Par: Sam Gregory, Posté le: Aug 17 09
This past June, my colleague Sameer Padania and I were part of a panel at the Open Video Conference in New York City on ‘Human Rights, Indigenous Media and Open Video.'
ACT NOW: Stand with the Women of Zimbabwe Against Rape and Impunity
In 2008, political violence erupted in Zimbabwe as a result of highly contested national elections. Local organizations estimate that more than 2,000 women and girls were abducted, raped, tortured, and beat by state-sanctioned groups due to their political affiliations. The police has ignored these women's pleas for protection and justice, and national leaders have been equally unresponsive.
Par: Opal Tometi, Posté le: Aug 13 09
"I believe I have survived for a reason: to tell my story to touch lives"
Ever since I watched the documentary War Child, a film about former Sudanese child soldier and now rapper Emmanuel Jal, I have been inspired and intrigued by how a young child who was conscripted to fight in a war could grow to become someone who so passionately articulates a message of peace.
Coming Soon: Bearing Witness in Chechnya: A Tribute to Natalia Estemirova, an event co-hosted by WITNESS that will take place on October 29th at 7pm at the CUNY Graduate School in New York. Join us - the event is free and open to the public.
*UPDATE, October Event: On 10/29, WITNESS, the PEN American Center, Human Rights Watch, the Committe to Protect Journalists, and CUNY's School of Journalism will host Bearing Witness in Chechnya: A Tribute to Natalia Estemirova. The free public event will feature readings and conversations to honor the legacy of Estemirova, while calling attention to the situation on freedom of expression in the provinces of the North Caucasus and Russia in general. Participants include author Salman Rushdie, former investigative reporter Michael Arena, co-editor-in-chief of n+1 Keith Gessen, HRW researcher Tania Lokshina, journalist Elena Milashina, and filmaker/human rights activisits Zarema Mukusheva.
*September 25: "The current situation in the Chechen Republic, where horrendous crimes violating human rights go systematically unpunished, has given me every basis for believing in the unconditional political guilt of Ramzan Kadyrov in the death of Natalia Estemirova," the head of Memorial Oleg Orlov said at the opening of the trial in Moscow today where he and Memorial stand accused of defamation by Chechen President Kadyrov, The New York Times reports.
*August 14: The Moscow Times reports that Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov is suing Oleg Orlov, head of Memorial's Board, for $314,800 for defamation after Orlov accused Kadyrov of involvement in Natalia's murder.
* August 12: A video published by the American Committee for Peace in the Caucasus shows Adam Delimkhanov - second-in-command to Ramzan Kadyrov - issuing a threat to human rights defenders and saying they will "pay for their words" just 11 days before Natalia's murder
Par: Opal Tometi, Posté le: Aug 7 09
July 2009 marked the beginning of a new wave of violence in Northern Nigeria between the Islamic sect Boko Haram (which means "Western Education is a sin") and Nigerian law enforcement. The ongoing conflict is a result of decades of religious tension and frustration with the government's socioeconomic policies.
In May we invited you to join an innovative video advocacy contest to raise awareness about how mobile phones, digital cameras and other technologies (including the computer that you're reading this post on) is helping to fuel the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scene of the deadliest conflict since World War II.
