Human Rights

 Mugabe's Zimbabwe is undergoing what many call the county's worst peace time crisis. Due to a shortage of hard currency Zimbabwe is now weighed down by hyperinflation and constant import shortages, mainly fuel and food stuffs. The current crisis has led to what is almost a complete demise of  Zimbabwe's education system.  Once was once seen as […]

The tribunal system established to try suspected terrorists at the U.S. naval facility at Guantanamo Bay does not seem to meet international requirements for a fair trial, a U.N. expert said. Martin Scheinin, a human rights and terrorism expert, told the U.N. General Assembly a visit last year to the detention facility confirmed his concerns […]

For years now the culture of impunity against rapists in the Congo has further humiliated victims.  Many are too frightened to speak up, others too shamed. The eastern Congo, according to the United Nations, is the scene of world's worst orchestrated campaign of rape.  Another tool that breeds fear for reasons insane by various military […]

First, a recent order directing that a group of Uighur detainees at Guantanamo be released into the continental United States has been placed on hold by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals pending a government appeal. Lyle Denniston provides the hold order, from a three-judge panel of the Court, in this post, summarizing the case. […]

Commenter Steve Hoenstine had some harsh words for the Sudanese Darfur trials here. Human Rights Watch agrees, condemning the domestic trials as “mere window dressing” with “little promise of bringing justice to victims of serious abuses.”

Are you an eco-friendly or green type, are you a human activist, or organic minded? Have you wandered the isles of the supermarkets aimlessly looking for a better choice for your Halloween sugary and chocolaty treats? Why not participate in Fair Trade Trick or Treating this year! The Cocoa industry often traffics children to work […]

Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and recent Nobel laureate, rightly pointed to the reemergence of Keynesianism in an article praising British Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his response to the current financial crisis (the partial renationalization of banks), contrasting it to the hesitant decision making process in the United States: It's hard to avoid […]

Because guys just can't be bothered. Just kidding! Sort of. U.S. women didn't get the right to vote until 1920 and for a long time trailed male voters in participation rates. Well, ladies, times have changed, and the men need our help. According to Newsweek: Over the last 40 years, some 16 million men‚ a […]

An Iranian judicial official announced Thursday that Iran will move to ban execution of juveniles. Over 130 juveniles are currently awaiting execution in Iran. Iran's Prosecuting General said their death sentences will be commuted to life behind bars. The announcement came a day after 300 non-governmental organizations from 82 countries urged the UN General Assembly […]

"Poverty is the worst form of violence." – Mahatma Gandhi Poverty is the worst form of violence, and it is the most common form of violence which is committed daily against on quarter of the world's children. Over a billion people across the globe live on less than a dollar a day, placing them in […]

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty , was established in 1993, by UN resolution 47/196, when the United Nations General Assembly designated October 17th to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries. Particular interest and attention on this day is however focused on developing countries, as the day […]

The rising of fuel and food across the globe has left few unscathed and one can easily find themselves feeling the hit at both the pump and in the checkout line, enough to cause one to curtail their spending. Unemployment rates have spiked all time highs and worldwide everyone is tightening their belts. With many […]