Above The Law, But Hey, For A Good Cause

Any person…any investigation. One hell of a get-out-of-jail-free card:

[Philippine Daily Inquirer] She pointed out that as an investigative body, the CHR has been mandated to grant immunity to any person whose testimony or whose possession of documents or other evidence could help determine the truth in any investigation conducted by the commission.

But the commission’s immunity power has been “under utilized or has never been used” in recent years, in terms of pushing witnesses in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances to come forward, noted De Lima.

The rest.

Human Rights As High Art

[National Post] Whenever I think of Canada’s human rights commissions — which has been frequently of late — Hamlet’s exclamation, “O my prophetic soul!” rings in my ears. I’m not talking about my soul, but the Bard’s. It’s hard to believe Shakespeare foresaw the adventures of Canada’s social engineers, but there it is. Looking far into the future is what visionaries do.

The rest.

Rich Banking Bureaucrat: We Need Regular Stiff’s Cash

[Chronicle Herald] That’s why I applaud the federal government’s recent decision to help fund the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. The prime minister’s personal endorsement provides the museum with critical momentum to attract much needed funds.

…

Frank McKenna, former premier of New Brunswick and former Canadian Ambassador to Washington, is deputy chair, TD Bank Financial Group.

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One UN Sucker Born Every Minute

As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Angola should reconsider its March 2008 order that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Angola cease activities by the end of May 2008, Human Rights Watch said today.

“Angola is going back on its word to support a constructive dialogue and increased cooperation with the UN human rights office,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The government made that commitment in writing to the president of the UN General Assembly before joining the Human Rights Council in May 2007. Angola should keep its promises.”

The rest.

Congratulations, Bahrain

[Bahrain News Agency, May 25, 2008] MANAMA, MAY. 25 (BNA) A NUMBER OF BAHRAINI AND ARAB HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND POLITICIANS UNANIMOUSLY AGREED THAT THE KINGDOMS WINNING OF A SEAT ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A ROW REFLECTS ITS PROGRESSIVE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL IN PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS.

vs.

[Gulf Daily News, May 25, 2008] BAHRAIN will be in breach of United Nations (UN) laws on human rights if it introduces a nationwide crackdown on homosexuals, say gay rights campaigners.

The country’s MPs said in February that foreigners found to be gay could be deported and tougher immigration checks introduced to stop them from entering the country.

Parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee has already backed the proposal, which would force the government to carry out a study on how widespread homosexuality is in Bahrain.

Jimbo Works Another Shift At The Kool-Aid Stand

[AFP] Former US president Jimmy Carter on Sunday described Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip as “one of the greatest human rights crimes now existing on Earth.”

In a speech at a literary festival in Hay-on-Wye, in Wales, the 83-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said: “There is no reason to treat these people this way,” referring to the blockade, in place since the Islamist Hamas movement seized Gaza in June 2007.

The rest.