30 October 2014
Saying the ongoing civil war in Syria and its spillover effects continue to inflict a devastating human and humanitarian toll on neighbouring countries, John Ging, Operations Director for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, made a strong plea on behalf of the neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as Turkey. (more…)
24 October 2014
On 21 October 2014, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issues a judgment in the case of Sharifi and Others v. Italy and Greece. The ECtHR found that there had been several violations of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on account of collective expulsion by the Italian authorities of Afghan migrants, who were then deprived of access to the asylum procedure in Greece. (more…)
23 October 2014
In a recent interview by The Diplomat, the Kabul based journalist and author of A Man and His Motorcycle: How Hamid Karzai Came to Power Bette Dam discussed the prospects of success for Afghanistan’s new ‘unity government’ and the role of the international community. (more…)
23 October 2014
In presenting his report on the use of armed drones within law enforcement, Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, stressed that such mechanised systems, controlled by a human from a distance, ‘can hardly do what police officers are supposed to do’, such as using the minimum force required by the circumstances. ‘The situation becomes even more problematic when the police use increasingly autonomous weapons – that is, weapons that have on board computers which decide on the use of force,’ Mr. Heyns continued. ‘The decreased personal involvement of police officers in the deployment of force raises the question, among others, of who is responsible if things go wrong.’ (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | Growing use of drones in law enforcement may violate human rights, warns UN expert
22 October 2014
On 20 October 2014 the European Union targeted 12 Syrian government ministers, two senior military figures and a United Arab Emirates company accused of helping supply oil to Syria, with sanctions comprising of an asset freeze and, for the individuals listed, a travel ban. (more…)
Source: Reuters | EU targets ministers, UAE firm in latest Syria sanctions
Source : Council of the European Union | Press Release | ST 14301/14 | 20 October 2014