United Nations human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Burma on Sunday for a five-day visit to assess the human rights situation in the country. Quintana is scheduled to meet with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon on Wednesday. He last visited Burma 18 months ago, but was not allowed to see […]
UN Burma Envoy Expected to Meet Aung San Suu Kyi
Posted August 17th, 2011 at 6:15 am (UTC-5)
Burmese government officials have confirmed that U.N. human rights investigator Tomas Quintana will meet senior officials in the capital next week after having been denied a visa for more than a year. Reports Wednesday say Quintana will also be allowed to meet in Rangoon with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, something he was not […]
UN Rights Investigator to Visit Burma Next Week
Posted August 16th, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC-5)
A United Nations investigator says he will travel to Burma next week to evaluate progress on human rights since a nominally civilian government took office this year. Tomas Quintana told VOA’s Burmese service Tuesday that the details of his trip are not complete but that his main objective is to assess the human rights situation […]
UN Rights Investigator to Visit Burma Next Week
Posted August 16th, 2011 at 7:45 am (UTC-5)
A United Nations investigator says he will travel to Burma next week to evaluate progress on human rights since a nominally civilian government took office this year. Tomas Quintana told VOA’s Burmese service Tuesday that the details of his trip are not complete but that his main objective is to assess the human rights situation […]
Belarus Condemned for Arresting Human Rights Defender
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 4:20 pm (UTC-5)
Belarus is facing calls to release the country’s leading human rights activist, who has been arrested and charged with crimes punishable by seven years in prison. Authorities arrested Ales Belyatsky, founder of the human rights group Vyasna, late Thursday near his Minsk home on charges of tax evasion. In a statement, Vyasna denounced the case […]
Belarus Arrests Leading Human Rights Activist
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
Authorities in Belarus have arrested the country’s leading human rights activist, amid mounting international criticism of the Minsk government’s continued clampdown on the opposition and civil society. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Friday condemned the arrest of Ales Belyatsky, calling it the “latest example of persecution.” Belarus police arrested Belyatsky, founder of […]
Bahrain Defends Raid on MSF Medical Center
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
Bahrain’s government is defending its recent police raid on a medical center run by French-based aid group, Doctors Without Borders, saying the facility was unlicensed. Bahrain’s health ministry said Thursday the group, also known as MSF, was operating the medical center in a residential building without permission from relevant authorities. It says police searched the […]
UN Rights Investigator Appeals for Iranian Access
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
A newly appointed U.N. special investigator has renewed calls for Iran to cooperate in a probe of alleged human rights abuses. Special rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed appealed to Tehran on Wednesday to allow him to visit the country. In a statement, he said he hopes Iran views his U.N. mandate as legitimate and takes steps to […]
UN Calls on Malawi to Investigate Riot Crackdown
Posted July 29th, 2011 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations human rights office has called on authorities in Malawi to investigate allegations of human rights violations by security forces during a crackdown on anti-government demonstrators last week. A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday that the office has been following “with great concern” the reports of human […]
China Reports Successful Completion of Human Rights Action Plan
Posted July 14th, 2011 at 12:10 am (UTC-5)
China says all the targets and tasks set out in a two-year human rights action plan were fulfilled on schedule before the end of 2010. In a report quoted by the official Xinhua news agency, China’s State Council Information Office said Thursday the cause of human rights in China “has entered a new stage.” A […]
