Human Rights update March 30-April 4

Miriam Shlesinger, human rights defender, 1947-2012

First the  good news: Egyptian blogger and satirist Bassem Youseff  has been released on bail. 
While this is encouraging, it is disconcerting that the Egyptian version of Jon Stewart has been picked on by the regime.

Mr Youssef shot to fame in Egypt after the February 2011 uprising

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have seen in the past, as in Belarus, that dictators are very sensitive to satire and ridicule. They are very aware that  a public that is laughing at them is unlikely to fear them. We shall monitor the situation in Egypt and keep you up to date.

The same lack of humor has caused the Israeli occupation authorities to detain Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh under "administrative detention."


Please act on the blog request. Our Israeli authorities would do better to relax and smile--of course their monstrous egos would never allow this.

HORROR IN THE MALDIVES
It's hard to believe, but a 15-year-old rape survivor has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public! Let's put an end to this lunacy by hitting the Maldives government where it hurts: the tourism industry.

The girl's stepfather is accused of raping her for years and murdering the baby she bore. Now the court says she must be flogged for “sex outside marriage” with a man who has not even been named! President Waheed of the Maldives is already feeling global pressure on this, and we can force him to save this girl and change the law to spare other victims this cruel fate. This is how we can end the War on Women – by standing up every time an outrage like this happens.

 A woman died during a police raid in Indian-held Kashmir. Please act on the appeal and send in your letters of protest. This sort of brutal police action cannot be tolerated.

LABOR ACTIVIST IN THAILAND
Andy Hall a labor rights activist is facing a long jail sentence in Thailand for exposing abuses including child labor. He is accused of "broadcasting falsehoods to media" whereas he reported the painful truth . Please act and call upon the Thai authorities to quash this indictment.