Tomorrow, September 4, women’s rights activist and One Million Signatures campaign member Shiva Nazar Ahari is scheduled to stand trial for charges including “assembly and collusion to commit a crime,” “propaganda against the regime,” and moharebeh, or “enmity against God,” the last of which can carry a penalty of death.

Continue Reading

The scale of displacement we are seeing in Pakistan today is the worst in the history of our nation. -WLP colleague at the Aurat Foundation

20 million people have been displaced by the floods that have hit the country in recent weeks. That’s over 10% of the nation’s population. The extent of the disaster is incomprehensible to most of us. The needs are staggering.

The floods have not yet abated. Inlets continue to overflow destroying homes, farms, and villages. People are finding shelter where they can. On the roadsides. In open fields.

Continue Reading

In a recent New York Times op-ed “When Arabs Tweet” (July 22), Rami Khouri, editor-at-large of Lebanon’s The Daily Star, discussed the upsurge in the use of digital technologies and social networking for political ends by young Arabs and the support for this trend by the U.S. government. In the piece, Mr. Khouri rightly noted that the U.S. would be wise to align its approach to anti-democratic regimes in the Middle East with its support for democracy promotion at the grassroots level. However, his argument that digital technologies and social networking give only the illusion of activism ignores both their recent track record and their future potential. Now, this is not to be naïve. Sending text messages and posting videos to Youtube will not bring down authoritarian regimes. But, these technologies are key tools of modern mobilization.

Continue Reading

FWID’s Statement Concerning Counselor Adel Farghali’s Press Release

The Forum for Women in Development expresses its deepest sorrow for the shocking and offensive statement by Counselor Adel Farghali, the chairman of the committee discussing the appointment of women in the State Council. Counselor Farghali said that the experience of female judges has proven a failure, which contradicts the truth. A lot of people as well as the reality itself have witnessed the efficiency and commitment of women in the positions they have occupied.

Continue Reading

Since our alert a week ago (Kyrgyzstan: Government Must Ensure Security of Human Rights Activists), we have received many online and offline inquiries about Tolekan Ismailova’s well-being. We are in touch with Tolekan and able to confirm that she is currently safe. We are continuing to monitor the situation and provide support as needed. Tolekan is grateful for the solidarity everyone has shown her during this time of personal distress and crisis in her country.

Continue Reading

My colleague Usha posted a few weeks ago about the role of radio in violence and reconciliation in Rwanda. Something jarred me. Something that tends to be buried most of the time nowadays beneath an arguably geeky enthusiasm for UN Security Council resolution 1325 and its progeny and potential for implementation. Somehow, in two years of working together I hadn’t shared with Usha that, for a brief period in 2003-2004, as a law student I worked on efforts to prosecute the widespread sexual violence that took place during the genocide that ravaged Rwanda ten years earlier. Talking about that tends to create for me a very visceral reminder of why I do this work, why I feel so strongly about supporting women survivors of violence in times of conflict, and doing everything we can to raise accountability and prevent of these acts, whether opportunistic or systematic.

Continue Reading

The monarch Adepoju Adesina of Akure, the capital city of Ondo State in Nigeria, has been deposed following an incident of public battery of his estranged wife.

Continue Reading

With the growing human rights crisis and ethnic violence taking place in southern Kyrgyzstan, Tolekan Ismailova of WLP’s partner in Kyrgyzstan, Human Rights Center “Citizens against Corruption” (CAC) is currently in the conflict zone in Osh with a group of human rights defenders, journalists, and Ombudsman representatives visiting local communities, providing humanitarian aid and clean-up, and working to mediate ethnic tensions.

Continue Reading

Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court has just ruled against an archaic interpretation of law allowing only fathers to apply for their children’s passports. While clearly a victory for women’s rights — granting mothers equal parental authority in securing travel documents — the basis of the ruling was that the previous practice infringed upon the child’s freedom of movement.

Continue Reading

“To be or not be a defender of human rights – is an ultimately decision of everyone personally. It depends on the inner strength and courage. But, of course, in all what you do, you must be a strategist, especially in our time”
-Tolekan Ismailova, during an interview with IWPR on March 3rd.

Growing Unrest, Violent Change,and New Challenges

Kyrgyzstan found itself in the international spotlight last week after growing calls for a change in leadership there gave way to horrific violence.  An estimated 80 people were killed and hundreds more injured as protesters clashed with security forces in several cities, including the capital, Bishkek.

Continue Reading

Most of WLP’s Bethesda-based staff has been in Jakarta this week for our annual Transnational Partners Convening and the World Movement for Democracy’s Sixth Assembly.  The trip, so far, has been busy and tiring, but well worth it for the simple pleasure—both professional and personal—of meeting with such an inspiring group of women face-to-face.  Unfortunately, as is sometimes the case, several of our group were unable to join us for personal reasons or logistical constraints.

Continue Reading

By Kelly Haggart (IDRC Bulletin, September 2009)

Children's Art Exhibit, Lebanon

Women in Arab countries are making human rights history as they break down barriers to being treated as full citizens in their own countries. In the past few years, women in Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco married to foreigners have won the right to convey their citizenship to their children. Algerian women can also now extend citizenship rights to their spouses.

Continue Reading