Salem-News.com Human Rights articles Page 29

Jewish Intactivist Writes Letter to Rabbi: Can you give me back my foreskin?

Open letter to Bent Lexner, Chief Rabbi of Denmark.

(COPENHAGEN) - March 1980: a man drives into a neighborhood south of Copenhagen. He stops in front of a terraced house, walks up the stairs to the first floor and into the bedroom where he proceeds to greet the people present. He recites a number of verses – and then he cuts of my foreskin and takes it with him.

32 years later I have grown up to write to you, Bent Lexner, because you are Chief Rabbi and in charge of Jewish circumcisions in Denmark.

OIC`s Response to Rohingya Massacre in South Maungdaw (English and French)

The Secretary General urged the government of Myanmar to adhere to the framework it agreed to, to enforce the rule of law and to keep it's assurances to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) - Iyad Ameen Madani, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the OIC, expressed deep concern regarding the recent events of 14th January, 2014 in which looting, raping and killing of Rohingya Muslim civilian citizens in southern Maungdaw, Rakhine State took place.

These events, stressed The Secretary General, violate the basic rights of the Rohingya Muslims to be protected as citizens and as a minority by their own government.

Vaiko`s Appeal Letter to Manmohan Singh to save 46 Eelam Tamils Stranded in Australia

"It is a painful tragedy that many of the Eelam Tamils perished in the waves of the ocean when they sailed in boats."

(NEW DELHI) - This is Vaiko's appeal letter to Manmohan Singh to save the 46 stranded Tamils in Australia. Vaiko is a prominent politician in Tamil Nadu, in south India.

He is the founder of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party that espouses the cause of the Tamil people and Tamil nationalism.

At Least 8 Rohingyas Shot Dead at Kiladon village near Maungdawin in Latest Round of Sectarian Strife

We will carry more information on this development, for now the severe tense situation is still prevailing in the area.

(SALEM) - Sources in Myanmar report that police shot and killed eight Rohingya people in a new round of sectarian strife in Kiladon village near Maungdaw. Sheerrsha News in Dhaka and The BBC report that a meeting is taking place in Godusara today.

Nurul Islam with Grassroots Welfare Association, Bangladesh (GWAB), says they received news from a reliable source from Maungdaw that the exact death toll could be higher. At this point, people Kiladon village are still trying to determine the number of casualties.

Let`s Shine a Light Into the ICC`s Dusty Corners...
When Will the Palestinians Clear the Decks for Action?

Courage and bold leadership are precisely what's lacking.

(LONDON) - I watched the Palestinian ambassador, Prof Manuel Hassassian's performance before a session of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee enquiring into 'Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: prospects for 2014'.

He was asked by MP Rory Stewart: "Why did you come back to the negotiating table?"

The Siege of Yarmouk
Crimes Against Humanity Warranting Prosecution of the Guilty, Not Blame for the Victims...

International law relevant to situations of this nature was created specifically to stop the targeting of civilians.

(YARMOUK PALESTINIAN CAMP, Damascus) - At the Palestine Embassy in Beirut recently, a young lady showed this observer a video of a gentleman in Yarmouk camp in Damascus. The video showed the man killing and eating a cat.

Food ran out in Yarmouk weeks ago, and nearly 18,000 refugees are facing death from starvation and other conflict-related causes. This siege has been ongoing since July 2013, and it has become viciously lethal.

Pakistani Government Shows No Sign of Taking Action Over the Federal Shariah Court`s Blasphemy Law Ruling

“We all know the blasphemy laws are being misused to settle personal scores, and this will be taken to another height and victims from religious minorities will become defenseless and more vulnerable if it becames Shariah law.” - CLAAS UK Director Nasir Saeed

(LONDON) - Last month the Federal Shariah Court (FSC) of Pakistan ordered that the death penalty be the only punishment for a blasphemer, and that life imprisonment be removed as an option.

The Pakistani government has been given until next month to implement the order and time is running out if the decision is to be challenged.

Petition: No More Rape Apologists--Denounce Richard Black!

"Think of yourself at 25,... Wouldn't you love to have a group of 19-year-old girls under your control, day in, day out?" - Richard Black, candidate for Congress in Virginia

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Richard Black, a candidate for Congress in Virginia, thinks that spousal rape should not be a crime.

When Virginia voted to allow spouses to be prosecuted for rape, Black opposed it as a state senator and questioned whether marital rape is even possible, saying "when they're living together, sleeping in the same bed, she's in a nightie, and so forth." This is outrageous and unacceptable. Marital rape is a crime and a very serious instance of domestic violence.

Respect Human Life and Rights in Yarmouk Refugee Camp

We consider all parties to be responsible for the welfare of the population in the combat zone and we call for the application of international law for any and all crimes committed against the civilian population of that zone.

(DAMASCUS) - The Syria Solidarity Movement calls on all combatants in and around Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria to spare the civilian population in the camp from starvation and suffering, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to recognize the rights of the population. We condemn the inhuman treatment of the population.

We call for an immediate ceasefire by all sides, in order to allow all persons that wish to leave the camp the opportunity and means to do so, and for food and medicine to be supplied to those choosing to remain.

Will Male Circumcision be Banned in 2014?

"It is simply immoral to surgically remove any healthy, natural, normally functioning tissue from a human being without their consent" - Asa Rubin, director of MGMbill.org's Massachusetts state office in Brookline

(WASHINGTON, DC) - As momentum continues to build against male circumcision, intactivists from around the USA have flooded Congress and 10 state legislatures with proposed legislation to ban genital cutting of boys.

If enacted, the Male Genital Mutilation (MGM) Bill would amend existing female genital mutilation laws by making them gender neutral.