South African rights advocates vow to defend cause of Turkey’s expelled MP
Source https://turkishminute.com/2021/04/01/south-african-right-advocate-vow-to-defend-cause-of-turkeys-expelled-mp/ Türkmen Terzi Prominent human rights advocates from South Africa promised at an online event to support Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a pro-Kurdish MP who was expelled from the Turkish Parliament on March 17, in his fight for democracy. Human rights lawyers Krish Govender and Mfana Gwala were panelists at an online event along with Gergerlioğlu, organized by the South African-based Universal Rights Association (URA) on Wednesday and titled “Challenges of Being a Human Rights Defender in an Anti-Democratic Environment.” Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Gergerlioğlu, who was stripped of his parliamentary status based on a prison sentence for retweeting a news story in 2016 about the Kurdish conflict and the collapse of the peace process, told the South African lawyers that human rights defenders have become victims of the state in Turkey. In his comments Govender said he was privileged and honored to be engaged in a conversation with…
An Appeal for Understanding and Reconciliation from the Gandhi-King Global Network
Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jonathan Greenberg An Appeal for Understanding and Reconciliation from the Gandhi-King Global Network We are scholars, teachers, and practitioners of nonviolence in the living tradition of Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Based in the U.S., India, South Africa and other nations, we are engaged participants of the Gandhi-King Global Network (GKGN) affiliated with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. On January 26, 2021, the Republic Day of India, a bronze statue of Mohandas K. Gandhi that had been given to the City of Davis, California as a gift by the Government of India was attacked by unknown persons who sawed off the statue at the ankle and cut the head in half. We are deeply saddened by this attack. We condemn the desecration and decapitation of the Gandhi statue as an attack on the nonviolence principles Gandhi advocated…
50 Best Apartheid Ad Images in 2020 – BigSpy
50 Best Apartheid Ad Images in 2020 by BigSpy View the images when you click here: https://bigspy.com/category-ad/apartheid-ad
International Day of Education History
Source https://www.wincalendar.com/za/Day-of-Education International Day of Education seeks to raise awareness about the importance of education. This day encourages collaboration and international solidarity. The goal is to create more inclusive, safe, and sustainable societies with education and learning at the center. According to the UN, over 260 million children do not attend school and over 600 million children and teenagers are unable to read or do basic math. Education offers children a way out of poverty and improves their chances of having a promising future. International Day of Education was established in 2018 by the U.N General Assembly. It is observed annually on January 24th.
TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD:FIVE YEARS OF ACTION TOWARDS THE SDGs
Source – Click here to download and view full details http://unga-reception.org/wp-content/uploads/UNGA-2020-_Booklet-.pdf The UNGA Conference 2020 will be held virtually, on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, in the margins of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. The UNGA Conference 2020 is organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), in partnership with the JWF’s Global Partners, Member States of the United Nations, UN organs and agencies, and civil society organizations from around the world. The UNGA Conference is the flagship event of the JWF, creating a platform for diverse stakeholders to discuss the Global Agenda 2030 and offer innovative solutions, strategies, and policy recommendations, with the view of further advancing the culture of peace, human rights and sustainable development. The conference gathers a group of distinguished panelists and high-level speakers in three subsequent panel sessions, to discuss a particular agenda and propose a framework for action. Since 2014, the JWF…
Joint Statement on the arrest of 48 Lawyers and 7 Intern Lawyers in Ankara, Turkey (16.9.2020)
MEDEL has co-signed a joint statement, published today, on the mass arrest of lawyers in Turkey. You can read it below: Through the new “alternative bar associations” legislation and President Erdogan’s own words “Those who act as the lawyers of terrorists may not act like terrorists themselves. If they do so, there must be a price to pay”, which he said in the presence of judges and prosecutors in the new judicial year opening ceremony, the Turkish government had already signaled that a new phase in the persecution of lawyers was about to start. Only a few days after President Erdogan’s speech, today (11 September 2020), the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor has ordered the arrest of 48 lawyers, 7 trainee lawyers, 4 purged judges and a law graduate, for being “members of a terrorist organisation” According to the report of the state-run Anatolian News Agency, their arrests were sought for no…
The International Observatory of Human Rights signs joint statement with 22 Rights Organizations and Law Associations Calling on the Turkish Government to Release 48 Lawyers Arrested in Turkey on September 11
Source https://observatoryihr.org/pr/the-international-observatory-of-human-rights-signs-joint-statement-with-22-rights-organizations-and-law-associations-calling-on-the-turkish-government-to-release-48-lawyers-arrested-in-turkey-on-sept/ The Arrested Lawyers Initiative issued a joint statement following the arrest of 48 lawyers and 7 intern lawyers and 4 purged judges on 11 of September,2020 State run Anatolian News Agency stated that arrests were sought for no other offence than representing those whom the Turkish government considered dissidents and accused of being involved in “terrorism” 22 international NGOs and law societies have attached their names to the joint statement addressed to the Turkish government calling for the immediate release of the lawyers The International Observatory of Human Rights has joined The Arrested Lawyers Initiative in a joint statement calling on the Turkish government to release 48 lawyers, 7 trainee lawyers and 4 purged judges who were part of a mass arrest ordered by Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor on 11th of September claiming they are “members of a terrorist organization” According to a report by the state-run Anatolian…
Inclusion of refugees is ‘key to counter xenophobia’
Source https://headtopics.com/za/inclusion-of-refugees-is-key-to-counter-xenophobia-14188140 Inclusion of refugees is ‘key to counter xenophobia’ Experts are concerned about the plight of foreign nationals suffering from lack of access to services during the lockdown period. 05:10:07 AMPREMIUM!Congolese foreign nationals can be seen waiting to recieve food parcels from the DRC Embassy in Arcadia, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques NellesA new dialogue is under way to help integrate foreign nationals with South Africans to counter xenophobia and ensure harmony in the country. This emerged during a webinar dialogue by various social cohesion groups this week. They are concerned about the plight of foreign nationals suffering from lack of access to services during the lockdown period. They noted that, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 7.8 million people around the world had fled their homes. Turkey was the number one host, with Pakistan second, followed by Uganda, Sudan and Germany. They were also concerned that…
Foreign organizations help all South African during Corona
Source http://insightafrica.co.za/2020/06/24/foreign-organizations-help-all-south-african-during-corona/ Thousands of migrants and South African citizens benefited from an ambitious project by various organizations run by immigrant business people and institutions. On the occasion of June 20 World Refugee Day, Johannesburg based Universal Rights Association (URA) organized a webinar titled Contributions of Refugees and Migrants to South Africa, to mark the milestone. Representatives from the African Diaspora Forum (ADF) and Islamic Circle of Southern Africa (ICSA) who joined URA’s program, said that they have been helping everyone since the outbreak. ADF chairman Dr Abdul Elgoni said their work was more about human rights issues before the Coronavirus pandemic. But since the government lockdown started, they have been focusing on distributing food parcels. Elgoni explained that foreign-owned spaza shops, their members and other organizations such as Africa Works, Islamic Relief provided tons of food items and they didn’t differentiate between migrants and non-migrants when delivering food hampers. “Covid-19…
Migrants share challenges they face in SA through a short film
By Kgomotso Ramotsho Universal Rights Association (URA) screened a short film titled ‘In another prison? Migrants in Johannesburg’ on the United Nations’ World Day of Social Justice on 20 February in Pretoria. In the film migrants, who are currently based in Johannesburg, shared how and why they fled from their countries of birth. Some of the reasons that were given, included running away from forced or abusive marriages and political violence, as well as religious beliefs. In the film the migrants expressed that it was hard living in South Africa (SA), as some are victims of xenophobic violence, some do not have proper documents and are accused of stealing jobs that belong to South Africans. The film was followed by a panel discussion on the effects of social justice on migration. Facilitator of the panel, co-founder and Executive Director of the URA, Atilla Dag, asked panellists about their experiences and…