News Archives » Social Justice
Expert Witnesses Detail IDP Situation in Sri Lanka December 17th, 2009
Three panels of expert witnesses testified on December 10, Humam Rights Day, about current realities facing internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in northern and Eastern Sri Lanka. The government’s recent decision finally to allow the resettlement of displaced Tamil civilians who had been held in internment camps since the end of a brutal war in May was commended. At the same time, concern was expressed about inconsistencies in policies governing the recent releases, continued lack of access by humanitarian organizations (including the UN) to IDPs in resettlement areas and former LTTE cadres in detention centers, the safety of released IDPs and the need for further de-mining of formerly populated areas.
The following Issue experts testified:
- Eric Schwartz, Assistant Secretary for Population, Migration and Refugees, U.S. Department of State (Download PDF of testimony)
- Michel Gabaudan, regional representative for the United States of America and the Caribbean, UNHCR (Download PDF of testimony)
- Miriam Young, US Counsel on Sri Lanka
- Christoph Koettl, Amnesty International (Download PDF of testimony)
- Robert Oberst, Nebraska Wesleyan University
- Jennifer Leonard, International Crisis Group
Immigration Reform Bill Introduced in Congress December 17th, 2009
The Missionary Oblates JPIC office applauds Congressman Luis Gutierrez’s leadership in introducing the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act (CIR A.S.A.P.) in the House of Representatives, This bill lays a foundation to fix the broken immigration system in 2010. It was introduced on December 15 with 89 original co-sponsors including members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Progressive Caucus.
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR A.S.A. P) Act of 2009 offers enhanced border protection, allows for immigrant families to reunite, and provides a way for many undocumented immigrants to earn legalization. Read a summary of the CIR A.S.A.P here.
This immigration bill (CIR A.S.A.P) is released just as U.S. Catholics prepare to celebrate National Migration Week 2010 scheduled for January 4 – 10 under the theme, Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice.
BANGLADESH ‘Country’s climate-fund demands too low’ December 15th, 2009
Prominent Church people say the claim by Bangladesh for 15 percent of any climate change adaptation fund that may be pledged at the Copenhagen talks, may not be enough.
“Our people are not only suffering from sea-level rise and cyclones but also more people each day become refugees because of river erosion which is an effect of climate change too,” Benedict Alo D’Rozario, executive director of Caritas Bangladesh, told UCA News.
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Human Rights Watch Report on Congo says UN Mission Needs to Protect Civilians December 14th, 2009
A United Nations-supported military offensive in eastern Congo has led to more than fourteen hundred civilian murders this year by both Congolese troops and rebels according a Human Rights Watch report released December 13. The report, titled “You Will Be Punished: Attacks on Civilians in Eastern Congo,” documents the deliberate killing of more than 1,400 civilians between January and September 2009. The killings occurred during during two Congolese army operations against a Rwandan Hutu militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Many advocacy groups say that the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo has failed and must be reformed to protect civilians adequately. The situation is extremely violent, with various rebel groups supporting their operations with proceeds from stolen minerals. The area is rich in resources such as gold, diamonds, copper, tin and the metallic ore coltan, used in the manufacture of cell phones.
The report was issued as the Security Council prepares to vote on a renewal of the peacekeeping mission mandate of United Nations Organization Mission in DR Congo (MONUC) on December 21.
Human Rights Day Marks 100th Day of Unjust Conviction of Tamil Journalist December 10th, 2009
Today, International Human Rights Day, marks the one hundredth day of the draconian sentence for Tamil journalist J.S. Tissainayagam. Tissainayagam was given a harsh sentence of twenty years of hard labor for what has widely been seen as trumped up charges and a forced confession. Ms. Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement at the 12th session of the Human Rights Council,
“We should all be dismayed by the recent sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment imposed on Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, who had been critical of the army’s treatment of Tamil civilians. His conviction raises serious concerns about respect for the right to freedom of expression.”
