human rights activists

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Russian Activist Imprisoned, Says 'I Don't Regret Anything'

Oleg Orlov, 70, of human rights group Memorial is hit with 2.5 years behind bars in Russia

(Newser) - A veteran human rights campaigner who criticized the war in Ukraine was convicted Tuesday by a Moscow court of "repeatedly discrediting" the Russian military and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Oleg Orlov, 70, co-chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, had rejected the case...

Gunman Kills Indigenous Rights Activist

Nearly 100 rights leaders have been killed in Mexico in less than 4 years

(Newser) - Armed assailants killed lawyer and Indigenous rights activist Patricia Rivera Reyes, Mexican authorities announced Monday. The prosecutors' office in the northern border state of Baja California said three masked intruders burst into a home in the border city of Tijuana where a festivity was being held Saturday night. The intruders...

After Woman's Death, First Arrest Made in Age-Old Custom
Another Death Prompts First
Arrest in Age-Old Custom
the rundown

Another Death Prompts First Arrest in Age-Old Custom

Brother-in-law arrested in Nepal after woman dies in menstruation hut on cold night

(Newser) - It's called "chhaupadi," an age-old practice in Nepal in which women are forced out of the home while menstruating and into makeshift huts, even in the bitter cold. The nation outlawed the practice last year, but the custom persists. Now, however, a young woman's death has...

Women Convicted of Leaving Water, Food for Migrants

4 activists entered Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge without a permit

(Newser) - A federal judge has found four women guilty of entering a national wildlife refuge without a permit as they sought to place food and water in the Arizona desert for migrants, reports the AP . US Magistrate Judge Bernardo Velasco's ruling Friday marked the first conviction against humanitarian aid volunteers...

In a First, Saudis May Behead Female Human-Rights Activist

Canada continues to push back

(Newser) - In the midst of a fight with Canada over female human-rights activists, Saudi Arabia plans to behead one. The country's public prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against five activists, including Israa al-Ghomgham of the Shia Muslim minority, who documented mass protests in the Eastern Province beginning in 2011,...

Iran to Lash 'Serial Human Rights Abuser'

If he doesn't buy his way out, that is

(Newser) - As a judge, and then prosecutor general in Tehran from 2003 to 2009, Saeed Mortazavi earned a reputation as a "serial human rights abuser" and "butcher of the press" for his role in quieting journalists and political dissenters. Now, he may get a taste of his own medicine....

She Helped Get Him Out of Gitmo; Now She's Marrying Him

'Child soldier' Omar Khadr engaged to human rights activist Muna Abougoush

(Newser) - As Omar Khadr fought for years to be released from Guantanamo Bay, he always had Canadian human rights activist Muna Abougoush in his corner. Abougoush helped put together the Free Omar Khadr website and even visited him when he was eventually moved to a Canadian prison, notes the Guardian . Now...

Canadian Beauty Queen in a Battle With Beijing

Anastasia Lin may not be allowed to compete in pageant in China

(Newser) - Anastasia Lin is an actress who believes her outspoken advocacy of human rights in her native China played a big role in her winning bid in May to become Canada's contestant in the Miss World pageant. But then the host country for the global beauty pageant was changed from...

Woman Gets Year in Jail for Ripping Up King's Photo

Human rights activist found guilty of 'insulting' Bahrain's King Hamad

(Newser) - The daughter of a well-known Bahraini human rights activist was sentenced Wednesday to a year in jail for delivering the ultimate insult to her country's king: ripping up a picture of him, Reuters reports. Zainab al-Khawaja, 32, lost her appeal on a conviction for tearing up a photo of...

Snowden to Meet With Activists at Airport
 Snowden Seeks 
 Asylum in Russia: Report 
UPDATED

Snowden Seeks Asylum in Russia: Report

At least for now, he says in meeting with Human Rights Watch

(Newser) - Edward Snowden will seek political asylum in Russia, at least temporarily, he told human rights groups in a meeting today at Sheremetyevo International Airport. The news comes via New York Times reporter Ellen Barry , who cites a Human Rights Watch researcher at the meeting. Snowden say he's fine with...

Chinese Citizens: We Were Jailed in a Holiday Inn

Officials want to silence citizens who are looking to air complaints: activists

(Newser) - Last March, while China's legislature held its 10-day annual meeting in Beijing, five citizens say they were being held against their will in a Holiday Inn near Shanghai, reports CNN . They had come to China's capital as "petitioners" looking to file grievances that had fallen on deaf...

US, China in Talks Over Blind Activist: Rights Group

Chen Guangcheng may be hiding in US embassy in Beijing

(Newser) - The US is in "high-level talks" with China over the blind human rights activist who recently fled Chinese authorities , according to a group based in Texas. Chen Guangcheng "is under US protection and high-level talks are currently under way between US and Chinese officials regarding Chen's status,...

China Releases Dissident Hu Jia

But human rights activist now faces house arrest

(Newser) - The prominent Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia has been freed from prison, after serving three-and-a-half years for "inciting subversion," reports the BBC . Hu's wife posted the news on Twitter this morning. "We are fine and happy. Need to rest for some time. Thank you everyone,...

Amnesty: Gadhafi Opponents Missing

Group cites at least 30 likely detained by retreating Gadhafi forces

(Newser) - Moammar Gadhafi's government has swept up bloggers, journalists, suspected rebel fighters, and even teenage protesters in an organized effort to quash rebellion in Libya, Amnesty International said in a report today. The group said its workers in Libya have documented 30 cases of people who have disappeared in the east,...

China Jails Quake Activist
 China Jails Quake Activist 

China Jails Quake Activist

Tan Zuoren sentenced to 5 years on subversion charges

(Newser) - A Chinese activist who blamed shoddy construction for the deaths of thousands of schoolchildren in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake has been sentenced to 5 years in jail for subversion. Tan Zuoren was charged for a document he wrote on the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square, but supporters believe he was...

Chinese Cyberspying Targets Stanford Student's Gmail

Google can't find breach of Tibetan human rights activist's laptop

(Newser) - A Tibetan human rights proponent and Stanford undergrad is the first activist identified as a target of the recent Chinese cyberattack on Google. “That the long arm of Chinese security could reach all the way to my home here at Stanford is something I never would have suspected,”...

China Web Attack 'Massive Spy Assault on US'

Hackers targeted defense, tech firms as well as activists

(Newser) - The cyberattacks on human rights activists that sparked Google's threat to quit China were part of a massive spy campaign targeting American financial, defense, and technology firms, according to security experts. The highly sophisticated attacks used email attachments to access the networks of at least 34 firms, including Yahoo and...

Chechen Activist Murdered; Prez Eyed

(Newser) - A human rights activist whose probes into abuse by authorities were a constant irritation to authorities has been kidnapped and murdered in Chechnya, the Wall Street Journal reports. Natalya Estemirova was found shot dead along a roadside hours after witnesses saw her being bundled into a car. Chechnya's president, pro-Russia...

Obama Meets With Human- Rights Leaders

Under fire for recent moves, holds 'probing' pre-speech discussion

(Newser) - Dogged by criticism over recent decisions, President Obama invited a crew of human-rights and civil-liberties leaders and academics to discuss Guantanamo, tribunals, and transparency ahead of today’s speech on similar themes, the Huffington Post reports. Obama said he was unhappy with Congress’ denial of funds to close Gitmo and...

Obama Puts Human Rights on Back Burner, Activists Say

Sometimes confrontation isn't best tactic, administration suggests

(Newser) - Human-rights workers had high hopes for the Obama administration after President Bush’s inconsistent, too-hot-too-cold policies—but so far, the Washington Post reports, activists think President Obama has let rights take a back seat to more pressing concerns. For example, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said pushing China on human...

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