Letters to Leaders: Stop the Genocide in Ogaden region.

To: President Barack Obama

November 20, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama,

I appreciate your willingness to serve the public. As a concerned citizen, we are writing this letter to inform you of the human rights violations that are currently taking place in the desiccated Ogaden region of Ethiopia. We are asking you to take immediate action to protect these incapacitated individuals from the Ethiopian government and bring reconciliation to this region. The racial extermination of the Ethiopian military against the people of the Ogaden has been ongoing since September 23, 1948, when the Ogaden region was transferred to Ethiopia. The Ogaden region is sparsely inhabited with Somali nomads, who are deprived of both personal and political freedom.

It is critical to note that very few people have limited knowledge of this genocide. Genocide is defined as the killing of members in a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, imposing measures intended to prevent birth, or forcibly transferring children of that group to another group. This is exactly what is taking place in Ogaden, according to the Genocide Convention signed and put into effect by the U.N December 9. 1948.

Read the letter : from 3 Congressmen  

Kashmir : Amnesty International on 14 year old prisoner

nasirjohn | November 18, 2010 - Amnesty International has urged authorities in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to release a 14-year-old child who has been detained without charge or trial for seven months, for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.

The authorities claim that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh was part of a large crowd which threw stones at police and security forces in the state capital Srinagar in April, as part of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir.

Police say that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh is 19-years-old but his family claim that he was born in 1996 and is 14-years-old. Prison records reportedly confirm that he is a child.

Congo's Former VP Trial at The Hague.

War Crimes Trial for Congo's Former VP Opens at The Hague ::

VOAvideo | November 22, 2010 - Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former vice president of the Democratic Republic of Congo,went on trial Monday at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The crimes were allegedly committed by his militia, The Movement for the Liberation of Congo, after they crossed into the Central African Republic in 2002. Mariama Diallo reports.

Former DR Congo leader faces trial ::

AlJazeeraEnglish | November 22, 2010 - Jean-Pierre Bemba, former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has gone on trial for rape and murder allegedly committed by his troops in the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR).

The 48 year old pleaded not guilty as the trial began at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Monday.

Bemba is charged with three counts of war crimes and two counts of crimes against humanity for the alleged atrocities by about 1,500 fighters of his Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) between October 2002 and March 2003.

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull from the Netherlands, where the trial is being held.

No Jail - No Justice? Israeli troops set free in 'Human Shield' trial

RussiaToday | November 21, 2010 - An Israeli military court has let two of its soldiers walk free, after they were convicted of using a Palestinian boy as a human shield, during the Gaza War nearly two years ago. The two made a 9-year-old open bags they suspected were full of explosives.

Kashmir Violence :

PressTV InFocus : Nov 14,2010 - Kashmir as one of the most dangerous clash points is located partly in Indian and Pakistani border. Kashmir's unrest continues to be unresolved after more than six decades.Both India and Pakistan who claim full control of the region have fought two of the three wars in Kashmir and the area has remained at the heart of enmity between the two nuclear rivals.

In this edition of InFocus, Press TV's correspondent Shahana Butt takes a look at how the people in Kashmir are caught up in this long disputed between India and Pakistan.

After flood, landmines emerge in Pakistan.

unicef | November 09, 2010

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, Pakistan, 9 November 2010 -- Catastrophic flash floods have scarred the lives of Tayyab, 4, and his family in unimaginable ways. His father, Mohammad Aslam, is a small farmer in the remote village of Sadra Sharif, located in north-western Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

In early August, as floodwaters receded in the village, Mr. Aslam went to the fields to assess the damage to his crops. "I saw this thing stuck in the crops and I brought it home out of curiosity," he remembers. "Not even for a moment did it cross my mind that I was bringing destruction to my family."

The receding waters have unearthed a lurking menace of unexploded ordnance and landmines in Pakistan. The floods carried the explosives into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the mountains in neighbouring, conflict-stricken South Waziristan, one of the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

"Sixteen cases have been reported during the last two months in flood-affected areas," says UNICEF Child Protection Officer Farman Ali. "Seven victims, including women and children, have been injured leading to amputation."

In response to the danger, UNICEF and its non-governmental partner, the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization, have expanded their mine-risk education (MRE) programme to flood-affected areas.

Kashmir Burning - India

journeymanpictures | November 08, 2010 - It's one of the world's longest-running conflicts, defined by daily street battles and accusations of military abuse. Once again levels of violence have risen with daily battles raging - terror on Srinagar's tired streets?

"What do you think we're fighting for?! Freedom!", cries one of the masked young men preparing to take on the armed police in Srinigar. Once famed for its beauty, the Kashmir valley is now a joyless place of angry streets and automatic rifles. Frustrated over the remaining presence of Indian security forces, seemingly immune to the law. Angry young men and women taking to the streets to fight against "Indian occupation". The police have responded with force, and more than 100 people have died. We hear from the heartbroken family of an eight year old boy, who was beaten to death by the police for breaking the curfew: "a stick was thrust into his mouth, and his teeth were broken". The police deny all allegations, and insist that they "use plastic and rubber bullets". It's not what the video shows! Yet the alleged brutality has radicalised a wide cross-section of the community. The Indian Government says it has appointed three peace envoys in an attempt to calm things. Yet Kashmiris say peace is not what India wants: "the answer unfortunately to every rising in Kashmir is bullets".

Produced by Native Voice Films :: Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Collateral Damage - Afghanistan.

journeymanpictures | October 11, 2010 - (October 2010)Following the Oruzgan killing of an Afghan family, three Australian soldiers now face a court martial. How could a family with 6 children have been slaughtered? To date there is no evidence any were associated with the Taliban.

Maintaining to this day that they were innocent civilians, the families of those affected by the raid are fuming that their names are still being dragged through the mud. Shortly after the attack, local man Shipiro said, "I asked the interpreter what they said, he said they made a mistake. Instead of the house on the hill, they attacked us". Many questions remain unanswered surrounding what actually happened that fateful day.

Produced By SBS :: Distributed By Journeyman Pictures.

American weapon of mass destruction - harmful results.

Vietnam still poisoned by US chemical weapons;

RT 9 Nov 2010 - For a decade, American jets dispersed 80 million litres of the new herbicide over the territory of Vietnam.

Half a million children in Vietnam were born with severe physical and mental disabilities – all because of Agent Orange.

Neither the US government nor the chemical companies that made the herbicide have paid a single cent in compensation to those whose lives were destroyed by their work.