TTKN News

Kate and William spend a third day in Canada

Rachuonyo Duncan — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:03:10 +0000

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today fulfilled one tradition associated with royal tours to Canada whose origin goes back decades – tree planting. Their Royal Highnesses followed in the footsteps of a long line of royal couples who have planted trees as a living memento of their visit to the Commonwealth country. The list of previous members of the monarchy who have turned gardener and used a spade to help set a young tree on its way stretches back more than 70 years. The Duke’s great-grandparents George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The ...

Hungary: Reforms Needed to New Constitution

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:44:33 +0000

New York) – Hungary should address the human rights concerns linked to its new constitution that the Venice Commission raised in its June 20, 2011 report, Human Rights Watch said today. In addition, Hungary should guarantee that people with disabilities will retain the right to vote under the new constitution, Human Rights Watch said. The new constitution, the Fundamental Law of Hungary, was signed into law on April 25, and will go into effect on January 1, 2012. The constitution includes provisions that could lead to discrimination against women, lesbian, gay, ...

China: Ai Weiwei Case Reflects Disregard for Rule of Law

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:32:22 +0000

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei waves from the entrance of his studio after being released on bail in Beijing. © 2011 Reuters MORE COVERAGE: Being Detained in China: Ai Weiwei and Others (Audio) CNN- Ai Weiwei’s Release Accentuated by Web Censorship, Terse State-Media Channel News Asia- China Artist Ai Weiwei Freed but Confined to Beijing The Chinese government’s decision to arrest Ai Weiwei was political, and so is his release. But it is also an example of how international pressure works, since Beijing was paying a high cost to its reputation for his detention. Sophie ...

Malaysia: Lawsuit Against Rights Defender Impedes Public Debate

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:29:45 +0000

(Tokyo) – A defamation lawsuit against a human rights defender who blogged against violations of migrant worker rights threatens to chill debate on matters of public interest in Malaysia, Human Rights Watch said today. In a case currently before the Malaysian courts, the Malaysian subsidiary of Asahi Kosei Japan Co. Ltd. brought a defamation suit for 10 million ringgit (US$3.3 million) against Malaysian activist Charles Hector for his blog posts on February 8 and 9, 2011, criticizing the treatment of Burmese migrant workers at the company’s facility. Hector’s blog posts were ...

Equatorial Guinea: Abuses Ahead of AU Summit

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Washington, DC) – Equatorial Guinea’s government has spent lavishly on diplomatic accommodations while neglecting the rights of the country’s poor in the lead-up to hosting the African Union summit, Human Rights Watch and EG Justice said today. The government has also sharply limited public dissent and critical reporting. While most citizens of Equatorial Guinea languish in poverty, President Teodoro Obiang’s government, which holds the revolving AU chairmanship, spent more than US$830 million to construct a luxury complex for the summit outside the nation’s capital, Malabo. “The Obiang government hopes that foreign ...

Israel: Halt Home Demolitions

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:22:50 +0000

Jerusalem) – Israel should end discriminatory policies that have forcibly displaced hundreds of West Bank Palestinian residents from their homes, Human Rights Watch said today. In demolition operations on June 14 and 21, 2011, Israeli authorities displaced more than a hundred residents of three West Bank communities, including women and children, destroying their homes and other structures. Israeli authorities should compensate the residents and provide them with housing, Human Rights Watch said. The demolitions on June 14 displaced 100 people in Fasayil al-Wusta, a community in the Jericho governorate of the ...

Kyrgyzstan: Don’t Stifle Dissent

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:21:34 +0000

(New York) – Two resolutions recently adopted by the Kyrgyz parliament could undermine freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to parliamentary leaders on June 21, 2011, Human Rights Watch urged them to rescind the resolutions. In one resolution, on May 26, parliament gave instructions to bar from the country the chairman of a commission investigating the violence in June 2010 in southern Kyrgyzstan. In the other, on June 16, parliament instructed the Culture and Justice Ministries and the prosecutor general to “take measures to ...

Libya: Government Using Landmines in Nafusa Mountains

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:20:26 +0000

(Cairo) – Libyan government forces placed more than 150 antipersonnel landmines in at least one location in the Nafusa Mountains, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch visited the site, inspected mines that had been removed, and interviewed the rebel fighters who removed them. “These antipersonnel landmines pose a huge threat to civilians,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. “More than 150 countries have banned landmines, but Libya continues to defy this global trend.” Human Rights Watch has confirmed government use of five types of landmines in six ...

Yemen: Reveal Opposition Figures’ Whereabouts

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:19:31 +0000

(New York) – Yemeni authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of a southern Yemeni opposition leader and his son who were forcibly disappeared in February 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch expressed grave concern for the health of Hassan Baoum, an ailing leader of Yemen’s separatist Southern Movement, and believes authorities may be holding the two men solely because of their political views. “Four months after masked Yemeni security forces snatched Hassan Baoum and his son from a hospital, their family has been told nothing of their fate,” ...

China: Do Not Host Sudanese President

Kate Penolope — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:18:01 +0000

(New York) – The Chinese government’s invitation to Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is an affront to victims of heinous crimes committed in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said today. Media reports indicated that al-Bashir will travel to China on June 27, 2011, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, to discuss Sudan’s relationship with China and promoting peace in Sudan. In 2009 and 2010, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for al-Bashir on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Sudan has persistently obstructed the ICC’s ...