Category Archives: human rights

Cuba has just eliminated HIV transmission between mother and baby – ScienceAlert

The World Health Organization has confirmed that Cuba has become the first country in the world to effectively eliminate mother-to-baby transmission of HIV and syphilis.

Source: Cuba has just eliminated HIV transmission between mother and baby – ScienceAlert

Obama Privately Tells Donors That Time Is Coming to Unite Behind Hillary Clinton – The New York Times

Mr. Obama acknowledged that Mrs. Clinton was perceived to have weaknesses as a candidate, and that some Democrats did not view her as authentic. But he played down the importance of authenticity, noting that President George W. Bush — whose record he ran aggressively against in 2008 — was once praised for his authenticity.

Source: Obama Privately Tells Donors That Time Is Coming to Unite Behind Hillary Clinton – The New York Times

This is not American Idol or First Date. This is reality and not a reality show where someone like Trump shines on stage-managed spin to appear authentic.

“People are afraid to speak,” says arrested Israeli Jewish activist | The Electronic Intifada

A Jerusalem court eventually ordered Butavia’s and Nawi’s unconditional release, stating that the police had provided no substantiation of the suspicions against them. But Butavia told The Electronic Intifada that the court did order them not to speak to each other for two to three months, as the police had requested, significantly hindering their work. In the video, Butavia says that he cannot discuss details of his interrogation but that torture methods were used against him and others: “Things with which you don’t imagine you’ll have to cope. It appeared that for them, the goal justified the means.” Butavia refers to experiencing “psychological warfare” as well as physical violence and allegations of pedophilia. He believes the attack on him and Nawi has succeeded in silencing others.

Source: “People are afraid to speak,” says arrested Israeli Jewish activist | The Electronic Intifada

AfD party compares itself to Holocaust victims – The Local German Far-Right learning from American Far Right in Accusing those who oppose them as being racists!?!

After media reported that the Worker’s Welfare Institution (AWO) said it would not hire members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or similar groups, one branch of the hard right party took to Facebook to respond. AWO is a non-statutory welfare organization that assists, in particular, socially disadvantaged people with workers’ rights issues. AWO said that AfD’s ideas were not compatible with its own principles, according Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. According to the Rheinische Post, the Krefeld branch of the AfD in North-Rhine Westphalia wrote in a post that soon members of the party would have to wear “blue stars” – a reference to the yellow star of David that Jewish people were forced to wear to identify themselves under Nazi Germany. “And there continue to be more bans on AFD members working. Are you excited to already be wearing the blue star? We know: We will have to wear the star as a mark of honour! To the bitter end!”

Source: AfD party compares itself to Holocaust victims – The Local

Another Member of Berta Caceres’ Group Assassinated in Honduras | News | teleSUR English

According to local sources, 20 police officers, 20 soldiers and 20 anti-riot police arrived at 8 a.m. to begin evicting the group.“They said that they would be peaceful and they were not going to throw anyone out of their houses, but at midday they started to tear down the houses, they destroyed the maize, the banana trees and the yuca plantations,” said Tomas Gomez, a COPINH coordinator.“When they finished the eviction, our companion Nelson Garcia went to eat in his house, they were waiting in the zone that the commission of COPINH pass, but it was diverted. Garcia arrived first and they killed him,” he added.It was not immediately clear who was behind the killing.Garcia, the father of five children, was the leader of the community sitting in Rio Chiquito.

Source: Another Member of Berta Caceres’ Group Assassinated in Honduras | News | teleSUR English

The New Generation Gap by Joseph E. Stiglitz – Project Syndicate

These three realities – social injustice on an unprecedented scale, massive inequities, and a loss of trust in elites – define our political moment, and rightly so.More of the same is not an answer. That is why the center-left and center-right parties in Europe are losing. America is in a strange position: while the Republican presidential candidates compete on demagoguery, with ill-thought-through proposals that would make matters worse, both of the Democratic candidates are proposing changes which – if they could only get them through Congress – would make a real difference.Were the reforms put forward by Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders adopted, the financial system’s ability to prey on those already leading a precarious life would be curbed. And both have proposals for deep reforms that would change how America finances higher education.But more needs to be done to make home ownership possible not just for those with parents who can give them a down payment, and to make retirement security possible, given the vagaries of the stock market and the near-zero-interest world we have entered.

Source: The New Generation Gap by Joseph E. Stiglitz – Project Syndicate

Colonial-era borders meet 21st century indigenous displacement in West Africa’s Bakassi Peninsula

Borders drawn across the African continent continue to have geopolitical repercussions even into the 21st century. In 2002 the International Court of Justice at Hague issued a ruling in a territorial dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon. The land in…Original enclosures: 20160303Olukoya-Bakassi.mp3 » Play • Play in background player • Enqueue

Source: Colonial-era borders meet 21st century indigenous displacement in West Africa’s Bakassi Peninsula

WitnessLA.com » Blog Archive » Report Alleges Deplorable Conditions, Misuse of Solitary Confinement, and Leadership Failure at LA County’s Juvenile Hall

OTHER FACILITIES MANAGE TO DO THINGS RIGHT In his report, Martinez made a point of praising some of the county’s other probation facilities for doing a consistently good job, including Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, located in Sylmar, and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, located in Downey. “Los Padrinos” he wrote, “has a daily graffiti inspection for both living rooms and bathrooms, and [the] rooms are spotless.” Martinez also noted that not all the units at Central Juvenile Hall were in the same condition of filth and disrepair as those units that caused him such concern. Certain other units were clean and graffiti free. So why were the bad units allowed to get so bad? SOLITARY FOR 16 HOURS BECAUSE OF A FOOD TRADE Another distressing part of Martinez’ Valentine’s Day report pertained to a boy who was sent for 16 hours to juvenile hall’s Special Housing Unit (SHU), which means solitary confinement. The boy’s offense was trading a carton of milk with another boy for a carton of orange juice—or vice versa. Food trading with other kids is evidently against the rules. But, there are plenty of ways to appropriately sanction a boy who simply wants a little more of healthful beverage. Sixteen hours in solitary confinement is not one of them. Furthermore, it is against the department’s own rules—which are reportedly to send a kid to solitary for no more than a few hours as a time out, barring an exceptional situation. Martinez wrote that the juvenile hall director he spoke with about the matter admitted that he didn’t believe that the boy should have been sent to the SHU to begin with for such a trivial infraction. Yet, it appears that the boy might have been in isolation far longer than 16 hours, had Martinez not specifically asked for him to be sent back to his home unit. Common sense suggests that, in all likelihood, if an abuse of solitary confinement for kids occurred during Martinez’ recent visit, it has also occurred in other instances. How many other instances, we have no way of knowing. The truth is, any one of a number of mid and high level supervisors in the department could or should have walked through juvenile hall and seen these entirely unacceptable problems.

Source: WitnessLA.com » Blog Archive » Report Alleges Deplorable Conditions, Misuse of Solitary Confinement, and Leadership Failure at LA County’s Juvenile Hall