As attacks continue in against both Palestinians and Israelis, UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for a ceasefire. More than 70 Gazans have been killed since Tuesday by Israel’s operation, and Palestinians continue to fire rockets into Israel, where bomb shelters are being prepared. Human Rights Watch says that any attacks targeting civilians are prohibited under the laws of war.
The US government had placed five American Muslim leaders, including the head of a prominent Muslim civil liberties group, under electronic surveillance. This will certainly have a chilling effect on other human rights and civil liberties groups. The US government needs to show why this secret electronic surveillance was lawful and necessary.
Three Congolese men testified at The Hague in defense of German Katanga, a former Congolese rebel leader on trial for crimes against humanity. The men, who had all been held in maximum security prisons in Congo for their own serious crimes, then sought asylum in the Netherlands. The Netherlands denied their request, and Human Rights Watch fears their right to a fair trial in Congo will be violated.
