Who you calling a human rights violator? China fights backAfter criticism from the United States over human rights abuses and treatment of dissidents, China has fought back by publishing 7,500 words on human rights violations in the US, including racial discimrination and wrongful imprisonment.
Human rights abuses
Burma rebrands: a dictatorship, without the uniforms
Saturday’s Burmese election was, in reality, just the junta’s mechanism for shifting away from an overt military dictatorship to a slightly more covert form — dictatorship without so many uniforms.
How Iran uses rape to stifle dissent
Iran expert Mahmood Delkhasteh explains how the country’s regime regularly uses sexual assault — against both men and women — to silence and punish protesters and critics.
Human rights: why we need a charter
Emotional, fear-mongering and ill-informed comments about a human rights charter do not make for robust, reasoned, logical debate, writes Mark Blumer.
Human rights: what is Rudd waiting for?
Is the government backing away from introducing a bill of rights? In the absence of any serious negatives, we should expect a human rights act within this parliamentary term, writes Susan Ryan, chair of the Australian Human Rights Group.
Different Castro, same Cuba
A new report by Human Rights Watch says Cuba’s government is as repressive under Raúl Castro as it was under his brother Fidel, with dissidents beaten, publicly humiliated and fired from their jobs.
Sri Lanka and its Manik approach to human rights
In Sri Lanka, an appalling human rights tragedy continues to play out. After the wake of the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers, 250,000 Tamils have been herded into detention.
World turns blind eye to North Korea’s labour camp abuse
The 200,000 prisoners in North Korea’s gulag subsist on a diet of corn and salt, live in rags, work 12- to 15-hour days and are regularly beaten and raped. So why aren’t the world’s leaders (or Bono) paying attention?
Essay: The many renditions of Mamdouh Habib
Let’s take a swift trip into the heart of darkness, writes Richard Neville.
We need an independent review of anti-terror laws
Today, the Senate is scheduled to begin debating an initiative that is sorely needed – the creation of an office of an Independent Reviewer of Australia’s tough anti-terrorism laws, writes Greg Barns.
Afghan dog pen demeans us and emboldens the insurgents
Joel Fitzgibbon should apologise for this breach of human rights by Australian soldiers, writes Keysar Trad.
The Oz on Suharto: at least the regime ran on time
Ever wonder how official history would have assessed Saddam Hussein if he never invaded Kuwait? Check The Australian’s obituary for General Suharto and wonder no more, writes Jeff Sparrow.
Perhaps someone does read Greg Sheridan
In this morning’s Australian the man modestly billed as “the most influential foreign affairs commentator in Australia” turned his attention to Australia’s gun boat diplomacy over Japanese whaling, writes Richard Farmer.
Europe still doesn’t get Africa
Why is it that European leaders so totally fail to understand the relationship of their continent to Africa? This week’s African Union-EU summit provides a clue, writes Guy Rundle.
Tragedy in Afghanistan: just what do we hope to achieve?
The tragic death of an Australian soldier brings a forgotten conflict back into our newspapers, writes Jeff Sparrow.
