Posts

Showing posts from May, 2012

UK plans for secret courts 'dangerous'

Image
9 May 2012 UK plans for secret courts 'dangerous' The Queen unveiled the proposals in a speech to MPs and peers © AFP/Getty Images UK government plans to end centuries of open justice by allowing some court evidence to be heard behind closed doors are "dangerous", Amnesty International said. The proposed legal changes, part of the Justice and Security Bill, could result in information and evidence of human rights violations by UK state representatives, being kept secret. Plans by the government to introduce new legislation were confirmed in the Queen’s speech during Wednesday’s state opening of the UK Parliament. “These proposals are dangerous and should be dropped," said Tara Lyle, Policy Adviser at Amnesty International UK. “They will allow the government to throw a cloak of secrecy over wrongdoing, including matters as serious as the alleged involvement by UK officials in rendition, secret detention, enforced disappearances and

Annual Report 2011 The state of the world's human rights

Image
Annual Report 2011 The state of the world's human rights The year 2010 may well be remembered as a watershed year when activists and journalists used new technology to speak truth to power and, in so doing, pushed for greater respect for human rights. It is also the year when repressive governments faced the real possibility that their days were numbered. source : Amnesty Information is a source of power, and for those challenging the abuse of power by states and other institutions, it is an exciting time. Since Amnesty International’s inception half a century ago, we have seen and shaped similar major shifts in the power struggle between those perpetrating abuses and the courageous and inventive individuals who expose their wrongdoing. As a movement dedicated to focusing global outrage in defence of beleaguered individuals, we are committed to supporting activists who imagine a world in which information is truly free and in which they can exercise their rig

Women Problem: What Does It Take to Make a City, and Society, Safe?

Image
New Delhi’s Women Problem: What Does It Take to Make a City, and Society, Safe?  By Krista Mahr | May 2, 2012 Source : TIME ( Kaushik Roy / India Today Group / Getty Images Women attend the 'Besharmi Morcha' march or 'Slutwalk' in New Delhi on July 31,2011.) One of the first things I heard when I moved to New Delhi was to be careful at night. I heard it from my real estate agent, my colleagues, from people I met at coffee shops and bars. I knew the incidence of rape in the Indian capital was high, but I largely interpreted the warnings as other people underestimating my ability to take care of myself. Let’s not linger too long on that weird reaction, but I will add that I’ve been living in relatively safe places for the past few years, and I had forgotten what it felt like to live in a place where, as a woman in public, you’re usually pretty aware that you are that: a woman in public. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Here, it can be. In a