Latest news with #humanRights
Free Malaysia Today
12 minutes ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
India orders probe into ‘mercilessly beaten' journalist
The National Human Rights Commission demanded Odisha police provide a report within two weeks. (EPA Images pic) NEW DELHI : India's human rights body demanded on Friday that police investigate the brutal assault of a journalist who was tied, beaten and paraded through a village while reporting on alleged corruption. Video footage circulated on social media showed journalist Bijay Pradhan being beaten up on May 25 after he went to report on construction of a housing scheme in the eastern state of Odisha. 'Reportedly, he was suddenly attacked… The victim's legs and hands were tied, and he was paraded through the village before being tied to a pole and mercilessly beaten,' the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Friday. It demanded police in Odisha provide a report within two weeks. 'The victim's mobile phones and video camera were also smashed by the perpetrators, and he was threatened not to report anything about the incident,' the NHRC added in a statement. Four people suspected of assaulting the journalist have been arrested, according to media reports. India, where incidents of intimidation and assaulting journalists are not uncommon, is ranked 151 on the World Press Freedom Index, run by Reporters Without Borders. In January, India's media watchdog demanded a thorough investigation after the battered body of a journalist, who had widely reported on corruption in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, was found stuffed in a septic tank covered with concrete.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Police in Islamabad briefly detain senior rights activists protesting Israel's war in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Two senior human rights activists, Tahira Abdullah and Samina Khan, were briefly detained by police on Friday outside the Islamabad Press Club for ostensibly protesting against Israel's war in Gaza before their release later in the day. A video purportedly showing their arrest depicts them wearing Palestinian flags and keffiyeh scarves as they are escorted away by women police personnel, along with a man and three youths. Abdullah can be seen asking a policeman why they are being taken away. She then tells the female police personnel not to push her and Khan, and requests that they be moved to a separate car instead of the police truck. 'They [Abdullah and Khan] were illegally picked up from outside the Islamabad Press Club premises and taken away to the women police station in G-7,' lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha told Arab News. 'They aren't allowed to meet their counsel to discuss options,' he continued. 'Station House Officer (SHO) Misbah Waqas is refusing to let their families and counsel meet them.' Police did not specify any charges against the two rights activists. Islamabad police spokesperson Dr. Taqi Javed also did not respond to a query from Arab News in this regard. Last year in May, Abdullah was among the protesters who staged a demonstration at Islamabad's D-Chowk in support of the Palestinians. She had urged everyone to come out in large numbers, saying the Pakistani government would not pay heed to their demands otherwise. The Islamabad Press Club is a key venue in Pakistan's capital where journalists and activists hold press conferences and protests. It serves as a platform for raising awareness and drawing media attention to political and social issues. Protesters use it to voice demands and push for government action. A video of Abdullah and Khan that was later shared by lawyer Chattha shows them stepping out of the police precinct after being released, chanting the slogan, 'Free, free Palestine.' Pakistan does not recognize Israel and supports an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Keir Starmer's top legal adviser Lord Hermer apologises for 'clumsy' speech comparing calls for UK to quit ECHR to early Nazi ideology
Keir Starmer 's top legal adviser today apologised for a speech in which he compared demands that the UK quit the European Convention on Human Rights to early Nazi ideology. In an astonishing speech last night Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, hit out at right wing MPs and the media for being behind a 'siren song' pushing for Britain to drop international law. Speaking at a London think tank the former human rights lawyer and close friend of the Prime Minister said such 'songs' had been heard before, citing Nazi ideologist Carl Schmitt, who supported Hitler's policies such as the Night of the Long Knives assassinations in 1934. The comparison triggered uproar today, with Robert Jenrick, a leading Tory proponent of leaving, branding it 'appalling'. This afternoon a spokeswoman for the Attorney General said he rejected the Tories' 'characterisation' of his speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). She said he was 'defending international law which underpins our security, protects against threats from aggressive states like Russia and helps tackle organised immigration crime', but added: 'He acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference.' Lord Hermer used his lecture to say the Labour Government had a 'policy of progressive realism' that means it will never leave international conventions such as the ECHR. Numerous senior politicians on the Right have called for Britain to leave the convention after it blocked Rwanda deportation flights. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has stopped short of calling for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as other Conservative figures have advocated. However, she suggested the UK would have to leave the convention if it stops the country from doing 'what is right'. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he would get rid of the ECHR, and told ITV in April that 'we have to get back the ability to decide, can we really control our borders'. In his lecture, the Attorney General said: 'Our approach is a rejection of the siren song that can sadly now be heard in the Palace of Westminster and in some spectrums of the media, that Britain abandons the constraints of international law in favour of raw power. 'This is not a new song. The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany, most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts, not law. 'Because of the experience of what followed in 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law, as well as internal constitutional law.' He conceded that 'international law cannot stand still and rest on its laurels', that it must be 'critiqued and where necessary reformed and improved' and that 'we must be ready to reform where necessary'. Education Minister Catherine McKinnell this morning said that his speech had been 'quite thoughtful'. And she doubled down on the link between quitting the ECHR and dictators, telling Times Radio: 'Any discussion around withdrawing from the international stage just supports people and the agenda of people like [Vladimir] Putin.' But critics point out that the ECHR is unlikely to bow to calls for reform amid accusations it has overstepped its remit in a string of cases. Tory justice spokesman Mr Jenrick, an advocate of ending Britain's 72-year membership, said: 'The idea you can reform the ECHR is fanciful as it requires unanimity from all 46 signatories. 'It is appalling Hermer would insinuate those who think we should leave the ECHR are like the Nazis. '[Foreign Secretary] David Lammy tried that disgusting smeer with Brexiteers and it didn't work for him. It won't work for Hermer either. 'It seems Labour haven't learned a thing.' The row comes after complaints about Lord Hermer, who is a close friend of the Prime Minister, both having been human rights lawyers. His suitability has also been questioned after it emerged that, before taking up the role last year, he repeatedly brought cases against the Government on behalf of terrorists, including 9/11 plotter Mustafa al-Hawsawi and jihadi bride Shamima Begum. He also acted for former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who has always denied being a member of the IRA.
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Attorney General forced to apologise for Nazi jibe
The Attorney General has apologised for 'clumsy' remarks after comparing Tory and Reform calls to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to 1930s Nazi Germany. Speaking at the Rusi defence think tank on Thursday, Lord Hermer said calls for the UK to quit international agreements echoed similar demands by legal experts in 1930s Germany, who rejected international law and human rights in favour of state power. It sparked an outcry from leading Tories and Reform UK MPs, who called it disgraceful. On Friday, a spokesman for Lord Hermer said: 'The Attorney General gave a speech defending international law, which underpins our security, protects against threats from aggressive states like Russia and helps tackle organised immigration crime. 'He rejects the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives. He acknowledges, though, that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference.' On Thursday, Lord Hermer told the audience of senior security and defence experts that Labour's approach to foreign policy of progressive realism was 'a rejection of the siren song that can sadly now be heard in the Palace of Westminster, not to mention the press, that Britain abandons the constraints of international law in favour of raw power'. He said: 'This is not a new song. The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes but can be put aside when the conditions change is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany, most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts, not law. 'Because of the experience of what followed 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law, as well as internal constitutional law.' Mr Schmitt is seen as an authoritarian conservative theorist who was a vocal critic of parliamentary democracy and liberalism. He supported the Nazi party, joining it in 1933, with his theories about state power providing ideological justification for the regime. He later fell from favour and was removed from official positions in the party.
CNA
19 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Changes to Thailand's strict school rules welcome, but deeper issues persist
BANGKOK: As the new school year in Thailand enters its second week, students are finally getting what some feel are long-overdue changes. Crew cuts for boys and bobs for girls have been part of a regimental practice that has persisted for decades in Thai schools, after a directive was issued in 1975 when the country was governed by a military dictatorship. This has been strictly enforced by some school personnel. Videos of them haphazardly cutting students' overly long hair during morning assemblies, often in a jagged, uneven way, can be easily found circulating online. But over the last decade, some schools across the country have gradually relaxed their hairstyle rules. This includes allowing girls to have long hair, for instance. Inspired by university students who took a leading role in Thailand's pro-democracy protests of the 2020s, some student activists also filed a legal petition against the directive, arguing that it was unconstitutional and infringed on their human dignity. Thailand's Supreme Administrative Court ruled in their favour earlier this year, finding that mandating how students should wear their hair violated individual rights and is out of touch with today's society. The court decision was met with mostly positive feedback. GAP REMAINS Still, some like Laponpat 'Min' Wangpaisit, who was part of the movement behind the push for reform five years ago, cautioned that there is still a gap in the passing of the verdict and its actual enforcement. Schools are now supposed to agree with students and parents on what standard to follow, which could mean sticking to the 50-year-old one or being more lenient. 'No one has said it's prohibited to issue (any) regulations restricting student hairstyles. No one says schools are not allowed to interfere with students' hair. That simply doesn't exist,' said Laponpat, who is now studying in university. Laponpat added that if the education ministry wants to protect students' rights, it must clearly ban any interference with their hair, not just leave it up to schools. 'Equality isn't about restricting everyone the same way. It's about not restricting anyone's rights in the first place.' As attitudes and rules about school uniforms shift slightly, some shops selling uniforms have also been affected. A new directive by Thailand's education ministry now exempts students from having to wear Scout uniforms about once a week, in order to relieve parents of the financial burden of buying them. Each uniform costs about 1,300 baht (US$40). Bangkok shopkeeper Surapong Setteamee said that business had already been slow before the rule change. 'It's been very quiet this year, unlike the others. The shop would normally be full of customers, but it's been slow this year,' he told CNA. QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN QUESTION Despite a quiet revolution taking root this new school year, some experts said shortcomings remain in Thailand's education system. 'Schools are very strict when it comes to checking students' uniforms. But during the six hours that students are in class, can schools truly say they're providing high-quality education?' questioned Athapol Anunthavorasakul, director of Chulalongkorn University's Center for Educational Research and Development for Sustainable Development. A significant amount of government funds is allocated to the education ministry every year - about 10 per cent of the annual budget - but that has not translated into better performance by Thai students. In the last Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test in 2022, which is conducted worldwide by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Thai students scored below the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science. They also did worse than students in neighbouring Malaysia and Vietnam. In terms of creative thinking, Thailand scored significantly below the OECD average. Critics have pointed to the core curriculum not being updated in over 15 years, the emphasis on passive rote learning over critical thinking and creativity, and an understaffed and overworked body of teachers. Thailand's education ministry did not respond to CNA's requests for a comment. 'Nowadays, both national and international assessment results clearly show that the quality of Thai education is declining across all dimensions, whether its competency measured by PISA exams, language proficiency, or even civic knowledge,' said Athapol. He urged education authorities to focus on improving educational standards instead of punishing uniform violations, such as deducting points for incorrect attire or barring students from taking exams for not wearing them. While these kinds of shifts take time, the fact that the changes are already underway are a positive sign, said Athapol. 'Norms are created by humans, so humans can change them. They're not meant to last forever.'
