The United Nations Secretary-General has strongly criticised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at a conference in Beirut, and called on him to stop killing his own people.
Delivering a keynote address at the UN Arab democracy conference, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said,
Iran has warned its Arab neighbours not to aid potential European Union sanctions by increasing their own oil production to replace that of Iranian crude oil.
Pressure has been increasing on Iran, after the European Union looked to be moving towards passing sanctions on iran’s oil industry, as European ministers set to meet on the 23rd of January.
Egypt's newly elected leaders must "urgently reform the arsenal of laws" used by Mubarak's regime, for law to become "an instrument that protects Egyptians’ rights rather than represses them", said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released Monday - 'The Road Ahead: A Human Rights Agenda for Egypt’s New Parliament'.
Violent clashes between police and a group of locals, after an attempted self-immolation in South-West China, have left one woman with gunshot injuries and the fate of the person who set themselves alight unknown.
Kate Saunders, of the International Campaign for Tibet told reporters,
An Arab League observer has quit from the mission in Syria, labelling it a “farce” and accused President Assad’s regime of war crimes.
Anwar Malek, an Algerian observer part of an Arab League mission sent to country told Al-Jazeera,
"I withdrew from the Arab observers mission because I found myself serving the regime, and not part of an independent observer group."
"The mission was a farce and the observers have been fooled. The regime orchestrated it and fabricated most of what we saw to stop the Arab League from taking action against the regime,"
"What I saw was a humanitarian disaster. The regime isn't committing one war crime but a series of crimes against its people. Children are killed and they are starved and terrorised."
“I have seen it with my own eyes. I could not shed my humanity in such situations and claim independence and objectivity.”
Malek went on to charge that Assad’s regime was playing "dirty,"
"It even began killing its supporters to convince the Arab observers that it is carrying out its duties and to gain their sympathy."
The statements from Mr Malek came as Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State commented,
“We cannot permit President Assad and his regime to have impunity."
The mission is due to deliver its final report on January 19th.
Responding to a video that has emerged showing US marines urinating over the bodies of three, apparently lifeless Afghans, the US military said it was "deeply troubled by the video" and promised a full investigation.
In a statement, the Marine Corps headquarters at the Pentagon said,
Formula 1 has come under criticism from human rights groups for its decision to carry on with the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on Aprill 22nd.
Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled after the country was rocked by anti-government protests, which saw a brutal crackdown by the state.
Nabeel Rajab, vice president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said,
"We will campaign for … drivers and teams to boycott. The government wants Formula One to tell the outside world that everything is back to normal. Formula One, if they come, they are helping the government to say [it is normal]. We would prefer it if they didn't take part. I am sure the drivers and teams respect human rights."
His call was backed by Mariwan Hama-Saeed, of New York-based Human Rights Watch, who said,
"[The FIA] should consider the serious abuse of human rights in Bahrain and the fact that to this day authorities continue to suppress pro-democracy protests."
"I doubt that Formula 1 can be a success in a country where serious human rights abuses have been committed. The political situation is unstable and polarised in Bahrain. We are very concerned about the government's commitment to implement meaningful reform."
Formula 1 teams are also reported to be unhappy with attending the race, with Mercedes – which runs its own team and supplies engine to two others – and Formula 1’s sole tyre supplier Pirelli rumoured to have expressed their dissatisfaction to the sport’s governing body.
The United States confirmed that they were opposed to Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir travelling to Libya, as he is wanted on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland acknowledged that the issue was raised with Libyan officials, but the US only learnt about the trip relatively late.
A Tibetan man has died and another been taken away by Chinese authorities, after both men set themselves on fire, in South-Western China, days before the Britain and China meet to discuss human rights.
The cases now raise the number to at least 14 monks, nuns and former monks, who are believed to have self immolated since March.
The first man was reported to have called for the return of the Dalai Lama, before setting himself alight. Soldiers managed to extinguish the flames and have now detained the man in hospital.
A second man reported to be a 42-year-old monk named Sopa, then self immolated, burning himself to death. Reports indicate that after the incident, hundreds of angry demonstrators marched to the local police station and demanded they hand over the body of the deceased monk.
Radio Free Asia, a US broadcaster, said police first refused to give up the body but relented after "the protesters smashed windows and doors of the local police station."
"These latest self-immolations confirm that what we are currently witnessing in Tibet is a sustained and profound rejection of the Chinese occupation.
It is a damning indictment of the international community that 14 people, in different parts of Tibet, have now chosen to set themselves on fire and the international community has failed to respond."
Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir, wanted for war crimes and genocide, gave a speech in Libya for the first time since the fall of the Gaddafi regime on Saturday, drawing criticism from human rights groups.
Bashir, who claimed Gaddafi provided weapons to South Sudanese rebels, criticised the fallen regime, stating,
“We (the Sudanese) were the second to have suffered the most, after the Libyan people."
The Sudanese president is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, having issued two arrests warrants for him. The ICC also issued warrants for deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s uprising in February.
Richard Dicker from Human Rights Watch strongly criticised the visit, saying,
"Omar al-Bashir is an international fugitive from an arrest warrant for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."
"Many governments have refused him entry into their countries. His arrival in Tripoli sends a disturbing signal about NTC's commitment to human rights and the rule of law."
"Following the end of decades of brutal rule in Libya, it is disturbing if Tripoli hosts a head of state on the run from international arrest warrants for grave human rights violations."
"Whatever the political history and ties between the NTC and Omar al-Bashir in the past, respect for human rights, not to mention concerns for hundreds of thousands of Darfur victims, takes priority."
"This is what adhering to the rule of law is all about."
Several other African states have comes been condemned for their failure to arrest Bashir on visits, with both Chad and Malawi having been referred to the UN Security Council for failing to have done so.
A man accused of playing a role in inciting the Rwandan genocide of 1994 looks set to be sent back to the country, after Canadian authorities issued court documents set his deportation for the 12th of January.