28 February 2007

Amnesty International: Migrants to Chinese Cities an "Underclass"

Amnesty International has issued a report sharply criticizing China's treatment of the 200 million people who have moved from the countryside to China's booming cities. The urban migrants -- and their children -- often lack the legal right to reside in the cities where they have settled. As a result, they face economic exploitation by their employers, and receive housing, education and health care services that are inferior to those provided to more affluent, permanent urban residents:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6404977.stm


# posted by Kevin James : 5:43 PM  0 comments

25 February 2007

The New York Times Profiles Two Chinese Human Rights Lawyers

This morning's New York Times profiles two trial lawyers who are working to establish legal protections for human rights in China. The two men, however, do not get along -- despite their common goal and their shared religion (Christianity). Li Jianqiang is an outspoken critic of China's oligarchic régime, and argues that the rule of law can only be firmly established in China by replacing that régime with multiparty democracy. Li Jinsong (no relation to Li Jianqing) argues (at least in public) that the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party are fundamentally well-intentioned and that progress in more firmly establishing both the rule of law and human rights protections may be made within the present political system:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/world/asia/25china.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

# posted by Kevin James : 12:57 PM  0 comments

10 February 2007

Climate Change and Political Conflict in Nigeria

The Nigerian landscape is beginning to show signs of climate change. The Sahara is encroaching on the grasslands of northern Nigeria:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6288445.stm

At the same time, Lake Chad is disappearing -- and so are the livelihoods of the fishermen who live along the lake in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6261447.stm

To make matters even worse, political and criminal violence is increasing in Nigeria, ahead of April's presidential election:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6176793.stm

And in the Niger Delta region, Ijaw leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari -- on trial for treason -- has denounced Nigerian democracy as a sham:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6332553.stm

# posted by Kevin James : 1:18 PM  0 comments

07 February 2007

Amnesty International Slams Human Rights Violations in Mexico

Amnesty International has issued a report accusing Mexico of systematic human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, politically-motivated detention and torture. Amnesty International also notes that the presumption of innocence (i.e., the principle that the accused is innocent until proven guilty) is not established by the Mexican Constitution. And even though Mexican law enforcment is heavy-handed and often brutal, it is also corrupt and inefficient: the police do not effectively protect ordinary Mexicans from violent criminals.

To read the BBC summary of the Amnesty International report, click here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6340993.stm

To watch the Amnesty International video criticizing law enforcement in Mexico (narrated by actor Gael García Bernal), click here:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/mex-070207-action-eng

# posted by Kevin James : 9:12 PM  0 comments

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