less voted against it this year compared to last year, and the resolution attracted more co-sponsors.
“The increased support for this year’s [...]

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Amnesty International welcomed today’s adoption of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee in New York.
“Many of those who have suffered violations of their rights, including rights to adequate housing, food, water and sanitation, health, education and decent work, are denied the [...]

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