Full Coverage: Conflict

29.04.2005 La XX Assemblea Generale della Sezione Italiana di Amnesty International, tenutasi nei giorni scorsi a Rimini ha approvato per acclamazione un ordine del giorno che chiede al Parlamento di introdurre un reato specifico di tortura nel codice penale e di ratificare il Protocollo opzionale alla Convenzione delle Nazioni Unite contro la tortura. E sempre Amnesty denuncia che a distanza di un anno dallo shock provocato dalle fotografie uscite dal carcere iracheno di Abu Ghraib, le persone torturate dai soldati statunitensi sono ancora in attesa di un risarcimento, mentre continuano ad emergere prove di abusi subiti da cittadini iracheni ad opera delle loro stesse autorità. "Il personale di più alto grado all’interno dell’amministrazione Usa è rimasto indenne da un’indagine indipendente, pur avendo autorizzato pratiche che costituiscono maltrattamenti e torture" - denuncia Amnesty.

29.04.2005 Da quando tre giornalisti romeni insieme al loro interprete, un cittadino iracheno-americano, sono stati rapiti a Bagdad il 28 marzo scorso l'opinione pubblica romena, i parenti dei giornalisti, i media e le autorità di Bucarest sono in massima allerta - riporta l'Osservatorio sui Balcani. "Il popolo romeno vive col fiato sospeso, impotente di fronte al dramma dei tre giovani andati in Iraq per fare il loro mestiere ed ora divenuti moneta di scambio per i terroristi che chiedono il ritiro dei militari romeni dall'Iraq" - nota Mihaela Iordache. I rumeni sono scesi in piazza per chiedere il loro rilascio, ma il governo di Bucarest non vuole cedere al ricatto e continua i negoziati escludendo però ogni concessione di tipo politico. Secondo un recente sondaggio, il 70% dei cittadini romeni desidera il disimpegno militare della Romania dall'Iraq.

29.04.2005 NATALA, Colombia, Apr 28 (IPS) - Hundreds of Nasa Indians in this rural area of southwestern Colombia have taken shelter in their local health post, perched on a hilltop with a breathtaking view of the Andes mountains, as the gunfire between leftist guerrillas and the army rages below.

29.04.2005 Kansainvälisen Pelastakaa Lapset -järjestön tuoreessa raportissa tuodaan julki tyttöjen laaja hyväksikäyttö armeijoissa. Nuorimmat lapset ovat vain kahdeksanvuotiaita, ja heillä teetetään työtä mm. kantajina, kokkeina ja siivoajina. Lähes kaikki pakotetaan seksiorjiksi. Esimerkiksi Ugandassa yli kolmannes ja Sri Lankassa lähes puolet lapsisotilaista on tyttöjä.

28.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 28 (OneWorld) - Rights watchdogs seized on Thursday's anniversary of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal to complain of a lack of accountability for the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody, and to warn that problems which came to light there merely were ''the tip of the iceberg.''

27.04.2005 Charles Taylor, the former despotic ruler of Liberia nicknamed the "Murderer of Monrovia," is already manipulating the country's elections set to take place in October to avoid standing trial for war crimes, writes Douglas Farah, a former West Africa-based U.S. journalist.

27.04.2005 To date, 400,000 people have died in Darfur as a result of the government-sponsored genocide, says Africa Action. The Washington D.C.-based group is collecting 400,000 signatures for its petition calling on President Bush to assert U.S. leadership to prevent the mounting death toll. Here is how to sign on.

27.04.2005 Nepal has seen an increase in violence since the seizure of power by King Gyanendra, with 500 homes burnt, hostages taken and nearly 50 dead as the result of clashes with Maoist insurgents. The rebels have also imposed a blockade on Kathmandu and are calling for a nationwide strike against the royal coup.

27.04.2005 Reports that the death rate of women in childbirth is on the rise in Nepal as the result of the conflict have prompted the United Nations to call for both sides to respect basic human rights. It is estimated that maternal deaths due to lack of access to health care outnumber those killed in the fighting.

27.04.2005 The control of rural areas of Nepal is largely in the hands of Maoist insurgents, leading to a grave shortage of effective rural healthcare in those regions. Health officials are afraid to visit such areas through fear of reprisals from both sides while medical supplies are reported to be regularly hijacked by the rebels

26.04.2005 The King’s dismissal of government and seizure of direct power has been welcomed in some quarters as an opportunity to re-establish control over the country and bring an end to the violence between government forces and Maoist insurgents. But in doing so it is possible the King has built a rod for his own back if his ambitious 3 year plan is unsuccessful.

26.04.2005 Human Rights Watch is demanding that the U.S. government launch a sweeping inquiry into the torture of Iraqi and other prisoners by U.S. troops, and that it name a special prosecutor to probe high-ranking officials' possible role in alleged abuses. In a new report, it assails some conclusions of previous investigations and says ''a wall of impunity surrounds the architects of the policies responsible for the larger pattern of abuses.''

25.04.2005 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 25 (OneWorld) - The U.S. government should name a special prosecutor to look at Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's possible role in the torture and abuse of Iraqi and other prisoners by U.S. troops, a leading human rights group has demanded.

25.04.2005 Länsi-Afrikassa sijaitsevassa 5,5 miljoonan asukkaan Togon tasavallan vaaleja edelsi pelokkaan jännittynyt tunnelma. Togo on kokenut tämän vuoden aikana jo kaksi vallanvaihtoa ja väkivaltaisia kahakoita on ollut vaalien alla lähes päivittäin. Maan vaalijärjestelyjä on moitittu puutteellisiksi, vaalitarkkailijoiden määrää vähäiseksi ja tiedotusvälineiden vapautta riittämättömäksi.

21.04.2005 En el extremo suroeste del valle de Amarateca, la Fiscalía de Derechos Humanos y el COFADEH, con apoyo de antropólogos forenses guatemaltecos, inician mañana la búsqueda de los restos de al menos siete personas desaparecidas entre 1981 y 1983.

20.04.2005 Más de treinta mil manifestantes participaron en las marchas del día de ayer, estas comenzaron a las 17:00 horas. Fueron duramente reprimidas, pero unos tres mil manifestantes lograron llegar a una cuadra a la redonda del palacio de gobierno copando todas las esquinas del centro de quito. El fuerte resguardo policial y militar con el uso de abundantes gases lograron impedir la llegada a palacio.

20.04.2005 On April 16, 28-year-old Marla Ruzicka of California was killed when a car bomb exploded on the streets of Baghdad. Marla, a long time activist, had worked with refugees in Palestine, campesinos in Nicaragua, and AIDS victims in Zimbabwe. She was in Baghdad working for the humanitarian organization she founded, the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), which documents cases of innocent civilians hurt by war.

19.04.2005 GAZA, Apr 19 (IPS) - Two dates in the Middle East that once seemed set in stone are now being challenged as Israel considers delaying its Gaza disengagement and Palestinians mull over postponing their elections.

19.04.2005 The International Fact-finding and Solidarity Mission to Haiti, headed by Argentine Nobel Peace Laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Nora Cortiñas of the Mothers of the May Square-Founders’ Line and composed of 20 representatives of social, cultural, and political movements, networks, and institutions from Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and Africa, would like first of all to thank the many people and organizations in Haiti who made this visit possible and who shared with us their experiences, testimonies, aches and hopes.

19.04.2005 Le président Gutierrez a annulé l'état de siège mais les manifestants continuent à descendre dans la rue. Ils exigent la démission de Lucio Gutiérrez et de tous les politiques. Il y a eu de la répression durant l'aube à Quito.