Myanmar: Five years since Rohingya mass exodus, UNHCR urges solutions
This week marks five years since more than 700,000 ethnic Rohingya fled military persecution from Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Aug. 22, appealing to the international community for greater support. “The latest exodus from Myanmar is now officially defined as being a protracted situation,” UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told journalists at a regular press briefing in Geneva. Stepped up...
Covid-19’s global disruption takes center stage at UN General Assembly
The United Nations reached its 75th year of existence amidst confusion, strife between nations and a global pandemic that has adversely impacted life on every continent except Antarctica. “The U.N. is marking its 75th anniversary at a time of great disruption for the world, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social impacts,” said the UN...
Rape and killing of Dalit woman shocks India, draws outrage
NEW DELHI—The gang rape and death of a woman from the lowest rung of India’s caste system sparked outrage across the country in late September, with several politicians and activists demanding justice and protesters rallying in the streets. The attack of the 19-yearold is the latest gruesome case of sexual violence against women to rile India, where reports of rape...
Zimbabwe unveils statue honoring anti-colonialist heroine
HARARE, Zimbabwe—Zimbabwe’s president on May 25 unveiled a towering bronze statue in the center of Harare, the capital, honoring a 19th-century Black anti-colonialist heroine who was hanged for leading a rebellion against White occupation. President Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed to press for the return of her skull from Britain. Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, more widely known as Mbuya (grandmother in Shona) Nehanda, was hanged...
UN labor agency cites concerns about China’s Xinjiang region
GENEVA—An annual report from the United Nations labor agency highlighted the work conditions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region, noting signs of “coercive measures” that deprive workers of free choice in selecting jobs. It also called on Beijing to provide more information about how it’s respecting their rights. The report from an International Labor Organization committee of...
Armed police storm Nation of Islam mosque in London
ERICTOUREM -Contributing Writer- (FinalCall.com) - On July 22, in Brixton, London armed police officers forced their way into the United Kingdom headquarters of The Nation of Islam. Armed with a warrant under the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971, the officers pried open shutters and smashed the doors of the mosque entering its sanctuary. “I received a phone...
Indonesia: Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans, rights experts report
Shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans have been taking place in Indonesia, UN-appointed rights experts said on March 1, citing child killings, disappearances, torture and enforced mass displacement. “Between April and November 2021, we have received allegations indicating several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhuman treatment and the forced displacement of at least 5,000...
Israel tried to influence UK courts against pro-Palestine activists: Report
Israeli forces have arrested more than 5,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year, amid a surge in the regime’s attacks on Palestinian towns and cities. The Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) made the announcement in a statement on August 29, saying the occupation forces arrested 200 citizens across the West Bank within a week, which...
Chaos at a government jobs fair in economically troubled Zimbabwe underscores desperation for work
HARARE, Zimbabwe—A stampede at a government-organized job fair involving hundreds of young people in Zimbabwe desperate for work left some limping and others screaming in pain after being stomped on or beaten by security guards on Dec. 6. The chaos came as job seekers rushed to register for potential vacancies, but no serious injuries were reported. The crush of people illustrated the growing...
Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coup
Bangladesh—Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh condemned the military coup in their homeland and said it makes them more fearful to return. A counterinsurgency operation by Myanmar’s military in 2017 involving mass rape, murders and the torching of villages drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into neighboring Bangladesh. Bangladesh has hosted them in crowded refugee camps and is...