Human Rights

UN regional emergency teams on standby to assist Caribbean nations hit by tropical storm

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Dark clouds from Tropical storm Tomas of 2010 loom over a camp for displaced people in Port-au-Prince.

South Sudan refugee health situation worsening, says UN agency

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UNHCR comes to the assistance of older, disabled and sickly refugees in South Sudan.

Safety conditions at South African mines have room for improvement, says UN expert

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The killings of more than 30 workers in the Marikana platinum mine have put the spotlight on working conditions in South Africa’s mining industry.

Clashes in Lebanon hampering relief operations to assist refugees – UN agency

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A Syrian refugee family in Halba, northern Lebanon.

China: Refugees Forcibly Returned to Burma

Thousands of Kachin at Risk From Conflict, Abuses, Aid Shortages

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A Kachin boy outside an unrecognized refugee camp in Yunnan, China, in January 2012.

Iran: Donors Should Reassess Anti-Drug Funding

Prosecutions of Drug Offenders Violate Rights, Result in Frequent Executions

United Nations agencies and international donors should immediately freeze financial and other assistance to Iran’s drug control programs, Human Rights Watch and Harm Reduction International (HRI) said today. The funding contributes to abusive prosecutions of drug suspects, the groups said.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities warns against demolishing ethnic-Georgian villages in South Ossetia

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Houses formerly inhabited by ethnic-Georgians in the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia lie in a state of disrepair after their owners fled during and after the war in 2008. On 14 August 2012, the de facto leader of South Ossetia announced plans to demolish the remains of ethnic-Georgian villages. This photograph was taken in November 2010, during the last visit of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek to South Ossetia.

OSCE/ODIHR opens mission to observe parliamentary elections in Georgia

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The OSCE/ODIHR opened an election observation mission in Tbilisi on 22 August ahead of the parliamentary elections to be held in Georgia on 1 October.

US: Meles' Death Loss for Sudan Peace Process

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The United States says the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is a loss for the peace process in Sudan and South Sudan. But it could bring about an improvement in human rights inside Ethiopia.

UN human rights expert calls on US to consult with indigenous people over land sale

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James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.