World Day of Social Justice - 20 February 2012

source: http://www.hrw.org

20 February 2012 -- Over the past year, the winds of change have swept across the globe. Citizens by the millions have voiced their discontent around similar themes: inequality, corruption, repression and the absence of decent work. At the heart of this mass mobilization lies a call for social justice.

Achieving social justice for all is integrally linked to realizing the agreed development goals articulated at the Copenhagen Social Summit, the Millennium Summit and elsewhere.

As we look to the upcoming Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, we have a chance to rethink development strategies and business practices so that they point us toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

10 October: World Day Against the Death Penalty

source: www.hrea.org

10 October 2011 -- The first World Day Against the Death Penalty took place in 2003. This event was launched by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, which gathers international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), bar associations, unions and local governments from all over the world. Established by organisations who participated in the first international Congress against the death penalty (Strasbourg, 2001), the Coalition aims to encourage the establishment of national coalitions, the organisation of common initiatives and the coordination of international lobbying efforts to sensitise states that still maintain the death penalty.

11 August: Lebanon: Law Reform Targets ‘Honor’ Crimes

source: http://www.hrw.org

(Beirut) ­– Lebanon’s repeal of a criminal code provision that mitigates sentences for so-called honor crimes is an encouraging step to address gender-based violence. The Lebanese parliament should remove and amend other criminal provisions that discriminate on the basis of gender, and enact a law to protect women from domestic violence, Human Rights Watch said.

On August 4, 2011, parliament annulled article 562 of the criminal code, which mitigated the sentence of people who claim they killed or injured their wife, daughter, or other relative to protect the family “honor.” Honor crimes are reported to be relatively rare in Lebanon. A study by the organization KAFA (Enough Violence and Exploitation) cited 66 reported honor crimes between 1999 and 2007. But Article 562 perpetuated the notion that the state condoned such acts of violence when a family’s honor was allegedly tarnished by a woman who is perceived as “misbehaving,” Human Rights Watch said.

8 April: Lebanon: Prison Deaths, Injuries Need Independent Investigation

source: http://www.hrw.org

Lebanon's government should order an independent investigation into the deaths of two inmates and injuries to about 45 others on April 6, 2011, in Lebanon's main prison, Human Rights Watch said today. The two died during a raid at Roumieh prison by the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and an elite unit of the Lebanese Army to end a four-day riot by inmates demanding better conditions and shorter waits for their trials.

After the raid, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud asked the ISF chief, Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, to open an inquiry into the two inmates' deaths, saying, "There will be a detailed probe and drastic measures." An earlier internal investigation into ill-treatment and corruption at Roumieh prison, in late 2008, was never made public by the Interior Ministry and it is unclear whether anyone was charged.