LGBTQ activists in Georgia said Monday they had been forced to cancel a planned Pride march after opponents clashed with activists and police and the prime minister spoke out against the event. Pride events are still controversial in Georgia, a conservative country where the powerful Orthodox Church has previously clashed with Western-leaning governments over progressive […]
rights
Venezuela arrests activists critical of border fighting
Venezuelan rights group Fundaredes said Friday authorities had arrested its director and two other activists who have lifted the lid on fighting near the border with Colombia. Director Javier Tarazona and two others were taken by Venezuelan intelligence services, the NGO said on Twitter. A fourth activist was arrested but released eight hours later, the […]
Turkey exits treaty combatting violence against women
Turkey on Thursday formally exited a treaty combatting femicide and domestic abuse, in a controversial move by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned by the West and rights groups. Erdogan sparked outrage in March by pulling out from the world’s first binding treaty to prevent and combat violence against women, known as the Istanbul Convention. The […]
Iran says executing child offenders not a rights violation
Iran’s use of the death penalty for crimes committed as minors does not mean it violates human rights, a senior Iranian official has insisted to AFP in response to UN criticism. The Islamic republic executes convicts for crimes they committed while under-age “three to four times” a year, argued Majid Tafreshi of the state-run High […]
Yemen rebels launch ‘unfair’ trial of model: HRW
A model held for months by Huthi rebels in Yemen has gone on trial, according to Human Rights Watch, which called the process “unfair” and riddled with “irregularities and abuse”. Entisar al-Hammadi was arrested in February in Sanaa, where the Iran-backed Huthi rebels who control the Yemeni capital are enforcing a morality campaign. Born to […]
Turkish reporters demand protection after violent arrest
Dozens of reporters in Istanbul and Ankara rallied on Tuesday demanding protection from the police following the violent arrest of an AFP photographer during a banned Istanbul Pride event. Award-winning photographer Bulent Kilic filed a “violent arrest” complaint against police officers who pinned him to the ground with their legs against his neck and back […]
Iran’s Khamenei hails president-elect’s judiciary record
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei praised on Monday incoming president Ebrahim Raisi’s record as judiciary chief, following the 18 June election. “Mr Raisi’s actions during his mandate (as head of) the judiciary… rekindled the people’s confidence in this institution,” Khamenei said in a speech to judiciary officials, according to his website. Raisi was elected in […]
UN urges immediate dismantling of systemic racism
The UN rights chief called Monday for systemic racism against black people to be immediately dismantled around the world to avoid repeating outrages like the killing of George Floyd. In a report triggered by the death of Floyd, who was murdered by a white US police officer, Michelle Bachelet said the dehumanisation of people of […]
Human rights body demands protection of Nicaraguan opposition
The Organization of American States’ human rights arm on Wednesday urged its judicial counterpart to protect four opposition Nicaraguan politicians facing “a situation of extreme risk.” All four are critics of Nicaragua’s authoritarian President Daniel Ortega and have been detained in recent days in an expanding crackdown on dissenting voices. The Washington-based Inter-American Commission […]
UEFA sending ‘wrong signal’ with rainbow stadium refusal: Germany
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday criticised UEFA’s decision to block plans to light Munich’s Allianz Arena stadium in rainbow colours for Germany’s Euro 2020 match against Hungary. “It’s true, the football pitch is not about politics,” Maas wrote on Twitter, after the European football body blamed the “political context” for its decision. “It’s […]