BREAKING NEWS: PAX GAEA WORLD POST HUMAN RIGHTS HEADLINES (12/12)
Topics: UN needs to stress human rights in Burundi, NSA denies bugging Princess Di's phone, Ex-Ethiopia strongman guilty of genocide in absentia, Mexico's Calderon declare war on drug lords, Human Rights Watch demands afghan drug lords be prosecuted, Mosquito nets for Africa great Christmas gift giving alternative
Burundi: New UN Peacebuilding Body Must Stress Human Rights
(New York, December 12, 2006) – When the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission meets with representatives of the Burundian government today, this new UN body designed to promote recovery for countries after armed conflicts should emphasize the crucial need for human rights protection in Burundi, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. The human rights situation in Burundi has deteriorated since a meeting in October, when Commission members underlined the importance of the rule of law and respect for human rights in consolidating peace. Burundi and Sierra Leone are the first countries to benefit from the support of the new commission, which began operations in June. The commission has recommended that Burundi receive funding from the new Peacebuilding Fund. Human Rights Watch (12/12)
U.S. agency denies bugging Diana's phone
CBC News
The U.S. National Security Agency, known for intercepting online and telephone communications, has denied it targeted the late Princess Wales's phone conversations as part of an eavesdropping mission. The NSA statement was in response to British media reports that secret tapings of Diana surfaced during a British probe into the car crash that killed her in 1997. The London Observer newspaper reported that on the night of her death, U.S. authorities had a wiretap on Diana's phone, without the knowledge of the agency's British counterparts. According to the report, the NSA assured British officials the secret recordings bore no relation to the car accident that claimed her life, nor did it shed any new light on her death. CBC (Canada) (12/12)
Mengistu found guilty of genocide
Ethiopia's Marxist ex-ruler, Mengistu Haile Mariam, has been found guilty of genocide after a 12-year trial. The former leader was tried in his absence. He has been in exile in Zimbabwe since being ousted in 1991 and many fear he will never face justice. In a notorious campaign - known as the Red Terror - thousands of suspected opponents were rounded up and executed and their bodies tossed on the streets. Mengistu and dozens of his officials could face the death penalty. BBC (United Kingdom) (12/12)
Calderon vows war against notorious drug gangs
APATZINGAN, Mexico (AP) -- Soldiers stopped cars and frisked passengers Tuesday, searching for drugs or weapons. Helicopters swooped low over remote mountaintops, looking for signs of opium and marijuana fields. Ships patrolled Mexico's main Pacific port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia. Less than two weeks after taking office, President Felipe Calderon launched a full-scale attack on the drug trade in his home state of Michoacan. He is promising to bring an end to traffickers' horrific intimidation tactics. Human heads have been left outside government offices accompanied by written warnings. One recent message in Michoacan read: "See. Hear. Shut up. If you want to stay alive." In the most gruesome case, gunmen burst into a Michoacan nightclub and rolled five human heads onto a dance floor, smearing the white-tile floor with blood. CNN.com (12/12)
Rights group urges Afghan leader to prosecute warlords
Associated PressKABUL — Human Rights Watch urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday to establish a special court to try those suspected of war crimes during the country's quarter-century of conflict. The New-York based rights group said that since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that ousted the Taliban regime, the Afghan government and its international backers, “have pursued a counterproductive policy of relying on war criminals, human rights abusers and drug-traffickers instead of prosecuting them.”“Karzai and the international community have tried, and failed, to establish peace without justice,” said Sam Zarifi, HRW's Asia research director. “Now it's time to hold the killers accountable.” Globe and Mail (Toronto) (12/12)
Holiday giving nets desired result
By Megan BodeI thought about our American holiday season, about all the money spent on not-quite-right presents, about how much we could do for these people. About how important it is to me to be with the ones I love, and how terribly I would feel if those people weren't around. This year, I'm donating $10 for each of my loved ones, in their names, online at NothingButNets.net. I want my family to know how much I value our time together -- and I want other families to have that same opportunity. This year, I can be sure that my Christmas will focus on what really matters: love. Pittsburgh Tribune (12/12)
posted by Dave Carroll @ 12/12/2006 09:04:00 PM
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