31-Mar-2018
The National Security Act (NSA) has several draconian provisions that are being used by the state to scuttle the voices of dissenters. These provisions enable the state to detain people on the grounds of them posing threat to national security. Provisions of the NSA have also been used to perpetuate incarceration of human rights defenders such…
30-Mar-2018
Anti-displacement activist Damodar Turi, who was arrested on February 15 from Ranchi, has been on a hunger strike since March 27, 2018 protesting his and other prisoners’ transfer to solitary confinement. The solitary confinement facility is made of dark, airless and filthy cells. Turi and the other prisoners were dumped into the solitary confinement on March 23. …
29-Mar-2018
The recently released Global Report on Food Crises found that around 124 million in 51 countries struggled with acute food insecurity in 2017, according to the FAO. This figure was 11 million higher than 2016. According to the report, acute food insecurity is defined as hunger so severe that it poses an immediate threat to lives…
29-Mar-2018
According to the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, almost half a million children in Yemen have left school since 2015. That year, Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen’s civil war. The total number of children in Yemen who lack access to education is two million. Meritxell Relano, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen said, “The journey to…
29-Mar-2018
Two police officers in Mexico have been found guilty and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for the murder of journalist Moisés Sánchez, an uncommon instance for Mexico, where crimes against members of the media largely go unpunished, the Guardian reported. Sánchez was killed in the violence-ridden state of Veracruz, considered the most dangerous area for journalists…
29-Mar-2018
‘Time to resist attempts to refashion national psyche’ Social activist Teesta Setalvad has urged the youth to thwart attempts to refashion the national psyche through a sustained manipulation of history. Delivering the Prof. Sukumar Azhikode Commemoration Lecture 2018 on ‘Refashioning Bharat into Akhanda Rashtra’ at Sree Sankara University of Sanskrit at Kalady on Wednesday, Ms.…
29-Mar-2018
The Goa Lokayukta will reportedly begin hearing a case filed by the Goa Foundation against former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and other government officials over the renewal of 88 mining leases on April 2. The Goa Foundation lodged the complaint with the Lokayukta on Saturday, March 24, seeking an investigation into the illegal renewal of the 88 mining leases. According…
28-Mar-2018
On March 23, the police attacked JNU students’ peaceful rally on the streets of Delhi. Students were beaten, their clothes were torn and they were taken away to an undisclosed police facility says – former CPI (M) MP Subhashini Ali who was also present. In this conversation with Teesta Setalvad she recounts what happened after…
28-Mar-2018
A report released by Eklavya Sangathan, a Gujarat-based tribal rights organization, claims that Gujarat lags behind as many as 14 other states in ensuring that its tribal people get rights to forest land. The report is based on information released by the Government of India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), that showcases the achievements of 20 states.…
28-Mar-2018
Voters in the Netherlands last week narrowly voted against a law that would empower spy organisations to engage in mass tapping of Internet traffic, Reuters reported. The law would permit agencies to set up wire taps that focus a single entire area or method of communication, preserve data for up to three years, and share it with…