Crackdown Cohorts: US Backs Gulf Regimes, Ignores Rights Abuses
Support for several Gulf states where a crackdown on Internet freedom has reached new highs, resulting in arrests and bans, is also causing deep concern. Given this disturbing string of incidents across the Gulf States, many wonder why Washington is ignoring the persistent human rights violations there.

'The British Government Must Confront Russia Over Human Rights Abuses'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: An influential British businessmen has accused David Cameron of going soft on Russia and of naively treating the Kremlin with kid gloves out of a misplaced fear of Moscow.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph on the eve of the Prime Minister's historic visit to Russia tomorrow, William Browder, the founder of UK-based Hermitage Capital Management, said the British government had shied away from tackling Russia on human rights issues and claimed that the Kremlin was laughing at Mr Cameron behind his back.

“The government needs to be realistic about dealing with Russia. But it doesn't seem to understand its major strength in dealing with Russian officials,” Mr Browder charged.

"If they think that making nice with the Russians will solve any problems, it won't. The Russians just laugh at anyone who is approaching them from a position of weakness."

Mr Cameron's visit is the first by a British leader since 2006, and the first since former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive tea in central London that same year. Ties between the two countries have been icy ever since and Mr Cameron is under huge pressure to forge a better working relationship with Moscow.

But rights activists, including Mr Browder – who has embraced human rights advocacy since Sergei Magnitsky, his tax lawyer, died an agonising death in a Moscow jail – are worried that the British government is getting it wrong.

In particular, Mr Browder, who used to be the biggest foreign portfolio investor in Russia and who has one billion dollars under management, said it was time that the UK slapped tough visa and financial sanctions on top Russian officials involved in a series of heinous crimes, including the death of Mr Magnitsky.

Mr Browder, a British citizen but American by birth, has used his personal fortune to try to get justice [for] his friend. » | Andrew Osborn, Moscow | Sunday, September 11, 2011

Protect the Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the Middle East

Immigrant Worker Abuse in Middle East Condemned by Human Rights Group
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: International human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has implored Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to make more effort to protect its immigrant workers, after shocking stories emerged about the abuse of three domestic workers.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, HRW said that it had received allegations from a maid in Kuwait whose employer drove nails into her body, a maid in Saudi Arabia who had nails forced into her body, and a maid in Jordan who had been both beaten and forced to swallow nails.

The watchdog said the stories implied a “broader pattern of abuse”, and that the goverments of the three countries needed to create a stronger legal framework to protect their foreign workers.

"The wanton brutality alleged in these cases is shocking, but reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and labour exploitation such as non-payment of wages are nothing new,'' said Nisha Varia, a senior women's rights researcher at HRW.

Many domestic workers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait come from Asia, Africa and other countries in the Middle East in the hope of receiving higher salaries. Because employers in Middle East countries often act as workers' "sponsors" however, they exert extreme power over their staff. Employers can prevent workers changing jobs or leaving the country, and often withold salaries for years. >>> Leah Hyslop | Thursday, November 18, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Doctors remove 19 nails from Sri Lankan maid: A Sri Lankan housemaid whose Saudi employer allegedly embedded 24 nails in her body was recovering in hospital on Friday after doctors removed 18 of them during a three-hour surgery. >>> | Friday, August 27, 2010

MIGRANT RIGHTS: Mission statement: Through the power of the web we wish to raise awareness about the plight of migrant workers in the Middle East and encourage social action to end the violations of their human rights and dignity. Unfortunately, very little is done to prevent the modern-day slavery many workers endure in the region. Our job is to change that. >>>

Indonesian Maid Tortured in Saudi Arabia, Another Beaten to Death
MIGRANT RIGHTS: This week, two cases of severe abuse of Indonesian maids by their Saudi sponsors have surfaced, one of them ending in death and the other in serious injuries.

The first case, of 23-year-old Sumiati BT Salan Mustapa was first reported by the Saudi Gazette. This initial report mentioned that Mustapa arrived in Saudi-Arabia in July to work for a family in Madina. On November 6th Mustapa was admitted to a private hospital in Madina injured from head to toe in an unconscious state. The private hospital was unable to treat her serious injuries and she was transferred to the King Fahd hospital. A worker there told the Gazette that Mustapa’s body “was burned on many places, both legs were almost motionless, some parts of her skin on her head were removed and strong marks of old wounds were on her body including skin loss on lips and head, a fractured middle finger and a cut near an eye.” Mustapa also showed signs of malnutrition or excessive blood loss. >>> | Friday, November 19, 2010

Saudi Arabia Just Cannot Pass Muster When It Comes to Human Rights, Can It?
BBC: The New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi Arabia to do more to protect Asian domestic workers from mistreatment.

It says some cases amount to slavery, with employers going unpunished for withholding wages, forced confinement, or physical and sexual violence.

HRW says some workers are imprisoned or lashed on spurious charges such as theft, adultery or witchcraft.

Thousands take shelter with the Social Affairs ministry or foreign embassies. Saudis Urged to Curb Maid Abuse >>> | July 8, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
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Saudi Family Killed Domestic Workers Says Human Rights Watch
MIDDLE EAST TIMES: DUBAI -- A Saudi family beat to death two Indonesian women workers in an attack that Human Rights Watch said Friday highlighted the government's failure to deal with employers who seriously abuse domestic staff.

"The brutal killings of these Indonesian domestic workers occurred in an atmosphere of impunity, fostered by government inaction," said Nisha Varia, senior researcher in the Women's Rights Division of the New York-based rights group.

"Not only do the authorities typically fail to investigate or prosecute abusive employers, the criminal justice system also obstructs abused workers from seeking redress."

The group said seven members of the Saudi family carried out the beatings, earlier this month, which also resulted in two other women being critically injured. They are now in intensive care in Riyadh.

The family accused the four of practising "black magic" on a teenage son.

Although the authorities have detained these employers, the rights group said many of the 2 million domestic workers in the kingdom are routinely underpaid, overworked, confined to the workplace, or subject to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.

And those who complain often face countercharges, such as theft, adultery, or fornication in cases of rape or witchcraft.

It cited interviews it had with Sri Lankan women who had been sentenced to prison and whipping after their employers had raped and made them pregnant.

In another case, Nour Miyati, an Indonesian domestic worker, was seriously injuried and lost her fingers through gangrene, after her employer locked her up, physically and verbally abused her, and deprived her of food.

She then faced a countercharge of making false accusations against him and was sentenced to 79 lashes. A court subsequently overturned that conviction and sentence, but she still awaits a final monetary settlement from her employer, and the ability to return home to Indonesia after her ordeal.

Human Rights Watch said the Saudi government often took months or years to tell foreign missions if their nationals had been arrested, preventing them from giving badly-needed help, such as interpreters.

Despite this, it said the Indonesian embassy alone currently has 300 women in its shelter, mainly domestic workers complaining of abuse by employers and recruitment agents. In July, the shelter housed 500 women. [Source; Saudi family killed domestic workers says rights group]

Mark Alexander