UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) - A Bloody Joke! - Freedom House

The United Nations is losing credibility and respect worldwide. This is not really surprising when we look at some of their decisions and actions. One of the reasons lies in the composition of some of the UN bodies such as the UN Human Rights Council. The council is composed of 47 member states and current members of this council are (mandate expiry date in parentheses):

Angola (2010), Bangladesh (2009), Azerbaijan (2009), Bolivia (2010), Bosnia and Herzegovina (2010), Brazil (2008), Canada (2009), Cameroon (2009), China (2009), Cuba (2009), Djibouti (2009), Egypt (2010), France (2008), India (2010), Italy (2010), Romania (2008), Russian Federation (2009), Germany (2009), Gabon (2008), Ghana (2008), Guatemala (2008), Indonesia (2010), Japan (2008), Jordan (2009), Madagascar (2010), Malaysia (2009), Mali (2008), Mauritius (2009), Mexico (2009), Netherlands (2010), Nicaragua (2010), Nigeria (2009), Pakistan (2008), Peru (2008), Philippines (2010), Qatar (2010), Saudi Arabia (2009), Senegal(2009), Slovenia (2010), South Africa (2010), South Korea (2008), Sri Lanka (2008), Switzerland (2009), Ukraine (2008), United Kingdom (2008), Uruguay (2009) & Zambia (2008)


On 21 May 2008, 15 of the 47 UNHRC seats will come up for election or re-election. Clearly there are some countries which are unfit to serve on this Council given their own human rights record but also their complete disrespect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

* * * * *

This following extracts come from Lorne Gunter's article in the Calgary Herald, dated Saturday, 10 May 2008.

Human Rights Abusers Hijacking United Nations
Published: Saturday, May 10, 2008

Each year, the human rights watchdog Freedom House surveys all 193 countries in the world, plus 15 select territories, and assesses the state of freedom in each.

During 2007, Freedom House determined that 90 countries (47 per cent) were free. Their governments respected "a broad array of basic human rights and political freedoms." This is good news. Since these countries also represent nearly one-half of the world's population, that means we are approaching the day when a majority of Earth's inhabitants live free.

*

THE WORST OF THE WORST

THE WORLD’S MOST REPRESSIVE SOCIETIES 2008

Contains Table of Independent Countries: Freedom in the World 2008

http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/special_report/62.pdf

*

Since 1977, the number of free countries has doubled. Another 60 countries (31 per cent) were "partly free." While there were "some abridgements of basic rights and weak enforcement of the rule of law" in these countries, political dissent was mostly permitted, elections were largely free and citizens could believe what they wished without much fear of imprisonment. (Sort of like Canada before human rights commissions began telling us what thoughts were and were not acceptable.)

But 43 countries and eight territories were "not free," according to Freedom House. In those states "citizens endure systematic and pervasive human rights violations." Freedom of expression and assembly are limited or non-existent. Critics of the government are imprisoned and occasionally executed. Of this Un-Free 43, Freedom House considers 17 countries and three territories to be "the worst of the worst."

"Within these (17) entities," Freedom House explains, "state control over daily life is pervasive and wide-ranging, independent organizations and political opposition are banned or suppressed, and fear of retribution for independent thought and action is part of daily life."

Furthermore, eight of these are considered "the world's most repressive regimes." These include Burma (Myanmar), where the junta is so repressive and paranoid it won't permit most international aid to enter its cyclone-ravaged land for fear aid workers will seduce the Burmese into revolt.

They value their power more than they value the lives of tens of thousands of their countrymen. The other seven most-repressive are Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Also included are two territories, Chechnya and Tibet.

The fascinating aspect for me is how many of Freedom House's "worst of the worst list" have also been elected by the UN to be voting members on its human rights council.

The UN human rights watchdog has 47 members. One, Cuba, is among the eight most-repressive governments in the world, as judged by Freedom House. And two more, China and Saudi Arabia, are among the bottom 17 countries.

In all, 10 members of the UN Human Rights Council -- more than one-fifth of its complement -- are from Freedom House's list of countries that have few if any freedoms.

On 21 May, 15 of the 47 UNHRC seats will come up for election or re-election.

Along with UN Watch, an organization that analyzes UN activities, statements and programs, Freedom House has declared that five of the 15 candidate countries -- Bahrain, Gabon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zambia -- are entirely unfit for membership because of their rights records. All but one of them (Bahrain) is already a member of the commission. This goes to show how useless the UN is at protecting Human Rights.

Of the 47 member states, UN Watch calculates that just 13 have pro-freedom voting records at council meetings. Canada leads the way with 19 freedom-defending votes on the 32 most important resolutions to come before UNHRC last year. The next-best records belong to France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, all with 11 for 32 records.

Yet that leaves 34 UNHRC members with anti-freedom voting patterns, including Russia and China, which voted against expanding freedom 18 of 32 times and 19 of 32, respectively.

This was not supposed to happen. Three years ago when the corrupt, feckless UN Commission on Human Rights was replaced by the UNHRC, the world was reassured the council would never become hijacked by rights-abusing countries the way its predecessor had been.

But once again the UN has placed the foxes in charge of the henhouse.

* * *

A Statement From Josef Fritzl Before His Trial - Rudolf Mayer, His Lawyer

'My Job Is to Show Josef Fritzl as a Human Being'

His client is the most famous prisoner in the world: Josef Fritzl, who is accused of keeping his daughter prisoner in a cellar for 24 years. But Fritzl's lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, one of the best known defenders in Austria, sees the good in his client and wants to understand him.
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL

* * * * *

May 8, 2008 - Full text of the Joseph Fritzl Statement

“I grew up in a poor family. My father was a no-good scoundrel who always cheated on her and my mother threw him out of the house when I was four – and she was quite right to do so.

“After that, it was only the two of us.

“My mama was a strong woman. She taught me discipline, order and diligence. She enabled me good education and job training and she constantly worked hard and would take difficult jobs only to support the both of us.

“She was as strict as it was necessary. She was the best woman in the world. And I was her husband, in some way. She was the boss at home, but I was the only man in the house."

When asked whether he was sexually abused by his mother, he said:

“No, never. My mother was decent, most decent. I loved her over everything.

“I have admired her. I admired her very much. But I have naturally not done anything. There was nothing there."


When asked whether there were any fantasies about her mother, he said:

“Yes, probably, but I was strong, almost as strong as my mother, and I have therefore managed to suppress my urges.

“Later, I got older and I started going out and I had several amorous affairs. And than I found Rosemarie.

“She had nothing in common with my mother. But, however, there were some similarities.

“She was also wonderful, but wonderful in a different ways. She was much more shy and weaker than my mother.

“I always wanted to have many children. Not children that would have to, like I had, grow up alone, but children that would always have someone to play with. I had a dream about a large family ever since I was a little boy.

“And Rosemarie appeared to be a suitable mother. That motive [for marrying her] was not a bad one. And it is true: I always loved her and I will always love her."


When asked what happened when he raped a woman in 1967, he said:

“I don’t know what came into me.

“But this is also true: I always wanted to be a good husband and father.

“I admit I have always valued decency and good behaviour. I grew up in the Nazi era and strictness and discipline were very important then. I have probably subconsciously picked up some of that, which is only normal.

“But I am not the beast the media make me to be."


When asked what he would think of a man like himself, he said:

“Seen from the outside – I would probably think he was a beast or a monster."


He rejected the claims, made by his daughter Elisabeth, that he started abusing her when she was 11, and said:

“That is not true. I am not a man who would molest children.

"It only started later, much later, when she was already underneath."


He also admitted to having planned the crime for a long period of time:

“It was approximately two, three years before. It must have been 1981 or 1982 when I started to turn a room in my cellar into a cell. I brought in a heavy door of steel and concrete and equipped it with a remote-controlled electrical motor, which would open it only after a numeric code was entered.

“I isolated the whole bunker to become sound-proof. I installed a wash basin, a toilet, a bed, a cooker and a refrigerator. Electricity and light were already installed.

“Perhaps someone noticed the construction works. But it would have not made any difference, whether they did or not. The cellar of my house belonged to me and to me alone, it was my kingdom to which only I had access to. Everyone who lived there knew that. My wife, my children, my lodgers. And no-one would have dared to enter my realm or even to ask me what I was doing there.

“I told everyone that my office was there, full of private files that were my business alone and that was enough – everyone adhered to my rules.


Speaking about Elisabeth, he said:

“Ever since she entered puberty she did not adhere to any rules any more, she would spend whole nights in dingy bars, drinking alcohol and smoking. I only tried to pull her out of that misery. I got her a job as a waitress but she would not go to work for days. She even escaped twice and hung out with bad people during this time and they were not a good company for her. I would bring her back home each time, but she would try to escape again.

“That is why I had to do something; I had to create a place where I could keep Elisabeth, by force if necessary, away from the outside world.”


He denied handcuffing her or keeping her on a dog leash, as she told police, and said:

“That would not have been necessary. My daughter had no chance of escape. It was a vicious circle, a circle from which there was no exit – not only for Elisabeth, but also for myself.

“With every passing week in which I kept my daughter captive my situation was getting crazier. I really was thinking about whether I should let her go or not. But I was not able to make that decision, although - or maybe exactly because of that - I knew that with every passing day what I had done would be more severely judged.

“But I was afraid of being arrested and of having my family and everyone out there find out about my crime – and so I postponed my decision again and again. Until one day it was really too late to free Elisabeth and take her upstairs.”


He said he then begun to compare his daughter to his mother:

“But the urge have sex with Elisabeth was growing stronger and stronger.

“I knew that Elisabeth did not want the things I did to her. I knew that I was hurting her.

“But the urge to finally be able to taste the forbidden fruit was too strong. It was like an addiction.

“In reality, I wanted to have children with her.

“Elisabeth naturally had fear of giving birth but I brought her medical books to the cellar, so she could prepare for the Day X. I brought her towels, disinfectants and nappies.

“I was looking forward to the offspring. It was a beautiful idea for me, to have a proper family, also down in the cellar, with a good wife and a couple of children.

“I made preparations for all possibilities. Every time I left the bunker, I would activate a time lock, which would make sure that the doors to the dungeon would open if I would not return after a certain period of time.

“Had I died, Elisabeth and the children would have been freed."

After [the youngest boy] was born at the end of 2002 I even gave Elizabeth a washing machine so that she could wash the clothes and bed sheets of the children and not have to hand wash them in the basin.

”I always knew during the whole 24 years that what I was doing was not right that I must have been crazy to do such a thing, but still it became a normal occurrence to lead a second life in the cellar of my house.”


When asked about whether he saw his captives as a second family he said:

“It was exactly that was the case.”


He also said that Elizabeth never told the children that they were a product of incestuous relationship. The children in the dungeon always had to call him grandpa. He said:

”Elizabeth has always taken care of things for the sake of the family.

”I have tried to provide for my family in the cellar as best as possible. Whenever I went to the bunker I would bring my daughter flowers and cuddly toys as well as books for the children. I would watch an adventure film on video with them while Elizabeth would prepare our favourite food and then we would all sit together at the kitchen table and eat together.”

He also said that the children were often suffering from infections, coughing attacks, chest pain and epileptic attacks.

He claimed he planned to integrate his dungeon family into his upstairs family. He said:

“I wanted to take Elizabeth, [and the children] to my home. I have grown old in the meantime, I was not so agile anymore and I simply knew that in the near future I would not have been able to provide for my second family in the bunker.

"Elizabeth and the children were supposed to tell the story that they had been at a secret location with a cult until they were set free.”

He also said that he hoped to be able to get away with his crime.

”Of course this is what I hoped for even if that hope was weak. There was always the danger that Elizabeth and the children could have betrayed me but I accepted that risk and I have done that as the tragedy [with the oldest daughter] escalated.”


Speaking of the oldest girl's illness he said:

“She tore the clothes from her body and threw them in the toilet.”


When asked how did he manage to prevent his daughter and her children from escaping he said:

“It was not difficult. I did not need to use physical violence. Elizabeth and the children fully accepted me as the supreme head of the family, they would have never dared to attack me.

"Apart from that they also knew that I was the only one who had the numeric code for the remote control that could open and close the doors to the dungeon.”


When asked about whether he threatened them with gas poisoning if they attempted to escape he said:

“I have only explained to them that they should not fiddle with the dungeon door or else they could receive an electrical shock and die.”


When asked whether he now was looking forward to death he said:

“No, I only want redemption.”

***

Various Articles from the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms have been violated in this situation including

Article 2 – Right to life - Everyone's right to life shall be protected by law.
Article 3 – Prohibition of torture - No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 5 – Right to liberty and security - Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be deprived of his liberty.
Article 12 – Right to marry - Men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right.

http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/005.htm

Josef Fritzl - Insanity Plea REJECTED - Article 2 EC Human Rights

JOSEF (Immaculate Conception) FRITZL & ROSEMARIE FRITZL

ELISABETH FRITZL AND HER CHILDREN KIRSTEN, STEFAN & FELIX FRITZL

Negligence of European Countries, the Austrian Authorities and Neighbours in the Community

Josef Fritzl may plead insanity to avoid imprisonment for his heinous perverted crimes however what will the authorities and the Police including Interpol plead (Elisabeth Reported Missing) because they were Intent on turning a blind eye?

It is evident widespread indifference was responsible for the destruction of Elisabeth, Kirsten, Stefan and Felix Fritzl lives. The Public Alarm Bells rang loud and early in the 1960s but they were repeatedly ignored by the authorities.

It is a fact some men including the police, do not treat Rape and Incest as serious crimes. Certain men laugh and sneer at Rape Victims and maintain the attitude "It is only sex!" Clearly the private fantasies and sexual behaviour of these men are responsible for such attitudes towards women and Rape. Rapists often go on to committing more violent crimes against the physically weak. Fritzl clearly liked to dominate people and despised dissent. A clear warning that his relationships would be imbalanced, seriously problematic and abusive.

Josef Fritzl clearly knew what he was doing was wrong and illegal, therefore pleading insanity is outrageous. He kept his cellar and actions SECRET from everyone including his own family, proving he knew his actions were wrong and illegal, and he knew there would be serious repercussions if he was ever caught. He is not Insane!

There is no compensation including financial compensation, for long term captivity/imprisonment. You can not compensate anyone for years lost from their life, especially those years when humans normally enjoy good physical and mental health. For this reason punishment for crimes of imprisonment must be extremely severe. Clearly Elisabeth and her children will not want to be tortured mentally further, by being involved in any public legal proceedings. However legal action of some kind must be delivered, as a public deterrent to all those men who fantasize and engage in the acts of imprisonment, rape and incest.

VALID WARNINGS

The Authorities - Legal Reference & Expert Opinions

In the European Courts - European Convention on Human Rights

Osman v UK - (28 October 1998) - [Grand Chamber] (2000) 29 EHRR 245

Mrs Mulkiye Osman and her son Ahmet complained that the authorities had failed to act on the warning signs that a Paul Paget-Lewis was a serious threat to the physical safety of Mr Osman and his family. Mr Paget-Lewis has extensively stalked and harassed the son and the family, and eventually he shot dead the father in March 1988.

http://www.worldlii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/1998/101.html

David Pannick, QC, a leading public law barrister: “Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects the right to life and if authorities have been seriously negligent so as to create a real risk of loss of life or serious harm then legal proceedings can be brought against them.”

The long-standing immunity enjoyed by police in the UK was overturned by the European Court of Human Rights in a case called Osman in 1998. It was brought by Mulkiye Osman and her son Ahmet, who had been badly injured. His father, Ali, was killed in 1988 by a man about whom the family had warned police.

The court ruled that although in that case the police could not be criticized, if in future they failed to take appropriate measures to avoid risks, the State might be liable for that failure.

In the case of Osman v UK, the court had this to say (on the police): "It must be established... that the authorities knew or ought to have known at the time of the existence of a real and immediate risk to the life of an identified individual or individuals from the criminal acts of a third party and that they failed to take measures which were in the scope of their powers which, judged reasonably, might have been expected to avoid that risk."

Osman v the United Kingdom, overturned a House of Lords ruling on police immunity from actions for negligence. The judgment said individuals should have access to the courts to hold the police accountable for the "actions and omissions".

Honour Killings - Victims in European Countries

HONOUR KILLINGS / VIOLENCE IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

(I sincerely hope the British Charities I have donated money to, for the purpose of saving the lives children/adults from their destructive (immigrant) parents, have used this money for this purpose, instead of Continuing to Register Lies.)

If Great Britain thinks British Women will accept the Import of Brutal Acts from Other Countries and a return to the Medieval/Dark Ages, just because These Countries are the Sources of Rich Financial Rewards and Natural Resources, Expect Adverse Consequences. British Women Fought and Died for Respect, Equality and Emancipation, for a Reason.

VICTIMS OF HONOUR KILLINGS

All of these Victims Lived in European Countries.

IN MEMORY OF .......

Shawbo Ali Rauf (Kurdistan/Great Britain) In May 2007, 19-year old Shawbo Ali Rauf was taken from her home in Birmingham to Iraqi Kurdistan. Once there, her family stoned her to death after finding unknown numbers on her mobile telephone which they thought proved that she was having an affair. When her husband returned to the UK, police refused to prosecute him – despite demands from Kurdish women’s groups.

Sazan Bajuez Abdullah (Kurdistan/Germany) Died October 2006, aged 24 years. Sazan Bajuez Abdullah came to Germany from Kurdistan after being forced into an arranged marriage with Kazim Mahmud. She bore him one child, but after years of an abusive relationship, and an attempt to kill her by strangulation, Sazan obtained a restraining order against Kazim and filed for divorce. On 25 October 2006, the settlement was finalized at 2:30pm. She told a friend it was "the happiest day of her life". Three hours later she was dead; stabbed 13 times by her ex-husband, doused in gasoline and lit on fire – all in broad daylight in the middle of the street. Kazim Mahmud admitted to the murder, claiming religion and culture and honour as the reasons for his actions.

Hina Saleem (Pakistan/Italy) Died August 2006, aged 21 years. Hina Saleem was found by police 11 August 2006, wrapped in bags and buried in a shallow grave in her family's backyard in Brescia, a city in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, with a gash in her throat inflicted by a meat knife. Hina's family chose to murder her after careful deliberations over her Western-style behavior and refusal to submit to an arranged marriage. Hina Saleem lived with Giuseppe Tampini, a local carpenter, and secretly worked as a waitress in a bar. Her mother, in Pakistan at the time of the murder, acknowledged to police that her husband had killed Saleem who "did not behave like a good Muslim girl." Hina's father--a legal resident of Italy since 1989, was arrested 14 August 2006. Unrepentant, he told police: "My daughter was a prostitute, living with that Italian. I killed her out of rage."

Uzma Rahan (Pakistan/Great Britain, Aged 32 years) and her three daughters were killed in Manchester by her husband after he suspected her of having an affair in July 2006. She came to the UK through an arranged marriage in 1992 but gradually adopted an increasingly ‘western’ lifestyle, making friends independently and dressing less conservatively. This behaviour gradually enraged her husband, Rahan Arshad, who worked as a taxi driver. Under this pressure the couple separated and then reunited. Soon afterwards, Uzma’s husband accused her of having an affair and then killed her by hitting her 23 times with a rounders bat before similarly attacking his children. Before her death, Uzma had told her friends that she feared becoming the victim of an honour killing, saying, “Count the days before he kills me.” At his trial, Arshad told the court that he had been angered by his wife’s decision to wear tight jeans and tops. He said: “It wasn’t right for a mother and someone who came from Pakistan to change the way she dressed all of a sudden. It wasn’t right at all.”

Alisha Begum (Bangladesh/Great Britian) - A six-year-old girl was killed in a so-called honour arson attack, on her home in Birmingham in March 2006. The attack was over the relationship between 15-year-old Meherun Khanum and Alisha's elder brother, Abdul Hamid, 21.

Banaz Mahmoud Babakir Agha (Kurdistan/Great Britian) A 20-year-old woman of Kurdish origin, living with her family in Mitcham, south London, was killed on 23 January 2006. Banaz Mahmod was killed after falling in love with a man her family did not want her to marry. Her father Mahmod Mahmod, 52, and uncle Ari Mahmod, 50, from Mitcham, London, were convicted of murder.

Mohammed Shaheen (Pakistan/Great Britain) On 23 September 2005, Mohammed Shaheen, the co-owner of a taxi firm in Chorlton, Manchester, was shot-dead by Khyber Khan, his brother-in-law. Khan, 28, had flown to Manchester from Pakistan to kill Shaheen after his sisters had told him that he had sexually assaulted them. After the killing, Khan’s sisters helped him flee the country – he was eventually arrested in Canada and deported to the UK.

Ghazala Khan (Pakistan/Denmark) (1987–23 September 2005, aged 19 years) was a Danish/Pakistani woman, who was shot and killed in Denmark by her brother after she had married against the will of the family. The murder of Ghazala had been ordered by her father to save the family honour. No fewer than nine people from her family took part in arranging and performing the murder and they were all found guilty by the High Court of Eastern Denmark on 27 June 2006 on counts of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter (of her husband).

Samaira Nazir (Pakistan/Great Britian) (Died April 2005) was a 25 year old British Pakistani woman who was murdered by her family members. Samaira Nazir was a graduate of Thames Valley University and a recruitment consultant. She fell in love with an Afghan immigrant in Great Britain and wished to marry him, defying her family members. She had rejected the suitors her family wanted her to marry. Deluded under their belief that this had brought disrespect to the family, her brother Azhar Nazir (30) and a 17 year old cousin Imran Mohammed murdered her by stabbing her more than 18 times using four knives, while she was held down by her mother. This savage attack was performed in front of other family members - including two of their nieces, aged two and four.

Hatun Aynur Sürücü (Kurdistan/Germany) (also spelled Hatin Sürücü; born 17 January 1982 in Berlin; died 7 February 2005, in Berlin) was a Kurdish woman whose family was originally from Erzurum, Turkey. She was murdered at the age of 23 in Berlin, by her own youngest brother, in a so-called honor killing. Sürücü had divorced the cousin she was forced to marry at the age of 16, and was reportedly dating a German man. Her murder inflamed a public debate over forced marriage in Muslim families.

Arash Ghorbani-Zarin (Iranian/Great Britian) (1986 - Died 2004, aged 19 years) was an Iranian student at Oxford Brookes University who was murdered by the brothers (Bangladesh) of his girlfriend, Manna Begum (aged 19 years) in a case of honour killing. His body was discovered in a car in Rose Hill, Oxford, on 20 November 2004.

Sahjda Bibi (Pakistan/Great Britain) Died January 2003. The 21-year-old was stabbed 22 times by her cousin as she prepared to marry the man she loved. Two cousins were unhappy their cousin, a dressmaker, was marrying Zaffar Mughal, who was not a blood relative.

Rexhap Hasani (Albanian/Great Britian) (died November 2002) was murdered by Mustaq Ahmed (Pakistan), 40, a Muslim businessman and the father of 16 year old Sadhia, Rexhap's girlfriend because he disapproved of their relationship. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering 22-year-old Albanian Christian Rexhap Hasani in 2003.

Heshu Yones (Kurdistan/Great Britian) died on 12 October 2002, aged 16 years. Her father stabbed her 11 times after receiving an anonymous letter in Kurdish that said his daughter was behaving like a 'slut' and sleeping with her boyfriend on a daily basis. She had brought shame on his family.

"Bye Dad, sorry I was so much trouble. Me and you will probably never understand each other. I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted, but there’s some things you can’t change. Hey, for an older man you have a good strong punch and kick. I hope you enjoyed testing your strength on me; it was fun being on the receiving end. WELL DONE."

Anooshe Sediq Ghulam (Afghanistan/Norway) a 22 year old Afghani refugee in Norway who was killed by her husband, Afghani Nasruddin Shamsi, in an "honor killing". Anooshe had been abused by her husband and with the help of the Norwegian social services, had divorced him and left him while taking the couple's two children, two boys ages 6 and 7. She was afraid for her life and contacted Human Rights Service for help. The murder took place outside the police station in Kristiansund in May 2002, when the two were on their way to court for the custody case.

Yasmin Akhtar (Pakistan/Great Britian) aged 35 years, was kidnapped, strangled and then set on fire in March 2002 after she filed for a divorce from her husband, Mohammed Jamil. Her stepson hired three men to track her down and they strangled her with parcel tape in Surrey when they decided she needed to be silenced. The four men were jailed for life.

Fadime Şahindal (Kurdistan/Sweden) (1976 - died 2002 aged 26 years) was a Kurdish Muslim immigrant who came to Sweden from Turkey at the age of seven. She was murdered by her father Rahmi in January 2002 in an "honor killing."

Shahida Mohammad (Pakistan/Great Britain) On 28 June 2001 in Manchester, Faqir Mohammed, a 69-year old Pakistan man who had lived in the UK for thirty years, came back from Friday prayers at the local mosque and discovered his daughter Shahida, aged 24 years, in her bedroom with a boyfriend. After the boyfriend jumped out of the window, Mohammad grabbed his daughter in a headlock and stabbed her 9 times in the stomach with a knife. When Mohammad stood trial for murder, his lawyer told the court that he was a “strict Muslim” who had hoped to see all his daughters have arranged marriages in Pakistan.

Nuziat Khan (Pakistan/Great Britian), a mother of three, was seeking a divorce from her abusive husband. He strangled her to death in front of their three-year-old daughter in 2001. He remains on Scotland Yard's most wanted list and is believed to have fled to Pakistan.

Pela Atroshi (Kurdistan/Sweden) A 19 year old Swedish Kurd, was taken to her family home in Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan in 1999, where she was shot dead by her uncle on suspicion of having a boyfriend.

Rukhsana Naz (Pakistan/Great Britian), a 19-year-old, British-born woman of Asian origin, died in Derby in 1998. Her brother strangled her with a ligature while her mother held her down by her feet. In court, her mother reportedly said 'it was her kismit (fate)'. Her brother claimed provocation - a cultural defence - arguing that the killing was committed in the name of 'honour'.

Amjad Farooq (Pakistan/Great Britian), aged 38 years, was hacked to death and almost decapitated in a field in Bedfordshire in 1998 after having an affair with his own 21-year-old niece. Abdul Rashid, 33, was jailed for six years for the kidnap of Amjad. He fled to Pakistan following the killing and was arrested on his return to Britain in 2005 and charged with kidnap.

Surjit Athwal (India/Great Britian/Killed in India) was murdered by her mother-in-law and husband after disgracing her Indian family by having an affair. Surjit Kaur Athwal, a mother of two, was lured to India on the pretext of attending family weddings. Once there, she was allegedly strangled. Surjit, a "Westernised" 27-year-old Sikh, worked as a customs officer at Heathrow. Her husband Sukhdave's family were said to have been concerned that she cut her hair short, smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol. Surjit disappeared in India in December 1998.

Tasleem Begum (Pakistan/Great Britian), aged 20 years, was killed by her brother-in-law, Shabir Hussain in June 1995. He ran her over in his car, reversed over her body and sped forward once more, crushing her three times. She had been married to an older cousin who had gone to live in Pakistan for four years. She then fell in love with a married Asian man she had met while working in a supermarket in Bradford.

WEB LINKS

Introduction to Honour Killings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_killing

International Campaign Against Honour Killings
http://www.stophonourkillings.com/?newlang=english

Crimes of the Community - Honour-based violence in the UK
www.socialcohesion.co.uk/pdf/CrimesOfTheCommunity.pdf

The Life of Verity - Why JUSTICE Will Be Served In The End

The Life of Verity - Why The JUSTICE Will Be Served Blog?



COUNTRIES
Albania (WORK) , Austria (Visit) , Belgium (Visit) , Bulgaria (Visit) , Canada (Visit) , Croatia (Visit) , Czech Republic (Visit) , France (Visit) , Germany (WORK) , Gibraltar (LIVE) , Greece (Visit) , Hong Kong (WORK) , Hungary (Visit) , Ireland (Visit) , Italy (LIVE) , Kazakhstan (WORK) , Kosovo (WORK) , Liechtenstein (Visit) , Luxembourg (WORK) , Rep. of Macedonia (WORK) , Montenegro (Visit) , Netherlands (Visit) , Poland (Visit) , Romania (Visit) , Russia (Visit) , Siberia (Visit) , Slovakia (Visit) , Slovenia (Visit) , Spain (LIVE) , Switzerland (Visit) , Turkey (Visit) , UNITED KINGDOM (LIVE) , USA (Work & Visit)


SOME EMPLOYERS
Amerada Hess , American Airlines , American Refugee Committee , Duchy of Cornwall , Grant Thornton , IFES , Midland Bank , Tengizchevroil


SOME PHYSICAL & MENTAL EXERCISE
Ana Belen & Victor Manuel - Mucho Mas Que Dos , Black Museum , Cinema Paradiso , Gibraltar Regatta , International Institute of Humanitarian Law , Intervarsity Club , Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman , Long Distance Cycling , Mary Morris Committee , Melton Mowbray Pork Pies , Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin , John Pilger , The Pony Club , Project Management , Roadhouse ("All Join Hands" Dancer) , TA , The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

Some Boundaries to Freedom of Expression - Defamation, Slander, Libel, Malicious Falsehood

INTRODUCTION TO SOME OF THE BOUNDARIES

OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

(Defamation, Slander, Libel, Malicious Falsehood, etc)

In law, defamation (also called vilification, slander, and libel) is the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressively stated or implied to be factual, that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, group, government or nation. Slander refers to spoken comments, while libel refers to any other form of communication such as written words or images. Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation and retaliate against groundless criticism. Related to defamation is public disclosure of private facts arises where one person reveals information which is not of public concern, and the release of which would offend a reasonable person. "Unlike libel or slander, truth is not a defense for invasion of privacy." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation

* * *

The aim of British libel laws is to balance the right of free speech against protection for the reputation of an individual from unjustified attack.

According to Sahota Solicitors at http://www.libel-law.co.uk/

A person is libelled if the words expose him or her to the risk of being:

• hated, ridiculed, or viewed with contempt, or
• shunned or avoided, or
• lowered in the standing of right thinking members of society, or
• discredited in his trade, business, office, or profession.
  

Libel laws explained

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/aug/31/news.politicsandthemedia

* * *

Russia Takes a Stand on Slander and Libel

On Friday 25 April Russia's lower house of parliament voted to widen the definition of slander and libel and give regulators the authority to shut down media outlets found guilty of publishing such material. The bill was approved nearly unanimously, but it faces additional votes before becoming law. The bill allows authorities to suspend and close down media outlets for libel and slander — punishment that is identical for news media found to be promoting terrorism, extremism and racial hatred.

It has also expanded the definition for slander and libel to "dissemination of deliberately false information damaging individual honor and dignity."

What has caused Russia to take a stand?

Paper is shut down after report on Vladimir Putin’s love life - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3779901.ece

President Putin denies affair with Kremlin 'babe' Alina Kabaeva - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3773353.ece

* * *

My blood relations and their associates are guilty of Defamation, Slander, Libel and Malicious Falsehood. There is obviously a reason for such communications against a blood relation - They want to cover up their own crimes and allegiances, which I will expose in the interests of everyone in society.

Human Rights and Some Boundaries - I have Done My Duty!

HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOME BOUNDARIES - I HAVE DONE MY DUTY!

SOME OF THE ARTICLES FROM THE UDHR, ECHR AND UKHR, SIDE BY SIDE FOR COMPARATIVE PURPOSES

Freedom can only be GIVEN to rational and responsible people who Care about boundaries and Recognize the consequences of their own actions on people and society, as a whole. Some people do not care. Some people are also completely void of Common Sense, as adults. When the boundaries of civilized communications and behaviour are crossed, highly adverse consequences can ensue such as verbal and physical attacks, injury and even loss of human life.

This post identifies some of the articles in the UDHR along with the equivalent articles in the ECHR and UKHR act. I have focused on these articles because of the actions of my own blood relations and their associates.

SLAVERY & SERVITUDE

UDHR1948 - Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

ECHR1950 - Article 4 . Prohibition of slavery and forced labour
UKHR1998 - Article 4 - Prohibition of slavery and forced labour (same text as ECHR1950)

1. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude.
2. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour.
3. For the purpose of this Article the term “forced or compulsory labour” shall not include:
(a) any work required to be done in the ordinary course of detention imposed according to the provisions of Article 5 of this Convention or during conditional release from such detention;
(b) any service of a military character or, in case of conscientious objectors in countries where they are recognised, service exacted instead of compulsory military service;
(c) any service exacted in case of an emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community;
(d) any work or service which forms part of normal civic obligations.

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT, CONSCIENCE & RELIGION

UDHR1948 - Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

ECHR1950 - Article 9 . Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
UKHR1998 - Article 9 - Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (same text as ECHR1950)
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
2. Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

NOT A FREEDOM To Engage in Hate Crimes - based on race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, or political affiliation. Religious Affiliations are based on Personal Choice upon reaching the Age Of Majority (18) and not the Identity of Parents and Baptism as a child.

FREEDOM OF OPINION & EXPRESSION

UDHR1948 - Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

ECHR1950 - Article 10 . Freedom of Expression
UKHR1998 - Article 10 - Freedom of Expression (same text as ECHR1950)
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.
2. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.

NOT A FREEDOM: Defamation (slander and libel), Obscenity, Threats, Lying in court (perjury), contempt of court, Limit the size of public demonstrations, Profanity, Hate speech that is defamatory or causes incitement to violence, Deliver lies to a crowd causing panic, Clear and present danger or Imminent lawless action, such as shouting fire in a crowded theater.

NOT A FREEDOM to prevent Valid Legal Action and Pervert the Course of Justice through defamation and threats; to stop people from receiving and imparting information to the authorities.

FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY & ASSOCIATION

UDHR1948 - Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

ECHR1950 - Article 11 . Freedom of assembly and association
UKHR1998 - Article 11 - Freedom of assembly and association (same text as ECHR1950)
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
2. No restrictions shall be placed on the exercise of these rights other than such as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This Article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of the armed forces, of the police or of the administration of the State.

RESPECT FOR PRIVATE AND FAMILY LIFE

UDHR1948 - Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
ECHR1950 - Article 8 . Right to respect for private and family life
UKHR1998 - Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life (same text as ECHR1950)
1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

NOT A FREEDOM - To deny self determination of family members who have reached the age of majority/maturity and to obtain confidential information about a blood relation who has reached the age of majority/maturity. To interfere and destroy employment and work relations, as well as jeopardize financial security.

PROHIBITION OF ABUSE OF RIGHTS

UDHR1948 - Article 30.

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

ECHR1950 - Article 17 . Prohibition of abuse of rights (same text as ECHR1950)
UKHR1998- Article 17 - Prohibition of abuse of rights
Nothing in this Convention may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein or at their limitation to a greater extent than is provided for in the Convention.

____________________________________________________________________

I DID MY DUTY in 1994 (one more job)!

HUMAN RIGHTS - Concepts, Philosophies, Organisations & Legal Instruments

HUMAN RIGHTS - Concepts, Philosophies, Organisations & Legal Instruments
These Links Go To Wikipedia Information Pages

CONCEPTS & PHILOSOPHIES

Inalienable rights · Fiduciary law · Freedoms · Natural rights · Negative rights · State sovereignty · Universality · Universal jurisdiction

ORGANISATIONS

International human rights bodies
Committee on the Rights of the Child · International Committee of the Red Cross · International Criminal Court · Human Rights Commission · Human Rights Committee · Human Rights Council· UN Security Council

Regional human rights bodies
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights · African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights · Court of Justice of the African Union · European Court of Human Rights · European Committee for the Prevention of Torture · Inter-American Commission on Human Rights · Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Multi-lateral bodies involved in human rights
European Union · Council of Europe · Organisation of American States · UNHCR · UNOCHA · International Labour Organization · WHO · UNESCO · UNAIDS · UNDESA · CSW · UNFPA · UNICEF · UNIFEM · UNDP · FAO · UN-HABITAT

LEGAL INSTRUMENTS

Declarations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights · Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ·

· American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man · Paris Principles
Cairo Declaration of Human Rights

International human rights law
Convention Against Torture · Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women · Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination · Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities · Convention on the Rights of the Child · International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families · International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid · International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Regional human rights law
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights · American Convention on Human Rights · European Convention on Human Rights · European Convention on Torture · European Social Charter · Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons · Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture · Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women · Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

International humanitarian law
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide · Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees · Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees · Geneva Conventions · Hague Conventions · Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

CONCEPTS THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED AS HUMAN RIGHTS

Civil & Political rights
Right to life · Right to liberty · Right to security of person · Freedom of movement · Freedom from slavery · Freedom from torture · Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment · Right to personhood · Right to equality before the law · Right to effective remedy before the law · Freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention · Freedom from exile · Right to a fair trial · Right to presumption of innocence · Right to Privacy · Right of asylum · Right to a nationality · Freedom of thought · Freedom of conscience · Freedom of religion · Freedom of expression · Freedom of assembly · Freedom of association · Right to suffrage

Economic & Social rights
Right to work · Right to marriage and family life · Right to property · Right to social security · Right to equal pay for equal work · Right to just remuneration · Right to join a trade union · Right to rest & leisure · Right to an adequate standard of living · Right to education · Right to choice of education · Right to participate in culture · Right to intellectual property · Right to healthcare · Right to water

Reproductive rights
Reproductive health · Family planning · Right to legal abortion