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Up in arms over the Egyptian President's state visit to France, around 20 protesters gathered outside the Paris National Assembly late on Monday, shouting "down with dictatorship".
The demonstration outside the parliament painted a very different picture to earlier in the day when France welcomed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi with a cavalry parade through Paris.
Before the three-day visit, rights groups accused France of indulging President al-Sisi's "brutal repression of any form of dissent".
"We've come across a President of the Republic who welcomes the butcher of Cairo, the butcher of Egypt, in great pomp, on a state visit, with the Republican Guard," said François de Roche, chief of the NGO Justice and Rights Without Borders.
"We have fallen on our heads. This is unacceptable. France, the country of Human Rights, cannot accept this."
But French President Emmanuel Macron refrained from direct criticism of former army general Sisi, who has cracked down on supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, as well as on leftists and liberals.
Macron told a joint press conference with Sisi that he would not condition the sale of weapons to Egypt and trade ties on human rights as he did not want to weaken Cairo’s ability to counter-terrorism in the region.
"I think it is more effective to have a policy of dialogue than a policy of boycott which would reduce the effectiveness of one of our partners in the fight against terrorism and for regional stability," he said.
To force the issue of human rights would be both "ineffective on the subject of human rights and counter-productive in the fight against terrorism, that's why I won't do it," he added
Nationwide protests have taken place since October 7 despite the disbanding of the controversial Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit.
The demonstrators have been accused of attacking police stations and personnel.
The rallies which are mostly attended by young people have become avenues to vent against corruption and unemployment.
Rights groups say at least 15 people have been killed the demonstrations began in early October.
Human rights groups in the Western region want suicide decriminalised as part of efforts to address mental health issues and assist those affected.
Members of the Tinada Youth Organisation, Nyarwek, Gender Dialogues and Trans Alliance met in Kisumu to discuss mental health issues and stigma and its effects during the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia marked on May 17.
Tinada programmes coordinator Mike Wanjengu said decriminalising suicide will be the first step towards reducing cases of mental illnesses.
In case it is a failed suicide attempt, the person will be in trouble with the law yet the cause of the problem is not addressed,” he said.
Ms Caroline Rucah, the head of programmes at Nyarwek, urged the government to spearhead a multisectoral approach to respond to the mental health challenges in the country.
[The Point] Soma and Farafenni are two busy settlements where under-aged children are continually ordered by their Arabic teachers or Qur'anic masters to go begging.
Cameroon’s University of Buea suspended a law instructor more than a month after he asked students a legal question during a political and constitutional history course.
English Law lecturer Felix Nkongho Agbor Balla posed level two law students the following: “The Anglophone crisis since 2016 was caused by the lawyers’ and teachers’ strike.
Manga summoned Agbor Balla on May 5 to appear before a university disciplinary council the following day to answer questions on the course, called “Political and Constitutional History of Cameroon,” and specifically the question he posed.
“The dismissal of Barrister Felix Agbor Balla as instructor at the Anglophone University of Buea seems to have all the hallmarks of the Anglophone-Francophone divide in Cameroon,” said John Menkefor, a commentator based in Bamenda, headquarters of Cameroon’s North West Region.
“Why did the higher education minister not raise similar concerns when francophone lecturers in law and political science departments in other Francophone universities set more challenging questions on the Anglophone problem?”
Justice Caravan from Atlanta to Brunswick in response to the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery Saturday, May 16.
Atlanta, GA. – On Saturday May 16, 2020 at 7:30AM, JustGeorgia will lead a Justice Caravan from Atlanta to Brunswick to protest the murder of Ahmaud Arbery from Victory Outreach Church, 2175 Metropolitan Pkwy SW Atlanta, Ga 30315
The group will join with citizens of Brunswick, Savannah, and the surrounding areas for a Rally in Brunswick at 2pm at the Glynn County Courthouse, 701 H Street Brunswick, Ga, 31520,
The focus of the “We are NOT Satisfied” Rally is to demand the resignation of District Attorneys Jackie Johnson and George Barnhill for the mishandling of the prosecution of the individuals responsible for Ahmaud Arbery’s death.
All participants are encouraged to wear masks and gloves and engage in social distancing throughout the Caravan and Rally.
They system must be held accountable” Former Atlanta City Councilman, Derrick Boazman of Let Us Make Man
“We find comfort in knowing that justice-seeking people all over Georgia believe that we have the will and resources to demand safety for all communities.
Southern Center for Human Rights Attorney Tiffany Williams Roberts, Co-organizer of JUSTGeorgia
Co-sponsors of Saturday’s caravan and rally include:
ACLU-Georgia, Black Voters Matter, Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI-Atlanta), Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, New Georgia Project, Racial Justice Action Center, Georgia Standup, Georgia Alliance for Social Justice, SisterCare Alliance, Millennial Civil Rights Campaign, Rainbow Push Coalition, Women on the Rise GA, SONG, Beacon Hill Black Alliance Human Rights, Georgia NAACP, New Georgia Project, Let Us Make Man, Black Man Lab, Southern Center for Human Rights, SaveOurSelves, MXGM, Sankofa UCC Church, Urban League of Greater Atlanta, and Black Male Voter Project
[Monitor] Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has dismissed the common nuisance case that was put against the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)'s flag bearer for Kampala Woman MP seat, Dr Stella Nyanzi.
Tens of millions of people in Africa could become destitute as a result of COVID-19 and its catastrophic impact on fragile economies and health systems across the continent, human rights chiefs from the United Nations and the African Commission warned on Wednesday.
As of 19 May 2020, COVID-19 had reached all 54 African States, infecting 88,172 people
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, and Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Solomon Dersso, issued a joint call for urgent measures to mitigate the ripple effects of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable.
As of 19 May, COVID-19 had reached all 54 African States, infecting 88,172 people – 16,433 of them in South Africa, which recorded the highest number of cases.
Ms. Bachelet and Mr. Dersso called for equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, urging creditors of African countries to freeze, restructure or relieve debt.
“It is a matter of human rights necessity that there must be international solidarity with the people of Africa and African Governments,” they said.
Kadugli — The more than 2,000 people who fled their homes in El Berdab village near Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan last week, are living in dire conditions.
The Sudanese Human Rights and Development Organisation (HUDO) reported today that a group of RSF militiamen riding in four Land Cruisers and on motorcycles raided El Berdab on May 13.
A listener told Radio Dabanga from Kadugli that almost the entire population of El Berdab sought refuge in two schools near the military base of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the town.
A report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) on violence in Sudan between March and May this year indicates that members of the Sudanese army and the RSF continue to violate human rights in the country.
Radio Dabanga's editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan.
This article is part of the Leaders of Social & Political Change series from the Fall 2012 issue of Americas Quarterly.
The new charter’s recognition and protection of the country’s ethnic and cultural diversity marked a profound transformation in the Colombian state.
The emergence and efforts of these groups resulted in the 1993 Law of Black Communities (Law 70).
The Ford Foundation in particular has helped to stimulate the work of academics focused on Afro-descendent communities.
That work has not only contributed to a deeper understanding of our history and challenges but also helped us form a broader notion of the Afro-Colombian social movement and its relationship to the outside world.
On June 4, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama delivereda major speech addressing the relationship between the United States and theMuslim World at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. The text of the speech appears below.
Thank you very much. Good afternoon. I am honored to be inthe timeless city of Cairo,and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years,Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning; and for over a century, Cairo Universityhas been a source of Egyptsadvancement. And together, you represent the harmony between tradition andprogress. Im grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the peopleof Egypt.And Im also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and agreeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalaamu alaykum.
We meet at a time of great tension between the United Statesand Muslims around the world - tension rooted in historical forces that gobeyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the Westincludes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict andreligious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that deniedrights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in whichMuslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard totheir own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity andglobalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions ofIslam.
Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a smallbut potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and thecontinued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilianshas led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only toAmerica and Western countries, but also to human rights. All this has bred morefear and more mistrust.
So long as our relationship is defined by our differences,we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promoteconflict rather than the cooperation that can
You have been at the heart of government virtually all your political career, enjoying State power and its largess.
We held meetings with the President in Mombasa, at State House, and other places where I strongly defended the Senate and devolution.
It is not a befitting image, because our proverbial sun is the Constitution.
But, well, you know they are people of different backgrounds and are unique in their own ways.
Going forward, the next President of Kenya, be they Ruto or someone else, will have to deal with the adverse effects of Covid -19.
[RFI] Ethiopia's army captured the town of Alamata, in southern Tigray, 115 kilometres from the regional capital Mekelle, according to a statement on Monday by the Ethiopian government, as a conflict between the federal government and Tigray region continues to escalate.
[Thomson Reuters Foundation] Nairobi -- From climate to human rights, how Joe Biden's appointment as the United States president will impact on Africa's 1.3 billion population
The Coronavirus crisis has created a welcome opportunity for us to reassess the relationship between China and Africa on several levels - trade, supply chains, excessive borrowing and predatory lending, racism towards Africans.
Its $300 billion in trade with Africa is threatened, and more important, African countries can't pay their $200 billion in debt to China and are asking for debt forgiveness.
Not least important, China offers a classic lesson in the importance and potency of a coherent worldview backed by masterful strategy, which is what my book Emerging Africa recommends to African leaders and peoples.
Third, with China's capitalist economic transformation started in 1978 by Deng Xiaoping, it's influence in Africa is now driven more by the need for raw materials and energy to support its economy than was the case in the socialist past when it was more about \"solidarity\".
China's vastly expanded foray into Africa over the past two decades is part of a worldview of global expansion and economic dominance.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was in Egypt Sunday where he sought to ease tensions with the Arab world, after uproar surrounding the republication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
Le Drian met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Muslim authority, speaking of his country's \"deep respect\" for Islam, while at the same time acknowledging differences.
Le Drian's highly anticipated meeting with Tayeb, head of Al-Azhar -- considered the foremost religious institution for Sunni Muslims -- tackled French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision in September to reprint the cartoons.
Last month Tayeb denounced remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron about \"Islamist separatism\" as \"racist\" and spreading \"hate speech\".
Macron's remarks followed a suspected Islamist extremist decapitating a schoolteacher in a Paris suburb in October after he showed the cartoons to pupils during a lesson on freedom of expression.
Tayeb's position was unmoved on Sunday as he reiterated his defense of Islam's sacredness. Depictions of the Prophet are strictly forbidden in Islam.
\"Insulting our Prophet is completely unacceptable and we will pursue anyone who disrespects our honorable Prophet in international courts, even if we spend the rest of our lives on this matter only,\" he forcefully said in a statement released by Al-Azhar.
Sent to defuse tensions, Le Drian sought to convey an emollient message following the meeting.
\"I noted many points of divergence in our respective analysis,\" he told reporters. But \"the Grand Imam proposed we work together towards a common convergence... because together we must fight fanaticism.\"
'Deep respect for Islam'
In a press conference alongside Egyptian foreign minister Shoukry earlier on Sunday, Le Drian had likewise struck a conciliatory tone.
\"I have emphasized, and emphasize here the deep respect we have for Islam,\" said the French minister.
\"What we are fighting is terrorism, it is the hijacking of religion, it is extremism,\" he added, noting he came \"to explain, if need be, this fight, and at the same time the fight for respect for the freedom of belief\".
Demonstrations erupted in several Muslim-majority countries after Macron defended the right to publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, seen by many as insulting and an attack on Islam.
Sisi himself had weighed in on the controversy last month, saying that \"to insult the prophets amounts to underestimating the religious beliefs of many people\".
Le Drian's visit also included a discussion on Egypt's conflict-hit western neighbor Libya.
\"The developments in recent weeks are going in the right direction,\" he said, referring to a ceasefire agreement and negotiations between opposing sides, including the latest round of peace talks between rival administrations held in Morocco.
He said both France and Egypt were on the same page in demanding the immediate withdrawal of foreign mercenaries from Libya and res
NEW YORK (AP) — National lawmakers are expected on Wednesday to introduce a joint resolution aimed at striking language from the U.S. Constitution that enshrines a form of slavery in America’s foundational documents. The resolution, spearheaded and supported by Democratic members of the House and Senate, would amend the 13th Amendment’s ban on chattel enslavement […]
Early Kingdoms in the Region:
The first inhabitants of the region [now Equatorial Guinea] are believed to have been Pygmies, of whom only isolated pockets remain in northern Rio Muni. Bantu migrations between the 17th and 19th centuries brought the coastal tribes and later the Fang. Elements of Fang may have generated the Bubi, who immigrated to Bioko from Cameroon and Rio Muni in several waves and succeeded former Neolithic populations.
The Annobon population, native to Angola, was introduced by the Portuguese via Sao Tome.
Europeans Discover the Island of Formosa:
The Portuguese explorer, Fernando Po (Fernao do Poo), seeking a route to India, is credited with having discovered the island of Bioko in 1471. He called it Formosa (pretty flower), but it quickly took on the name of its European discoverer [it is now known as Bioko]. The Portuguese retained control until 1778, when the island, adjacent islets, and commercial rights to the mainland between the Niger and Ogoue Rivers were ceded to Spain in exchange for territory in South America (Treaty of Pardo).
From 1827 to 1843, Britain established a base on the island to combat the slave trade. The Treaty of Paris settled conflicting claims to the mainland in 1900, and periodically, the mainland territories were united administratively under Spanish rule.
Spain lacked the wealth and the interest to develop an extensive economic infrastructure in what was commonly known as Spanish Guinea during the first half of this century.
Through a paternalistic system, particularly on Bioko Island, Spain developed large cacao plantations for which thousands of Nigerian workers were imported as laborers.
At independence in 1968, largely as a result of this system, Equatorial Guinea had one of the highest per capita incomes in Africa. The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve one of the continents highest literacy rates and developed a good network of health care facilities.
A Province of Spain:
In 1959, the Spanish territory of the Gulf of Guinea was
THE Supreme law of the Republic of Zimbabwe, namely the Constitution, places squarely on the shoulders of the government the obligation to defend and protect the rights of citizens from harm and abuse.
The recognisable cases in the recent past involve former Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association president Peter Magombeyi and more recently the MDC trio of Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe, youth leaders Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri.
We have incessantly heard of theories of the kidnappings being stage-managed or a third force being behind the wanton abductions witnessed in recent incidents in the country.
This would be a protective measure for the government without which the continual human rights violations so rife in the country would constitute own goals for the government.
As it stands, the international community at large views Zimbabwe as intolerant of human rights and as an administration which strives to obfuscate the true facts of the violations.
Harare Magistrate Manase Musiwa has granted ZWL$500 bail each to Journalists Samuel Takawira and Frank Chikowore.
The two were arrested last Friday for breaking COVID-19 regulations when they entered a hospital to interview three MDC Alliance youth members who were allegedly abducted and tortured by suspected state security agents.
The journalists were represented by Paidamoyo Saurombe from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Magistrate Musiwa remanded the two to June 15, 2020 and were also ordered to residing at their last given addresses and not to interfere with witnesses.
Dorothy Height was born on this day.
For nearly half a century, Dorothy Irene Height has given leadership to the struggle for equality and human rights for all people. Her life exemplifies her passionate commitment for a just society and her vision of a better world. - National Council of Negro Women
Education:
1929 - Graduated Rankin High School, Rank PA (Valedictorian)
1932 - BA New York University, New York City
1933 - Master in Educational Psychology - New York University
New York School of Social Work - Columbia University (Advance studies)
Honorary Degrees:
1967- Doctor of Humane Letters, Tuskegee Institute
1970- Doctor of Humane Letters, Coppin State College
1970- Doctor of Humane Letters, Harvard University
1970- Doctor of Civil Law, Pace University
1974- Board of Humane Letters, University of Massachusetts
1975- Doctor of Humane Letters, Howard University
1975- Doctor of Humane Letters, Smith University
1975- Doctor of Humane Letters, New York University
1977- Doctor of Humane Letters, Bethune Cookman College
1980- Distinguished Service Medal, Barnard College
1981- Doctor of Humane Letters, Spelman College
1982- Doctor of Humane Letters, Emmanuel College
1982 Doctor of Humane Letters, Berea College
1983-Doctor of Humane Letters, Bowie State College
1985- Doctor of Humane Letters, Smith College
1989- Doctor of Humane Letters, College of the City of New York
1989- Doctor of Humane Letters, Lincoln University
1990- Doctor of Laws, Princeton University
1992- Doctor of Humane Letters, Central State University
1993- Doctor of Humane Letters, Tougaloo College
1994- Doctor of Humane Letters, Bennett College
1996- Doctor of Humane Letters, University of the District of Columbia
Degree information provided by the National Council of Negro Women
