Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch BlogPeacemakers Trust posts news, reports or announcements of interest to people studying or working in the field of dispute resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Inclusion of an item on the media watch blog does not imply endorsement or agreement of Peacemakers Trust with views expressed by authors of posted items.
Peru’s highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, said the executive branch isn’t fully complying with international conventions that oblige it to consult with indigenous peoples before approving projects, especially in the mining and hydrocarbons sector.
(...more)A first for UVic! Produced by the International Women’s Rights Project at the Centre for Global Studies, and Rooney Productions, the documentary film, Constitute!, profiles the diverse history of women’s democratic activism in constitution-making in Canada and the world. The film focuses on how citizens across Canada organized and lobbied to ensure that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms would include the equality provisions that came to be Sections 15 and 28, in the newly repatriated Canadian Constitution. Celebrate Person’s Day for 2010 by joining us for the Canada wide preview of the documentary film Constitute!
With guest speakers Donna Greschner, Dean of the Faculty of Law; Marilou McPhedran, Principal of the Global College at the University of Winnipeg, founding mother of LEAF and a noted human rights activist; and Susan Bazilli, IWRP Director and producer of Constitute!
Wednesday, October 13th
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Fraser Building, Room 157
A reception hosted by the Faculty of Law will be held after the panel discussion.
Sponsored by Brown Henderson Melbye, Faculty of Law, and IWRP
A recent graduate from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Amy was volunteering as a rape crisis counselor in Chicago when she learned about the alarming levels of sexual violence in Congo. When Amy told family and friends that she wanted to relocate to the Democratic Republic of Congo, her cousin gave her the email address of Father Charles, a Catholic priest from the war-torn province of North Kivu. Father Charles found housing for her with the Crosiers, an order of monks and priests, and also introduced her to Maman Marie Nzoli, who works with victims of the ongoing war, especially rape victims.
(...more)An Israeli military court has found the leader of a West Bank protest movement guilty of incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations.
In a move strongly criticized by the European Union, the court convicted Abdallah abu Rahmah of organizing weekly protests against the route of what Israel calls its security barrier and what Palestinians call the apartheid separation wall.
“The individual was convicted of incitement and participation in an illegal riot,” the Israeli military said.
But the organizers of the protest say it is a grass-roots nonviolent movement.
Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative, said the union considers abu Rahmah to be a “human rights defender” and she was “deeply concerned that the possible imprisonment of Mr Abu Rahma(h) is intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest against the existence of the separation barriers in a nonviolent manner.”
(...more)Today’s edition of Reporting on Conflict was stimulated by a short electronic conversation with a colleague about the ethics of using photos of horrific suffering to raise funds or to sell news or causes during disasters, famine or armed-conflict. We have posted six stories:
We acknowledge Susanne Ure of Amnesty International Canada who pointed out most of these articles. Please let us know about other articles on this topic or online policies or standards of humanitarian organizations of which you are aware.
Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding. Photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or are manipulated…
Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:
1. Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
3. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see…
Baroness Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, yesterday issued an unusually sharp rebuke to Israel over a military court’s conviction of a Palestinian activist prominent in unarmed protests against the West Bank separation barrier.
(...more)Some answers will be uncovered by the inquiries and lawsuits that have been launched since the [G20] summit [in Toronto]. Ontario’s ombudsmen is also investigating the Public Works Protection Act, a controversial regulation amended in June to give police added powers of arrest near the security fence.
(...more)PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: …. A few weeks ago, during the G-20 in Toronto, one of the most controversial elements of the weekend was the imposition of a piece of legislation by the Ontario government called the Public Works Protection Act. I had a little go-to with our chief of police in Toronto, Bill Blair, about this at a press conference. Here’s a little clip of that exchange.
(...more)A new research report from the Feinstein International Center is now available online:
Taking Sides or Saving Lives: Existential Choices for the Humanitarian Enterprise in Iraq is an in-depth, field-based study of how Iraqis caught up in the tragedy facing their country view humanitarian aid, its local relevance, and its place in the greater global politic. The project was led by Greg Hansen with researchers from the and involving Iraqi colleagues presently living and working in Iraq. The research was carried out between October and December 2006.
Direct link to PDF (1.8mb) of the report:
http://fic.tufts.edu/downloads/HA2015IraqCountryStudy.pdf
An Arabic translation of this report will soon be available at http://fic.tufts.edu. FIC’s earlier briefing paper, “Coming to Terms With the Humanitarian Imperative in Iraq,” as well as its other HA2015 country studies, are also available on this website.
A total of 145 people are being detained in prisons across the country after their arrests in connection with land disputes since 2008, according to statistics released yesterday by a local rights group.
(...more)Tibet in Song is both a celebration of traditional Tibetan folk music and a harrowing journey into the past fifty years of cultural repression inside Chinese controlled Tibet.
Director and former Tibetan political prisoner, Ngawang Choephel, weaves a story of beauty, pain, brutality and resilience, introducing Tibet to the world in a way never before seen on film… more
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YouTube clip:
Fort McMurray community worker Joanne Roberts began her part of a rotating hunger strike Sun., Aug. 15. The protesters say they won’t stop until they get provincial money for a badly needed women’s shelter in the oil-sands boomtown.
(...more)The UN expert on Indigenous Peoples, Professor James Anaya, has challenged governments to respect international standards for tribal rights.
Speaking on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Professor Anaya said, ‘Indigenous peoples continue to see their traditional lands invaded by powerful actors seeking wealth at their expense, thereby depriving them of life-sustaining resources.’
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples sets important standards for countries to follow. Almost all governments now support these principles, after Australia and New Zealand removed their previous objections this year. Canada has committed to supporting the Declaration this year, and the United States is currently reviewing its objections.
(...more)Another boatload of Tamil refugees is expected in Canada later this week. Its imminent arrival has raised important questions about how we should deal with boats that might arrive in the future.
Should Canada adopt a policy similar to Australia and turn the boats away before they enter Canadian waters? This is not a viable option for Canada as it would be a violation of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms and of our obligations under international law. In 1997, The Inter-American Court of Human Rights determined unequivocally that such conduct would be contrary to Canada’s international obligations. Simply put, to summarily turn away refugees without determining the validity of their fear of persecution and without regard to their fate is illegal and unthinkable.
If turning the boats away is not in the cards, then what options are available to Canadian policy-makers? The answer lies in a multi-faceted approach. The best long-term solution is to deal with the root causes of the problem.
(...more)Rwanda needs to “get to grips” with a more open press following the re-election of president Kagame, according to a British journalist who produces a news wire from Kigali.
Graham Holliday, who runs the Kigali Wire spent a week on the campaign trail, working in tandem with a Reuters correspondent and photographer…
“I think this is a problem that impacts Rwandan journalists more than foreigners,” he told Journalism.co.uk. “However, it is definitely an issue for all journalists. It’s something I hope Rwanda can get to grips with in the coming months and years. The government, quite rightly, points to the hideous role of hate media during the Genocide in 1994. They want to minimise the chances of that ever re-emerging. However, there are some very good arguments that the time is now right to start opening up the media space.”
(...more)Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
10 August 2010 – The start of the trial of Omar Khadr – arrested in Afghanistan in 2002 for crimes he allegedly committed as a child – before the United States Military Commission in Guantánamo Bay today could set a precedent jeopardizing the status of child soldiers around the world, a United Nations envoy cautioned.
Mr. Khadr, the last child soldier held in Guantánamo, was 15 years old when he allegedly threw a grenade that killed a US soldier. He faces war crimes charges at his trial.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, stressed in a statement that the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is clear that no one under the age of 18 should be tried for war crimes.
(...more)MEXICO CITY – Hundreds of Mexican journalists marched Saturday in this capital and other cities nationwide in defense of freedom of expression and to demand an end to violence, intimidation and harassment.
More than 64 journalists have been killed and 11 more have gone missing since 2000 in Mexico, considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for reporters and one of the nations where those who kill news professionals are least likely to pay for their crimes.
“We don’t want more slain, kidnapped or disappeared colleagues because we don’t want zones of silence in the country. We reject any act of intimidation against freedom of expression because we defend the citizens’ right to (information),” according to a statement to which Efe gained access.
(...more)“A man of quality is not threatened by a woman for equality.”
That’s a familiar bumper sticker slogan for some of us. Men are crucial to any social movement, especially the gender equality revolution. That’s kind of a no-brainer, right? I especially want men to stand with us for the 90th anniversary of women’s right to vote on August 26.
As some of my readers know, I’ve been a goodwill ambassador for the National Women’s History Project for a few years now. I beat the drum at the beginning of every August to encourage all people — not only women — to mark August 26 in some way. Ninety years ago, on Aug. 26, 1920, women finally won the vote after an excruciating yet nonviolent campaign to gain it.
(...more)The army uses different legal means in order to prevent demonstrations. Although most of the efforts are directed at the Palestinian organizers, some are directed at Israeli and International activists. Some foreign activists participating in the demonstration have been deported. In addition, On February 2, 2010, OC Central Command signed two orders proclaiming a closed military zone imposed on the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin. These orders are issued for six months at a time, and apply to all the land lying between the built-up areas of the villages and the Barrier. Every Friday, between 8 AM and 8 PM, in other villages that hold demonstrations, specific orders are issued declaring the area a closed military zone.
Against the Palestinians, since the beginning of 2010, the army has used another means: renewed use of Military Order 101, which prohibits demonstrations in the occupied Territories…
Following renewal of the Order, B’Tselem is now publishing a position paper [pdf: http://www.btselem.org/Download/20100715_right_to_demonstrate_Eng.pdf] in which it provides a theoretical analysis of the Order and the restrictions it imposes on the freedom of Palestinians in Areas B and C to demonstrate, in light of Israel ’s obligation to ensure freedom of speech under international law. The position paper also compares the statutory provisions applying to Israeli citizens who demonstrate anywhere, whether inside the state or in the West Bank.
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