Daily Archives: September 22, 2015

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Georgia News | Yazidi Refugees

Iraqi Yazidis in Georgia commemorate anniversary of genocide at hands of IS, but find little opportunity in new home
  • Yazidis near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi commemorated the first anniversary of the Islamic State’s massacre of 3,000 Yazidi men and abduction of 5,000 women and children in Sinjar, Iraq.
  • Yazidis began arriving in Georgia seeking asylum soon after the August violence, but faced a host of issues ranging from the expiration of Georgia’s visa-free agreement with Iraq to the low ($113/month) stipend for families.
  • The community has faced persecution not only from IS, but from the Iraqi and Kurdistan governments, who often refuse to acknowledge a Yazidi culture and identity distinct from Kurds.

“It’s a tragedy, but it has united us, made us wake up and shown us what we can do.”

Read the full story at Al-Monitor.

(Image Credit: Maxim Edwards, via Al-Monitor)

Nationality + Migration

France News | Refugees & Migrants

French riot police use tear gas to evacuate and dismantle Calais refugee camps
  • French police raided and dismantled camps housing more than 400 refugees and migrants in the port city, calling the camps “illegal settlements.”
  • While France has announced plans to build a permanent camp next year, those currently in the area–including many attempting to make their way to Britain–have set up makeshift camps for shelter.
  • BuzzFeed News has included video of the police launching tear gas at individuals and their tents.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed News.

(Image Credit: Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed News)

Race + Color + Ethnicity

Colombia News | Indigenous Colombians

Indigenous Colombian communities condemn arrest of leader Feliciano Valencia as blow to autonomy
  • In a blow to Indigenous criminal justice autonomy, Valencia was arrested for the alleged 2008 kidnapping of a Colombian soldier, which community members say involved the soldier’s detention and sentencing to 20 lashes for espionage in Indigenous territory.
  • Delegates from multiple of Colombia’s 84 registered Indigenous communities arrived at the Indigenous Intercultural University of Popayan to organize the Symbolic March for the Freedom of Feliciano Valencia.
  • Valencia had faced the same charges in 2010 but released after the defense argued that Indigenous communities’ right to administer justice in their own territories, guaranteed in the Colombian Constitution, was administered collectively and not just by Valencia.

“They want to delegitimize (a right) that is inscribed in the Constitution and that should prevail over ordinary legal norms.”

Read the full story at teleSUR English.

(Image Credit: via teleSUR)

Age, Nationality + Migration

Lebanon News | Syrian Refugee Youth

Lebanon looks to provide schooling for upwards of 200,000 Syrian children in its schools
  • The education ministry indicated the numbers are an increase of tens of thousands over last year, straining Lebanon’s schooling capabilities.
  • $94 million in international financing has arrived to support the free education of up to 367,000 students–including the 200,000 Syrians–up through middle school.
  • Lebanon has hosted the largest proportion of Syrian refugees relative to its population, with 1.1 million living in a country of 4 million.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Argentina News | LGBT

Argentina lifts ban on blood donations from LGBT individuals
  • After more than a decade of petitioning, LGBT advocates saw another major rights victory in the country as the Ministry of National Health ended its ban on LGBT blood donation.
  • The change specifically targets the pre-donation medical history questionnaire that singled out LGBT individuals for discrimination through questions about gender identity and sexual history.
  • Health officials hope the development will assist in promoting awareness of voluntary donation in an effort to increase its pool of blood donors.

“El cambio de paradigma de grupos de riesgo por el de prácticas de riesgo vuelve a posicionar a la Argentina a la vanguardia mundial en materia de igualdad y no discriminación”

Translation: “The paradigm change from at-risk groups to at-risk practices again positions Argentina in the global vanguard in matters of equality and non-discrimination.”

Read the full story at La Nación (in Spanish).

(Image Credit: via La Nación)

Gender

Pakistan Feature | Women

Video

Keeping on Trucking

Shamim Akhtar, 53, has become the first woman granted a heavy vehicle license in Pakistan. Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe profiles the single mother who took up truck-driving in order to support her family and the challenges she faced on the road to her licensing.

Watch the full Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty feature on YouTube.

Gender

Tajikistan Feature | Girls

Video

Biking Tradition

Young Tajik girls are taking transportation into their own hands by biking to school, a significant endeavor that can involve up to a 10-kilometer round trip. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty learns why one girl decided to take up the trip.

Watch the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty video on YouTube.

Age, Race + Color + Ethnicity

Israel & Palestine News | Palestinian Children

Israeli army arrests five Palestinian children in latest controversial detention of minors
  • The children were detained for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, punishable by up to 20 years, before being released.
  • Rights groups estimate around 700 Palestinian minors are prosecuted each year in military courts.
  • Video of a small Palestinian boy with a broken arm being violently handled by Israeli officers went viral last month as the army’s aggressive police tactics drew international condemnation.

View the Al Jazeera America video on YouTube.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Europe News | LGBT Refugees

European LGBT groups provide assistance to LGBT and other refugees
  • As Germany has become the destination for many refugees and migrants, the Lesbian and Gay Federation has opened a center in Berlin for LGBT refugees.
  • LGBT groups and individuals in Macedonia, Slovenia, Hungary, and elsewhere have also provided support and services to refugees passing through, including LGBT refugees fleeing violence in Syria and Iraq.
  • Syrian gay man Subhi Nahas spoke to ISIS’s persecution of gender and sexual minorities at a U.N. Security Council meeting in August, calling on more active response to provide escape for LGBT individuals from the region.
“For my compatriots who do not conform to gender and sexual norms, the 11th hour has already passed. …They need your help now.”
Read the full story at the Washington Blade.
(Image Credit: Jure Poglajen, via The Washington Blade)
Sexual + Gender Minorities

Nepal News | LGBT

New Nepal constitution enshrines rights of LGBT citizens
  • Along with wide-ranging inclusion of vulnerable classes, gender and sexual minorities were identified as being entitled to political protections.
  • The constitution is the first to be approved since the 2008 abolition of the Nepalese monarchy.
  • Marriage is not defined in the constitution, but a special tribunal called upon by the Supreme Court has recommended the extension of marriage rights to sexual minorities.
“The nation’s leadership has affirmed that its LGBT citizens deserve the constitutional right to live their lives free from discrimination and fear.”
Read the full story at the Washington Blade.
Nationality + Migration

Philippines News | Foreign Visitors

Developing: Tourists in the Philippines abducted at gunpoint
  • Two Canadians, a Norweigian, and a Filipina were taken from the popular Holiday Oceanview Samal Resort near Davao City on the island of Mindanao Island.
  • Though the gunmen have not been identified, peace with Islamist rebels was reached only in 2014, leading to worries of renewed conflict.
  • Authorities indicated that the foreigners had been targeted rather than randomly taken, and police and coast guard operations have been activated to find the abductees.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed News.