Citizens for Justice and Peace
UNHCR appeals to Israel to stop forced relocations
10-Jan-2018
At a Geneva press briefing, William Spindler, spokesperson for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) expressed concern over Israel’s recently announced plan “to forcibly relocate Eritreans and Sudanese to countries in Africa or have them face indefinite detention,” and said that UNHCR was “again appealing to Israel to halt its policy of relocating Eritreans and Sudanese to…
Trump administration to end protection for more than 200,000 Salvadorans in US
09-Jan-2018
The Los Angeles Times reported that United States President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that it will end “temporary protected status” for around 262,000 Salvadorans living in the country; they will have until September 9, 2019 to leave the US, “or, in some cases, to apply for alternative legal means of staying,” the LA Times said. In 2001, President…
No option but to fight following attack on Myanmar army: Rohingya Rebels
09-Jan-2018
Reuters and Agence France-Presse, in a report published in the Guardian, said that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) claimed responsibility in a Twitter post for an attack on a Myanmar army vehicle that took place in Rakhine sate on Friday, January 5, 2018, and left three wounded. According to the report the group said in a…
Report: More than 300 human rights defenders killed in 2017
09-Jan-2018
Front Line Defenders, an Ireland-based organisation working to protect human rights defenders at risk, released its Annual Report on Human Rights Defenders at Risk in 2017 on January 3, 2018. According to the announcement of the report’s release, 312 human rights defenders in 27 countries “were killed for their peaceful work, according to data collected” by the…
Israel bans 20 foreign NGOs over BDS movement
08-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that Israel has released a list of 20 foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) “whose representatives are banned from visiting Israel” because of the groups’ backing of pro-Palestine boycott, sanctions, and divestment (BDS) movement. Israel’s rightwing strategic affairs and public security minister Gilad Erdan said that these groups “operate consistently and continuously” against the country through…
NASA study finds proof chemicals ban helped ozone hole recovery
08-Jan-2018
NASA said in announcement that measurements indicating that “the decline in chlorine” due to a worldwide ban manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has led to around 20% less ozone depletion “during the Antarctic winter than there was in 2005”. According to NASA, CFCs are “long-lived chemical compounds that eventually rise into the stratosphere,” where they break down…
Iceland makes Equal Pay for women law
08-Jan-2018
According to a CBS News report, Iceland has made it illegal for women to be paid less than men for the same job. CBS News said that all government bodies and companies with more than 25 employees are required to get an official certification indicating that they dispense equal pay for an equal value of work,…
US Attorney General reinitiates “harmful” war on drugs
06-Jan-2018
Human Rights Watch (HRW) advocacy director Jasmine L. Tyler, in a report titled ‘US Revives its Harmful Drug War’, wrote about how United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions is “reviving the US government’s out-of-date, ineffective, and counterproductive war on drugs.” Citing a report about Sessions reversing a marijuana policy from President Barack Obama’s administration, Tyler noted that…
Ebola survivors to sue Sierra Leone over missing funds
06-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that two Ebola survivors are suing Sierra Leone’s government, alleging that “a lack of government accountability allowed the disappearance of almost a third of the money that came into the country during the early months” of 2014’s Ebola outbreak. The survivors’ case alleges that this infringed upon survivors’ rights to life and health, according…
Rohingya newborns vulnerable to disease in refugee camps
06-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that more than 48,000 children will be born this year in the crowded refugee camps that are home to those of the Rohingya minority who have fled Myanmar. According to Save the Children, around 130 live births are expected daily in these camps in 2018, and newborns are at the risk of being malnourished,…