Newswire week 23-29 July
23 July
Belgian Face-Veil Ban Goes Into Effect
Today, Belgium became the second European country after France to ban the wearing of veils covering the face in public.
http://www.rferl.org/content/belgian_face_veil_ban/24274154.html
24 July
Vedanta under fire from Amnesty International over human rights
Amnesty International has launched a scathing attack on Vedanta, accusing the London-listed Indian miner of disregarding human rights and failing to protect the environment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jul/24/amnesty-international-slams-vedanta?INTCMP=SRCH
25 July
Burundi should Investigate Political Killings
According to Human Rights Watch, Burundian authorities should investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the dozens of political killings in Burundi since late 2010.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/07/25/burundi-investigate-political-killings
26 July
Italy fails to adopt measures to tackle hate crimes
Amnesty International says that Italy has failed to take action to protect minority groups from discrimination after the government rejected a bill on homophobic and transphobic crimes.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/italy-fails-adopt-measures-tackle-hate-crimes-2011-07-26
Asian NGOs, awash with cash, ride a wave of economic growth
Western aid gap is being filled by thriving NGOs in Asia, which apply business techniques to charitable ends.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/26/asian-ngos-tzu-chi-nunns
27 July
Belarus executions a violation of its international obligations – for the second time, says UN Human Rights Committee
Belarus has violated its international obligations by executing two death row inmates whose cases were being reviewed by the UN Human Rights Committee, despite requests to the Government to await the results of the review, the Committee said today, expressing dismay at the second such breach in two years.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11268&LangID=E
Mexican cartels move into human trafficking
As organized crime and globalization have increased, Mexico has become a major destination for sex traffic, as well as a transit point and supplier of victims to the United States. Drug cartels are moving into the trade, preying on immigrant women, sometimes with the complicity of corrupt regional officials, according to diplomats and activists.
28 July
Guatemalan war rape survivors: 'We have no voice'
More than 100,000 women were raped in the 36-year Guatemalan civil war. Despite violent retributions, they are now breaking their silence
29 July
Ecuador’s autocrat cracks down on media freedom
Mr. Correa, Ecuador’s president, is seeking to destroy or silence the remaining independent media, which to his distress have taken on topics such as the hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts awarded to his brother. The president has filed one lawsuit against the authors of a book about his brother and a a second against the editorial page editor and three directors of one of Ecuador’s most influential newspapers, El Universo.
