Clinton Welcomes UN Resolution on Iran
December 22nd, 2010 by Evan
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a statement welcoming the UN General Assembly’s latest resolution on Iran’s human rights record. “The international community is deeply concerned about ongoing human rights abuses in Iran and the plight of Iranian citizens facing persecution at the hands of their government. Yesterday’s UN resolution recognizes the severity of this troubling situation, particularly the continued harassment, persecution, and violent repression of political opponents, human rights defenders, and a wide variety of civil society representatives.” Clinton concluded the statement by reaffirming the United States’ commitment to stand with Iranian activists: “To all those Iranians struggling to lift your voices and speak up for fundamental freedoms and human rights, you are not alone. The United States and the international community stand with you.”
Posted in Human Rights, Iran, United Nations | Comment »
Iran: Sit-in for Sotoudeh at the UN
December 21st, 2010 by Jason
Freedom House released a statement yesterday expressing “solidarity and support for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and other women’s rights activists,” who began a sit-in Monday at the United Nations in Geneva in support of imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Paula Schriefer, Director of Advocacy at Freedom House, said in the statement that the “human rights abuses inflicted on its people by the Iranian government, particularly on women, are in direct violation of international human rights treaties to which Iran is a state party.” Gissou Nia, a researcher and analyst at the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, writes at CNN that Sotoudeh was arrested for “a range of ’security’ offenses, including her legal representation of Ebadi,” and that the human rights lawyer has been denied “the ultimate legal right: a fair trial.” Nia goes on to describe the role lawyers have in protecting human rights in Iran and calls on the international community to “commit itself to protecting lawyers in Iran from arrest and imprisonment.”
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Judiciary, United Nations, Women | Comment »
Iraq: Allawi to Join Government
December 15th, 2010 by Jason
Steven Lee Myers reports that Ayad Allawi has agreed to join the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. “Mr. Allawi did so grudgingly and with conditions, warning that an agreement brokered by the United States to form a broad power-sharing coalition government under Mr. Maliki’s leadership could still unravel.” Meanwhile, Reidar Visser excoriated the U.S. for over-stating the political progress in Iraq at recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. “They do not even seem to notice that the Iraqi parliament has yet to address the legal framework for the supposed cornerstone of the power-sharing ‘deal’, the national council for high policies, without which the whole ‘agreement’ is basically a spin-doctor masquerade.”
Posted in Iraq, Political Parties, Sectarianism, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Crisis in Lebanon: Sectarian Politics, Regional Dynamics, and the U.N. Special Tribunal”
December 8th, 2010 by Jason
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held a panel discussion Wednesday titled “Crisis in Lebanon: Sectarian Politics, Regional Dynamics, and the U.N. Special Tribunal.” The speakers were Aram Nerguizian, a scholar with the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Randa Slim, an independent consultant and a board member of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue and the Project on Middle East Democracy, Andrew J. Tabler, a Next Generation Fellow in the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute, and Mona Yacoubian, head of the Lebanon Working Group at USIP and special adviser to USIP’s Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention.
(To read full notes, continue below the fold or click here for pdf.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Civil Society, DC Event Notes, Hezbollah, Israel, Judiciary, Lebanon, Military, Political Parties, Saudi Arabia, Sectarianism, Syria, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Iran: UN Adopts Resolution Criticizing Human Rights Abuses
November 22nd, 2010 by Evan
Last week, the Third Committee of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly approved a new resolution expressing “deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in Iran.” U.S. officials welcomed the resolution: “Iranian citizens and others continue to face abuses at the hands of the Iranian government. Those abuses undermine Iran’s standing in the international community and call into question the Government of Iran’s commitment to the principles of justice and the welfare of its citizens. […] By adopting the resolution, the international community has sent an unequivocal message to the Iranian government that universal rights must be respected,” said National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian activist Shirin Ebadi also praised the resolution for showing the “gravity of the situation” in Iran.
Posted in Human Rights, Iran, United Nations | Comment »
Iran: Put Human Rights on the Table
November 9th, 2010 by Jason
Massoumeh Torfeh argues at The Guardian’s Comment is Free that the issue of human rights can not be forgotten as Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) prepare for the resumption of talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Torfeh reminds readers of several Iranian citizens currently languishing in prison; Nasrin Sotudeh, a human rights lawyer currently on hunger strike, Mohammad Seifzadeh, a lawyer sentenced to nine years in prison, and Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, convicted of adultery and now facing a sentence of stoning. Iranian lawyers have also issued a statement, which Torfeh describes as “urg(ing) the international community not to ‘deflect attention’ from Iran’s human rights violations just because Iran has agreed to talks with 5+1.”
Posted in Human Rights, Iran, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Morocco: Confrontation in Laayoune
November 8th, 2010 by Jason
The BBC reports that three people have been killed in a confrontation between Moroccan security forces and Saharawi protesters in the capital of Western Sahara, Laayoune. The security forces reportedly entered the camp, named Gadaym Izik and housing 12,000 protesters, early in the morning “using helicopters and water cannon to force people to leave.” The violence comes as talks between the Moroccan government and the Polisario movement, which seeks the full independence of Western Sahara from Morocco, are scheduled to begin at the United Nations in New York City. The Polisario’s representative at the talks, Ahmed Boujari called the forced removal of the protesters “‘a deliberate act to wreck the talks.’”
Posted in Human Rights, Morocco, United Nations, Western Sahara | Comment »
Human Development Report Finds Inequality Persists in Arab World
November 5th, 2010 by Anna
The United Nations released its 2010 Human Development Report yesterday, titled “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development.” This year’s report, which includes new indices to adjust for inequality, women’s disadvantage, and multidimensional poverty, found that of the countries measured, Oman’s Human Development Index (HDI) score improved the most over the last 40 years. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco also improved considerably. Overall, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain ranked the highest in the region; Egypt came in 101 out of 169, and Sudan ranked close to the bottom.
Inequality remained a significant issue, and Jeni Klugman, the report’s lead author, observed that “the most significant losses for Arab countries in the Inequality-adjusted HDI can be traced to the unequal distribution of income.” Yemen and Qatar ranked very low on gender equality, but the report also notes that women’s representation in Arab parliaments has risen in recent years. On civil and political liberties, the authors report that there is considerable room for improvement across the region.
Posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, Tunisia, UAE, United Nations | Comment »
UN Announces New Rapporteur
October 4th, 2010 by Jason
The UN Human Rights Council voted to create a new special rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association last week. The move was welcomed by many including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who said ”‘An active and vibrant civil society is one of the essential elements of a free nation,’” and the creation of the position will enhance “‘the ability of civil society activists around the world to bring about change in their countries.’” The rapporteur will have a three year mandate to study freedom of assembly and association issues around the world, culminating in a report of their findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council.
Posted in Civil Society, Freedom, Human Rights, United Nations | Comment »
Sudan: Khartoum Appeals for International Monitors
September 27th, 2010 by Evan
Amidst growing uncertainty, the Sudanese government in Khartoum
called on the international community to monitor the country’s January 9 referendum. The referendum, which if successful would grant independence to the Christian south of Sudan, faces significant opposition from the parties in the north, including
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s National Congress Party. Each side has
accused the other suppressing dissent and threatening activists in advance of the vote.
Posted in Elections, Foreign Aid, Sudan, United Nations | Comment »
Syria: Activists See Tentative Human Rights Improvements
September 10th, 2010 by Evan
A recent article in The National highlights progress on human rights in Syria: “Civil society activists say they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Damascus may be softening its hardline stance on human rights after Syria opened its doors for the first time to a UN investigator.” Syrian officials had previously ignored requests by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct similar investigations. According to National correspondent Phil Sands, Syria’s recent acquiescence is part of broader effort to prepare for a formal review of its rights record by the Human Rights Council in 2011.
Posted in Human Rights, Syria, United Nations | Comment »
Iraq: External Influences Hampering Progress
September 7th, 2010 by Jason
Writing in the Guardian, Ali Al-Mawlawi argues that “external forces” are negatively affecting Iraq’s ability to “stand on it’s own.” Al-Mawlawi highlights a recent joint statement from the U.N. on Iraq’s progress towards meeting the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals. However, the report “crucially avoids addressing the effects of external forces that continue to hamper development in Iraq.” Al-Mawlawi sees the political deadlock since the elections in March as, “…symptomatic of the effect of Iraq’s neighbours on party political agendas that have strayed from the national interest.” He goes on to describe the “whistle stop tours” that various Iraqi leaders embarked on after the March election, including a trip to Iran by Ayad Allawi’s coalition. The author states that, “the UN security council can play a constructive role…,” by having its members “…use their diplomatic leverage to pressure Iraq’s neighbours into halting the flow of cash to Iraqi political parties.”
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Iraq, United Nations | Comment »
Lebanon: Palestinian Employment Rights an “Important Breakthrough”
August 20th, 2010 by Jennifer
Representatives of various institutions
praised the Lebanese parliament’s recent decision to grant Palestinian refugees in Lebanon full employment rights.
Salvatore Lombardo, the Lebanon director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), stated, “These amendments are an important step in the right direction,” while
Nada al-Nashif, regional director of the International Labor Office (ILO), commented, “This endorsement of the universal right to work by Lebanese legislators is an important breakthrough.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon also commended the amendment, saying, “This is a small step that was long awaited on the road to grant the nationality to Palestinians and their naturalization in Lebanon and elsewhere around the world.” Future Movement bloc leader
MP Fouad Siniora contradicted this suggestion, remarking that “a healthy and new relation with our Palestinian brothers… would also strengthen the Lebanese and Palestinian commitment to reject naturalization.” Meanwhile, only the Phalange Party criticized Parliament for passing the law, with
Phalange leader Amin Gemayel arguing that “it is not fair to give rights to a non-Lebanese when the rights of Lebanese who own land alongside camps are confiscated.”
Posted in Human Rights, Lebanon, Palestine, Reform, United Nations | Comment »
Obama Weak on Human Rights?
August 16th, 2010 by Jennifer
Writing in The National Review online, Jacob Mchangama argues that activists who believed that “the so-called Obama effect would lead to America’s championing a new golden era for international human rights” have faced a “rude awakening,” adding that “under Obama, things have taken a turn for the worse.” Mchangama argues that the Obama administration has engaged in the “coddling of tyrants at the U.N.” by proving unwilling to stand up against non-democratic countries such as Russia and China, which have come to dominate the UN Human Rights Council. Mchangama highlights several Arab nations as an example of the U.S.’s failure to criticize “the worst human-rights violators.” He notes that the U.S. was “unable to prevent Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya from becoming a member of the council,” and adds that “the Obama administration has also accepted seemingly harmless compromises that actually chip away at human rights. The best example came in October 2009, when the U.S. and Egypt cosponsored a resolution on freedom of speech that condemned ‘negative religious stereotyping.’” According to Mchangama, this resolution may further enable Egypt to oppress bloggers and other dissidents under bogus charges such as “insulting Islam.” Ultimately, he concludes that the administration must stop “sitting on the fence” and choose between one of two options: either “it must champion the cause of freedom at the U.N. by actively leading a coalition of democracies, confronting authoritarians, and shaming the spoilers”; or it must “build a credible alternative” to the UN as a forum for supporting human rights worldwide.
Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Libya, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Iran: Dim Hope for Democracy
August 10th, 2010 by Jennifer
In an extensive new piece in The New Yorker, Jon Lee Anderson reports on his trip as a Western journalist to Iran earlier this summer. Anderson notes that intense government crackdowns on activists and continuing harassment of reformist leaders over the past year have taken their toll, arguing that “under such sustained pressures, the Green Movement has effectively ceased to exist as a visible political force. [Mehdi] Karroubi is the only prominent reformist leader who still regularly appears in public.” Meanwhile, he observes that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared “calm and confident, almost cocky” during Anderson’s visit, pointing out that “since winning reelection, he had neutralized the main reformist politicians, and was now pursuing his rivals in Iran’s conservative establishment.” Anderson suggests that the Iranian regime sees itself in a place of increased strength despite recent UN sanctions, and has moved on from addressing the Green Movement to focus its concerns on its nuclear agenda. Detailing an exclusive interview he conducted with Ahmadinejad himself, Anderson says that the Iranian leader denied that his government was undemocratic, or that it repressed activists, reformists, and journalists. According to Anderson, Ahmadinejad stated, “‘Show me a country in the West where eighty-five per cent of the people participate in Presidential elections! There aren’t any! Iran is the record-holder in democracy… Today you can see that all my rivals and the so-called ‘opposition’ are free,’ and adding, ‘There is freedom here. They all have Web sites, news channels, and newspapers, and they say whatever they want about me. No one disturbs them’.” Anderson notes that numerous reports of human rights abuses, political oppression, and censorship contradict these assertions.
Anderson also describes another interview he carried out with Hossein Shariatmadari, a close adviser of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and editor-in-chief of Kayhan, the clerical establishment’s daily newspaper. According to Anderson, Shariatmadari “suggested that reformists were something like sleeper agents for the West, and that the unrest had helped the Islamic Republic by exposing their identities.” Anderson argues, however, that “Ahmadinejad’s victory over the Green Movement had come at a cost; the religious establishment and Iranian society at large seemed far less unified than Shariatmadari claimed.” Nonetheless, Anderson also warns that despite increased pressure on Iran from the international sanctions, economic action “alone may not cause enough distress to bring Iranians back out onto the streets.” Ultimately, Anderson paints a dismal picture regarding the current status of the reformist movement, remarking that “the Green Movement as it stands seems to present little threat to Iran’s government,” and quoting one Iran expert who has commented that “in the absence of strong leadership, the movement [is] splintering.”
Posted in Elections, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Reform, US foreign policy, United Nations, sanctions | Comment »
Lebanon: Time to Move Forward on Human Rights
August 3rd, 2010 by Jennifer
Lebanese MP Fouad Siniora, head of the Future Movement parliamentary bloc, chaired the first of a series of planned meetings yesterday in an effort to reach a unified stance among the parliamentary majority regarding the draft law to grant Palestinian refugees greater rights and improve their humanitarian situation. March 14 Secretariat Coordinator Fares Souaid, representatives from the Lebanese Forces, and several members of the Future Movement, as well as a number of experts on Palestinian issues, all attended the meeting
Meanwhile, the Beirut Bar Association (BBA) forwarded a report to the UN Human Rights Council arguing that Lebanon should work toward a number of reforms on broader human rights issues. The report covered six topics: equality, right to life, public safety, treatment of human beings, status of the judiciary, and private and public freedoms. On women’s rights, the report called for gender equality in taxation, penal codes, nationality and citizenship, social protection laws, judicial rights, and personal status code. It also highlighted the need for encouraging expanded participation of women in politics and decision-making processes. Regarding the judiciary, the report pointed to a need to strengthen the unity, independence, and organization of the judicial authority. On public and private rights and freedoms, the findings emphasized the need for reform of electoral laws to ensure fair representation; urged the abolishment of capital punishment and torture, and suggested that Lebanon should adopt a “health and social safety network” for its citizens. It also called for setting up a special fund to provide such services to Palestinian refugees. The report concluded with a call for the state to sign all relevant international agreements relating to human rights. The Lebanese government is scheduled to discuss the report in September.
Posted in Freedom, Human Rights, Judiciary, Lebanon, Legislation, Publications, Reform, United Nations | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Turkey’s New Foreign Policy Direction– Implications for U.S.-Turkish Relations”
July 30th, 2010 by Jennifer
The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to discuss changes in the direction of Turkish foreign policy and their effects on U.S.-Turkey. In particular, the hearing focused on shifts in policy toward Iran, Israel, and Palestine of concern to policymakers. To discuss these issues, the full committee– chaired by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), with ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in attendance –requested the testimony of four individuals: Dr. Soner Cagaptay, Director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; the Honorable Ross Wilson, Director of the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council and former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan; Dr. Ian Lesser, Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; and Dr. Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Committee Meetings, Turkey, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
Lebanon: A Change in Course for Regional Stability?
July 30th, 2010 by Jennifer
Elias Muhanna writing at his blog Qifa Nabki suggests that the upcoming summit in Beirut on the issue of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)—which will be attended by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi King Abdullah—indicates a shift in the March 14 coalition and Saudi Arabia’s approach toward Hezbollah, as well as toward regional actors backing Hezbollah, such as Syria and Iran. In light of recent comments by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that the STL may issue an indictment against some elements of the organization, Muhanna argues that such a verdict “could thrust Lebanon into complete political paralysis and possible sectarian violence,” noting that Hezbollah may decide to withdraw its members from Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s cabinet if pressured and cripple the government, as it did in late 2006. Two or three years ago, Muhanna says, Hezbollah’s opponents “would have been very happy to use the indictments to try to push Hizbullah into a corner, furthering pressuring its regional sponsors in Damascus and Tehran”; the high-level meeting in Beirut reveals “a much more cautious policy of containment which recognizes the valuable political capital that may soon be delivered via an STL indictment against Hizbullah, but which also recognizes the folly of bearing down too hard on the Shiite party.”
Posted in Hezbollah, Lebanon, Political Parties, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Nations | Comment »
Lebanon: No Interference in the STL
July 28th, 2010 by Jennifer
Parties in the March 14 Alliance yesterday rejected Hezbollah’s call to form a committee to investigate alleged false witnesses in the probe into former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination, following controversial remarks by Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah condemning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). Future Movement MPs argued that the Lebanese national government should not interfere with the work of the STL, an independent, UN-backed tribunal. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized the allegations, asking, “Who said there are any false witnesses?”, and commenting that Hezbollah “did not back its claims with any judicial authorities or tribunal.” Meanwhile, Minister of State Adnan al-Sayyed Hussein said that political parties were in talks to form a ministerial committee to follow up on the STL, and also suggested that the tribunal could be discussed at the August 19 meeting of the National Dialogue committee. Stating that the STL issue “is important and directly related to a national defense strategy because it relates to national security, which is not restricted only to facing Israel but also security threats, terrorism and preserving national unity,” Hussein called for all political parties– including Hezbollah –to fulfill their responsibility of ensuring Lebanese stability and to engage in “rational rhetoric away from tensions and accusations of treason.”
Posted in Hezbollah, Judiciary, Lebanon, Political Parties, United Nations | Comment »
Sec. Clinton: Freedom of Association Critical to Democratization
July 6th, 2010 by Jennifer
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made important remarks on civil society, freedom of association, and democracy promotion at the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Community of Democracies in Poland this weekend. Clinton identified three essential “legs” of the stool supporting a free nation: representative government, a well-functioning market, and civil society, stating that these three pillars “lift and support nations as they reach for higher standards of progress and prosperity.” Calling Poland a “case study” in “how a vibrant civil society can produce progress” in a previously non-democratic nation, Clinton called for progress in the Middle East and in Egypt specifically on the issue of freedom of association. Commenting that in many countries, “the walls are closing in on civic organizations,” she added:
“The Middle East and North Africa are home to a diverse collection of civil society groups. But too many governments in the region still resort to intimidation, questionable legal practices, restrictions on NGO registration, efforts to silence bloggers. I hope we will see progress on this issue, and especially in Egypt, where that country’s vibrant civil society has often been subjected to government pressure in the form of canceled conferences, harassing phone calls, frequent reminders that the government can close organizations down, even detention and long-term imprisonment and exile.”
Clinton suggested that nations in the region that hold elections, but do not accept pluralism, opposition, and other key aspects of a democratic society, cannot be considered true democracies. In light of the challenges posed by repressive states worldwide, Clinton pledged that the United States will work with the Community of Democracies to develop initiatives in support of civil society. In that regard, she proposed that international efforts should include four elements: the Community of Democracies should establish an objective, independent mechanism to monitor repression of NGOs; the UN Human Rights Council should give specific attention to freedom of association as a human right; the Community of Democracies and the U.S. should work with regional and other organizations to take stronger action in defense of freedom of association; and finally, the international bodies involved should coordinate their diplomatic pressures to achieve results. Clinton also announced the creation of a new fund to support the work of NGOs, to which the U.S. intends to contribute $2 million.
Affirming the administration’s commitment to the matter, Clinton concluded, “We will continue raising democracy and human rights issues at the highest levels in our contacts with foreign governments.” President Obama issued parallel statements on the occasion, voicing the United States’ concern about “the spread of restrictions on civil society, the growing use of law to curb rather than enhance freedom, and widespread corruption that is undermining the faith of citizens in their governments,” and calling for enhanced partnership with the Community of Democracies to address these issues.
Posted in Foreign Aid, Freedom, NGOs, US foreign policy, United Nations | Comment »
