CitizenSugar -- Breaking News, Together.

Eye For An Eye: Iranian Court Orders Man Blinded

LibertySugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:00:55 -0800

In 2004 Ameneh Bahrami, an Iranian woman, rejected a man's multiple marriage proposals, only to have him throw a jar of acid in her face and blind her. Four years later, an Iranian court has sentenced the 27-year-old attacker to be blinded, calling on the Islamic law of "qias" or equivalence.

BBC reports that Ameneh, who lost one eye and was otherwise significantly disfigured, received reconstructive face surgery in Europe; but doctors could not bring back her sight. She told the court that since the attack, she has lived in fear, and she pleaded that the man who blinded her face the same fate. The court followed her wishes.

Iranian officials hope the retributive sentence will prevent future acid attacks. Does this punishment bring the victim and society down to the criminal's level, or is it only fair that he feel the pain she does?

Source

New Administration Must Confront Dilemma at Guantanamo

LibertySugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:30:00 -0800

At the top of the next president's to-do list surely sits confronting the challenges presented by the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While the secretive detention center has been a poster child for the curtailment of basic rights by the US since the War on Terror began, many Guantanamo detainees present severe threats to global security.

A review of military tribunal files reveals that a good amount of the 255 detainees have significant terrorism credentials, such as connections to al Qaeda leaders, assassination experience, and training in the use of poison and disguises.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama say they will close Guantanamo Bay. Whether it stays open or closed, the new leader must find a way to avoid atrocities, such as holding journalist Sami al-Hajj for six years without a single charge at Guantanamo, while also taking seriously the concerns of intelligence agencies. Hopefully, the next administration will use all the tools of an upright criminal justice system to prosecute terrorists.

Source

Somalia: Is the Chaos There a US Problem?

LibertySugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

An exaggerated fear of "Islamofascism" ignores a complex reality, causing the US to overreact and damage its own interests. So says columnist Nicholas D. Krsitof, who argues that the situation in Somalia is one of the least-known Bush administration failures. Kristof explains that in 2006, a movement made up of moderate and extremist Islamic groups was close to uniting the country. Fearful of an uncooperative government in Somalia, the US supported Ethiopia's invasion of its rival, crushing the best hope for peace.

Events this week bolster the argument that paranoia of Islamic extremists has led to disaster. Today in Somalia, five suicide bombs hit government security posts, UN offices, and an Ethiopian consular unit, killing dozens.

On Monday, the human rights chaos came to a head as well. A rape victim was stoned to death for adultery in an Islamist-controlled region. Buried up to her neck, thousands gathered at a soccer field to help execute her.

Perhaps extremists win when international powers stubbornly refuse to reach out to moderates. Would you rather see the US abandon a strictly ideological viewpoint, instead opening its eyes to nuanced reality, or does security require zero tolerance?

Source

Niger Found Guilty of Allowing Slavery By West African Court

LibertySugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:50 -0700

An ex-slave in Niger, who was sold at the age of 12, made to worked for 10 years, and forced to bear the children of her master, has won a case against her country, which now must pay her $19,750 in damages. A West African Court found the Niger government guilty of failing to protect Hadijatou Mani from slavery, sending a message loud and clear that Niger must do more than nominally outlaw slavery. Activists hope the case will improve the lives of thousands kept in slavery throughout the region.

According to BBC, after her master freed her in 2005, Hadijatou tried to marry. To find out how that got her in jail,

Human Rights Online: Tech Companies Adopt Conduct Code

LibertySugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:15 -0700

Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are set to adopt voluntary and uniform guidelines to govern their international business practices, this week. These Internet companies have struggled to find acceptable means to deal with countries like China, which silence the voice of dissidents on the Internet, and block certain websites. China has used emails sent by dissidents as evidence to put them behind bars.

Part of the code of conduct will require the companies to carefully scrutinize a government's demand for information about users, or government requests for nationwide censorship. The rules, generated by teams from the tech companies, public interest groups, academics, and socially conscious investment funds, weren't just created in the name of human rights — they're also designed to counter bad publicity surrounding tech company compliance with repressive governments.

Should international companies stay true to their hometown freedoms, or should they expect to play by the rules of all the countries where they do business?

Source

Human Rights Prize Could Spoil Chinese-EU Relationship

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:13 -0700

China has thrown its weight around in Europe, declaring that its relations with the 27-members of the European Union will be seriously damaged if a dissident, currently jailed by China, receives the EU's top human rights award. Hu Jia is one of three finalists for the Sakharov Prize, and has campaigned on behalf of Chinese democracy, environmental, and HIV/AIDS movements. He has been imprisoned since last December, and was sentenced to "inciting subversion of state power" this past April.

Writing a letter to the president of the EU assembly, China's ambassador said:

If the European Parliament should award this prize to Hu Jia, that would inevitably hurt the Chinese people once again and bring serious damage to China-EU relations. . . Not recognizing China's progress in human rights and insisting on confrontation will only deepen the misunderstanding between the two sides.

In addition to this letter, China may have an opportunity to exert some pressure during the EU-Asia summit in Beijing. Starting Friday, Nicolas Sarkozy, current EU president, will ask China to become a partner in saving the world's financial system. Can one country's criminal be another 27 countries' hero? Or is Hu Jia undeniably a hero for all humans?

Source

Georgia Conflict Causes Diplomatic & Humanitarian Confusion

LibertySugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:30:22 -0700

The conflict between Georgia and Russia presents a complex set of questions for the international community. While Western officials try to figure out how exactly Russia's two-headed government shares power, human rights workers are searching for the truth about atrocities that may or may not have been committed.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin undoubtedly holds the power in Russia, but diplomatic protocol obliges European and American officials to negotiate with President Dmitri Medvedev, who appears much more accommodating than Putin. The good-cop-bad-cop routine makes it unclear if Russia will follow the cease fire agreement, signed by President Medvedev, leaving the rest of the world unsure of how to react to Russia.

Meanwhile Russia and Georgia have spread the confrontation and confusion to courts. To find out how the neighbors trade accusations of human rights violations,

AIDS Group Says Zimbabwe Using Rape As a Tool of Terror

LibertySugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:15:57 -0700

The Zimbabwe government's youth militia use the most horrific tactic — rape — as a tool to terrorize those suspected of sympathizing with the opposition. President Robert Mugabe's ruling party has been carrying out a campaign of political terror since opposition supporters contested his election.

Today's New York Times paints a graphic picture of how many of Zimbabwe's women have been abused, humiliated, and raped, often in front of their families. State hospitals have turned away rape victims, who are often in pain and bleeding, and looking to prevent pregnancy, HIV, or other STDs.

To find out how an upcoming power-sharing deal might mean the perpetrators never see justice,

Front Page: US Cracks Largest ID Theft, Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide, Bush to Urge Human Rights

CitizenSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:00:26 -0700

US Cracks Largest ID Theft:
US authorities have charged 11 people in what they're calling the largest-ever identity theft case. Hacking into the computer systems of major retailers like TJ Maxx and Barnes & Noble, the group is accused of stealing 40 million credit card numbers before selling them. The DOJ says the scam caused "widespread" losses, and US AG Mukasey says, "this case highlights our increasing vulnerability to the theft of personal information."

Rwanda Accuses French of Genocide:
Rwanda's government issued a report accusing French officials of involvement in the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 dead. The officials are accused of giving political and logistical support to Rwanda's extremist government and Hutu forces. The report says, “French soldiers themselves directly were involved in assassinations of Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis."
Bush to Urge Human Rights:
In Thailand today, President Bush is delivering an address communicating his "deep concerns" about human rights in China, and urging the communist nation to broaden political freedom. Bush says, ''America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights — not to antagonize China's leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential.'' Bush arrives in Beijing for the Olympics later today.

Source

Liars of the Free World? Britain Can't Trust America

LibertySugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:00:25 -0700

Trust, a crucial component of most healthy relationships, has become an elusive ingredient in the transatlantic alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. England's House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee just issued its annual human rights report, which states that America's word can no longer be trusted when it comes to torture and human rights abuses.

The committee recommended the following:

The UK can no longer rely on US assurances that it does not use torture, and we recommend that the government does not rely on such assurances in the future. We also recommend that the government should immediately carry out an exhaustive analysis of current US interrogation techniques on the basis of such information as is publicly available or which can be supplied by the US.

This past February, the UK's Foreign Secretary apologized to parliament after records revealed that US planes, carrying terror suspects, twice landed in the UK dependent territory of Diego Garcia to refuel, apparently without UK permission. This rendition scandal, as well as the CIA's admission that it used waterboarding, most likely encouraged this decision that could impact whether the UK extradites certain suspects to the US. Does this call to verify US statements signal a significant blight on America's record, or is Britain's double checking no big deal?

Source