Human Rights

Sydney; 08 March 2020 (UMMN):  There have been numerous support protests around the world since Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest started, and there appear to be several in the pipe line. One such protest is being organised by the Citizens Forum for Democratic Rights on 22 March 2020. This is one of the many protests that have been planned across capital cities of Australia.

07 Mar 2020; MEMO: Turkey has given the world a lesson of humanity by opening its doors and being a safe haven for refugees, the country’s vice president said on Friday.

Speaking at an event in the southern Mersin province, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay strongly criticized Greece for its cruelty towards asylum seekers.

07 Mar 2020; MEMO: Israeli occupation authorities yesterday demolished all Palestinian homes in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb in the Negev for the 176th time.

The village was first levelled in July 2010, and every time the residents of Al-Araqeeb rebuild their tents and small homes, occupation forces return to raze them, sometime several times in a month.

Ballia, Mar 7 (PTI) A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place on Thursday night in the village under Sahatwar police station limits, they said.

However, it came to light after a woman lodged an FIR alleging that her daughter was raped by a 19-year-old man, police said.

The girl has been sent for medical examination and investigations are on, they added.

NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi officials arrested two members of the royal family early Friday for allegedly plotting to oust King Salman and the son he has designated to succeed him, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Quoting unidentified sources, the Journal said guards from the royal court detained one of the king’s brothers, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, and one of his nephews, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. Both men were arrested at their homes and charged with treason, it said.

ISLAMABAD, Mar 6 (APP): The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is considering downgrading India’s ranking with respect to religious freedom. The Commission is mulling whether to move down India a notch from “Tier II” to “Tier I” or “countries with particular concern” on account of religious freedom.

Mumbai, Mar 5 (PTI) As many as 30 children are abducted in Maharashtra every day, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh told the Legislative Council on Thursday.

Deshmukh made the revelation in a written reply to a question asked by NCP MLC Vikram Kale.

"Around 30 children are kidnapped in Maharashtra every day, of which 72 per cent are girls," the minister said.

Deshmukh also said that the state plans to introduce a special act on the lines of Andhra Pradesh's Disha Act to expedite trials in cases of violence against children and women.

Ludhiana, Mar 5 (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday accused the BJP-led Union government of not being serious on any probe into riots in Delhi.

The Central government is not serious about inquiry into Delhi riots which resulted in huge loss of human lives and public property. The administration and police appeared to be mere spectators, Yechury said here.

Thrissur (Ker), Mar 6 (PTI) A local temple in Kerala has become the eye of a social media storm after the picture of a 'Brahmins-only toilet' outside its main campus went viral on online platforms, prompting the management to remove the signboard.

The picture of three toilets, with signboards showing 'Men', 'Women' and 'Brahmins', at the Kuttumukku Mahadeva Temple here, has gone viral with many netizens viewing it as an unethical practise which would put the progressive state in a bad light.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 05 (APP): Repressive measures against minorities and protesters in India have been sharply criticized by Freedom House, a key US watchdog of democracy, in a report warning of democratic decline worldwide.

Its Freedom in the World report 2020 targets India, which claims to be the world’s largest democracy, for a “harsh crackdown on political rights and civil liberties” including seven months of military lockdown and internet shutdown in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir.