Tag: human rights
Turkey emerges as model of oppression as crackdown on free expression grows
More than 100 journalists sit behind bars in Turkish prisions, the most of any country in the world. As the country's government continues to stifle dissent, experts worry that what they once considered a model of Middle East democracy is turning into a model of oppression....
Trial of former dictator forces Guatemala to face its turbulent past
Guatemala's former de facto president Jose Efrain Rios Montt is on trial for charges of war crimes and genocide committed under his brutal rule in the 1980s. After avoiding prosecution for nearly 30 years, Rios Montt faces a list of charges that shines a spotlight on the country's unpleasant past....
Remembering and forgetting Tiananmen Square
On the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests, also known in China as the June Fourth Incident, artists and activists are working to keep memories of that day alive. At the same time, the Chinese government is intent on silencing stories from Tiananmen. ...
Jordan struggling as Syrian refugees stream across the border
Jordan's born a large portion of the strain of refugees fleeing violence-torn Syria. As the fighting continues in its 14th month and beyond, the United Nations is trying to raise money to help pay the costs of caring for the refugees, but little funding has been forthcoming....
Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng leaves U.S. Embassy after negotiations
Negotiations brought a satisfactory conclusion to human rights activist Chen Guangcheng's stay at the U.S. Embassy in China. Chen campaigned on behalf of women forcibly sterilized in China....
Chinese human rights activist escapes house arrest, causes possible diplomatic crisis
Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest and is believed to be in United States hands in Beijing. Representatives from the U.S. have reportedly been meeting with Chinese officials to discuss the situation. Some believe the incident may lead to a diplomatic crisis....
Prominent Canadian gay rights activist killed in Halifax, Nova Scotia
A gay rights activist was murdered outside of a bar last week in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after reportedly attempting to break up a fight between two men. Members of the community have come out to honor Raymond Taavel's memory....
Uzbekistan may have program to forcibly sterilizing women for population control
In a new report from the BBC, critics are alleging that the government in Uzbekistan is possibly running a secret program to forcibly sterilize women as a means of population control. Doctors are said to be given monthly quotas and sterilization sometimes occurs without the woman's knowledge. Uzbekistan denies any program exists....
Protecting children from sex trafficking continues to be elusive goal
Underage sex trafficking is in the news again after Washington state enacted a law requiring websites like backpage.com to maintain documentation proving the age of escorts advertising on the site. Some argue that escort websites are better than the alternative, but, there does not yet appear to be a model for ending child prostitution....
Use of solitary confinement in America's prisons criticized
Solitary confinement was designed to separate volatile inmates from the rest of the prison population. Today however, many prisons exploit solitary confinement as a tool of punishment, critics say. Recent high profile cases and policy changes in Mississippi have shed new light on solitary....
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