Human Rights

Uzbekistan: Decade of Impunity for Massacre

Andijan Video Spotlights Need for UN Action

The US, EU, and other governments should speak out about human rights abuses in Uzbekistan on the 10th anniversary of the Andijan massacre and renew their calls for accountability, Human Rights Watch said in a video released on 7 May, 2015.

Unaccompanied minors’ asylum applications: process where the kids are, say MEPs

EU asylum applications for unaccompanied minors should be processed in the EU country where the child is present, even if this is not where the child first applied, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs on Wednesday. Processing where children are present is usually in their best interests, and avoids moving them unnecessarily between member states, say the committee’s amendments to the Dublin Regulation, which determines which member state should examine asylum applications.

Fair trials: MEPs strengthen EU-wide standards for legal aid

People who are suspected or accused of a crime, or are named in a European Arrest Warrant, but cannot afford a lawyer or court proceedings, should have access to EU member state funding and assistance for both “provisional” and "ordinary” legal aid, say Civil Liberties MEPs in amendments, voted on Wednesday, to a proposed EU directive on fair trial rights.

Call for help: Yazidis bear witness to violence by Islamic State

20150505PHT50820_original_0.jpg
Kurdish Yazidi visitors to the European Parliament on 29 April: (back) Khorsheed Mawlud, Dilyar Saeed, Vian Dakhil and (front) Aisha Taha Othman.

Yemen conflict death toll nears 650, with UN rights office spotlighting plight of 3 million disabled

05-05-2015Yemen_Crisis_0_0.jpg
Two boys sit amid belongings on the roof of a vehicle fleeing Sana’a, the capital of Yemen.

Riga Declaration reaffirms importance of freedom of expression and press freedom for sustainable development

Celebrations marking this year's World Press Freedom Day ended in Riga with the adoption of the Riga Declaration on May 4, a non-binding statement expressing the commitment of over 500 participants to promote the significance of independent journalism for sustainable development.

The Declaration aims to improve the quality of journalism, enhance gender equality in the newsroom and promote safety of journalists, and links this to the United Nations negotiations for a new package of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be adopted next autumn.

BURUNDI: UNICEF calls for protection of children amid protests in the capital

Statement attributable to the UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern & Southern Africa, Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala

"Children are at risk of bearing the brunt of the confrontations in and around Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.

320,000 Children Homeless in Nepal

NEPAL_PRESS_RELEASE_05012015.jpg

Yemen: Saudi-Led Airstrikes Used Cluster Munitions

US-Supplied Weapon Banned by 2008 Treaty

saudi0515_clustervideo_presser.jpg

Amid reports of new attack on Yarmouk camp, UN agency urges Syria to halt military operations in civilian areas

04-07-2015Palestin_Yarmouk.jpg
Palestinian refugees living in active conflict areas in Syria such as Yarmouk, Khan Eshieh and the Dera’a surroundings, face brutal hardships.