Human Rights

State Department Official Freaks Out That Declassifying CIA Torture Report Might Make The World Angry

While the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to declassify its $40 million, 6,300 page report detailing the CIA’s torture regime — including the facts that it went beyond what was authorized, produced no useful intelligence and then the CIA lied about…

Human Rights

US: Stop Blocking Palestinian Rights! (HRW)

Juan Cole

(By Human Rights Watch) (Jerusalem) – The US government should support rather than oppose Palestinian actions to join international treaties that promote respect for human rights. On April 1, 2014, the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, signed accession instruments for 15 treaties, including the core treaties on human rights and the laws of war. On April 2, […]

Human Rights

Whether Princesses or Paupers, Long Road to Saudi Women’s Rights

contributors

(By Rothna Begum and Adam Coogle) When the story broke earlier this month of four Saudi princesses allegedly confined to their Jeddah home by members of their own family, the kingdom soon went into damage control mode. Within a week, several British newspapers started calling Human Rights Watch, asking if we knew about a news […]

Afghanistan

After Karzai: Do Afghanistan’s Presidential Elections Matter?

contributors

(By Julie Poucher Harbin for IslamiCommentary) March 19 Ashraf Ghani campaign rally in the Awden desert in northern Kunduz province, Afghanistan.Photo: Twitter feed of Habib Khan Totakhil (@HabibKhanT) Afghanistan Goes to the Polls First, the election timeline. While Karzai is due to step down – he’s limited by the constitution from seeking another term — […]

Human Rights

Why not Just take Syria to the International Criminal Court?

contributors

(By Mark Kersten) This week marks the third anniversary of the Syrian civil war. Fragile peace talks aimed at finally bringing the war to an end sputter on in Geneva. Report after report has been published documenting the extent and sheer brutality of the violence in Syria. Conference after conference has been held to discuss […]

Human Rights

Israel Guilty of Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians: UN Rapporteur

contributors

(By César Chelala) Richard Falk, United Nations rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories accused Israel last week of “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians. Speaking at a press conference, he said that Israeli policies bore “unacceptable characteristics of colonialism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.” “Every increment of enlarging the settlements or every incident of house demolition […]

Human Rights

Iraqi Women’s Rights Under Threat

contributors

(By Erin Evers) Few disagree that the Iraqi government’s increasingly Shia character has alienated its Sunni population—but what has mounting sectarian division meant for the rights of women and girls? Last October, Iraq’s justice minister introduced a draft law to its Council of Ministers which would legalise child marriage and severely affect women’s rights in […]

censorship

Rep. Mike Rogers Says Snowden’s To Blame For Russia’s Aggressive Actions Against Ukraine

Juan Cole

Mike Rogers is still willing to spread his stupidity to any new outlet that will have him. Despite the NSA and FBI being unable to find any evidence that Snowden colluded with Russian intelligence, Rogers continues to insist the former analyst is a…

Featured

Egypt Shocks the World with Plan for Mass Execution of 528 Muslim Brothers

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) An Egyptian court in the provincial center of El Minya on Monday shocked the world by sentencing 528 persons to death in the killing of a policeman and engaging in vandalism last August. Only 147 of the suspects are actually in custody. The rest were sentenced in absentia. The accused were seen […]