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	Indignation trumps intimidation by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)   The battle for a free press sometimes feels like a war between indignation and intimidation. Journalists learn of abuses of power, crime, or corruption, and--indignant--they speak out. In response, the perpetrators of those abuses--be they government officials or criminals--try to intimidate the journalists into silence with threats, lawsuits, jail, or even murder. Last night, the Committee to Protect Journalists paid tribute to a handful of journalists for whom indignation is a driving force, no matter the scale of intimidation.   "Indignation is what best defines the motivation of those who do this kind of journalism," Maury König told a crowd of nearly 900 as he accepted one of CPJ''s International Press Freedom Awards. König is an investigative reporter who has exposed human rights abuses and corruption in his native Brazil, including sex trafficking and kidnapping of Brazilian children for military service in Paraguay. While researching the latter in 2000, König was captured by suspected Paraguayan policemen and severely beaten, strangled, and left for dead. He has been threatened with death several times since, but, he said, "My indignation is greater than my fear."   Another of CPJ''s award winners, Mae Azango of Liberia, practically exudes indignation. This is directed at former warlords in her once-war-ravaged country; at corrupt and brutal police; and at complacent government officials. But Azango reserves special indignation for the secret societies in Liberia who practice female genital cutting. Reporting on this practice--a taboo subject in Liberia--led to death threats against Azango this spring and forced her to take her nine-year-old daughter into hiding. "As a woman I knew that many women who went through this ritual of cutting as a child are still bitter and resentful," Azango told those gathered to help raise funds for CPJ. "In Liberia, we have one of the highest rates of maternal death in the world and cutting is a big factor in that. ... I knew if we started to talk about it and they knew the truth, many parents would choose a different path."   Liberia''s government, long silent concerning the practice of female cutting, was also initially silent when Azango was threatened, but an international outcry soon forced it to respond. Officials not only spoke up to guarantee her safety, but also to take a stand against female cutting. Azango continues to report on the practice, and to look for other ways to help ordinary people voice their indignation. "We have learned the importance of independent, truthful media the hard way," she said. "We do not take it for granted. We understand that information is essential if we are to hold our leaders accountable and make smart decisions about our country."   Holding officials accountable and helping ordinary people voice their indignation--two of CPJ''s award winners were absent last night because their determination to achieve those goals has landed them in prison. Award winner Azimjon Askarov is a journalist and human rights defender whose reporting on police torture and politicized criminal prosecutions in his native Kyrgyzstan led to demotions of local officials. In retribution, Askarov was slapped with a series of fabricated charges, including incitement to ethnic hatred, illegal possession of ammunition, attempting to take a hostage, and complicity in a police officer''s murder. He was beaten in custody, and sentenced to life in jail. Kyrgyzstan''s own human rights ombudsman has criticized his prosecution and conviction.   Giving voice to ordinary people was an unexpected calling for Tibetan Dhondup Wangchen, a self-taught documentary filmmaker whose account of Tibetan views of the 2008 Olympics in China begins, "I am not an educated man. ... However, I would like to say a few things." He goes on to interview ordinary Tibetans about their grievances with Chinese rule; many of them are indignant indeed. The film was smuggled out of Tibet, and Wangchen soon disappeared into the Chinese detention system. Today he is serving a six-year sentence for "inciting separatism."   For these two, intimidation may appear to have triumphed, at least briefly. But Askarov will not be silent. In a letter to CPJ to thank the organization for his award, Askarov renewed his promise "that no person and no circumstance would ever force me to abandon my professional duty," and asked the international community "to hold the Kyrgyz government to the international commitments and obligations it has undertaken." Wangchen''s voice is more difficult to hear; his own family gets word of him only when his sister visits the Xichuan Prison in Qinghai province, western China, where he is being held, and where he has contracted Hepatitis B. Yet his extraordinary wife, Lhamo Tso--a bread maker with little formal education--saw to it that his film was published, and now travels the world to advocate for his release. She was on hand last night to acknowledge his award. Her indignation is quiet but palpable.   If the imprisonment of Askarov and Wangchen makes you indignant--and it should--please sign CPJ''s two petitions calling for their release, which are here and here.   CPJ rounded out last night by honoring indignation in a seemingly unlikely quarter: Alan Rusbridger, editor of the U.K.''s Guardian and recipient of CPJ''s Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for lifetime commitment to press freedom. In his acceptance speech, Rusbridger was a picture of humility, crediting his reporters, colleagues, and supporters, including the independent trust that supports the Guardian, and saying he felt "unworthy" to share the stage with the other awardees. But Slate''s Jacob Weisberg, introducing Rusbridger, told a story of the editor''s "steely nerve" in supporting investigative journalism despite pressure to back down from corporate giants, libel lawyers, the U.K. parliament, and the commissioner of the Metropolitan police.   "At this point, it would be wise to conclude that intimidation does not work on him," Weisberg said. "Whenever anyone attempts to bully him, he fights twice as hard." Visit the related web page
	Special Rapporteurs and Expert presentations to the UN General Assembly by UN Office in Geneva Geneva, Switzerland   Racism Online and in Extremist Groups:- United Nations Expert on Contemporary Forms of Racism   The United Nations Special Rapporteur on racism, Mutuma Ruteere, on 5 November called for greater cooperation between States, international bodies, the private sector, civil society and local communities in the fight against the promotion of racial, ethnic and xenophobic hatred on the Internet, and by extremist political parties, movements and groups.   In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Ruteere presented two key reports* respectively on Racism and the Internet, and the challenges posed by extremist political parties, movements and groups.   Racism on the Internet   “The increase of extremist hate websites, the use of the Internet and social media by extremist groups and individuals to propagate hate speech and incite racial violence, and the increased number of incidents of racist violence and crimes prompted by racist content on the Internet remain to be address, despite the adoption of positive measures,” the human rights expert said.   The Special Rapporteur highlighted that combating racism on the Internet requires a comprehensive and cohesive approach developed through dialogue and consultation amongst different actors, including governments, civil society organisations, Internet service providers and the private sector in general.   In his view, States should adopt legislative measures and further examine the link between various manifestations of racism on the Internet and hate crimes committed. “Additional measures such as self- and co-regulatory initiatives developed by service providers and other relevant actors may also be useful in making efforts more effective,” Mr. Ruteere said.   “I believe that a possible way of countering racism on the Internet is through content diversification, in particular by promoting local content,” the expert said, inviting States to adopt concrete policies and strategies to make the Internet widely accessible and affordable to all. “Education about racist content on the Internet and awareness raising measures are also important tools.”   Mr. Ruteere emphasized, however, that any measures taken to counter racism on the Internet should comply with international human rights law and should not unduly limit the right to freedom of expression and opinion.   “Any restrictions, control and censorship of the content disseminated via the Internet should be done on a clearly defined legal basis and in a manner that is necessary, proportionate and compatible with States’ international human rights obligations including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,” he stated.   Extremist political parties, movements and groups   “A comprehensive approach based on a solid legal framework is essential,” the Special Rapporteur said while recalling that legislation has been adopted specifically to address the challenges posed by extremist political parties, movements and groups, and encouraging States to close gaps by adopting the necessary legislation.   The expert urged world governments to guarantee the right to security and access to justice without discrimination to vulnerable groups who are victims of racist and xenophobic attacks by extremist groups or individuals.   “Complementary measures should be implemented to tackle extremist political parties, movements and groups,” Mr. Ruteere said. He encouraged States to strengthen the implementation of awareness raising activities aimed at fostering tolerance, sensitizing youth on the dangers of ideologies and activities of extremist political parties, movements and groups, and strengthening State agents’ capacity to address racist crimes through human rights trainings.   “Cooperation with all the relevant actors, including civil society, is crucial to effectively prevent the rise and dissemination of extremist ideologies based on racial superiority,” the Special Rapporteur stressed, recalling the responsibility of political leaders and parties in condemning and refraining from disseminating messages that scapegoat vulnerable groups and incite racial discrimination, and highlighting the key role that media can play in fighting racism and intolerance.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Racism/SRRacism/Pages/IndexSRRacism.aspx   November 2012   Access to Justice for All - United Nations Expert on Extreme Poverty   “Access to justice is a human right in itself, and essential for tackling the root causes of poverty,” the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda, said on 5 November in her report to the United Nations General Assembly*. “Without access to justice, people living in poverty are unable to claim their rights, or challenge crimes, abuses or violations committed against them, trapping them in a vicious circle of impunity, deprivation and exclusion.”   The United Nations expert emphasized the many obstacles faced by those living in poverty in seeking legal redress through the formal judicial system. They include a lack of financial resources and awareness of legal rights; fear of reprisal or further stigmatization; and inadequate capacity of the judicial system (often resulting in under-prioritization of cases and the imposition of unaffordable fees).   These obstacles are compounded by deeply entrenched societal prejudices and stereotypes against the poor. “There are a number of worrying trends impeding those living in poverty from enjoying the same rights as others in accessing justice,” said Ms. Sepúlveda. In her report she highlights the particular problems faced by women in seeking formal redress.   “Inadequate legal frameworks fail to ecognize the financial impediments they often suffer as well as social and cultural constraints which may prevent them from speaking out against abuses or seeking justice,” said the United Nations expert.   She also notes that “the provision of free and competent legal advice and assistance to those who are otherwise unable to afford it is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring that all individuals have fair and equal access to judicial and adjudicatory mechanisms.” Ms. Sepúlveda highlighted the need for States “to ensure that free legal aid is provided in both civil and criminal cases where the rights and interests of persons living in poverty are at stake.”   While the world continues to suffer the consequences of the global financial crisis, with persons living in poverty enduring the most devastating impacts, the Special Rapporteur opened her statement by welcoming the adoption of the Guiding Principles on extreme poverty and human rights (see below) by the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2012.   “This is a small but significant step forward,” the expert said. These Principles could play a key role in protecting and empowering those who are hit hardest by the global economic crisis, by tackling obstacles which obstruct their enjoyment of rights, including access to justice.”   “The Guiding Principles provide the first global policy guidelines applying States’ human rights obligations to the specific situation of people living in poverty,” said Ms. Sepúlveda. “This is a practical tool for policy-makers to ensure that public policies (including poverty eradication efforts) reach persons living in poverty and respect and uphold all their rights.” She called upon the United Nations General Assembly to endorse the Guiding Principles and take concrete measures to ensure their widest dissemination and implementation at the domestic level.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/Pages/SRExtremePovertyIndex.aspx   November 2012   States and Business Enterprises should Scale Up efforts to reduce Adverse Business Impacts on Human Rights   A United Nations expert body charged with the promotion of respect for human rights by business of all sizes, in all sectors, and in all countries, on 2 November called on States and business enterprises to address the heightened risk of vulnerability, discrimination and marginalization of groups and communities whose human rights are affected by business activities across the world.   These groups include children, older persons, indigenous women and men, workers with precarious employment conditions, migrant workers, journalists, human rights defenders, community activists and leaders who protest against or raise allegations concerning the impact of business activities, and marginalized rural and urban communities, as well as minorities that are subject to discrimination and marginalization.   “Significant challenges remain, and scaled-up efforts from all stakeholders are required to prevent, reduce and address adverse impacts on human rights linked to business activities,” urged Puvan Selvanathan, who currently heads the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, during the presentation the Group’s annual report to the UN General Assembly.   “States and business enterprises should adopt clear objectives, with measurable outcomes for implementation, and learn from the experiences of their peers,” Mr. Selvanathan stressed, urging them to scale up their efforts to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (see below), the global standard for preventing and addressing the risk of adverse impacts on human rights linked to business activity.   In its report, the Working Group urges business organizations in sectors that have not yet engaged with business and human rights issues to identify sector-specific human rights issues and take measures to raise awareness, build capacity and implement the Principles within each sector, in dialogue with other stakeholders.   “Regional organisations and private standard setting and governance frameworks should also engage with the Working Group to include business and human rights in the work of their organisation, and to ensure coherence and alignment with the Guiding Principles,” Mr. Selvanathan noted, while welcoming initiatives which are being undertaken to implement the Principles and to embed them into global governance frameworks.   For the expert body, the adoption of the Guiding Principles will also be important for the post-2015 development Agenda, “particularly after the missed opportunity at Rio+20, where the outcome document failed to adequately address business respect for human rights in the drive to a green economy and sustainable development.”   “The first annual Forum on Business and Human Rights on 4-5 December 2012 will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to discuss challenges in the implementation of the Guiding Principles, in particular sectors, in operational environments and in relation to specific rights and groups, and to identify good practices and opportunities for dialogue and cooperation toward solutions,” Mr. Selvanathan added.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/Tools.aspx   November 2012   United Nations Rights Expert: The Challenge is to ensure that Women own their Culture as well as their Human Rights   Culture, including traditional beliefs and practices, must no longer be viewed as largely an impediment to women’s human rights, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed, told the UN General Assembly on 2 November, warning that this “overly-simplistic attitude diverts our attention from the specific actors, institutions, rules and regulations that keep women subordinated within patriarchal systems and structures.”   Presenting her 2012 annual report* to the General Assembly, Ms. Shaheed proposed to concentrate efforts on ensuring women’s equal enjoyment of cultural rights, adding that cultural rights can play a key role in ensuring women’s human rights are respected more widely.   “Women also have the right to access, participate in, and contribute to all aspects of cultural life; they have the right to actively engage in identifying and interpreting their cultural heritage, and deciding which cultural traditions, values or practices are to be kept intact, modified or discarded altogether,” the expert stated.   Ms. Shaheed stressed that the time has come to question the existence of legal norms or practices that authorize distinguishing between women and men, including in the internal affairs of institutions that are based on a religious ethos or cultural identity. In many instances, such differentiation may result in women being excluded from taking part in the interpretation or development of cultural or religious life.   “The struggle for women’s human rights, including cultural rights, is not against religion, culture, or tradition,” the Special Rapporteur said. “The critical issue is not whether and how religion, culture and tradition prevail over women’s human rights, but how to ensure that women own their culture (including religion and tradition) as well as their human rights.”   She added that “constructed” gender differences have served in family and law, in church and state to prevent women from enjoying their human rights, including cultural rights.   “I have received and gathered information on many obstacles to women’s cultural rights which impede them from being full members of their communities,” the Special Rapporteur said. “These can take the form of restrictions against playing a particular instrument or song, or practising a particular craft or skill, or engaging in interpreting and applying particular texts, rituals or customs.” Women remain underrepresented in the fields of science, culture and the arts, even in countries with relatively long histories of equality.   “I am deeply concerned about the use of cultural relativism to challenge the universal legitimacy and applicability of human rights norms,” said Ms. Shaheed, who stressed that no one may invoke cultural diversity to infringe upon or limit human rights. “The cohesion of a specific cultural community should not be achieved to the detriment of one group within the community, such as women.”   “At present, gender discrimination is so frequently defended by reference to culture, religion and tradition that we can conclude that no social group has suffered a greater violation of human rights in the name of culture than women. Many such practices would not be tolerated were they predicated upon race for example,” Ms. Shaheed added.   The UN expert on cultural rights pointed out that cultural rights also relate to who in the community holds the power to define its collective identity. “This is what we should now focus on,” she said. “All voices within a community, representing the interests, desires and perspectives of diverse groups, must be heard without discrimination and given equal opportunities to shape their communities, state and societies.”   November 2012   UN Expert on Housing says financial credit for Homeownership is not an Adequate Solution for the World’s Poor   Financial markets have taken over the housing sector, resulting in a detrimental effect on the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing, especially for the poor, UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik said on 2 November, urging governments to adopt broader policies and interventions for the housing sector.   “The ongoing worldwide housing crisis, in which there are millions of vacant houses and apartments and an alarming rise in foreclosures and homelessness, is the starkest evidence of the failure of housing finance to address the housing needs of all segments of society,” Ms. Rolnik said during the presentation of her annual report* to the UN General Assembly in New York.   Ms. Rolnik emphasized that housing finance policies based on credit are inherently discriminatory against lower-income households, exposing them to increased financial risks and pushing them further into debt and poverty. She also noted that “in many cases, housing finance policies have resulted in increasing inequalities in access to housing, increased tenure insecurity, poor location and low habitability, social segregation and, sometimes, increased homelessness.”   “Despite this clear evidence, I am extremely concerned to find, three years into the deepening financial and economic crises, that States are still promoting credit for individual homeownership as a “one-size-fits-all” solution, in both developing and developed countries,” warned the expert. “The provision of credit to finance a massive production of houses does not fulfill the multiple and interconnected elements of the right to adequate housing.”   “Instead of doing more of the same, States should promote more comprehensive and holistic housing policies and interventions, such as public investments in infrastructure and basic services, upgrading and rehabilitation of human settlements, public land and housing provision, rent regulation and collective and cooperative solutions,” said Ms. Rolnik, stressing that a mixture of tenure solutions, based on genuine and meaningful participation of those affected, is essential to shield the housing sector from economic and financial shocks.   “I call for a shift from housing policies based on the ‘financialization’ of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing, which can help us learn from past mistakes and promote the right to adequate housing for all,” Ms. Rolnik said.   November 2012   United Nations Expert says National Laws must not Restrain the work of Rights Defenders   “Legislation is used in a number of countries to restrain the activities of human rights defenders and criminalize them – in clear breach of international human rights law,” the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, said on 2 November during the presentation of her report* to the UN General Assembly. “National legislation needs to provide clear and non-discriminatory provisions in order to respect and facilitate their work.”   “Anti-terrorism legislation has risen to prominence in the last decade amidst concerns about public security. Unfortunately, anti-terrorism and public security legislation is sometimes used to harass and prosecute defenders in the name of public security,” said Ms. Sekaggya, who also cited concerns about due process and the limited possibilities for defenders providing legal assistance to get access to clients detained under such legislation.   The UN expert emphasized the constraints faced by defenders of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights due to criminalization of same-sex relations in over 75 countries worldwide, as well as recent legislative moves to purportedly curb promotion of homosexuality.   She also noted trends of judicial harassment and threats against women human rights defenders, including those working on religious practices in relation to blasphemy legislation and defenders of sexual and reproductive rights in relation to legislation relating to public morals.   “There are a number of worrying developments with regard to legislation regulating associations, including their registration, functioning and funding,” the Special Rapporteur said. In her report, she documents how governments have introduced restrictions on which activities associations can engage in, banning areas such as political rights advocacy. Governments have also assumed wide supervisory powers, notably on management decisions of associations and access to their files.   “Access to funding is the area which has seen the most restrictions under recently enacted legislation.” Ms. Sekaggya said. “Restrictions on funding from abroad are being swiftly introduced in a number of States, with associations risking treason charges, having to declare themselves ‘foreign agents’ and to seek prior approval to do fundraising.” She stressed that none of these restrictions is justifiable under international human rights law.   Defamation legislation, access to information laws and legislation on classification of information and official secrets were other areas of concern highlighted by the independent expert.   “Legislation needs to be non-discriminatory, clearly defined, proportionate and necessary in order to ensure it is not applied arbitrarily and not used to hinder the work of human rights defenders,” Mrs. Sekaggya noted, urging States to ensure their national legislation respect principles relating to international human rights law.   The UN Special Rapporteur also drew attention to the role of prosecutors and judges, and urged them to ensure that politically motivated charges are not pursued and that proper investigations are carried out when deemed necessary.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersIndex.aspx   October 2012   Millions are Internally Displaced every year by Conflict, Human Rights Violations and Disasters   “Internal displacement remains one of the world’s most significant human rights and humanitarian challenges, as millions of people continue to be internally displaced every year by conflict, violence, human rights violations, disasters and development projects,” warned today the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani.   “Over 26 million people were internally displaced at the end of 2011 due to armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations, while nearly 15 million persons were newly displaced during that same year due to sudden onset natural hazards,” Mr. Beyani recalled as he presented his report on ‘Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons” to the UN General Assembly.   “These last twenty years have witnessed important advances in the normative framework as well as the response to internal displacement by the international community,” the expert noted, recalling that 2012 marks the 20th Anniversary of the creation of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, by the then UN Commission on Human Rights.   “However, enormous challenges remain,” he stressed, underscoring that “mega trends like rapid urbanization, human mobility, population growth and food and water insecurity, together with other factors such as more prevalent natural disasters notably due to the impact of climate change are expected to further increase internal displacement in the future.”   The independent expert said that responses to internal displacement situations will require that States and international and civil society actors be ready to adopt comprehensive frameworks which address all types and stages of internal displacement, address new issues or areas in which responses need to be strengthened, and pay particular attention to prevention and durable solutions strategies.   In his report, Mr. Beyani calls on Governments to adopt, among other things, measures which have been shown to have positive effects, like successful conflict resolution mechanisms implemented, for example, in cases of land disputes; and documentation practices such as in relation to civil status documents (e.g. birth registrations) and property title registries.   The human rights expert also recommends the implementation of preparedness and early-warning systems, as well as capacity-building measures which enhance the capacity of all levels of Government, in particular local authorities, and of civil society to address internal displacement.   In addition, the UN Special Rapporteur drew special attention to the need to adopt “mechanisms for the meaningful participation of internally displaced persons in decisions which have an impact on their lives.” Visit the related web page
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