Arcadia Foundation » Latest Papers http://arcadiafoundation.org It's in our hands to create change Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:26:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Gambia – Witch-Hunts, Human Rights Abuses and Jermaine Jackson http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/gambia-witch-hunts-human-rights-abuses-and-jermaine-jackson/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/gambia-witch-hunts-human-rights-abuses-and-jermaine-jackson/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:59:34 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1597 The group of armed officers had reached reactively for their walkie-talkies as BBC’s Ed Butler walked up the steps towards courtroom number two in The Gambia’s capital, Banjul.

Even though he was among a large group of journalists, some working for opposition newspapers, his white skin and BBC ID card singled him out.

Despite his protests at a low-level disregard for Gambia’s constitutional rules, no-one around him seemed very surprised he was not allowed access to the courtroom in question.

The court in session was hearing the case of treason against eight former government officers, accused of plotting to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh.

All eight have since been found guilty and all are fighting last-ditch appeals against a sentence of death.

Continued, as excerpted from BBC News:

“We have credible evidence from many different sources that the accused have been tortured – at least three of them,” says Etelle Higonnet of human rights group Amnesty International.

“The security forces use beatings on the genitals, places where the torture will not be visible. We’ve also heard that at least two witnesses at the trial were bribed and intimidated to give false witness.”

Human Rights groups say hundreds of suspected opponents have been rounded up since the latest crackdown began in November 2009.

It is just the latest effort, they say, to suppress dissent in the country since President Jammeh himself came to power in a military coup in 1994.

The government would not comment on these allegations, however Culture and Tourism Minister Fatou Mass Jobe argues that the president has worked hard to improve life in what was one of Africa’s poorest nations, for example by building several new schools and hospitals.

“The level of development we have here is second to no other country in Africa. We have peace and stability,” she told the BBC.

She did nothing, however, to dispel the accusations that Mr Jammeh is building up a personality cult, saying: “It’s like a blessing that we have such a visionary leader.”

The image of a police state is far from view on the beaches of Kololi, just outside the capital where tens of thousands of tourists come each year to escape the European winter.

This is Gambia’s main official source of foreign revenue.

It was in one of these beach hotels that President Jammeh held his birthday celebrations in May this year, featuring hours of films and stage performances paying tribute to the man who people say now rules this country with an iron fist.

The guests this year included the US popstar, Jermaine Jackson, who had brought an entourage of 57 people, including several of his children, from Los Angeles at the president’s invitation.

He seemed oblivious to the reports of torture and extra-judicial killings.

“He’s not just a politician, he’s a wonderful, genuine person,” enthused Mr Jackson, a convert to Islam, who is keen to highlight the connection of African Americans like himself to this former slave coast.

“It’s always the people abroad who want to say bad things about this country. The president is doing a wonderful job, and putting a smile on the faces of the people.”

I didn’t see many smiles when I visited the villagers of Jambur, a community just 80km (50 miles) from Banjul.

‘Evil-smelling concoction’

This was one of a number of villages involved in a bizarre government crackdown last year, which reveals another aspect of President Jammeh’s government.

Troops and government militia entered the village seeking out suspected witches.

Omar Bojang survived the questioning but at least six people died.

The rumour goes that the president’s aunt had recently died and he suspected a spell had been cast on her.

Dozens of elderly citizens, including the village imam, were rounded up and taken by bus to a military compound nearby.

“They made us lie on the floor and drink some kind of evil-smelling concoction,” said Omar Bojang, one of those arrested.

“People started falling over, many were just babbling all kinds of nonsense.”

After two days of incarceration, the 65 old people of Jambur were returned home, many in a delirious state.

Two of them died within hours in Jambur, and at least four others in nearby villages. Even today many still complain of routine stomach pains and other related ailments.

What is striking is that this kind of arbitrary repression goes almost completely unanswered.

Despite exhaustive testimony from hundreds of witnesses, the Gambian authorities have not either acknowledged or denied that the witch-hunt ever took place.

Nor will they comment on other idiosyncrasies of the president – such as his claim back in 2007 that he had invented a cure for HIV-Aids using local herbal remedies.

He has never produced any proof, or allowed any independent verification for this claim. The president himself has not given interviews to anyone except his own state-sanctioned media for several years.

He is standing for a fourth presidential term in office next year.

Such is the mood of fear, as well as his tight grip on the courts, the police and most of the media, that few expect any opponent to mount a serious challenge.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/gambia-witch-hunts-human-rights-abuses-and-jermaine-jackson/feed/ 0 South Sudan Pledges to End Use of Child Soldiers http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/south-sudan-pledges-to-end-use-of-child-soldiers/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/south-sudan-pledges-to-end-use-of-child-soldiers/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:01:48 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1591 South Sudan has officially pledged to end the use of child soldiers within its region by the end of this year, the BBC, the AFP, and Reuters reports.  The promise comes within the precipice of the referendum vote to decide its own autonomy from its northern counterpart or not.  Out of South Sudan come reports that even the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has established a child protection unit to make good on their promise. To date, the UN Children’s Agency estimates up to 900 children still fight with the SPLA, though it’s already discharged more than 20,000 children already in support of the pledge.

During the conflict, which ended in 2005 with the signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), what was known as the “Red Army” was the official title of the special “youth unit” in which child soldiers served in the rebel army of the South. Unfortunately, many more children still living in the recognized southern region still rely on serving in the military out of desperation, having no other means of support. That, or they grew up with their families in army barracks as well, sources in Sudan say.

“The SPLA by the end of this year will be child-free,” said William Deng, head of the south’s commission for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. “This army doesn’t lack manpower. If they wanted they could call millions now, but not children.”

The SPLA, the south’s former rebel movement, had already agreed with the UN to demobilize child soldiers and end their use across southern Sudan. Both the North and the South have suffered much destruction at the hands of a long civil war, though both are embracing hope out of their shared horrid histories.

Make no mistake, there’s still extreme turmoil between both the North and the South, especially while the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) still carries out attacks against its Southern enemies. SPLA chief of staff James Hoth says however, there’s no war and as such doesn’t need to recruit heavily, let alone recruit children. The LRA, however, remains extremely mobilized continuing to seek refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo and launch attacks from there into the South. What isn’t clear, however, is to the extent of which how much responsibility the North maintains facilitates their activities. At the discussion tables however, both parties are embracing together their hopes for peace. Though both are remaining vigilant as well expressing the concerns.

“Taking a liberation army and transforming it into a professional army is a long road to walk,” said Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for south Sudan. But she also warned that the SPLA must improve in other areas, including ensuring aid workers can safely do their jobs. Some four million people, roughly half the population of the south, depend upon some kind of food assistance in order to survive, Grande said. In addition, she states that heavy interference still hinders the distribution of food and medical supplies in general, to include LRA interception among other thieves in general,
mobilized or not.

The long civil war left much destruction, but there is a new atmosphere of hope. The southerners, who mostly belong to Christian or other religions compared to the largely Muslim and Arab population of
the North, are hoping that all will go peacefully with the vote. 2 million people returned to South Sudan after the end of the war and another 1.5 million are expected to repatriate ahead of the referendum. Some 12,200 southerners are currently living in Egypt and the government hopes to encourage them home on trains and buses and boats down the River Nile.

South Sudan still has a long way to go in overcoming all its troubles. There are still extreme tensions with the north and the country is also facing increased attacks from the Lord’s Resistance Army, who
have crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo to take harvests from villagers, forcing over 25,000 people to flee their homes. But despite all the many hurdles faced by this troubled region,
the southern Sudanese seem determined to build a better country for their children.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/south-sudan-pledges-to-end-use-of-child-soldiers/feed/ 0 Venezuela: Opponent Dies During Hunger strike http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/venezuela-opponent-dies-during-hunger-strike/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/venezuela-opponent-dies-during-hunger-strike/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:01:05 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1581 Farmer Franklin Britos, 49, died last night at approximately 9 pm, at the Carlos Arvelo Military Hospital of Caracas as a result of a hunger strike which began several months ago to protest against “expropriation policy and nationalizations carried out by the Hugo Chávez government.”

According to his wife, Elena Brito, “he died around 9 pm due to a heart attack.” His weight was 35 kilos, his body mass index was below 10 percent and he showed clinical signs of hypothermia critical.

Britos made several hunger strikes since July 2, 2009, protesting against the expropriation of his lands, in Bolivar state (south). About 24 hectares of land were taken from him by the authorities in 2003, and in which he grew yucca and watermelons. The latest hunger strike he had begun was on March 1.

The Government had accused Britos of being mentally unstable and the opposition of trying to take advantage of his protest for political gain in the general elections on September 26th. Despite claims of such strategic capitalization, one cannot argue that the authoritarian regime of Hugo Chavez has wielded nationalization as a political weapon to aggregate power and in his efforts to wildly push an ALBA doctrine slowly decreasing in support, leaves casualties, like Mr. Britos, in his wake.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/venezuela-opponent-dies-during-hunger-strike/feed/ 0 A Bile of Prejudice Hindering Ugandan Progression http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/a-bile-of-prejudice-hindering-ugandan-progression/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/a-bile-of-prejudice-hindering-ugandan-progression/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:24:26 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1530 As seen in the Huffington Post:

Uganda is a bountiful, diverse nation on the socio-economic rise. They are a people of peace and tolerance, spurring international recognition for our established and newfound bevy of resources, their majestic scenery which has long supported thriving tourism and our democratic government, each day opening its doors to showcase greater transparency. Uganda has long been a cultural melting pot, with over 30 distinct indigenous languages belonging to five linguistic groups. Indeed all the tools are in place for Uganda to be a shining star in the continent and a symbol of potential for their neighbors.

In recent months however, their thought leadership with regard to pragmatic cultural progression has been severely weakened by prejudice, fear and frankly, illegal interventionism both from targeted sects here at home and by larger organizations abroad. I am speaking of course of the Anti-Homosexuality legislation.

The bill, which flatly criminalizes the homosexual practice, is slowly working its way through the legislature, prescribing the death penalty and other harsh punishments for the community in Kampala and throughout the nation.

President Yoweri Museveni has rightly asked the authors to “soften” the bill but the administration has yet to make significant headway against a propaganda regime out to condemn homosexual behavior as sodomy and proud Ugandans as heathens. Mr. Museveni understands the geopolitical ramifications, the shutting-off of aid from governments and charitable campaigns, should this unfortunate legislation come to pass.

Martin Ssempa, who pastors the Makerere Community Church in Kampala, has largely ushered in this movement of intolerance. Ssempa, perhaps fueled by an Evangelical movement from the United States who visited months before he began his tirade, has run a brash campaign of hate which nears consent of murdering innocent Ugandans, let alone depriving them of their fundamental human right to freedom of expression.

Peter Tatchell, British MP and the London-based human rights campaigner, has supported the efforts of Ugandan activists to oppose the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

“Congratulations to the many brave Ugandan activists – gay and straight – who are campaigning against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. This issue is much bigger than gay rights. It is a civil liberties issue”, he stated. “The opponents of the Bill are defending individual freedom and liberty; the right individuals to live their lives as they wish, without state diktat, interference and repression.“

“Much of the impetus for this Bill has come from right-wing evangelicals in the US. They have poured money and dishonest homophobic propaganda into Uganda. Their lurid, exaggerated and sometimes downright untrue claims about gay life are fuelling homophobic sentiment. They are exploiting the poverty of Uganda to fight the battle against homosexuality that they are losing in the US.”

Arcadia Foundation founder Betty Bigombe has mediated between warring factions in the face of immense personal harm on the ground in Uganda. She understands the challenges in finding common ground. Rarely has there been such legislation that will pose the kind of cataclysmic ramifications we shall see with regard to trade and economic prosperity, ramifications that will affect all walks of life. Ssempa’s single-mindedness will not let him comprehend that there are many working parts to a functional democracy and though entitled to his opinion, his work is detrimental to our overall development.

The USIP and the Arcadia Foundation, organizations in which Ms. Bigombe participate and indeed have founded, have helped shine a light on troubled areas of the world and educated international audiences as to what their rights are and what role the government must play to uphold them. This proposed anti-homosexuality law has drawn international rebuke precisely due to the threat of these rights being stripped and indeed if processed in to law, would cause their star’s light to dim.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/a-bile-of-prejudice-hindering-ugandan-progression/feed/ 1 UN Rights Chief Hopes Cuban Dissident Move Marks First Step http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/un-rights-chief-hopes-cuban-dissident-move-marks-first-step/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/un-rights-chief-hopes-cuban-dissident-move-marks-first-step/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:55:47 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1491 The wheels of diplomacy grind slowly in Havana, but now at last Raúl Castro has acted after negotiations with the Catholic church and the Spanish foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay hopes Cuba’s move to release 52 political prisoners represents “the start of significant steps” to protect human rights in the country, her spokesman said Friday.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomed Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas’s decision to end a hunger strike after 135 days as a result of the “positive development“, spokesman Rupert Colville said.

“The High Commissioner welcomes the announcement that Cuba plans to release 52 political detainees and it will particularly be good news when the phased release of all 52 has actually been completed,” he told journalists.

“We hope that this will be the start of a series of significant steps to advance the protection of human rights in Cuba,” Colville added.

Cuba late Wednesday agreed to free 52 political prisoners in a surprise church-state deal promising the biggest such release since President Raul Castro formally took power in the communist country in 2008.

Foreign observers lauded the announcement, with some, including the United States and Spain, providing offers of asylum.

UN human rights experts have repeatedly voiced concern about the plight of dissidents in Cuba and their imprisonment.

Last month, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, said the Cuban government had failed to agree on a date to allow him to undertake a mission to the country.

Cuba had invited Nowak in February 2009 to make what would be an unprecedented visit by a UN torture watchdog, but repeated proposals made by Nowak for dates were rejected by Havana.

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]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/un-rights-chief-hopes-cuban-dissident-move-marks-first-step/feed/ 0 Hoax Underscores Urgency for LGBT People in Uganda http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/beheading-hoax-underscores-urgency-for-lgbt-people-in-uganda/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/beheading-hoax-underscores-urgency-for-lgbt-people-in-uganda/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:37:47 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1488 Reports that the man whose head was found in a latrine in Uganda worked for a pro-gay group in the country have proven to be false, causing many to unfortunately believe that the story was planted to discredit the Ugandan LGBT community, foreign bloggers, and Integrity Uganda. Integrity USA, a group representing LGBT Episcopalians, has confirmed that the dead man, Pasikali Kashusbe, was not associated with Integrity Uganda.

Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin writes:

“Some believe that the story was planted to discredit the Ugandan LGBT community, foreign bloggers, and Integrity Uganda specifically when the story was inevitably revealed to be a fraud. Other possibilities include (someone) using this story for another run at fraudulent fundraising.”

Burroway later issued an apology for perpetuating the false story:

To say that knowing that this web site helped to propagate that hoax is humiliating would be an understatement. We’ve worked hard at BTB in establishing our credibility, and I believe that a key component of that is also to maintain an atmosphere of transparency and accountability when we get it wrong.

The more profound damage, Burroway fears, however, is that this hoax will damage the fight for LGBT rights in Uganda.

This hoax can provide ammunition to our opponents who would try to use it as proof that LGBT people are deliberately spreading rumors and falsehoods. It can be used as a “crying wolf” case to dismiss future reports in which LGBT people are really attacked and killed. The hoax can be used as an excuse to silence LGBT people, organizations, and news outlets. It can give someone an idea for a copycat crime. It can do so many other damaging things as well, and knowing that I was a part of its spread is something that I am deeply sorry for.

The story was so believable from the off-set due to the tumultuous atmosphere in Uganda, ripe for just this kind of violence against people who are gay or lesbian or are perceived as such in the nation. With the anti-homosexuality law still pending, this issue is front and center in the country.

As The Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, Integrity USA’s Vice President for National and International Affairs noted, the hoax is a call to LGBT advocates around the world to redouble their efforts to foster full acceptance of LGBT people everywhere in the world – and most especially where they face the prospect of violence and death on a frequent basis.

This story is a wakeup call for all of us to ensure that something like it will never actually happen. We cannot allow the rhetoric of misinformation and misinterpretation of Holy Scriptures to justify hatred and fear towards our fellow human beings.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/beheading-hoax-underscores-urgency-for-lgbt-people-in-uganda/feed/ 0 David Frum Weighs in on Obama’s Foreign Policy Initiatives http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/david-frum-weighs-in-on-obamas-foreign-policy-initiatives/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/david-frum-weighs-in-on-obamas-foreign-policy-initiatives/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:31:05 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1468 The following, excerpted from the Opinion column of Canada’s ‘The National Post‘, does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Arcadia Foundation, however we must commend Mr. Frum for his candor and unique brand of insight in to an administration unquestionably veiled by popular culture and often scrutinized with ‘kid gloves’:

Can you name one major foreign policy initiative of the Obama administration that is not mired in failure?

The Afghan war is going wrong. Diplomatic outreach to Iran was slapped away. Concessions to Russia failed to buy meaningful sanctions. Pro-Obama European governments have declined to send more troops to Afghanistan.

The President’s personal relationships with leaders of Germany, U.K. and France are cool to chilly. The President’s outreach to the Islamic world has achieved nothing: In fact, more anti-American terrorist plots were launched in 2009 than in any year since 2001.

When a pro-Hugo Chavez president tried to hold power illegally in Honduras, the Obama administration backed the lawless president over a unanimous Honduran Supreme Court.

Then, think of all the non-initiatives that might help but are not happening:

Where is the United States as the euro threatens to crack up? Hezbollah is aggressively rearming in Lebanon yet the United States does nothing. Washington seems to have no trade policy, no plan for holding Iraq together after U.S. combat troops leave, and has lost all interest in promotion of democracy or human rights.

A few weeks after Barack Obama’s 2008 election win, I had a chance to talk to someone who had spent a lot of time with the candidate. I asked: In Obama’s own opinion, what is his expertise? What does he think he knows a lot about?

This Obama observer answered: “Foreign affairs.”

He saw the shocked look on my face and laughed. “You may think Obama has no reason to think himself an expert, but believe me: he does.”

My informant proved exactly right.

It was Obama who decided to pooh-pooh Iran’s brutal crackdown on democracy protesters last summer in hope of enticing the Iranian government into talks with the United States.

It was Obama who cancelled the European missile-defence program in hopes of winning Russian help on Iran sanctions.

It was Obama who tilted against the Honduran Supreme Court and in favour of Honduras’ Chavezista president.

These are the decisions that are going awry — and visibly awry.

The real news in the Rolling Stone article that cost General Stanley McChrystal his job was not that the general’s aides were full of grumbles against their civilian colleagues. The news was that the commanding general in Afghanistan does not believe that the war is being won.

Anyway: What would “winning” mean? The Bush administration made a decision back in 2002 not to over-invest in Afghanistan, to settle for very limited goals and to focus instead on Iraq. Candidate Obama fiercely opposed the Iraq war and called instead for a big new recommitment to Afghanistan.

Once elected president, Obama hesitated for months as he pondered whether to fulfill his pledges on Afghanistan. That delay suggests to me that the original commitment had been made for campaign purposes, and did not reflect a serious analysis of the costs and benefits of a big Afghan counterinsurgency.

Whatever Obama’s motives, the results of his long-pondered policy have been disappointing to everybody — and a sharp reminder of the reasons that president Bush opted against nation-building in Afghanistan.

Now President Obama faces another up-or-out decision. He has a new general in the field, who is surely telling the president that the president’s deadline for withdrawal is unrealistic. Afghanistan cannot be transformed in a few months. The United States is either committed for the duration — or else it’s time to begin looking now for an exit that meets minimum U.S. goals: deny al-Qaeda a safe haven, deny the Taliban a return to power in Kabul.

Once again, the decision is the President’s to make. Based on previous performance, you have to worry: Will he do any better this time than last?

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/david-frum-weighs-in-on-obamas-foreign-policy-initiatives/feed/ 0 Africa’s Gay Activists Use Internet to Advance Homosexual Rights http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/africas-gay-activists-use-internet-to-advance-homosexual-rights/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/africas-gay-activists-use-internet-to-advance-homosexual-rights/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:42:58 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1455 African gay activists in Africa and in the diaspora are increasingly using the Internet to have their voices heard, while still trying to figure out how to advance homosexual rights on the continent.

One of the more popular blogs advocating gay rights in Africa is called Gay Uganda. Its author chooses to remain anonymous.

“I am somebody in the heart of Africa who has been lonely without the rest of the Internet, without the rest of the global sphere, talking about what I would like to talk about, with that kind of freedom,” he said from Kampala.”I cannot do it elsewhere.”
While harsher laws are being proposed against homosexuality across the continent, including in Uganda, the author of Gay Uganda says what he is doing helps Africa’s homosexual community.

“It started off as a way of venting, but then later I realized that it was a way of putting across to the rest of the world what our lives were more or less,” he said. “The things that have been happening around Kampala, in Uganda, and all over the continent – it is strengthening to me personally, that is why I do it.”

Continued, as excerpted from VOA:

Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo said recently that the government is concerned about what he called the “mushrooming” number of gays and lesbians in the country. Nsaba Buturo said he wants a law enacted that would criminalize confessing to being a homosexual.

Even in countries like Ghana, which are seen as being relatively tolerant, anti-homosexual activities, such as marches denouncing gays, are becoming more far too frequent.

A columnist from the United States, Reverend Irene Monroe, says her own work and Internet outreach have put her in contact with many gays and lesbians in Africa like a woman from Kenya who recently wrote her an email.

“She says here, ‘I need encouragement. Here homosexuality is punishable by 14 years imprisonment and 28 strokes of the cane. “The church is also extremely hostile. Some suspected lesbians from my church were once beaten and burnt,’” Monroe said.

Gay activists in Africa say it is a very difficult process to advance homosexual rights, especially in difficult economic times, when scapegoats are used by politicians and religious leaders to divert attention.

Irene Monroe links discrimination to a lack of democracy and government policies toward HIV and AIDS.
“Countries that tend to be more open around addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS and have a lot more financial solvency and really do run more in terms of employing a democratic model, you will find in those small pockets throughout Africa and other parts of the world people are more tolerant in the different ways in which people express love,” she said. “And we see it here when we see rabid forms of conservatism here we find in most groups of people who are less tolerant of certain folks, it operates similarly believe it or not in Africa too. Culturally, it looks different. But the seed around what gives rise to the kind of homophobia that blossoms in the way it does, it is planted in the same soil.”

Gay activists say they hope those advocating homosexual rights eventually will succeed – one blog entry and appeal for understanding at a time.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/africas-gay-activists-use-internet-to-advance-homosexual-rights/feed/ 0 Clinton Pleads Case for Honduras http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/clinton-pleads-case-for-honduras/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/clinton-pleads-case-for-honduras/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:51:16 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1448 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pleaded Monday with Latin American countries to welcome Honduras back into their circle.

Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua and other nations have thus far refused to recognize the new Honduran leader, Porfirio Lobo, who was elected following the ouster of former President Manuel Zelaya.

Addressing a meeting of the Organization of American States here, Mrs. Clinton noted that the United States had originally condemned Mr. Zelaya’s ouster. But she said, “We saw the free and fair election of President Lobo,” and she praised him for nonetheless setting up a truth commission to investigate Zelaya’s removal from office, which was legally authorized by the Honduran judiciary.“Now it’s time for the hemisphere as a whole to move forward and welcome Honduras back into the inter-American community,” Mrs. Clinton said.

For her part, Mrs. Clinton was trying to avoid a replay of last year’s O.A.S. meeting, which fell into an even more acrimonious debate over whether to readmit Cuba. She was also trying to marshal support for the Obama administration’s push for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

In Lima, Mrs. Clinton briefly met with Brazil’s deputy foreign minister, Antônio de Aguiar Patriota, to discuss both Iran and Honduras. Brazil, which tried with Turkey to broker a deal with Iran over enrichment of its uranium, is expected to vote against an Iran resolution.

Mrs. Clinton faced an awkward moment when Mr. García praised her for her advocacy of women’s rights, then abruptly walked out of the room, leaving her alone in front of a pair of microphones with a bemused smile on her face. Mrs. Clinton explained that the president was running late for his next meeting, and then quickly beat her own retreat from his palace.

]]> http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/clinton-pleads-case-for-honduras/feed/ 0 Rwanda and the Case of Prof. Peter Erlinder http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/rwanda-and-the-case-of-prof-peter-erlinder/ http://arcadiafoundation.org/latest-papers/africa/rwanda-and-the-case-of-prof-peter-erlinder/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:50:18 +0000 The Arcadia Foundation http://arcadiafoundation.org/?p=1444 Rwanda. A nation geopolitically renowned for its great strides in finding economic prosperity from the ruins of 1994.

We haven’t discussed much in the tone of Rwandan human rights on this site. That changes today. Enter lawyer Peter Erlinder, an American political prisoner of the Rwandan government who was detained under false charges on May 28th, just one week after his client, the opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was jailed.

Despite a formal request from the U.S. State Department that Rwanda immediately release Erlinder, things have only gotten worse, as the judge has rejected all motions for bail, extended his remand for another 30 days, while Erlinder’s own defense attorney has been chased from the country fearing his own detention.

“There has been a lot of theatrics surrounding this case, but the fundamental issue at stake is whether Rwandans believe it is permissible for Genocide defenders and deniers to threaten the hard-won stability and harmony they have built in 16 years,” Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo said in a statement released by her office.Mushikiwabo said that the Rwandan people ‘overwhelmingly answer no‘ the right of Erlinder and ‘his co-conspirators‘ to ‘peddle lies and conspiracy‘, adding their activities threaten the rights of Rwandans to heal and prosper.

“The Prosecution of Peter Erlinder is not a political tactic; it is an act of justice. If critics disagree with the Rwandan laws against the denial or defence of Genocide, we invite and welcome that debate,” she added.

This attack against Erlinder has provoked a widespread sense of fear and vulnerability on behalf of lawyers who participate in the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR), established by the United Nations in 1994. Members of the International Criminal Bar, of which Erlinder is a member, have issued a strong condemnation of Rwanda’s conduct, demanding the immediate release of the prisoner. “How can international criminal courts operate effectively if defence lawyers are at risk of being arrested for what they say on behalf of their clients?,”said Amanda Pinto of the ICB. “This affects all defence lawyers at the ICTR, but the issues are potentially the same for defence counsel anywhere in the international forum.”

“The Government of Rwanda takes no pleasure from Mr. Erlinder’s plight, but this needs to be understood; flagrant and orchestrated breaches of our Genocide ideology laws will be met with the full force of the law,” Mushikiwabo said.

Last week, Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda would not short-circuit legal procedures and release the lawyer, despite a request by the United States to release him on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.

She added that the country will have to take Erlinder through the procedures to answer charges against him, and at the same time consider his ongoing health concerns.

The eyes of the world are slowly turning back to Rwanda; despite American condemnation, this politically-motivated saga continued to unfold.

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