Human Rights
Zimbabwe cancels visit by U.N. torture investigator
A U.N. special investigator on torture said he was denied entry into Zimbabwe on Wednesday for an eight-day trip to look into alleged attacks against opposition party members.
Sri Lanka's war-crimes probe a smokescreen: activists
COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's agreement to probe war crimes allegations related to its defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels is a smokescreen to avoid an international inquiry, a human rights group said Wednesday.
EU presses Sri Lanka over human rights
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - The European Union urged Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday to end impunity over human rights violations and to do more to help people displaced by the 25-year war with the Tamil Tigers.
Thailand Rights Panel Formed
Southeast Asian governments meeting in Thailand inaugurated their first human rights commission on Friday in what they hailed as a milestone for a region.
Hillary Clinton: Russia Must Embrace Basic Human Rights
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says it is important for Russia to embrace basic human rights and freedoms, including the right of openly participating in the political process.
Palestinians, allies reopen Gaza war crimes debate
GENEVA — The U.N. Human Rights Council will reopen the debate about alleged war crimes in Gaza later this week after Palestinians succeeded in gathering enough support to call a special meeting, officials said Tuesday.
Amnesty International Urges Iran to Rescind First Death Sentence Imposed as a Result of Presidential Protests
Amnesty International today urged Iran to rescind a death sentence imposed on Mohammad-Reza Ali-Zamani, the first person to be sentenced to death for protesting the disputed June presidential election. The human rights organization said it fears Z...
The Dalai Lama, accepting a human rights prize from a U.S. foundation Tuesday, chastised the United States for not fully addressing the economic divide between its poorest and richest citizens.
Guinea military kills 157 in protest crackdown
Doctors treated hundreds of injured civilians in Guinea on Tuesday, a day after the army's crackdown of a pro-democracy rally that a local human rights group says left more than 150 people dead.
UN urges Sri Lanka to probe war crimes charges
COLOMBO — A top UN official issued a strong call for "truth-seeking" into alleged excesses by security forces during the crushing of Tamil rebels as he ended a visit to Sri Lanka, a UN statement said on Saturday.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's president promised Friday to send nearly 300,000 Tamil war refugees who are being held in military-run camps back to their homes in the next four months, the government said.
A Prayer of Behalf of Gilad Shalit
To be Recited in the Synagogue On Rosh Ha-Shanah
UN official visits Sri Lanka refugee camps
COLOMBO — A top UN official toured camps holding thousands of war-displaced civilians in northern Sri Lanka on Thursday, amid international concern over delays in resettling the refugees.
Venezuelan president accuses Israel of genocide
Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan president, has accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians, saying the offensive in Gaza early this year was unprovoked.
Afghan rights body: dozens of civilians died in NATO strike
Scores of civilians died in last week's NATO air strike on Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan, a prominent domestic rights group said on Monday in a first independent estimate of the death toll.
UN call for Sri Lanka video probe
A senior UN official has called for an investigation into whether Sri Lankan soldiers violated international law by executing unarmed Tamils.
Australia defends controversial Aborigines policy
Australia has defended a controversial policy that allows for official intervention in remote aboriginal communities, which a UN expert says is discriminatory.
EU condemns executions in Thailand
Brussels - The European Union on Thursday condemned the recent execution by lethal injection of two drug traffickers, in a move that ended a de facto six-year-long moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Thailand.
UN Representative Criticizes Australia's Aboriginal Policies as Racist
A U.N. representative says Australia's intervention in dozens of troubled Aboriginal communities is discriminatory and breaches the country's international human-rights obligations.
Thailand carries out first executions in six years
The government of Thailand resumed its use of judicial state killing after a six-year hiatus on Monday, when two men were executed by lethal injection at Bang Khwang prison, central Thailand.