Citizens for Justice and Peace
Opening burning of waste in Lebanon risking health of residents
05-Jan-2018
Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher Bassam Khawaja, in a guest post for International Solid Waste Association, outlined HRW’s research into Lebanon’s mismanagement of waste. Khawaja wrote that this mismanagement has persisted “for decades, particularly in areas outside Beirut and Mount Lebanon,” resulting in the “dangerous and avoidable practice” of open burning of waste “at more than 150…
Gaza health system verging on collapse in electricity crisis
05-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned that Gaza hospitals will “face an almost total power blackout” by February’s end unless funds are available to ensure the functioning of emergency generators. According to the Guardian, Gaza’s “ongoing electricity crisis…has left hospitals reliant on emergency generators for up to 20 hours a day,” with…
UN human rights chief calls on Iran to probe protesters’ deaths
05-Jan-2018
On January 3, 2018, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called on Iran “to handle the wave of protests that have taken place around the country with great care so as not to further inflame violence and unrest,” and probe deaths and major injuries that have occurred, an Office…
Ethiopia to release all political prisoners
04-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has said that “political prisoners that are facing prosecutions and are already under arrest will be released,” adding that “the notorious prison cell that was traditionally called Maekelawi will be closed down and turned into a museum.” This is an attempt to “widen the democratic space for all,”…
Rohingya children confronted with potential “massive mental health crisis”
04-Jan-2018
The New York Times, in a report that featured first-person accounts and photographs from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, painted a picture of the dismal future of Rohingya children. The Times reported that of the more than 655,000 Rohingya who have escaped to Bangladesh from Myanmar, 380,000, or nearly 60%, are minors, according to Save the Children.…
UN human rights experts criticise Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on peaceful activists
04-Jan-2018
Five United Nations (UN) human rights experts have condemned Saudi Arabia’s “continued use” of counter-terror and security laws to target human rights defenders, a statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. These include the special rapporteurs on the situation of human rights defenders, the right to freedom of opinion…
Heads of WHO, WFP, UNICEF issue joint appeal on Yemen
02-Jan-2018
As 2017 came to a close, the heads of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations’ children’s agency (UNICEF) issued a statement on the conflict in Yemen, saying that it “has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” having “passed the tipping point into a rapid decline from crisis…
Tibetan education advocate to be put on trial in China
02-Jan-2018
The New York Times reported that Tashi Wangchuk, who pushes for expanded Tibetan language education, will go on trial this week for “inciting separatism,” which could lead to 15 years’ imprisonment, according to his lawyers.Human rights backers and Tibet advocacy bodies have decried Tashi’s trial. The Times said Tashi has been detained for almost two years, having…
1 in 10 young people in America suffer some form of homelessness
02-Jan-2018
The Guardian reported that a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that, in the United States, one out of ten young adults aged 18-25 have slept shelters, in the streets, run away, or been thrown out of their homes, or have couch-surfed in the past year. The study, conducted by researchers at Chapin Hall…
South Korea, Japan at odds over “comfort women”
29-Dec-2017
The Guardian reported that South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said in a statement that the country’s 2015 deal with Japan on the issue of “comfort women” was “seriously flawed” and “cannot solve” the countries’ longtime disagreement on the issue. “Comfort women” is a term used to refer to the several thousand women and girls, largely from the…