human rights

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Court: Owning a Satellite Dish Is a 'Human Right'

Banning them could breach freedom of expression: European judges

(Newser) - Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness ... and a satellite dish? In a somewhat bizarre ruling out of Europe, judges in Strasbourg declared that owning a satellite dish is a human right. It all started when two renters in Sweden were evicted by their landlord for installing a satellite dish—which...

Israel Jails Over 800 Palestine Youth In Five Years
 Israel Jails 
 Rock-Tossing 
 Palestinian Kids 
SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP

Israel Jails Rock-Tossing Palestinian Kids

Treatment disproportionate to the crime, says group

(Newser) - Israel's military has detained and tried more than 800 Palestinian youths and children over the past five years for throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers, jailing most of them, said a report released today. The Israeli rights group B'Tselem counted 835 minors who were charged with rock throwing from...

Iran to Try Bush Officials for Human Rights Abuses

Trial designed to counter accusations of Tehran's own abuses

(Newser) - Iran intends to try 26 current or former US officials in absentia for human rights violations and forward its findings to international tribunals, one lawmaker said today. He didn’t specify which officials, but Reuters believes it’s likely to be the same people listed on a bill currently in...

China Releases Dissident Hu Jia

But human rights activist now faces house arrest

(Newser) - The prominent Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia has been freed from prison, after serving three-and-a-half years for "inciting subversion," reports the BBC . Hu's wife posted the news on Twitter this morning. "We are fine and happy. Need to rest for some time. Thank you everyone,...

Biden, Clinton Press China on Human Rights

Protesters gather outside as talks begin in Washington

(Newser) - Chinese officials arrived in Washington today for a round of high-level talks, and were greeted with a light scolding from Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton for their government’s recent crackdown on dissent. “We have a vigorous disagreement in the area of human rights,” Biden said in his...

Comic Must Pay $16K for Lesbian Insults: Court

Jokes during amateur's show were discriminatory, says victim

(Newser) - A Canadian human rights tribunal has ordered a stand-up comedian to pay a woman $15,700 after he insulted her and her partner at a show. Lorna Pardy says amateur comic Guy Earle discriminated against her based on gender and sexual preference, the Vancouver Sun reports. The owner of the...

'Effeminate Boys' Sent to Macho Malay Boot Camp

Human rights groups scream as official talks of 'right path'

(Newser) - Human rights groups have expressed alarm after some 66 boys determined to be "effeminate" by Malaysian public schools have been picked for re-education at a macho boot camp. The education department in Terengganu state established the camp to help boys deal with "identity issues" and place them on...

China to US: Fix Your Own Human Rights Problems

American criticism just a 'political tool,' says Beijing

(Newser) - The US should take a hard look in the mirror before it criticizes other countries over human rights, China says. “The United States ignores its own severe human rights problems,” said a Chinese report, “treating human rights as a political tool to vilify other countries and to...

Ron Paul: Education, Medical Care Aren't Rights

They are 'things that you have to earn'

(Newser) - Neither education nor medical care are rights, Rep. Ron Paul told MSNBC—they’re "things that you have to earn." Host Cenk Uygur asked Paul whether the government should give "a helping hand" to a hypothetical poor child in his district who couldn't afford tuition, to which...

Chinese Media Censors Hu's Comments on Human Rights

President's concession largely unreported

(Newser) - Chinese media loudly heralded Hu Jintao's trip to the US—but it has hardly said a word about his recent comments on human rights, the Washington Post reports. Discussing the matter with President Obama at a joint news conference, President Hu said “a lot still needs to be done...

Hu Faces a Chill on Capitol Hill
 Hu Faces a Chill on Capitol Hill 

Hu Faces a Chill on Capitol Hill

You might say lawmakers are a bit unhappy with China

(Newser) - Last night’s state dinner was fun and all, but now Chinese President Hu Jintao will have to face the music. He hits Capitol Hill today, where lawmakers have been griping about him—specifically, about his country’s economic policies and human rights violations. Sen. Harry Reid called Hu...

Hu: 'A Lot Still Needs to Be Done' on Human Rights

China, US will open formal dialogue on concerns

(Newser) - China and the US agreed to open a formal dialogue on human rights, reports the Washington Post . But it should be based on "mutual respect and the principle of noninterference in each other's internal affairs," said President Hu Jintao. He did acknowledge, however, that "a lot still...

Iran Locks Up Human Rights Lawyer for 11 Years

Advocate of women, children jailed for 'propaganda'

(Newser) - Iran has sentenced a human rights lawyer to 11 years in jail for "activities against national security" and "propaganda against the regime," the New York Times reports. Nasrin Sotoudeh was stripped of her license to practice law in Iran and also ordered to remain in the country...

US Warns Hundreds Named in WikiLeaks Cables

Some activists moved to safer locations

(Newser) - The State Department is working overtime to warn hundred of people whose names appear in some of the 99% of diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks that haven't been published yet. After combing through a majority of the still-under-wraps cables, dozens of staff in Washington and in embassies around the world...

Pakistan 'Disappearing' Thousands of Separatists

US fears some may have been tortured, killed

(Newser) - In Pakistan, thousands are missing—and the US fears the country may be using the war as an excuse to round up and disappear political separatists. For years, human rights groups have reported on Pakistan’s security forces holding prisoners incommunicado, without charges; there are also concerns that some have...

Cyber Stalkers Attack Human Rights Sites

Volunteers aid hackers in worsening problem: research

(Newser) - In a sort of cyber-censorship, those who disagree with a human rights group have an increasingly easy answer: Hack its website. Hackers are increasingly targeting such groups, researchers find, using DDoS attacks to inundate a website with data in order to shut it down—sometimes for weeks. Between August 2009...

Dem Lobbyist Defends Work for Ivory Coast Leader

Lanny Davis questions media reports of his client's brutality

(Newser) - As reports of human rights violations in the Ivory Coast swirl, a Democratic lobbyist and PR expert continues to work for the incumbent president who refuses to step down despite having lost last month’s election. Why does Lanny Davis stay on the payroll of Laurent Gbagbo, despite “reports...

China Blocks Travel for Nobel Winner's Lawyer

Human rights attorney stopped at Beijing airport on way to conference

(Newser) - A lawyer who represents jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has been blocked from leaving China. Mo Shaoping, one of the country's most prominent human rights lawyers, says police at Beijing's airport prevented him from boarding a flight to London, where he was to attend an international legal conference,...

Cambodians Raped, Killed at UN-Backed Camp

So-called 'social affairs center' really internment facility: human rights groups

(Newser) - Cambodians being held at a UN-funded internment camp are frequently beaten and raped, treatment that has resulted in at least three deaths. Guards at the “social affairs center” say its residents are free to leave when they choose—but human rights watchdogs and ex-inmates say Prey Speu is an...

Jailed Chinese Dissident Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Liu Xiabo praised for human rights struggle

(Newser) - Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiabo has been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Liu, China's best-known dissident, is serving an 11-year sentence for trying to subvert state power. He was detained in 2008 for co-authoring Charter 08, an open letter calling for democratic reforms. The Nobel committee praised Liu, who...

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