(New York, December 29, 2008) - The verdict expected on December 31, 2008, in the trial of a senior intelligence official charged with the murder of the Indonesian human rights lawyer Munir is an important test of the independence of the Indonesian judicial system, Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch said today.
read...
(New York, December 16, 2008) - As a regional attack on the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) unfolds, all parties should respect international humanitarian law and LRA leaders accused of war crimes who surrender or are captured should be brought to trial, Human Rights Watch said today.
read...
In
Africa,
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Sudan,
Uganda,
LRA,
Kony,
DRC,
ICC,
International Justice,
War Crimes,
War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity,
International Criminal Court,
Judicial Accountability,
arrest warrants,
Press Release,
accountability
The United States has squandered its leverage in Colombia by signing a flawed human rights certification, Human Rights Watch said today. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s decision to certify Colombia’s compliance with human rights conditions releases $34 million in aid to the Colombian Armed Forces, even though U.S.
read...
In
Americas,
Human Rights,
Colombia,
Displaced People,
Government Forces,
Drugs and Human Rights,
Guerrillas,
Human Rights Standards,
Paramilitary Groups,
Unclassified,
International Justice,
Judicial Accountability,
Press Release,
accountability,
Human Rights Defenders
read...
In
Zimbabwe,
Corruption,
Discrimination,
Freedom of Association,
Criminal Justice System,
Political Imprisonment,
Dissent,
Broad Immunity,
Brutality,
fair electinos,
police accountabiilty,
Political Murder,
Government Forces,
Africa,
Press Release,
accountability,
Judicial Reform
November 9, 2008
Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting at an emergency summit in South Africa today will be hoping that their intervention will finally break the political deadlock between Zimbabwe's two main parties, Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
read...
In
Free Expression,
Political Rights,
Civil Liberties,
Police Accountability,
Police Violence,
Zimbabwe,
Freedom of Association,
Criminal Justice System,
Political Imprisonment,
Dissent,
Government Forces,
Africa,
Press Release,
accountability
(The Hague, November 12, 2008) - International Criminal Court (ICC) member countries should speak up to support the court's independence and mandate during their annual meeting beginning November 14, 2008, Human Rights Watch said today. They should also pledge increased international cooperation on arrest warrants and should resolve to carry out arrests in the coming year.
read...
In
Global,
violence against women,
Darfur,
Central African Republic,
international humanitarian law,
sexual violence,
genocide,
Civilian Casualties,
Government Militias,
Gross Violations of Human Rights,
Persecution,
Widespread Impunity,
Government Forces,
Africa,
Democratic Republic of Congo,
Sudan,
Uganda,
International Justice,
War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity,
International Criminal Court,
Judicial Accountability,
Press Release,
accountability
The 2007 Humanitarian Accountability Report (HAP International, August 2008) [text]
2008 Report on International Religious Freedom (U.S. Department of State, Sept. 2008) [text]
Country reports 2007: Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine (ECRE, July 2008) [text]
Failed States Index 2008 (Foreign Policy & Fund for Peace, July/August 2008) [text]
South Asia Human Rights Index 2008...
As China prepares to host the Olympics next month, the communist leadership tries to do everything in its power to cultivate the image of an orderly and well-governed nation it wants the world to see. But the outbursts of anger directed at public officials continue. In two recent incidents, more than 30,000 people rioted in Guizhou province over an alleged cover-up of a teenage girls’ death, and after a migrant worker was allegedly beaten by the police in Zhejiang province, hundreds of other workers attacked a police local station.
While the government’s response to social discontent so far has mostly consisted of heavy-handed practices, Chinese leaders are trying to project a new approach. Recently, the government has told local leaders to be on alert to public grievances and find...
There is a growing misperception in the marketplace that new regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and more stringent accounting standards have lowered risks for investors. The hard reality is that risk-related blow-ups continue to cost investors dearly.The latest unraveling is the now Fed-assisted bailout sale of beleaguered Bear Stearns, one of the leading players in subprime originations and repackaging. This shocking news of intervention comes just mere days after the firm dismissively announced it had no liquidity problems (Stearns’ Alan Greenberg even referring to such talk as “ridiculous”). See full Summary and access full...
After Ukraine’s recent elections, many people are wondering if tenuous alliances can hold long enough for positive reforms to pass. On the economic side, the tax law has been waiting for review in the Rada for over a year, as has Ukraine’s joint stock law.
In general, many Ukrainians seem optimistic. Even if politics remain dicey in the short term, it seems that attitudes are changing and the country’s political culture gradually continues to open up. Here is one example:
As recently as March of 2007, Mykhola Prestupa - Khmelnitsky’s former mayor and member of the Rada (Ukraine’s Parliament) since 2006 - showed little interest in economic reform or improving the business environment for entrepreneurs. Since then however, his attitude has changed in several respects. His most...
Building Safer Organisations: Guidelines and Handbook (ICVA, Feb. 2007) [access]
Fostering Quality and Accountability among Humanitarian Aid Agencies through a Process of Accreditation: History, overview of current options and potential contribution from Sphere (Sphere Project, March 2007) [access]
Guidelines on the Treatment of Chechen Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Asylum Seekers and...
… I really like the way they demolish the charity-bosses-get-paid-a-fortune myth by comparing Chelsea with Save the Children and Man Utd with the British Red Cross. The bit on Oxfam is worth quoting at length:
…at Oxfam, director Barbara Stocking gets £87,265 a year (see PDF of annual report) – much less than Tony at the Opera House, but still a large amount. Wouldn’t this money be better spent on feeding the starving?
Probably not. Oxfam is an enormous charity, working in dozens of countries and with an annual turnover of over £200 million. Making sure all that cash is well spent is a difficult job, and one that very few people can do. Those who can do it tend to be expensive. Very expensive.
To put it in context, City firm Accenture pays mid-ranking managers about the...
Just imagine if there was an Irish version of this. The Charity Sleuths have finished their work and the Intelligent Giving site is live.
And pretty impressive it is too. Sure there are gaps and glitches (if you’re a Mac user you’ll find it doesn’t work properly in Safari, but Firefox seems fine) but overall this is a hugely valuable resource for donors, providing overviews and reviews of hundreds (thousands?) of charities. Each charity is ranked on its accountability and the quality of its reporting. Whether or not it has an ethical investment policy. How long its reserves will last. How much they pay their highest staff.
There’s a section that tackles some common charity myths, links to charity awards and a range of articles. And it’s all written in...