Back in 2007, Amnesty International launched a ground breaking website, Eyes on Darfur, which showcased satellite evidence of attacks on villages in Darfur. The images demonstrated the ongoing insecurity in the region and the destruction and violence civilians are confronted with on a daily basis. The site also broke new ground by allowing the world to literally “watch over” 12 villages that were determined to be highly at risk but that had not yet been attacked.

Just a few weeks ago, we updated the satellite images on the Eyes on Darfur site and found that sadly, several of these at-risk villages have been attacked and at least partially destroyed. We were able to document that between January 2008 and March 2009, four of these villages were subject to attacks by Janjawid militias and Sudanese government forces, which destroyed many of the structures in those villages.

These satellite images show that there is still much work to be done to ensure peace and justice for the people of Darfur. In addition to providing greater security and humanitarian assistance for people residing in Darfur and eastern Chad, it is also important to end the culture of impunity in Sudan by ensuring that its president, Omar al Bashir, is arrested and surrendered to the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for his arrest back in March.

Tomorrow, the United States will be attending the Assembly of State Parties, the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC, in The Hague as an observer. This is a very positive sign, indicating renewed US interest in international justice and a possible future US ratification of the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding document. But US involvement cannot stop here.

Act now to urge the US government to continue supporting the ICC’s important work and to pledge to arrest and surrender Sudanese President al Bashir to the ICC if he were to be found on US soil.

Just a few weeks ago, on October 28^th, elections were held in Mozambique, elections won by President Armando E. Guebuza of the ruling Frelimo party by about 75% of the votes. The main opposition party, Renamo, is now contesting the vote, accusing Frelimo of rigging the vote. Nevertheless, election observers from the European Union said the voting was “well-managed” and “calm.” So far no election-related violence has erupted in this southern African Country. Positive signs you may say. 

But not everything in Mozambique is as rosy as it may seem. Amnesty International just released today a new report on police accountability in Mozambique. The report, which follows up from an earlier report published in 2008 on the same issue, looks at the failure of the authorities to ensure justice for victims by not investigating suspected unlawful killings by the police.

Amnesty’s investigations in Mozambique show that at least 46 people have been unlawfully killed by police since 2006. In the majority of these cases, there has not been even as little as an investigation opened and in only a few have suspected officers been brought to justice, leaving families in the dark about what happened to their loved ones.

There are two-stage crimes. The initial unlawful deprivation of the most fundamental human right–to life–and the unwillingness of the Mozambican authorities to seek justice for that crime. Impunity is a prerequisite for all manner of things–none of them good for Mozambique – AIUSA’s Advocacy Director for Africa, Scott Edwards

Amnesty is calling on the government of Mozambique to ensure that all cases of police force that result in death or serious injury are fully investigated and those police officers responsible be brought to justice. The families of those killed deserve it.

What’s Up This Week

1. Colombia – Venezuela: No Love
2. Sudan: Threat Against Election Officials
3. Upcoming This Week

Colombia and Venezuela – The Cold War Continues?
The tension between Colombia and Venezuela has once again flared with Venezuela’s government sending 15,000 troops to the border at the end of last week and publicly stating that it is preparing for war. There have been multiple causes for the recent deterioration of relations between the two governments. Most recently, the murder of two national Venezuelan guardsmen on the border allegedly by Colombian paramilitary groups resulted in the closing of two bridges connecting the two countries. Consequently, Chavez has accused the Colombian government of complacency against paramilitary groups trying to destabilize his government. In addition, the Venezuelan leader has cited last month’s military cooperation lease between the US and Colombia to give American troops more access to national military bases as the foundation for a US invasion into Venezuela. The US and Colombia have argued that the military deal will assist in the fight against drug traffickers and other insurgents. The recent violence further exacerbated the already strained relations caused by the Venezuelan arrests of supposed Colombian spies last month, the discovery of multiple bodies along the border presumed to be Colombian paramilitaries, and Colombian charges that Chavez was supplying guerilla groups with anti-tank weapons.

The Uribe government in Colombia announced on Sunday that it would solicit the aid of the UN Security Council and the Organization of American States to deal with the growing enmity with Venezuela.  While an all out war between the parties is highly unlikely, Chavez’s decision to send troops to the border could lead to an escalation in border violence.

This time, though, the increasing volatility on the border, presence of illegal armed gangs, and growing political distance between the two governments, mean the latest crisis may be tougher to solve and could spill over into more violence.
(…)
War is unlikely, but the potential for more violence on the border, ranging from an accidental troop clash to attacks from illegal armed groups, has increased.

Regarding the motives for this recent development, analysts have argued that Chavez’s move to fortify the border is a ploy to distract from increasingly divisive domestic problems.

Overheard:

Considering the threats of war enunciated by the government of Venezuela, the government of Colombia proposes going to the Organization of American States and the Security Council of the United Nations – Colombian President Alvaro Uribe 

Let’s not waste a day on our main aim: to prepare for war and to help the people prepare for war, because it is everyone’s responsibility – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

We are very much aware of recent tensions along the Venezuela and Colombia border. I certainly don’t think this is about the United States, but we certainly would encourage dialogue between Venezuela and Colombia and a peaceful resolution of the situation along their border - Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs

Must Reads:

• Reuters Fact Box: History of tensions between Venezuela, Colombia
• Reuters: Andean “Cold War” raises risks for Colombia, Venezuela

Darfur Rebels Threaten Violence Against Poll Workers
The announcement by the Sudanese Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) to target officials in Darfur implementing a voter mobilization campaign in Darfur has emphasized concerns about violence leading up to the upcoming Sudanese elections in April 2010. A senior rebel Official Ibrahim al-Helwu recently declared that “If any of them come into our territory we will target them as soldiers ”

Recently, the same group prevented the take-off of a helicopter from the United Nation Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). UNAMID has demanded that the rebel group end its campaign to obstruct peace and security work, stating that

UNAMID strongly deplores the periodic harassment and detention of its personnel and stresses that it will not tolerate any attempts at intimidation or attacks on its personnel that are aimed at thwarting the progress of the peace process

Accusations by Sudan’s political parties of voter intimidation, fraud and other irregularities occurring during the registration process currently underway also point to the enormous potential for an escalation of violence leading up to the elections.

Must Reads:

• US Institute for Peace: Conducting Elections in Darfur: looking Ahead to Sudan’s 2009 Elections (pdf)
• Enough: Voter Registration Efforts Underway in Sudan

Upcoming

• November 11: Trial continues of Roy Bennett, a senior official Movement for Democratic Change official (Zimbabwe)
• November 13: Today in Zimbabwe: What’s really happening on the ground
• November 14: AIUSA Northeast Regional Conference in Boston
• November 14-15: AIUSA Midwest Regional Conference in Chicago
• November 16 -18: World Summit on Food Security in Rome

Human Rights Flashpoints is a weekly column about countries at risk of escalating human rights violations and is brought to you by AIUSA’s Crisis Prevention and Response  team

Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams of WOZA

Zimbabwe gets a lot of bad press, but not many are aware of some of the amazing people making a difference there every day. These are people, who usually at great personal risk, fight for human rights, civil liberties, justice, equality and a better Zimbabwe for all. So here’s a shout out to some personal heroes of mine and I hope you are equally inspired.  (Feel free to share stories about other amazing human rights heroes in Zim or southern Africa in general in the comment section.)

Betty Makoni
Betty is a teacher who got tired of hearing about the relentless sexual abuse of young girls and decided to do something about it. She started the Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe to provide a safe place, healing and support for young girls surviving sexual assault. Many of the girls were victimized because of a belief that sex with a virgin cures AIDS. As a result of her efforts, Betty has been targeted by security forces in Zimbabwe and forced to flee the country for her safety. A documentary film tells the story of Betty and the girls she helps. Betty has also been nominated as CNN’s Hero of the Year. You can vote for Betty on CNN’s web site until November 19th. Vote early and often!

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
The women of WOZA take to the streets of Harare and Bulawayo in non-violent protest of social conditions in Zimbabwe, knowing every time they go out they are more likely to be beaten by the police than not. They sing songs and spread a message of love as they call for the equitable distribution of food aid, restoration of the education system and peace. For their efforts, they have been beaten, jailed and subjected to abductions and attempted abductions. In spite of this, they do not stop and continue to pressure the government to improve the quality of life for all Zimbabweans. Their efforts may not be respected by the Zimbabwe government, but the international community continues to award and support their work. Most recently, Magodonga Mahlangu and WOZA were recognized by the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights as the 2009 Human Rights Laureate. Help keep the ladies of WOZA safe by demanding justice from the Zimbabwe government.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
If you are ever sent to prison in Zimbabwe, these are the people you want to call. The relentless efforts of ZLHR, human rights defenders themselves, have enabled civil society to continue to function in Zimbabwe by getting other human rights defenders out of prison. Their client roster is a who’s who of social justice champions in Zimbabwe. But ZLHR also works to help everyone in Zimbabwe by defending as many indigent clients as they can and publishing a newspaper to inform citizens of their rights and what is happening in the government. ZLHR is often targeted for abuse by the Zimbabwe government, but praised internationally for their work. The organization was recently honored by the American Bar Association for their human rights work.

(ZLHR isn’t the only game in town when it comes to human rights lawyers, by the way. There are too many amazing examples to list, but another who was also just recognized for her work is Beatrice Mtetwa, who received the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize. She is only the second African to be so honored-the other was Nelson Mandela. Let’s hear it for the lawyers!)

Jestina Mukoko
Jestina is the executive director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project. The Peace Project works to document incidents of violence committed against the people of Zimbabwe. Last December, Jestina was abducted and tortured by state agents, falsely charged by the government, then fought and won a court battle to have those charges dismissed. After prevailing in court, Jestina turned right around and continued her efforts to hold the government of Zimbabwe accountable by filing a civil suit against those persons responsible for her abduction and torture. You go girl!

Comrade Fatso
It’s not often that the work of a spoken word poet/hip hop musician is taught to students at universities, but this guy’s stuff should be studied. The passion, power and beauty of his art more than merits the accolades. “Our word is our weapon” and Comrade Fatso fires volley after volley at the Zimbabwe government, calling attention to the plight of his fellow citizens and demanding social justice. His albums have been banned in Zimbabwe and he has been arrested multiple times. His work to lead a new generation of Zimbabweans in reclaiming their communities makes you want to clap your hands as much as his music makes you want to move your feet.

David Coltart
It’s pretty rare that I would consider a politician a hero, and I thought long and hard before including Minister Coltart on this list. But his efforts to revive and repair the education system over the past 8 months deserves a shout out. Mr. Coltart isn’t afraid to call out the problems he faces, to discuss the true state of the collapse of the education system, to work with teachers and unions to fill classrooms and negotiate the hazardous waters of Zimbabwe’s government channels to get things done. He was also the only one to refuse a new Mercedes when he was sworn in as Minister of Education, calling out his fellow MDC government officials for accepting theirs when the MDC had campaigned on a platform of helping Zimbabwe, not helping themselves. Cheers for not being a hypocrite!

Sudanese President Omar al Bashir is expected in Istanbul, Turkey, this Sunday and Monday for a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Back in March, the International Criminal Court indicted al Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which means al Bashir is a fugitive from international justice and that no countries should willingly host al Bashir without taking steps to arrest him and surrender him to the ICC in The Hague.

President Omar al Bashir is a fugitive from international justice, charged with responsibility for crimes against humanity and war crimes against men, women and children, including murder, rape, torture and forced displacement. It would be a disgrace for Turkey to offer him safe haven – Christopher Keith Hall, Senior Legal Advisor, Amnesty International.

According to the BBC, Turkish President Abdullah Gul has no intention of arresting al Bashir, even though the European Union has asked him to reconsider his invitation to al Bashir. Turkey may not have signed or ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, but it still has a duty under international law to arrest al Bashir and surrender him to the court in The Hague.

Since his indictment in March, al Bashir has visited seven countries: Eritrea, Egypt, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Due to pressure from the international community and civil society groups however, he was forced to cancel 2 recent trips to Uganda and Nigeria.

Take action now to urge the US government to support the ICC’s investigations in Darfur!

Even though The Mo Ibrahim Foundation decided no former African leader merited its $5 million prize this year; when it ranked African nations on good governance, five of the top 10 were countries monitored by Amnesty International USA’s Southern Africa Co-group: Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Sao Tome y Principe and Lesotho. Zimbabwe was in the bottom five. (I know: shocking.)

Botswana, which you might only be familiar with through The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, is often hailed as a shining light of democracy in Africa. Last week, Batswanans went to the polls and elected Ian Khama to a new 5 year term as president. Khama assumed the presidency last year when then President Festus Mogae  stepped aside for his then-Vice President in order to allow him to run as an incumbent this year. Talk about your smooth transitions of power, right? Except this is the second time this has happened and also ensures that the same ruling party remain in power for the past 43 years.

So is Botswana a shining light of democracy? Well, the elections last week were deemed free and fair, the press is considered free even though its dominated by state run media, political parties are allowed to operate without intimidation but have difficulties campaigning on a level playing field because of the media control, human rights are generally recognized even though a recent report accuses the government of dispossessing the few remaining San still living in the Kalahari of their land so the government can access diamonds, the AIDS rate is the 2nd highest in the world so the government clearly isn’t doing all that hot of a job on education or other methods to reduce transmissions, and marginalized groups (women, LGBT, disabled) struggle for recognition of their rights.

Where Botswana excels, however, is its voice in the region. Former President Mogae and now Khama have not flinched from calling out Mugabe’s behavior in Zimbabwe or supporting the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Sudan’s Bashir. Neither of these are popular views in the Southern Africa Development Community and the African Union. Clearly Botswana has areas in need of improvement, but then so does every other nation. (Can we say Gitmo?) But all in all, I would say Botswana is a flickering light of democracy that gets it mostly right within its own borders and isn’t afraid to demand that its neighbor’s work harder on getting it right as well. I also have to give a shout out that their Parliament just elected its first female speaker. Watch out Pelosi-someone else is ready to rock that red power suit!

Update: Amnesty International warns of deteriorating human rights conditions in Zimbabwe. 

Amnesty International warned today that Zimbabwe is on the brink of sliding back into the post-election violence that erupted last year, risking the stability brought about by the creation of the unity government in February. The organization called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) foreign ministers, visiting Zimbabwe on Thursday to assess the eight month-old unity government, not to ignore the worsening human rights situation. Amnesty International also challenged SADC and the African Union (AU) to tackle human rights violations by government bodies under the control of ZANU-PF.

The civil rights boycotts that occurred in the southern US during the 1950’s are some of the most famous and successful examples of this pressure tactic. In the last two weeks, boycotts have suddenly became en vogue again. Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s embattled Prime Minister, declared his political party, MDC-T, would boycott the compromise government formed following contested elections last year. This seemingly courageous attempt to force compliance with the negotiated agreement by his opponent, President Mugabe, was promptly undercut in its significance and boldness when accused war criminal Karadzic declared he was boycotting his trial at the Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague. Awkward…

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) negotiated a compromise government where Tsvangirai would assume a newly created position of Prime Minister and Mugabe of ZANU-PF would retain the Presidency. Under the agreement, there is to be a new Constitution voted on by the people and the Presidency and Prime Minister’s office would share governance duties. (There is a third guy, Arthur Mutambara of the MDC-M, who is officially also a party to the agreement and serves as Deputy Prime Minister; but most people tend to forget about him.)

Since the compromise government was sworn in February 2009, Tsvangirai and Mugabe continue to battle over key sticking points in the implementation of the agreement. Human rights violations, although occurring at lesser rates than at the violent peak of May 2008, continue unabated. The proverbial straw for Tsvangirai came when Roy Bennett, named as Agricultural Secretary but refused to be sworn in by Mugabe, was rearrested on charges of treason.

In the 10 days since Tsvangirai’s boycott began, violence is reported to have increased with teachers in rural areas particularly targeted, civil society members arrested, a ZANU-PF member declared Bennett a Nazi, an MDC-T office was raided, a ZANU-PF Minister said the MDC-T was acting like babies, a meeting between the three signatories to the agreement resolved nothing, and Mugabe accused Tsvangirai of being overly emotional.

Additionally, Britain announced another $100 million in humanitarian relief will be dispersed to Zimbabwe, but there are fears that any further collapse of the fragile peace in Zimbabwe will lead to a retraction in promised aid. However, the National Security Minister declared that the promised Western humanitarian aid relief was really intended to fund regime change, the same argument used to expel aid organizations last year.

Despite Tsvangirai’s tour of several key SADC players last week, and concerns over the situation expressed by the Heads of State of Botswana, Angola and South Africa, optimism is not high that SADC will finally step up to the plate in its role as guarantor. The SADC troika on politics, defense and security will be in Harare Thursday in an attempt to break the impasse, but some view this as too little too late as ministers, not heads of state, will represent Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. At this rate, Karadzic will see greater success from sitting out his trial than Tsvangirai will from sitting out of the Zimbabwe government.

Zimbabwe – Political Standoff Continues
The situation remains tense in Zimbabwe after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai temporarily withdrew from the governing coalition on October 16th. Following the 10-day standoff, Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) boycotted Tuesday’s cabinet meeting since the party’s outstanding complaints with Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party have yet to be addressed. The initial catalyst for the disengagement of the MDC was the temporary detainment of one of its senior members, Roy Bennett, by government forces.  The MDC has continued its boycott on the basis that Mugabe is still not fully implementing arrangements of the Global Political Agreement, that key cabinet appointments remain unsettled and that ZANU-PF supporters and security forces have refused to halt their intimidation campaign of MDC’s lawmakers and supporters. MDC security official Edith Mashaire told IRIN about an assault attempt:

Two other men, one brandishing an AK-47 rifle and another holding a pistol, approached me and threatened to shoot me. They started assaulting me with their weapons while telling me to get into the truck

Since the break between the parties, the MDC has been soliciting support from other southern African leaders asking for their intervention in the standoff.  On Thursday, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will hold a meeting in Harare to discuss possible remedies for the political impasse. However, there is concern that if the SADC is unable find a political solution and reach agreement between the two parties, new elections will be the only viable alternative. This could in turn lead to escalations of violence similar to the violence experienced leading up to and after the June 2008 elections.

Must Reads

• IRIN: Zimbabwe: Violence spikes after MDC’s withdrawal from government
• Reuters: Analysts’ comments on the political standoff in Zimbabwe
• Amnesty International: Zimbabwe – A trail of violence after the ballot (pdf)

Upcoming

• October 26: Amnesty International releases report on Israel’s discriminatory water policies and practices towards Palestinians
• October 27: General Elections in Mozambique
• October 29: Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting in Harare
• October 30 – November 30: Amnesty International USA’s Southern Regional Conference

Human Rights Flashpoints is a weekly column about countries at risk of escalating human rights violations and is brought to you by AIUSA’s Crisis Prevention and Response team

Mozambique goes to the polls tomorrow in its fourth general election since independence from Portugal in 1975. Parliamentary control and the Presidency are up for grabs. Election observors from the African Union, the Commonwealth and the Southern African Development Community have arrived to monitor the elections. Which is good, because so far things have been a bit bumpy.

President Armando Guebuza of the governing Frelimo party is being challenged by Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Renamo, and Daviz Simango, mayor of Beira city and founder of the Mozambican Democratic Movement. Seventeen parties and two coalitions are meanwhile in the running for seats in the Mozambican parliament and, for the first time, provincial assemblies.

So far, there have been several incidents of violence between supporters of Frelimo and Renamo, resulting in harm to persons and property. Several people have been hospitalized or forced to seek medical attention while offices have been vandalized and property stolen. Violence is often a serious issue in Mozambique; Amnesty International has documented many incidents of extra-judicial killings by the police with few prosecutions of the perpetrators and no justice for the victims or their families.

Mozambique has recently been praised by the International Monetary Fund for its economic policies and last month President Guebuza chaired the World Climate Conference, taking a strong stand on the need for new environmental policies to address climate change. Emerging in 1992 from a devastating civil war, Mozambique is now poised to take strong strides in the region and become a leader on climate change, tourism and economic development (despite the nation’s current continuing desperate poverty). Let’s hope a free and fair election unmarred by further violence or human rights violations speeds Mozambique further along this path.

What’s Up This Week:

1. Afghanistan: Elections Run-Off
2. Angola: Humanitarian Crisis
3. Upcoming This Week

Afghanistan Elections – Take Two
On Sunday, the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) announced the results from its fraud investigations regarding the August 20th Afghanistan presidential elections.  The commission’s conclusions invalidated nearly one million votes cast as fraudulent, with 210 out of the 350 polling stations marred by fraud.  As a consequence, incumbent President Hamid Karzai’s margin of victory has diminished to below the 50% vote threshold necessary for an outright win forcing him to concede to a run-off election against opponent Abdullah Abdullah on November 7th. 

Prior to the announcement of the November 7th run-off, there were concerns that violence between Abdullah’s Tajik supporters and Karzai’s Pashtun supporters would erupt. Although Abdullah had previously stated that he would urge calm among his supporters, the apprehension that a Karzai victory would result in violence in the northern part of the country remained.  Fueling the potential for ethnic clashes, a Balkh province governor previously accused Karzai’s government of distributing weapons to northern Pashtuns in the event of post-recount conflict.  

Worries that a run-off election could be as flawed as the first presidential election linger.   More importantly, politicians have already expressed concern that the run-off election has the potential to incite violence between Pashtuns and Tajiks, potentially causing more instability and violence in the region.  There is also fear that the Taliban in Afghanistan could be strengthened by looming uncertainty with regard to the presidential elections. 

Overheard

I hope that the international community and the Afghan government and all others concerned will take every possible measure to provide security to the people so that when they vote, that vote is not called a fraud – Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan

The United Nations will do its utmost for the conduct of the second round of elections scheduled for 7 November 2009 in a free, fair, transparent and secure environment  – Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General

Must Reads

• Foreign Policy: Crunching the numbers on Karzai’s fraud 
• New York Times: Audit Finds Almost a Quarter of Afghan Vote Is Fraudulent

Angola: Humanitarian Crisis Looms

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned of a humanitarian crisis in Angola today, after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expelled tens of thousands of people to Angola. The forced returns came in retaliation to the waves of expulsions of large numbers of Congolese from Angola since December 2008.   Tit-for-tat expulsions escalated over the last months. Since August 2009, 32,000 Angolans were being repatriated to Angola, and about 18,800 Congolese nationals were kicked out from Angola.

Following a needs assessment by UN agencies last weekend in Angola, UNHCR was ringing the alarm bells today:

According to the initial assessment, there are close to 30,000 people living in and around three overcrowded reception centres in Cuimba (11,000 people) and Mama Rosa (some 18,000 people) respectively at 30 and 8 kilometres from the DRC border. Their most pressing needs are shelter, food, medicine and sanitation facilities. The supply of clean water is insufficient. Some of the expelled drink from the nearby contaminated rivers. Among the interviewed over the weekend in one of the makeshift camps at Lendi near Cuimba which hosts around 5,800 Angolans, many families reported cases of diarrhea and vomiting. In the same camp, most of the population is sleeping in the open air.

Must Reads:

• AIUSA Blog: Angola and DRC Shoving Match Leaves Citizens With Bruises
• IRIN: ANGOLA-DRC: Humanitarian crisis now unfolding
• AFP: Deported Congolese tell of Angolan terror

Upcoming

• October 20: Center for American Progress Releases new report on Science and Human Rights: New Tools for Old Traumas. Using 21st Century Technologies to Combat Human Rights Atrocities
• October 20: U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell continues talks with Palestinian negotiators on the conditions to restart Mideast peace talks (Washington, DC)
• October 19-23: African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa Kampala, Uganda

Human Rights Flashpoints is a weekly column about countries at risk of escalating human rights violations and is brought to you by AIUSA’s Crisis Prevention and Response  team