The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on behalf of two Floridians who are serving life sentences for crimes committed while they were under the age of eighteen. Currently, over 2,500 American juveniles are serving life sentences. Attorneys argue this sentencing allowance is unconstitutional and violates several U.N. Conventions.

Farm Laborers Akin to Slaves
Source: Oxfam America

Many tomato pickers in Florida are only twelve years old and earn as little as $7,500 per year. The working conditions are grueling, and many farming operations have been shut down because of human rights violations. Coalitions seeking to improve this situation are pushing large U.S. corporations such as McDonalds to pay more for their tomato inventory.
 

Reports of Chinese kidnappings, revealed during President Obama’s recent visit to China, have raised concerns that the country’s human rights violations are on the rise. Each year, approximately 10,000 Chinese activists who vocally protest the Communist government have reportedly been taken and placed in “black jails” and detention centers where they are starved and beaten.

Sri Lanka Seeks Migration Help
Source: Daily Mirror

In an effort to cooperatively combat human trafficking, Sri Lanka requested a visit between its Foreign Affairs Department and the Prime Minister of Australia. The post-conflict era in Sri Lanka has led to resettlement issues such as illegal migration and human smuggling, which Sri Lanka intends to resolve.

Voters in Uruguay recently snubbed efforts to repeal an amnesty law that grants military and police personnel immunity from prosecution of crimes committed while the country was under military dictatorship. The country’s highest court has ruled against the law, but its constitution does not give the judiciary authority to strike it as unconstitutional.

Indigenous Brazilians Protest River Plant
Source: Latin American Press

Indigenous Brazilian groups protested the construction of a new hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River. The construction is expected to displace 16,000 people over the course of thirty years. It would also likely pollute the river, on which many people and forest systems depend for sustenance.

 

The European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid signed an agreement with Nigeria’s National Planning Commission granting Nigeria $1 billion (EUR 677 million) in development funds. The funds will support peace and security, governance and human rights, and trade and regional integration. Some express doubt that the money will help, citing rampant corruption across the country.

Sierra Leone Won’t Tolerate Bribery
Source: The Daily Nation

After a decade-long civil war fueled by blood diamonds, Sierra Leone is well aware that conflict surrounds natural resources. Oil, recently discovered off the country’s coastline, is raising concern that bribery by foreign investors could again lead to corruption and violence. Sierra Leone’s anti-corruption minister has responded with warnings that bribery will lead to mandatory imprisonment.

Environmental activist Andrei Zatoka was released November 6, 2009, from incarceration in a Turkmenistan prison after his five-year sentence was commuted to a small fine. Zakota had previously denied culpability for charges accusing him of “causing bodily harm.” Though freed, Zakota has effectively been banished from his native country of Turkmenistan.

French Foreign Minister Attempts Peacemaking
Source: The Tocqueville Connection

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner recently visited the Middle East to prevent the cessation of peace talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders. The trip comes in the wake of Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas’s threat to end peace negotiations. Kouchner urged the continuation of diplomacy, as well as the creation of a democratic Palestinian state.

A royal order in Bahrain called for the establishment of a twenty-member national human rights commission. The group will be comprised of representatives from different sectors of society and promises “women will have a fair representation.” It will draft reports, address human rights-related complaints, and recommend legislation that complies with international human rights commitments.

Domestic Worker Deaths in Lebanon
Source: Human Rights Watch

A new Human Rights Watch report calls on the Lebanese government to investigate the high death rate among domestic workers in Lebanon, who are primarily from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Ethiopia. Domestic workers are not protected by Lebanon’s labor laws. Human rights groups fear that some domestic workers are exploited and held in inhumane conditions.