Human Rights Watch 21 March 2013 Download the report Cameroon prosecutes people for consensual same-sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world, four human rights organizations said in a report released today. The organizations – Alternatives-Cameroun, Association for the Defense of Gays and Lesbians (ADEFHO), the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), and [...]
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Sri Lanka: sexual violence against Tamils by Sri Lankan security forces
Human Rights Watch 26 February 2013 (BBC coverage of HRW report here) Summary There have long been reports that the Sri Lankan military and police forces rape and sexually abuse ethnic Tamils detained for alleged links to the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), among other forms of torture and ill-treatment. During the 26-year-long [...]
The Netherlands: halt plan to deport Somalis
Human Rights Watch 21 February 2013 The Dutch government should not deport Somalis to any part of south-central Somalia, including Mogadishu, until security improves substantially, and the UN refugee agency has issued new guidelines. In mid-February 2013, Dutch authorities said they planned to deport two rejected Somali asylum seekers, originally from Mogadishu, back to Somalia [...]
Zimbabwe: EU eases sanctions as Zim police raid ZESN
Richard Lee, OSISA 19 February 2013 There is a reason why the decision by the European Union to ease its sanctions on some influential Zimbabweans was not met with universal approval. It is that many people do not believe that a leopard can change its spots – or to put it another way – that [...]
Swazi police break up prayer meeting
Richard Lee, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa 18 February 2013 In Swaziland it is usually sensible to ignore the words of those in power, especially when they are preaching peace and dialogue, and concentrate on their deeds. Take this weekend for example. Giving his annual State of the Nation Address on Friday 15th February, [...]
Cameroon gay rights lawyer seeks US refuge
France 24 via AFP 17 February 2013 A Cameroonian lawyer who has received death threats for defending gays and lesbians in a country where homosexuality is outlawed has sought refuge with his family in the United States. In his home country, homosexuality is associated with “sorcery and black magic,” said Yaounde lawyer Michel Togue, amid [...]
Zimbabwe: Eight women arrested after handing out teddy bears and roses in peaceful protest
Amnesty International 14 February 2013 Eight members of Zimbabwean women’s social justice movement, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested outside the Zimbabwean parliament in Harare on Wednesday after they handed out roses and teddy bears during their annual Valentine’s Day demonstration. This attack on peaceful protesters has sparked fears that Zimbabwe may not be [...]
Cameroon: stop turning blind eye to death threats
Human Rights Watch 13 February 2013 The government of Cameroon should immediately take action against a series of death threats made over the last four months to two lawyers who represent clients accused of homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to President Paul Biya. Alice Nkom and Michel Togué, Cameroonian [...]
Afghanistan: harsh winter takes toll on Afghan war displaced
Nita Bhalla, AlertNet 29 January 2013 The bitter cold of the Afghan winter is killing an increasing number of people, especially children, in urban slums where internally displaced Afghans struggle to survive, aid agencies said on Tuesday. Human rights group Amnesty International said its research showed at least 11 children and six adults had died [...]
Republic of Cameroon: make human rights a reality
Amnesty International 24 January 2013 For several decades, Amnesty International has been gathering information about allegations of human rights violations carried out, ordered or condoned by Cameroonian government and security officials. This report documents abuses such as the restriction of freedoms of expression and association; persecution of people accused of same-sex relationships; harassment of members [...]
