human rights - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

UN concerned by Tunisian police violations

THE United Nations human rights office in Tunisia said it is concerned about repeated allegations of serious violations by the Tunisian police, amid violent protests against police abuse that rocked the capital for six nights. The protests erupted after a video showing police stripping and beating a young man triggered widespread anger. The video prompted criticism from political parties, local human rights organizations and President Kais Saied. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said the officers involved were arrested and the incident was unacceptable. "These serious and repeated violations since the beginning of the year reveal continuing dysfunctions within the internal security…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Biden to press Putin on respecting human rights in Geneva

WORLD

U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday said that he will press Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect human rights when the two leaders meet in June. During a speech honoring the U.S. holiday Memorial Day, Biden said, "I'm meeting with President Putin in a couple of weeks in Geneva making it clear we will not, we will not stand by and let him abuse those rights." The White House said on Friday it was planning to move ahead with the summit between the two leaders after Microsoft flagged a cyberattack on U.S. government agencies by Nobelium, the group behind last year's…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Five human rights wins in a year marked by COVID-19 backsliding

HUMAN RIGHTS

SONIA ELKS THE coronavirus pandemic deepened entrenched inequalities and took an especially heavy toll on the most vulnerable, but in a grim year there were some notable wins for human rights, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. From Black Lives Matter protests showcasing people power to climate lawsuits holding corporations to account and a groundswell of action to fight violence against women, the rights group highlighted bright spots in its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide. Here are five of the human rights wins and positive trends identified by Amnesty: 1. Black Lives Matter protests The death of George Floyd…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Hamilton spoke to Bahrain officials about human rights

NEWS

ALAN BALDWIN FORMULA ONE world champion Lewis Hamilton said he had spoken to Bahrain officials about human rights in the country after promising last year he would not let any abuses go unnoticed. The Mercedes driver, who will be chasing a record eighth world title in a season that starts in the Gulf kingdom on Sunday, detailed efforts he had made to inform himself. The Briton said in December he had been moved by a letter from the son of a jailed man facing the death penalty. Hamilton had, however, been unable to meet officials at the time after testing…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Revival of Algerian street movement

NEWS

THOUSANDS of Algerians demonstrated against the political and military elite in cities across the country for a second successive Friday, as the United Nations human rights body voiced concern at what it called a crackdown on protesters. The demonstrations mark a resumption of the street protest movement, calling for the old political establishment to depart and the army to quit politics, which suspended its weekly marches a year ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Police have not stopped the protests but maintain a heavy street presence and the spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said there…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

UN rights chief disturbed by ‘intimidation’ of opposition in Tanzania

NEWS

THE U.N. human rights chief is disturbed by reports of "intimidation and harassment" of the opposition in Tanzania following a disputed election that the incumbent president won with 84% of the vote. President John Magufuli was declared the winner of the October 28 vote but the main opposition parties have alleged fraud. The opposition called for protests against the results but the police foiled their attempts last week and arrested their leaders, before later releasing them on bail. Police said the demonstrations were illegal and were meant to cause violence in the East African country. Tundu Lissu, who was Magufuli's…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Why human rights should guide responses to the global pandemic

HUMAN RIGHTS

SANDRA LIEBENBERG, Distinguished Professor and H F Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law, Stellenbosch University THE coronavirus pandemic has killed over a million people globally and disrupted healthcare and political systems, economies, social bonds and religious practices. What can South Africa’s Bill of Rights and international human rights treaties contribute to coronavirus responses and recovery strategies in the country and globally? My central argument is that human rights provide tools to help states build fairer societies and economies. Such societies will be more resilient to future shocks. A human rights-based approach to the pandemic is based on values. It prioritises…