human rights - The African Mirror

Jul

16

2024

Wole Soyinka at 90: writer and activist for justice

LIFESTYLE

AKINWANDE Oluwole Soyinka, the legendary African author and activist, is proof of what words and acts can achieve in the struggle for justice and human rights. Soyinka, aged 90, embodies unrelenting activism and literary excellence. The importance of Soyinka’s work lies in demonstrating the powerful role of the arts and artists in society. He has shown that literature and artistic expression can be formidable tools for challenging oppression, advocating for justice and inspiring social change. From his early plays and poems to his recent essays and speeches, Soyinka has consistently addressed political corruption, social injustice and human rights abuses –…

May

25

2024

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

South Africa bids farewell to trailblazing jurist and human rights champion Justice Yvonne Mokgoro

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

WE gather here today to lay to rest a great South African, a champion of human rights, an outstanding jurist and an icon of gender justice. Through her life and through her work, Imbokodo Justice Yvonne Mokgoro was a pioneer. In so many respects, her legacy is a tribute to resilience, to principled activism and to steadfastness, no matter how great the obstacle or how difficult the climb. In 1994, upon its inception, she became the first black woman to be appointed to the Constitutional Court. Reaching that pinnacle was not a simple progression. It did not come easy. It…

Apr

24

2024

By The African Mirror

Top UN officials call on UK to reconsider plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda

NEWS

TWO United Nations top officials called on the UK to reconsider its plan to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda, warning the move would have a harmful impact on human rights and refugee protection. In a joint statement, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the UK to instead take practical measures to address irregular flows of migrants and refugees. "The new legislation marks a further step away from the UK's long tradition of providing refuge to those in need, in breach of the Refugee Convention," said Grandi.…

Apr

05

2024

By The African Mirror

UN rights body adopts first resolution to protect rights of intersex people

HUMAN RIGHTS

THE United Nations Human Rights Council voted to adopt a resolution designed to protect the rights of intersex people, the first initiative of its kind that diplomats and rights groups described as a landmark moment for human rights. Twenty-four countries voted in favour, twenty-three abstained and none voted against the resolution, which was spearheaded by Finland, South Africa, Chile and Australia. The U.N. has cited experts as saying that 1.7% of babies are born intersex, defined as having sex characteristics that do not fit binary notions of male or female. The resolution calls on states to "combat discrimination, violence and…

Mar

19

2024

By CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

South Africa will work harder, sparing neither strength nor courage, to fulfil the basic human rights of her people

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE adoption of our Constitution with its Bill of Rights by the Constitutional Assembly on the 8th of May 1996 was a great moment in our struggle to achieve a free and equal society. As I said at the time, it marked the day our country and our people came of age. I referred to our constitution as the birth certificate of our nation. On that occasion, we proclaimed to the world that we are a society committed to democracy, to the rule of law and to the protection of human rights. The Constitution came to be as a result…

Nov

01

2023

By The African Mirror

US to evict Gabon, Niger, Uganda and Central African Republic from trade program

NEWS

U.S. President Joe Biden said that he intends to end the participation of Gabon, Niger, Uganda and the Central African Republic in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade program. Biden said he was taking the step because of "gross violations" of internationally recognized human rights by the Central African Republic and Uganda. He also cited Niger and Gabon's failure to establish or make continual progress toward the protection of political pluralism and the rule of law. "Despite intensive engagement between the United States and the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, and Uganda, these countries have failed to address…

Sep

24

2023

By GABRIELA BACZYNSKA

Germany’s Baerbock joins chorus criticizing EU migration deal with Tunisia

NEWS

GERMAN Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined a growing chorus of critics of the European Union's new migration deal with Tunisia, saying human rights and procedural faults ruled it out as a blueprint for the future. Her letter to the EU executive European Commission highlights the EU's inner conflict between those pursuing ever-tougher policies to stop illegal immigration and others who emphasize humanitarian considerations and labour market gaps. Italy, the Netherlands and EU institutions in July signed the agreement with Tunisia, promising aid to Tunis in exchange for President Kais Saied cracking down on people smugglers and keeping a tighter lid…

Jul

01

2023

By IRENE KALULU, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Tsitsi Dangarembaga speaks

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TSITSI Dangarembga is a Zimbabwean playwright, filmmaker and award-winning novelist who is vocal about freedom of expression and human rights. In 2020, she was arrested and later convicted by a Zimbabwean court for inciting violence after carrying out a march calling for political reforms. The charge was later overturned. Her first book, "Nervous Conditions" earned her the Commonwealth Writers Prize, with the New York Times calling it one of the 20th century's most significant works of African literature. Other works include "This Mournable Body", "The Book of Not", and most recently, a book of essays titled "Black and Female". This…

May

15

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali rejects UN report on alleged execution of 500 villagers by troops

NEWS

MALI'S interim military government has rejected a United Nations human rights office report on the alleged execution of at least 500 people by Malian soldiers and unidentified foreign fighters during an operation last year. The ruling junta was responding to a report released on Friday after a months-long investigation into what rights groups described as the worst atrocity in a 10-year conflict between Islamist groups and the army. "The transitional government vehemently denounces this biased report that is based on a fictitious narrative and does not meet established international standards," government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement on Saturday. The report…

May

15

2023

By The African Mirror

Mali rejects UN report on execution of 500 villagers

NEWS

MALI'S interim military government has rejected a United Nations human rights office report on the alleged execution of at least 500 people by Malian soldiers and unidentified foreign fighters during an operation last year. The ruling junta was responding to a report released on Friday after a months-long investigation into what rights groups described as the worst atrocity in a 10-year conflict between Islamist groups and the army. "The transitional government vehemently denounces this biased report that is based on a fictitious narrative and does not meet established international standards," government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement on Saturday. The report…