Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012
The famous lady in our feature image above has delivered a speech on the Rohingya crisis that full of lies and half-truths, as analyzed by the Guardian. The UN Human Rights Commission leader has called the action ethnic cleansing.
The Dalai Lama told journalists in Dharamsala, India, that those who were persecuting Rohingya “should remember Buddha,” a pointed reminder to the Buddhists who make up a majority of Myanmar’s population. Some Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar have campaigned for Muslims to be driven out of the country. Bishop Tutu has also raised his voice in condemnation of her silence. He writes to her inter alia: “My dear sister: If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep.”
HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
We wish all our Jewish readers a Shana Tova and all the bests for the New Year.
CHARITY CORNER
This week we call your attention to the devastation in the Caribbean as hurricanes pummel the islands one after the other. We recommend donating to the Global Giving campaign for the victims of hurricane Maria. Hurricane Maria caused devastating destruction in Dominica and is heading to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands just two weeks after Hurricane Irma. This fund will provide relief to survivors in the form of emergency supplies like food, water, and medicine in addition to longer-term recovery assistance to help residents recover and rebuild. All donations to this fund will exclusively support any necessary hurricane relief and recovery efforts in the Caribbean.
Hurricane Maria just east of the Leeward Islands Credit: Reuters
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. Tribal people suffer from a variety of forms of discrimination, such as land theft.
Without their ancestral land, the Guarani cannot survive.
© Survival
THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY
We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers’ supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
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Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United and to participate in the abolitionist movement against modern slavery. You can about the subject at our freedom university.
URGENT ACTION CASES
CHINA
Urgent Action: Former Prisoner Of Conscience Detained Again
Activist and human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng is said to be currently in police custody in Beijing. Last heard from on 13 August 2017, his exact location and current condition remain unclear. Given his previous treatment in detention, and without access to a lawyer, he is at high risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Urgent Action: LGBT Activist Charged With Homosexual Propaganda
Evdokia Romanova, an LBGT activist from Samara, Russia was charged with “homosexual propaganda” on 26 July for reposting links to the international Youth Coalition for Sexual Reproductive Rights website and to articles that promoted LGBT equality. She will stand trial on 18 September.
ZIMBABWE
Urgent Action Update: Human Rights Defender Facing Two Trials
Pastor Evan Mawarire, a human rights defender in Zimbabwe, is set to appear before the magistrates’ court on 19 September for the charge of ‘inciting public violence’ and at the High Court on 25 September for the charge of ‘subversion of constitutional elected government’. The two trials are related to his human rights work.
TAKE ACTION
ARGENTINA
Urgent Action: Forced Disappearance In Mapuche Community
National Security Forces violently repressed the Mapuche community Pu Lof en Resistencia, in Chubut, Argentina, and a 28-year-old man was forcibly disappeared.
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