Prometheus 6   

PAMBAZUKA NEWS 120: RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

AFRICA/GLOBAL: ILLEGAL U.S. CAMPAIGN AGAINST INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE
In withdrawing the United States from the International Criminal Court and in its current efforts to undermine the court's authority, the Bush administration has fallen far short of the high standards of justice that the United States has set for itself and by extension the rest of the world, says this commentary. The United States has also launched a campaign to persuade states supporting the court to sign agreements not to surrender U.S. nationals to it.

AFRICA: CALL FOR NEW AFRICAN COMMISSION CHAIR NOT TO LET DOWN THE CONTINENT
Alpha Konare, former President of Mali and newly elected Chair of the Commission of the African Union, has the right credentials for the job, CREDO for Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights says. Reacting to the election of the new AU Chair, CREDO’s coordinator Rotimi Sankore said: “As the first elected Chair of the Commission of the African Union, the success or failure of the entire African Union project depends largely on how Alpha Konare approaches the job.”

BOTSWANA: KHAMA WIN EASES MOGAE'S CONCERNS
Vice President Lt-General Seretse Ian Khama this week became the new national chairman of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), sweeping aside incumbent Ponatshego Kedikilwe in a landslide election victory. The emphatic win at the BDP's congress on Tuesday makes Khama, a relative newcomer to the party, an almost certain bet to succeed President Festus Mogae as the BDP's presidential candidate after the 2004 general elections.

BURUNDI: REGIONAL SUMMIT SHOULD GIVE PRIORITY TO PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Amnesty International has appealed to regional Heads of State or their representatives meeting on 20 July 2003 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to inject a renewed momentum to ending the armed conflict in Burundi and to give protection of human rights priority on their agenda. "The gap between paper agreements and the situation of Burundian civilians in constant fear for their lives, property and security grows ever larger," said Amnesty International.

DRC: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS UNDER ATTACK
Human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of Congo are under increasing attack, Human Rights Watch says in a newly-released backgrounder on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. In the past few years, the main rebel groups and the previous DRC government have been responsible for intimidating and harassing those who have exposed human rights abuses. But the new transitional government in Kinshasa offers the chance to break this pattern, Human Rights Watch said.

GREAT LAKES: NEW HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCE WEBSITE LAUNCHED
A non-profit charity based in the United States, the Centre for the Prevention of Genocide, has launched a human rights resource website. In a statement, the centre described the new website http://www.genocideprevention.org as one of the world's few early warning systems for the detection of genocidal activity.

KENYA: KENYA UNDER US PRESSURE NOT TO SIGN ICC PACT
Kenya is under immense pressure from the US government not to ratify the Rome Statue on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Peter ole Nkuraiya, said the US is putting pressure on Kenya not to sign Article 98 of the Statute. "We are left to wonder what is the way forward as regards the issue. We are being arm and neck twisted by the big brother," he said.

MALAWI: CIVIL SOCIETY COALITIONS - OVERCOMING FEAR, MISTRUST AND JEALOUSY
Civil society networks are recognised almost universally as essential promoters of democratisation. What makes a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) effective? What role should international NGOs play in fostering alliances of local CSOs? Should local networks pursue international advocacy?

NIGERIA: NO JUSTICE FOR KADUNA KILLINGS
Not a single member of the Nigerian police or security forces has been charged with dozens of killings during the "Miss World" riots in Kaduna last November, Human Rights Watch said in a new report. The 32-page report, "The 'Miss World riots': continued impunity for killings in Kaduna," provides detailed eyewitness accounts of how soldiers and police killed people in cold blood between November 21 and 23, during an operation intended to restore law and order.

RWANDA: FOUR CLEARED TO CONTEST PRESIDENCY
Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission has approved four candidates to contest the country’s first post-genocide presidential elections, scheduled for 25 August. The commission cleared four of six candidates who had declared their interest in the presidency. The approved candidates are the incumbent, President Paul Kagame, former Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu, a woman candidate, Alvera Mukabaramba; and former Member of Parliament Nepomuscene Nayinzira.

SOMALIA/SOMALILAND: POLITICAL LEADERS MUST RECOGNIZE THE LEGITIMATE ROLE OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Somali human rights defenders in all areas must be given a central role in the difficult struggle ahead for sustained peace, democracy and human rights, Amnesty International has urged, as the Somalia peace and reconciliation conference in Kenya moves, within the next month, to establish a transitional federal government by selecting a four-year parliament which will elect the president. Somaliland is proceeding separately to its own parliamentary elections after the recent presidential elections.

SOUTH AFRICA: TOWARDS GLOBAL SOCIAL MOVEMENT UNIONISM: TRADE UNION RESPONSES TO GLOBALIZATION
This case study surveys the response of the South African labour movement to globalisation. It attempts to indicate how far unions in South Africa have maintained their position with respect to traditional constituent demands, whether they are adapting to a changing environment by organising new constituents, whether they are addressing new concerns by developing new perspectives on civil society, and whether they are enhancing their image as a major social actor.

SWAZILAND: OPPOSITION DEMAND LEGALISATION OF PARTIES
Swaziland's draft constitution was initially greeted with relief by pro-democracy groups who had feared it would be far more draconian. But six weeks on, banned political parties have begun to condemn the document for its ambiguous language regarding the legalisation of political groups. "We will only be interested in a constitution that would be inclusive of the entire people of Swaziland, not just a few. So we reject this draft constitution with contempt," the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) said in a statement last week.

ZAMBIA: AGREEMENT WITH US ON ICC EXTRADITION
Zambia this month signed a bilateral agreement with the United States not to extradite US citizens accused of war crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a US embassy official told IRIN last Friday.

ZIMBABWE: CHURCHES APOLOGISE FOR INACTION AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches has apologised to the people of Zimbabwe for not doing enough to protest human rights abuses by the government. The apology was made in a communique issued by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches following its annual meeting.
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ZIMBABWE: MDC SOFTENS STANCE TO DEFUSE TENSION
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has threatened to hit his opponents with "the full wrath of the law" if they tried to destabilise the nation. He said this on Tuesday just hours after Zimbabwe's opposition party offered a political truce with the government. Before Mugabe delivered his speech, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) announced that its lawmakers would not boycott Mugabe's speech - as they usually do - but would remain in parliament as part of an effort to build goodwill to end the political standoff.

ZIMBABWE: STATE-SPONSORED RETRIBUTION TO SUBVERT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
There were 113 cases of torture recorded for the month of June, while political discrimination, violations of freedom of expression and assaults remained widespread, according to the Zimbabwean Human Rights NGO Forum's Political Violence Report for June. "Since the Human Rights Forum began documenting and publishing politically related human rights violations in 2000, there has been a sustained level of organised violence and torture, peaking at periods surrounding elections, public marches and demonstrations.”

posted by Prometheus 6 at 7/29/2003 07:45:19 PM |