U.N. reviews military tribunals
GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Military tribunals, convened outside the civilian justice system, need to conform to basic standards for due process, a U.N. rights official said from Geneva.
Gabriela Knaul, U.N. special envoy on judicial independence, said U.N. member states need to enact tighter principles to govern military...
Malaysia: A sacred right to believe
By Syahredzan Johan
TO many, religion is something that is close to their hearts. Religion is not something that cannot be compromised, no matter what the circumstances. Some choose to value their faith even higher than they value their own lives.
When there is religion, there is also the possibility of...
Myanmar: UN expert urges greater efforts to curb anti-Muslim sentiment
25 October 2013 – The United Nations expert on Myanmar today cautioned that the situation in Rakhine State is feeding a winder anti-Muslim narrative in the country which threatens the ongoing reform process aimed at a more open and broad-based democracy.
Speaking to journalists in New York, the UN Special...
Indonesian security break up peaceful rallies in West Papua
A heavy security presence disrupted peaceful rallies across West Papua which had been called to commemorate the anniversary of the 3rd Papuan peoples congress.
Joe Collins of AWPA said “yet again peaceful demonstrators have been arrested for simply taking part in rallies which is their democratic right, a right enshrined in article...
Myanmar dismisses UN envoys ‘one-sided’ human rights report
Myanmar has criticized a report to the United Nations on the human rights situation in the country as being one-sided and pessimistic, with its representative to the body dismissing the report by UN special rapporteur Tomas Ojae-Quintana as “hardly acceptable”.
“It’s like blaming a donut for its hole,” said Myanmar’s...
Malaysia Expresses Concern Over Sexual, Gender-based Crimes
KUALA LUMPUR Oct 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has expressed concern over sexual and gender-based crimes and strongly believes that ending impunity is crucial in the quest to put an end to sexual violence in times of conflict.
Citing progress made over the years, Charge D' Affaires of the Permanent Mission...
Myanmar: Quintana warns of a ‘crisis’ in Rakhine State
The United Nations expert on human rights in Myanmar has said that Rakhine State is facing a “profound crisis”, with the government failing to address the root causes of religious violence that has left more than 100 dead and another 140,000 displaced.
Special rapporteur Tomas Quintana issued the warning in...
Malaysia no place for LGBT rights, religious freedom, says Islamist group
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Malaysia has no room for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights or religious freedom, Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) said today as it lobbied Putrajaya to ignore the proposals put forth by a local human rights activist coalition in Geneva recently.
Isma deputy...
PHILIPPINES: Overt surveillance on a religious group assisting farmers in Mindanao
On 30 September 2013, Sr. Ma. Famita N. Somogod, Sub-Regional Coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in Northern Mindanao (RMP-NMR), was visited by a certain ‘Francis’ at her office who introduced himself as a staff member of Australian Aid or AusAID.
‘Francis’ discussed about the ‘work’ of AusAID,...
Vietnam, Laos: Officials Involved in Abduction, Trafficking, and Sex Slavery of Women, Children
WASHINGTON & HANOI, Vietnam — Ethnic Hmong, Lao and Montagnard girls, including children, are being abducted and forced into marriage and prostitution at an alarming rate by corrupt government and military officials in Vietnam and Laos according to statements issued jointly today by non-governmental organizations.
The Lao Human Rights Council,...
