- New book Compares Bible and Quran
- Immigration services deport six Pakistanis from Nigeria
- Zimbabwe: Crackdown on Opposition Condemned
- Deploy Rights monitors throughout Afghanistan: Amnesty
- Torture of Palestinians by Israel violates UN Convention
- Remaining giraffes endangered in Niger
- US pressure group urges tough line on Khartoum
- Search crews recover 36 bodies from ferry accident
23 November 2001
Israel violates UN Convention Against Torture and Inhuman Actskeralamonitor.com A landmark conclusion by the Committee against Torture stated that Israel's policy of closures and its demolitions of Palestinian homes "may, in
certain instances, amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment" in breach of Article 16 of the United
Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment which Israel ratified in 1991."We now urge the Israeli authorities to immediately
implement all of the recommendations of the Committee," the
organization added, noting that the Committee recommended that
the "State party should desist from the policies of closure and
house demolition where they offend article 16 of the Convention".Israel's policy of closures has meant that nearly every
road to each town or village in the West Bank is closed by piles
of earth, concrete blocks, trenches or army-manned barriers. Many
roads in the Occupied Territories are prohibited to Palestinians.
Journeys which used to take twenty minutes may now take two or
three hours. Palestinian human rights organizations presented to
the Committee details of 14 Palestinians who had died and others
who had suffered life-threatening medical complications after
access to hospital had been delayed.Israel has pursued a policy of demolishing Palestinian
homes for years. Houses have been destroyed because they have
breached discriminatory planning laws; as punishment; or for
"security" reasons. Over the past year, more than 500 Palestinian
homes have been demolished making at least 4,000 people homeless,
the great majority of them children."Homes are demolished usually with a few minutes or no
warning at all, causing material loss and trauma to thousands of
Palestinians. These policies are unacceptable and must end,"
Amnesty International said.The Committee also raised concern at the use of
incommunicado detention -- including of children -- and the
continuing use of interrogation methods prohibited by an Israeli
Supreme Court ruling of 1999. These methods included prolonged
sleep deprivation while in painful positions; shaking and
subjection to loud noises.In addition, the Committee expressed concern that
administrative detention "does not conform to article 16 of the
Convention", which prohibits cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment or punishment. Administrative detention is a procedure
under which detainees may be held indefinitely without trial.Among other things, the Committee recommended that Israel
ensure that "interrogation methods prohibited by the Convention"
are not utilized, that all detainees are brought promptly before
a judge and that confessions extorted by torture and evidence
from such confessions should be excluded. The Committee
recommended that Israel institute effective complaint,
investigative and prosecution mechanisms for those alleging
torture.While the Committee against Torture recognized the
importance of the September 1999 Supreme Court decision which
banned a number of interrogation methods, it also regretted that
the ruling allowed some of those methods -- for instance sleep
deprivation -- if they are incidental to the interrogation
process and indicated that interrogators who used physical
pressure might use the "defence of necessity". The Committee
reiterated that "no exceptional circumstances may be invoked as a
justification for torture" and recommended that "necessity as a
possible justification to the crime of torture should be removed
from the domestic law".The Committee against Torture is a body of 10 independent
experts appointed by the states parties to the UN Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment. The Committee, which meets twice a year, reviews
reports by states which have ratified the Convention and makes
recommendations on measures that should be taken to ensure
implementation of the provisions of the Convention. The present
session of the Committee, held in Geneva, also reviewed reports
from Benin, Indonesia, Ukraine and Zambia.23 November 2001
Deploy Rights monitors throughout Afghanistan: Amnesty
keralamonitor.com
Human rights must be at the core of any discussion on the future
of Afghanistan, Amnesty International said today ahead of the
Bonn meeting.A political settlement must be based on broad
consultation and participation by the widest possible cross
section of Afghan society."At this critical moment the human rights of the Afghan
people must come first. Those entrusted with leadership must be
persons of integrity committed to the human rights protection of
all," the organization said."While Amnesty International appreciates the need for
national reconciliation after years of war and repression, any
future political agreement must not allow for impunity for those
who have abused human rights in the past. Avoiding the truth
about a country's past and ignoring accountability will not
achieve peace."As a contribution to the ongoing debate on the future of
Afghanistan, Amnesty International has made several
recommendations in a recent report. They include the following:-- Any political settlement should contain explicit guarantees
from the parties on the immediate ending of serious abuses,
including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary
detention. Specific protection should be sought against
retaliation and discrimination against ethnic and religious
groups.
-- Human rights monitors should be deployed throughout
Afghanistan as soon as possible to assist in ensuring protection
of human rights during peace-making, in the immediate
post-conflict phase as well as during the phase of institutional
reform. The monitors should include experts on women's rights.
-- Disarmament and demining should be included as important
components of a political settlement, and should be adequately
resourced and supported by the international community. Foreign
governments should restrict arms supplies to Afghanistan.
-- Women and ethnic and religious groups must not be
discriminated against in the creation of government and
institutions, and their meaningful participation must be assured.
-- The international community should support a vigorous program
of human rights institution-building.
-- An expert commission should be set up to examine and advise on
how to bring perpetrators to justice and ensure that all future
institutions, including the judiciary and law enforcement
agencies, are established to promote and protect human rights.
November 22, 2001
Crackdown on Zimbabwe Opposition Intensifies
keralamonitor.com
New York, Human Rights Watch today called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to speak out strongly on the need to ensure that the rule of law is respected in Zimbabwe.“The situation in Zimbabwe seems to be deteriorating daily,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch. “President Mugabe must take urgent steps to restore the rule of law and end harassment of Zimbabweans who peacefully express their opposition to his government.”In a letter to the president of Malawi, which is currently the chair of SADC, and the presidents of South Africa, Mozambique, and Botswana, which are members of a SADC “troika” responsible for monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch urged the regional body to call on the Zimbabwean government to bring its supporters under control
and ensure that the police act impartially to restore order.At least eighteen members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
are currently in custody, charged with offenses including murder, in connection with the abduction and murder of a leading veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation war and government party supporter, Cain Nkala. The MDC has denied responsibility for the abduction and murder of Nkala, who was linked by police to the murder last year of an MDC official, Patrick Nabanyama.“It seems this killing is being used as an excuse to crackdown on the opposition,” said Takirambudde. “While the criminal law must take its
course, state structures should not be used for political purposes.” Police stood by last week as supporters of the ruling party rioted in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city, beating bystanders and forcing the closure of shops. The MDC headquarters in Harare were twice surrounded by a mob of people supporting the government the previous weekend.Political conflict has intensified in Zimbabwe since a referendum in February 2000, when people voted against proposed government amendments to the constitution. Violence increased in the run-up to Parliamentary elections held later in 2000. Presidential elections are scheduled for April 2002. MDC supporters and independent journalists have been subjected to increasing harassment and violence. The government has also undermined the independence of the judiciary, forcing the resignation of the chief justice. Acquisitions of white-owned commercial farms have been accompanied by significant violence against their owners and farm workers and intimidation and threats against black Zimbabweans living on surrounding communal land.
New book Compares Bible and Quran
Rt. Rev. Dr. K. J. Samuel has released a new book entitled
"Is Jesus God?" on 5th Aug. 2001 at CSI Christ Church, Chicago. The book is available in major book stores like amazon.com, bn.com (barnes & noble), booksamillion.com etc. This book compares the Bible and the Quran and gives more than 75 reasons why Jesus is God. I am sure that you want to read this. Follow the link: http://www.csichurch.com/newsletter/isjesusgod_book.htmBook Title: Is Jesus God?
Author: Sherly Isaac
ISBN: 0759628092
Search crews recover 36 bodies from ferry accident
keralamonitor.com
NAIROBI, 23 November (IRIN) - Search crews have recovered 36 bodies from Lake Tanganyika following Sunday's collision of two ferry boats near Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday, news agencies reported."We have given up search operations because hopes of recovering more bodies have grown slim," Norbert Bashengezi Katintima, South Kivu's provincial governor, told Reuters on Thursday.
Rescue workers pulled 28 survivors from the lake on Sunday, AP and Reuters
reported. The boats, one from Baraka, the other from Ubwari, sank immediately after they collided. They were carrying cargo and an unknown
number of passengers. Katintima reported that 27 bodies were found near the harbour of Uvira, and another nine corpses were recovered 50 km away, on Burundi's side of the lake. He said that the final death told might never be known. Local officials said the collision was most likely caused by poor visibility
outside the harbour, noting that neither ferry was displaying any lights.There have been several fatal ferry accidents in Lake Tanganyika and other
central African lakes and rivers, due to overloading or bad weather. At
least 43 people died in May when a ferry sank in heavy rain in the harbour
of the eastern DRC torn of Goma on Lake Kivu. Lake Tanganyika, one of the world's deepest lakes, runs some 640 km from Burundi in the north to Zambia in the south, between Tanzania and the DRC.
