News

Roma people still face ‘forced eviction’ throughout Europe

Published in Tuesday April 9th, 2013 In In the media

The executive should “take decisive action and play a central role” in ending discrimination against Roma people in Europe. The demand, from the charity Amnesty International, was made on Monday, designated ‘international Roma day’. It comes more than a decade after the EU adopted the race equality directive that bans racial or ethnic-based discrimination.

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U.S. reconstruction effort in Afghan provinces is unfinished work

Published in Tuesday April 9th, 2013 In In the media

The PRTs have been responsible for only a fraction of the $89 billion the United States has spent over the last decade to rebuild Afghanistan, but they suffered from the same poor planning and inadequate oversight that characterized the broader U.S. reconstruction effort. With four of the PRTs now shut down, and seven others due to be retired by summer’s end, Afghan officials are beginning to confront the challenge of picking up where U.S. aspirations left off.

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International donors pledge billions for recovery of Darfur

Published in Tuesday April 9th, 2013 In In the media

The International Donor Conference for Reconstruction and Development in Darfur wrapped up today after two days of pledging which organizers had hoped would raise $7.2 billion to cover reconstruction and development of Darfur over a six-year period. According to reports, at least $3.7 billion was pledged.

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Defining communities in Colombia: the Afro-descendant communities of Curvaradó and Jiguamiandó and communal land rights

Published in Tuesday April 9th, 2013 In Social movement news

Once seen as antipathetic to the individual rights focus of international human rights law, “third generation” and collective rights have – despite lingering controversy – been widely accepted as a fundamental element of the indivisible human rights framework. Driven in particular by the demands of indigenous peoples, national and international law has recognised and protected rights to communal land titles, rights to language, religious practices, specialised education and protection of cultural heritage, and many other rights which are associated with the existence of distinct socio-cultural groups within the boundaries of the wider state.

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Vietnamese Farmers Sentenced to Prison for Resisting Eviction From Their Land

Published in Monday April 8th, 2013 In In the media

A court sentenced a family of four Vietnamese fish farmers to prison terms of two to five years on Friday after finding them guilty of attempted murder for fighting back against a state eviction squad with homemade guns and land mines last year.

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Mourning Argentina struggles with flood aftermath

Published in Thursday April 4th, 2013 In In the media

Argentina has been mourning the dead after heavy flash floods. Two days after the initial flooding, rescuers continued their search for missing people.

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Hungary rejects “groundless” UN criticism on treatment of homeless people

Published in Thursday April 4th, 2013 In In the media

Hungary’s government rejects the “groundless criticism” made by two UN rapporteurs in connection with recent constitutional amendment concerning homelessness.

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The repression increases against people affected by dams in the Amazon

Published in Thursday April 4th, 2013 In Social movement news

The contradictions caused by the construction of large dam in the Amazon region have been sharpening recently. The Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) and indigenous and riverside organisations are denouncing the human rights violations caused by these works. And the response from private companies and the government is increasing repression.

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Hungary is entrenching the criminalization of homelessness, say UN experts on poverty and housing

Published in Wednesday April 3rd, 2013 In News on the Rapporteurs

Two UN Special Rapporteurs criticized today a recent amendment to the Hungarian Fundamental Law that authorizes to outlaw sleeping in public spaces.

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Rapporteur promotes consultations on security of tenure on May

Published in Monday April 1st, 2013 In News on the Rapporteurs

In May, the Rapporteur will conduct two consultations as part of the security of tenure project – one on the 11 in Quito (Ecuador) and another on the 27 and 28 in Johannesburg (South Africa).