There are good events in the Bethlehem area in the next few days and we could use your participation/support: 1) Thursday
3:30 PM, land reclamation in Wad Rahhal , 2) Friday at Noon, march from the mosque area to the apartheid wall in Al-Walaja
(important to come to encourage this village that ios valiantly trying to stop the wall encircling the village), 3) Monday
and Tuesday beginning 9:30 AM rehabilitation for Land in Al-Khader (destroyed by settlers).
As I keep hearing the mantra of a "new" opening for peace in the
Middle East, I am reminded of the statement issued by Amnesty International in March 2001, stating that "a major flaw
of the process that began with the Oslo Agreement of 1993 was that peace was not founded on ensuring respect and protection
for human rights. if human rights are sacrificed in the search for peace and security there will be no peace and no security".
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948. The next
day, the UN General Assembly also adopted Resolution 194, which dealt specifically with human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian
context and included establishing a conciliatory commission, sharing Jerusalem, and guaranteeing the right of Palestinian refugees
to return to their homes and lands. To this date, neither UDHR nor General Assembly Resolution 194 have been implemented.
62 years later, Israeli apartheid still seems to get away literally with murder. The UN Human Rights Council just issued
a report on the massacre of activists in the flotilla ship bringing aid to Gaza. And just yesterday Jerusalem was
up in flames after a settler mercenary murdered a Palestinian in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israel, armed
to the teeth by the US, is the strongest military power in the Middle East. The state harbors hundreds of nuclear weapons
(with a don't ask don't tell policy supported by the US) as well as other WMD. It receives billions in US taxpayer largess
every year. And the US government has vetoed over 35 UN Security Council resolutions that attempted to hold Israel accountable
to international law and human rights in the region. This is a state that caused the largest post-WWII refugee crisis
that is still unresolved. The ethnic cleansing accompanying the foundation of this apartheid Jewish state meant
the destruction of 530 villages and towns. It has become well known as the Palestinian Nakba or catastrophe. But
this is an ongoing process that still involves many homer demolitions and deportations of people even today. 62 years
of ethnic cleansing must come to a stop and must be reversed. Today 7 million of the 11 million Palestinians around
the world are refugees or displaced people. Palestinian Christians and Muslims who owned and used 93% of historic
Palestine in 1947 have now been reduced to use of 8.3% of the land.
In 2007, Ehud Olmert, then prime minister,
declared: "If the day comes when the two-state solution collapses, and we face a South African-style struggle for equal
voting rights [also for the Palestinians in the territories], then, as soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished."
More recently, making a similar point, Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, said "as long as between the Jordan and
the sea there is only one political entity, named Israel, it will end up being either non-Jewish or non-democratic ...
If the Palestinians vote in elections, it is a bi-national state, and if they don't, it is an apartheid state."
To achieve our rights despite Israeli massive military might and support from western governments,
we must as before depend on themselves with support from people of conscience in the rest of the world (for example via the
International Solidarity Movement and the movement for Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions). Palestinian popular
resistance has been inspirational even as we faced massive violent repression, loss of our lands, restrictions of movements,
concentration camp like Ghettos, walls of apartheid and much more. Bishop Desmond Tutu and all major South African leaders
described this situation as worse than what existed in Apartheid South Africa. One year after the International
Court of Justice ruled on the illegality of the apartheid wall and colonial settlement activity, the Palestinian civil
society organizations issued a call in 2005 to the world community to engage in the same kinds of activities that helped
bring an end to Apartheid in South Africa. This includes BDS until Israel complies with International law including
basic human rights (on issues of refugees, equality, and ending occupation/colonization). This is the assured road
to a durable peace. We hope you will join us as we walk it.
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home http://www.qumsiyeh.org Professor, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities Chairman of the Board, Palestinian Center for Rapprochement
Between People, http://www.pcr.ps
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic
origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination.
These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law
, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments
to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms
of individuals or groups.
Universal and inalienable
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as
first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous international human
rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that
it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political,
economic and cultural systems.
All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or more, of the core human rights treaties,
reflecting consent of States which creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to universality. Some
fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection by customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations.
Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process.
For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law.
Interdependent and indivisible
All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before
the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education
, or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent.
The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects
the others.
Equal and non-discriminatory
Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all the major
human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women.
The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis
of a list of non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of non-discrimination is complemented
by the principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings
are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Both Rights and Obligations
Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under international law to
respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering
with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups
against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment
of basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights
of others.
An Israeli patrol boat intercepted a yacht carrying three tons of medical supplies to Gaza in
international waters early on Tuesday as it attempted to run an Israeli blockade. According to those on board, the patrol
boat accused the relief vessel of being involved in terrorist activity and then deliberately rammed it, forcing it to return
to port in Lebanon.
Among the yacht's 16 passengers were doctors, journalists, and human rights activists, including
former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA). McKinney spoke to CNN from Lebanon, telling John Roberts, "Our boat
was rammed three times, twice in the front and once on the side."
McKinney described as "outright disinformation"
a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry which called the charge that the ramming was deliberate "absurd." According to
the Israeli spokesman, the boat was struck as it attempted to outmaneuver the Israeli vessel.
The
Free Gaza movement, which sponsored the relief mission, explained in a press release, "This is the sixth boat that the Free
Gaza movement has sent ... in a symbolic effort to end the seige of Gaza. These are small boats, and they do not cross into
Israeli waters at all. This Israeli attack on the boat, which occurred in international waters, cannot be described as 'self
defense' by any stretch of delusional imagination."
"Our mission was a peaceful mission to deliver medical supplies,"
McKinney told CNN, "and our mission was thwarted by the Israelis -- the aggressiveness of the Israeli military."
McKinney
then appealed to President-elect Obama to "say something, please, about the humanitarian crisis that is being experienced
right now by the people of Gaza." She referred to Martin Luther King's description of the United States as "the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet" and noted that "the weapons
that are being used by Israel are weapons that are being supplied by the United States."
McKinney has been known for
her opposition to Israeli policies, which is blamed in part for her loss of her Congressional seat. According to the Washington Post, "In 2002, two Democrats in Congress with records of voting against Israel's
interests -- Reps. Earl Hilliard of Alabama and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia -- faced primary opponents who received substantial
support from Jewish donors. A majority of AIPAC board members gave to either McKinney's challenger or Hilliard's or both.
Hilliard and McKinney lost."
As 150,000 Cambodians face unlawful eviction, front line human rights defenders
expose a war for land, radically defending communities against a history dying to repeat itself...
I am interested in helping to organize an event for Black August. Please contact
me if you are also interested in doing so.
I am interested in helping to organize an event for Black August. Please contact me if you are also
interested in doing so.
George Jackson counseled: "Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of
our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations
more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in
revolution" — Blood In My Eye
Article below is from www.prisonactivist.org 2001. For updated article go to:
Black
August is a month of great significance for Africans throughout the diaspora, but particularly here in the U.S. where it originated.
"August," as Mumia Abu-Jamal noted, "is a month of meaning, of repression and radical resistance, of injustice and divine
justice; of repression and righteous rebellion; of individual and collective efforts to free the slaves and break the chains
that bind us."
This is the 22nd anniversary of Black August, first organized to honor our fallen freedom fighters,
Jonathan and George Jackson, Khatari Gaulden, James McClain, William Christmas, and the sole survivor of the August 7, 1970
Courthouse Slave Rebellion, Ruchell Cinque Magee. It is still a time to embrace the principles of unity, self-sacrifice, political
education, physical fitness and/or training in martial arts, resistance, and spiritual renewal. The concept, Black August,
grew out of the need to expose to the light of day the glorious and heroic deeds of those Afrikan women and men who recognized
and struggled against the injustices heaped upon people of color on a daily basis in America.
One cannot tell the
story of Black August without first providing the reader with a brief glimpse of the "Black Movement" behind California prison
walls in the Sixties, led by George Jackson, W. L. Nolen, Hugo Pinell, Warren Wells, Kumasi (Steve Simmons), and others.
As
Jackson wrote:
"... when I was accused of robbing a gas station of $70, I accepted a deal ... but when time came for
sentencing, they tossed me into the penitentiary with one to life. It was 1960. I was 18 years old... I met Marx, Lenin, Trotsky,
Engels, and Mao when I entered prison and they redeemed me. For the first four years I studied nothing but economics and military
ideas. I met black guerrillas, George 'Big Jake' Lewis, and James Carr, W.L. Nolen, Bill Christmas, Tony Gibson, and many,
many others.
" We attempted to transform the Black criminal mentality into a black revolutionary mentality. As a result,
each of us has been subject to years of the most vicious reactionary violence by the state. Our mortality rate is almost what
you would expect to find in a history of Dachau. Three of us [Nolen, Sweet Jugs Miller, and Cleve Edwards] were murdered several
months ago [Jan. 13, 1969] by a pig shooting from thirty feet above their heads with a military rifle." — Soledad
Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson)
When the brothers first demanded the killer guard be tried for murder,
they were rebuffed. Upon their insistence, the administration held a kangaroo court and three days later returned a verdict
of "justifiable homicide." Shortly afterward, a white guard was found beaten to death and thrown from a tier. Six days later,
three prisoners were accused of murder, and became known as The Soledad Brothers. "I am being tried in court right now with
two other brothers. John Clutchette and Fleeta Drumgo, for the alleged slaying of a prison guard. This charge carries an automatic
death penalty for me. I can't get life. I already have it."
"Dialectical materialism is my bag. I identify with anyone
who hates just one fascist. I don't want a piece of the pie, I don't want all of it even. I think it's rotten, should be discarded,
we should start all over again. This new start should be made without individualism (read isolation) ..."
"I still
think of myself as a black and an African but I can't be satisfied with myself until I am communist man, revolutionary man,
and this without feeling that I've denied myself, or failed to identify."
"The black bourgeoisie (pseudo-bourgeoisie),
the right reverends, the militant opportunists, have left us in a quandary, rendered us impotent. How ridiculous we must seem
to the rest of the black world when we beg the government to investigate their own protective agencies. Aren't the wild hip-shooting
pigs loose among us to protect the property rights of the people who formed the government?"
"The theory that all
whites are the immediate enemy and all blacks our brothers (making them loyal) is silly and indicative of a lazy mind (to
be generous, since it could be a fascist plot)."
"We belong among the righteous of the world. We are the most powerful.
We are in the best position to do the people's work. To win will involve taking a chance,crawling on the belly, naming, numbering,
infiltrating, giving up meaningless small comforts, readjusting some values. My life means absolutely nothing without positive
control over the factors that determine its quality." — Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson
Anniversary
of the Death of George L. Jackson
On August 21, 1971, after numerous failed attempts on his life, the State finally
succeeded in assassinating Jackson, then Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party, in what was described by prison officials
as an escape attempt in which Jackson allegedly smuggled a gun into San Quentin in a wig. That feat was proven impossible,
and evidence subsequently uncovered indicated a set-up orchestrated by prison officials to eliminate Jackson once and for
all. Of course, I doubt they counted on losing any of their own in the process.
On that fateful day, three notoriously
racist prison guards and two inmate turnkeys were also killed. Subsequently, six prisoners were singled out and put on trial
— wearing 30 lbs. of chains in Marin courthouse — for various charges of murder and assault: Fleeta Drumgo, David
Johnson, Hugo L.A. Pinell (Yogi), Luis Talamantez, Johnny Spain, and Willie Sundiata Tate, who became known as the San Quentin
Six. Only one was convicted of murder, Johnny Spain. The others were either acquitted or convicted of assault. Pinell is the
only one remaining in prison and has suffered prolonged torture in lockups since 1969. He is currently serving his 11th year
in Pelican Bay's SHU, a torture chamber if ever there was one. A true warrior, Pinell never hesitated to put his life on the
line to defend his fellow captives.
As decades passed, our Black scholars, like Mumia Abu-Jamal, learned of other
liberation moves that happened in Black August. E.g., the first and only armed revolution whereby Africans freed themselves
from chattel slavery commenced on August 21, 1791 in Haiti. Nat Turner's slave rebellion began on August 21, 1831 (coincidence?),
and Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad started in August. As Mumia stated, "Their sacrifice, their despair, their determination
and their blood has painted the month Black for all time."
On August 17, 1995, Mumia was scheduled to be executed
in Pennsylvania. But hundreds of his supporters, myself included, were able to celebrate his stay of execution on that date
in Philadelphia shortly after the '95 PCRA (post conviction relief appeal) hearings were held in State Court. This August
17, 2001 thousands [gathered] in Philadelphia to stand with our beloved freedom fighter, our "voice of the voiceless." ...
George Jackson counseled:
"Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand
that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered
half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution" — Blood In
My Eye
The article above was written for the San Francisco Bay View newspaper. You can access the Bay View at www.sfbayview.com.
But there's a photo spread that might only be available in the newspaper itself. Feel free to distribute widely in keeping
with....... "Each
one teach one."
Human Rights First was recently
cited in a Washington Post’s lead editorial urging policymakers to address the Iraqi refugee crisis. See this article
below: or check this link
Posted here on joe-anybody
on August 21 2007
The Refugee Crisis
Total number of Iraqi refugees….. At
least 2.2 million, with another 2 million displaced inside Iraq
Number of Iraqis fleeing each day…..
2,000
Number of Iraqi refugees in Jordan …..
750,000
Number of Iraqi refugees in Syria Between…..1,000,000 and 1,500,000
Number of Iraqi refugees accepted by
the United States in 2007…..190
AS MANY AS 110,000 Iraqis may be targeted as collaborators for helping U.S.,
coalition or foreign reconstruction efforts. These Iraqis and their families are frequently at risk of kidnapping, murder
and persecution. At least 257 translators have already been killed, according to Human Rights First.
As a result, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Nations+High+Commissioner+for+Refugees?tid=informline (UNHCR) has referred more than 8,000 Iraqis to the United States for resettlement
this year alone. Yet fewer than 200 have been admitted. This embarrassingly slow trickle of resettled refugees -- Sweden takes
more than 1,000 each month -- motivated Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, to write a cable last month urging
the administration to guarantee visas for all Iraqis helping the United States.
The obstacles Iraqis face to be recommended by the UNHCR make these low resettlement
rates all the more astonishing. Iraqis cannot apply for refugee status from within Iraq; they must first brave the dangers
of crossing a border. If they make it, those fleeing violence and persecution may also find that because of a broad legal
provision disqualifying refugees who have provided "material support" to terrorist organizations they can be denied resettlement
in the United States if they have paid ransoms for kidnapped relatives. According to Human Rights First, in some cases involving
kidnappings the UNHCR has decided not to refer even deserving applicants to the United States out of concern that the irrational
"material support" provision will bar them from entry.
Bills introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
(D-Mass.) could help oil the American refugee-processing machine. The bills would set up processing facilities in Iraq, establish
Iraqi refugee coordinators at U.S. embassies in the region and authorize more funding. Both would create a special immigrant
visa category for Iraqis who have worked for the United States, allowing them to apply for resettlement from within Iraq and
without having to go through the UNHCR. The House bill also revises the "material support" provision to exempt cases in which
the support was provided under duress.
Both bills also would require the United States to better assist Iraq's neighbors,
which have absorbed more than 2 million refugees at great cost to their own economic and social stability. The State Department
has taken some steps in this direction, including its recent pledge to help fund a UNHCR-UNICEF program subsidizing schooling
for displaced Iraqi children.
We urge legislators to support these bills. No matter one's opinion on the
war, this humanitarian crisis needs to be confronted and fixed.
To see comments that have
been posted about this article click link below.
Human Rights Tools is currently a 100% volunteer initiative. This means that it is run
by very motivated volunteers in their spare time, who also cover all the technical costs. We have put this site together without
any external funding.
Why did we create this site?
This site is primarily aimed at human rights activists - persons monitoring the respect
of human rights and advocating for positive change. Persons who are passionate about quality human rights work, have a thirst
to continually deepen their knowledge, and are looking for a collection of top reference material.
After several years of searching the internet, we gradually discovered and assembled a collection
of human rights tools and resources of amazing quality - and all of them were offered by their developers to other human rights
workers. Taken together, these tools consitute a formidable resource, and a wonderful example of sharing and collaboration.
However one thing that was missing was a directory which made it easy to access this collection
of wonderful tools. This is why we created an E-Library which had to have the following qualities:
We take you straight to the very best tools, not only to a website's homepage
No forest of links, no obsolete pages, no dead links, only carefully selected and up-to-date
stuff.
Reviews to pinpoint the strong points and not-to-be-missed features of each tool.
Very accessible for those with low-bandwidth internet.
A clear, intuitive, user-oriented navigation system.
Very simple for users to suggest links or request improvements
We try to organise existing information in ways which make it useful to the end-user, easy
to access, well structured, easy to export. Do we fill the brief? How can we improve? Let us know by email.
What status does Human Rights Tools have?
Human Rights Tools is nonprofit organisation established under Article 60 and subsequent
articles of the Swiss Civil Code (statutes). It was founded on 10 March 2006 (minutes of constitutive general assembly).
It is based in Coppet, near Geneva (Switzerland), at the following address:
57 Grand Rue, 1296 Coppet ++41 22 776 86 91
How
to get involved?
You are welcome to join us: help add new resources to the library, communicate with users
and resource developers, etc. If you are really interested in human rights methodology, enjoy web searching, can write in
a concise and precise way, and can devote about an hour a week, then please contact us. HTML skills are not necessary.
In 1971 a trial for the 28 who were called the Catholic Left
were found not guilty
for tearing up hundreds of Draft Card Records
Send this letter to theWhite
House
that says the following:
I was pleased to see Deputy Secretary England’s memo directing compliance with the Supreme
Court’s decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. Application of Common Article 3 to all those held in military custody
restores a legal framework to detentions in the “war on terror” and brings US practices in line with international
law.
Clearly, a decision to apply Common Article 3 to detainees in military custody is only one step. Full protections under
international human rights and humanitarian law must also be applied in the case of all detainees wherever they are held and
by whichever agency. For the Court’s decision to have effect, all agencies, including the CIA, must be bound by
the decision. Since the CIA is allegedly responsible for secret detentions, unlawful renditions, and torture or other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, it is critical that they are bound by the same principles.
I urge you to ensure compliance with the indispensable protections provided for in international law. To
that end, it is imperative that the US does not seek to limit the protections in Common Article 3 through restrictive definitions.
All detainees in US custody should be registered and visited by the Red Cross immediately. Any trials must comply with
fair trials standards. Finally, no one should be subject to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Thank you for you attention to this matter.... from joe anybody
Egypt protest ( 3,000 Sudanese protesters to end a sit-in in Cairo)
The camp was Raided By Police and 10 Die. 12-29-05
A UN official said the talks had broken down because it did not have the power to guarantee their demands were met. The
long-running demonstration began after the UNCHR stopped aid to those who had applied and failed to get refugee status. Several
protesters have since died and a number of babies have been born at the makeshift camp, where many sleep in the open.
This film highlights the commitment of the ICRC and its Red Cross / Red Crescent
partners to relieving human suffering. It focuses on various recent dramatic situations including Darfur, Iraq, the south-east
Asia tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake
Watch The Survailence Cameras on the Mexican Border
It is a quick register sign up and
.......Kabblam... you are watching streaming web cams
You are suppose to be watcing the Border Cams to turn the violaters into
the authorities! ....Ha !
But I will do no such thing
In fact ....I think the borders should come down!
The BBC reports "a US state has begun testing a website that aims to police illegal immigration by offering web users surveillance
footage from the Mexican border. The site intends to give web users the chance to virtually patrol the Texas border and contact the authorities if they spot seemingly
illegal crossings. Only eight of more than a dozen cameras installed were initially working. Texas Governor Rick Perry, who
launched the scheme, asked for "forgiveness" for early technical difficulties".
Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all the major
human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women. 
e-mail: 
