Bahraini men who were wrongfully imprisoned must be released immediately!

Bahrain: More Statements on Physical Torture and Sexual Assault of Detainees at the Criminal Investigations Department | Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The wrongful imprisonment of Bahraini citizens Mohammed Al-Sheikh and Mohammed Al-Oraibi are the latest cases of the Bahraini government's crackdown on human rights! The fact that these prisoners' families were denied information about their conditions and the reasons for their arrests for several days show that the Bahraini government has something to hide when it is confronted with questions about its human rights crisis! Al-Sheikh and Al-Oraibi were both denied access to lawyers as well, which is further proof that Bahrain's legal system is not based on any real justice! The clear evidence of torture and sexual assault that has been committed against these two men show yet again just how sadistic and power-hungry the Bahraini government is! To make matters even worse, the prisoners' houses have been broken into by unidentified criminals!

 

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) also notes that the Bahraini government has cancelled an arranged visit from the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, originally scheduled for May 2013! All of the evidence shows that the Bahraini government is promoting human rights violations within its country, and cannot be trusted to handle its own human rights crisis! The international community must FORCE the Bahraini government to face justice for its actions, and prosecute anyone found guilty of a crime!

 

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York University is wrong for ignoring gender equality!

York University's administration must reverse its decision valuing "religious accommodation" over gender equality! The student involved in the case had an unreasonable request, claiming that meeting with women in public was against his religion! No religion forbids men from working with women in public--this is just an excuse being used by a male student to avoid working with women! The male student involved should have thought about the requirements of the course before signing up for it and asking for such a ridiculous "accommodation"! Sociology Professor Paul Grayson, the professor involved in this case, was right for denying this student's request! 

 

Professor Grayson should be commended for defending gender equality, not have his career be put at risk by possibly being punished by the York University administration! The people working for York University's administration should be ashamed of themselves--as an institution that supposedly represents "higher thinking", it is sickening that an irrational personal belief would be considered more important than protecting gender equality! This issue should not be up for debate--gender rights are non-negotiable!

 

To put pressure on York University's administration to reverse its decision valuing "religious accommodation" over gender equality, please sign the following petition: http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/york-university-reverse-your-decision-that-allows-religious-accommodation-to-trump-gender-equality#intro 

Despite promises of change, Iran remains the same

Release Government Critics from Three-Year House Arrest : International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran 

 

The house arrests of Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi without a proper trial to even prove that they are guilty of anything shows yet again that Iran has no respect for human rights! Rahnavard, Mousavi, and Karroubi should not be forced to "repent" for supporting regional uprisings--they should have all charges against them dropped immediately! It is clear that they are simply trying to fight for freedom in a highly repressive society--they should not be punished for this! Meanwhile, the Iranian government has cracked down on citizens' rights many times, and it is clear that things will not change unless the Iranian government is forced to change!

 

How do you feel about the political repression in Iran? Please leave a comment below.

Bangladeshi garment workers continue to face harassment over forming trade unions

HRW: RMG workers intimidated over unions | Dhaka Tribune

The latest revelations of Bangladeshi garment workers being harassed by their managers over forming trade unions show yet again that Bangladeshi garment workers continue to have their rights ignored! Reports of workers receiving death threats and getting beaten up show that factory owners will do anything, including engaging in criminal behaviour, to keep workers powerless! Workers who have tried to form trade unions have also had to deal with being forced to resign or losing their jobs! Female workers have also had to deal with sexual harassment!

Laws allowing Bangladeshi garment workers to form trade unions will not mean anything until employers face harsh punishments for threatening their workers! It is clear that Western retailers and  factory owners will not change working conditions unless they are forced to do so! To force Western retailers and factory owners to improve working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers, please sign Arif Ullah's petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/jc-penney-gap-co-put-an-end-to-the-murders-of-garment-workers-in-bangladesh#intro