Africa: Three African Countries On Cusp of Death Penalty Abolition

[ad_1] Harare, Zimbabwe — The international human rights organization Amnesty International says three sub-Saharan African countries considering ending the death penalty should do it now and pave the way for others around the world to follow in their footsteps. There hasn't been an execution in Gambia, Kenya or Zimbabwe in over a decade, Amnesty has said, and all three nations have commuted multiple death sentences during that time. Lucia Masuka, head of Amnesty in Zimbabwe, said most countries in the […]

October 10, 2024

Africa

Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa – Sharp Rise in Use of Death Penalty Across Region

[ad_1] Executions more than tripled in 2023, while death sentences increased by 66% in the region Fresh call for abolition on World Day Against Death Penalty, with Kenya, Zimbabwe and Gambia leading the way 'It's time for all countries to move away from this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment once and for all' - Oluwatosin Popoola Sub-Saharan African countries on the cusp of abolition must ban the death penalty immediately, paving the way for others around the world to follow […]

October 10, 2024

Africa

Africa: Maimouna Ba Awarded 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award for Africa

[ad_1] Dakar — Maimouna Ba, a tireless advocate for forcibly displaced women and children in Burkina Faso, has been named the 2024 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award's Regional Winner for Africa. The Nansen Refugee Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have shown outstanding dedication in protecting refugees, forcibly displaced, and stateless people. Maimouna's work, which has empowered over 400 forcibly displaced women to achieve financial independence and enabled more than 100 forcibly displaced children to return to school, exemplifies resilience and […]

October 9, 2024

Africa

Africa: ‘Africa Still Feeling Effects of Brutal Colonial Past’

[ad_1] Africa remains aware of the brutal colonial experiences and continues to suffer the effects to this day, President Mnangagwa has said. In a speech read on his behalf by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava at the inaugural Africa Peace and Security Dialogue hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday, the President said Africa would not forget such a brutal past. "As Africans, we remain cognisant of the experiences of the brutal […]

October 9, 2024

Africa

Africa: COP29 – States Must Press Azerbaijani Authorities to End Assault On Civil Society

[ad_1] In the leadup to next month's COP29 climate summit in Baku, states must exert pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities to reverse their clampdown on civil society, release those detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, and ensure participants including activists and journalists can engage freely and fully in the event, Amnesty International said today. Since Azerbaijan was announced as the host of COP29 last December, the authorities have intensified their crackdown on the rights to […]

October 8, 2024

Africa

Africa: ‘It Took Me Over 30 Years to Come Out. I Stopped Crying’ – Witness

[ad_1] Honoring African LGBT Activist Yaa Sissi on International Day of Older Persons Few older Africans participate openly in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights movement. But Francisca Ferraz, 53, known as "Yaa Sissi," aims to change that. Yaa Sissi, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, is a pioneering voice in her community. Born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, to a Portuguese father and a Congolese mother, Yaa Sissi moved to Geneva in 2008, where she raised her […]

October 7, 2024

Africa

Africa: Cipesa’s 2024 State of Internet Freedom in Africa Report Examines the Interplay Between Technology and Elections.

[ad_1] Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) This statement was originally published on cipesa.org on 27 September 2024. The Collaboration on International ICT Policy has launched the 11th edition of the State of Internet Freedom in Africa report. This year, the report examines the interplay between technology and elections in Africa during the so-called Year of Democracy, when at least 20 African countries were scheduled to go to the polls. While highlighting the growing influence […]

October 2, 2024

Africa

Africa: How the Geneva Consensus Declaration Threatens International Cooperation and Development

[ad_1] New York — Last week, UN member states adopted the Pact of the Future - and its two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations. These action-oriented documents are envisaged to counter emerging threats to development and acceleration of progress on Agenda 2030. Nonetheless, there remains little political prioritization of reproductive justice on this agenda. This is despite sustained and growing threats on sexual and reproductive health and rights that exposes about 43% of women […]

October 1, 2024

Africa

Africa: Climate Change Has Deep Historical Roots – Amitav Ghosh Explores How Capitalism and Colonialism Fit in

[ad_1] Amitav Ghosh is an internationally celebrated author of 20 historical fiction and non-fiction books. The Indian thinker and writer has written extensively on the legacies of colonialism, violence and extractivism. His most famous works explore migration, globalisation and commercial violence and conquest during the colonial period, against the backdrop of the opium trade in the 1800s. Caroline Southey, from The Conversation Africa, asked economics professor Imraan Valodia and climate […]

August 30, 2024

Human Rights