Human Rights | WPN World People News

Voters at a polling station in Armenia, 18 February 2013.

Two Turkmen civil society activists convicted on politically motivated charges were freed on February 16, 2013, after serving out their prison terms, Human Rights Watch said on February 17. Sapardurdy Khajiev and Annakurban Amanklychev, wrongfully imprisoned since their arrest in June 2006, suffer numerous health problems from their incarceration.

Mali has been facing a serious food and nutrition crisis aggravated by political instability and conflict in the north since last year. As a result, nearly 400,000 people have been forced out of their homes, including some 230,000 internally displaced and over 160,000 refugees who have crossed into Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Algeria. Schools have closed; health centres have been looted; and serious child rights violations have taken place.

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura.

The United Nations refugee agency said that it is seeing a large number of Hepatitis E cases in refugee camps in South Sudan, with over 6,000 cases – and 111 deaths – since July.

Food drop over Sikikédé, Central African Republic, in response to the food and nutrition crisis in the western Vakaga region in September 2012.

The South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund today allocated $56.5 million for aid and emergency preparedness, enabling the humanitarian community to respond to humanitarian needs and, at the same time, to preposition aid before the rains cut off 60 per cent of the country.

Displaced by fighting, these women queue up for food vouchers in the village of Minova, in Eastern DRC.

Living conditions continue to deteriorate in Gaza and West Bank under the blockade.

The European Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the European Commission's alleged failure to prevent conflicts of interest among staff as a result of the revolving door - where EU staff take up jobs with lobby firms and vice-versa.