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Thursday, June 30, 2011
?We want them executed?
A review has been ordered in the defense of two policemen accused of beating a young man whose death sparked Egypt's uprising.
|||Alexandria, Egypt - An Egyptian court on Thursday ordered an independent review of disputed forensic evidence used in the defense of two policemen accused of beating a young businessman whose death helped trigger Egypt's uprising.
The state forensic report concluded that Khaled Said died as a result of swallowing a packet of drugs. The finding has been widely ridiculed because photos of Said's battered body showed his face bloodied and his jaw shattered.
Said's death in June of last year in Alexandria captured the attention of millions in Egypt and helped spark the 18-day uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February. Witnesses say police agents dragged him from an Internet cafe after an argument and savagely beat him on the sidewalk outside.
His death became an immediate rallying point for activists campaigning against widespread police brutality and other human rights abuses under former President Hosni Mubarak.
Months later, a Facebook page created in his memory was used to put out a call for the January 25 protests that grew into the 18-day uprising that would topple Mubarak.
The court had been expected to deliver a verdict on Thursday, but instead ordered the review of evidence. The trial will resume on September 24.
Said's family welcomed the review, which raised the possibility that the more serious charge of manslaughter could be added to the indictment against the policemen, currently charged with illegal arrest and the use of excessive force.
“We want them executed,” said Zahra, Said's sister, who attended Thursday's hearing.
The proceedings were held amid tight security provided by army troops backed by armoured fighting vehicles.
The court said a committee of forensic experts from three Egyptian universities would review the report on the cause of Said's death prepared by the state's chief coroner.
Al-Bakry al-Afify, one of six defense lawyers, said he welcomed the decision.
“It is not a problem of delayed justice,” he said. “It makes no difference how long the trial lasts. The important thing is to get a satisfactory verdict.”
A crowd of some 200 people chanted slogans against Egypt's military rulers outside the courthouse, protesting the perceived slow pace of the prosecution of Mubarak and stalwarts of his regime. Those complaints were also at the root of two days of rioting in Cairo this week that left more than 1 000 people wounded.
“Down with the rule of the soldiers,” chanted the crowd.
The military took control of the country from Mubarak, when he stepped down on February 11 and is overseeing a return to civilian rule and a hoped-for transition to democracy.
“(Said's) case highlights the widely shared belief that the Egyptian authorities are still not doing enough to deliver justice - not only for Khaled Said but for all those unlawfully killed and injured by the security forces during mass protests earlier this year,” Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Program, said in a statement before Thursday's verdict.
“This belief is exacerbated by the slowness with which the authorities are handling trials of police officers accused of killing protesters during the uprising, when more than 800 died, and the fact that many of those facing trial have not been suspended from active duty and remain in positions where they can intimidate witnesses and subvert justice,” he said. - Sapa-AP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/we-want-them-executed-1.1091367
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Strong Winds Prevent Cruise Ship from Anchoring in Reykjav�k
Yesterday, the AIDAluna was unable to anchor in Reykjav�k?s Skarfabakki harbor due to strong winds. The cruise ship was scheduled to pick up 52 passengers arriving by air.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379568
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Icelandic Woman Helps FBI to Arrest Most Wanted Man
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The tip that led to a stunning break in the 16-year-long international manhunt for fugitive James ?Whitey? Bulger came from Iceland, a law enforcement official said according to a number of sources.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379493
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
UN extends DRC mission ahead of polls
The United Nations Security Council has agreed to extend its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a year as the country prepares for national elections.
|||New York - The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday decided to extend by one year its MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to provide aid ahead of November's national elections.
The 15-member Security Council unanimously decided that MONUSCO- the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - “shall support the organisation and conduct of national, provincial and local elections, through the provision of technical and logistical support as requested by the Congolese authorities”.
Presidential and legislative elections in the DRC are scheduled for November, and President Joseph Kabila is expected to run for a second term.
The resolution stressed “that the successful holding of timely, inclusive, peaceful, credible and transparent elections, in accordance with the constitution and international standards, is a key condition for the consolidation of democracy, national reconciliation”.
In early June, DRC lawmakers approved a bill to hold November's elections in a single round - an idea opposition parties have rejected, saying it could undermine the legitimacy of the elected president.
MONUSCO's main mandate remains to protect the civilian population, in a country where armed groups and soldiers are blamed for widespread instability, attacks and mass rape.
On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said up to 170 people were recently raped between June 10-12 in Nyakiele and Abala in the eastern parts of the DRC.
In March, a report by UN experts denounced human rights violations in the DRC, concluding that “on a massive scale, women have been victimised by sexual violence in the context of the armed conflict that has plagued and in some parts of the country continues to plague the DRC”.
MONUSCO is one of the largest UN peacekeeping operations in the world with 20 000 uniformed personnel. - Sapa-AFP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/un-extends-drc-mission-ahead-of-polls-1.1090364
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?Rwandan general shooting orchestrated in Europe?
The shooting of Rwanda's former army chief was orchestrated by Rwandan soldiers living in Europe, a witness has said.
|||The attempted killing in Johannesburg of Rwanda's exiled former army chief was orchestrated by well-heeled Rwandan soldiers living in Europe, a witness told a South African court on Wednesday.
Six men went on trial Wednesday for the shooting of Faustin Nyamwasa, Rwanda's former top general, at his home in Johannesburg in June 2010.
Nyamwasa had arrived in South Africa four months earlier, after abandoning his post as ambassador to India, amid allegations of corruption and a falling-out with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
A week before the shooting, one of the accused, Rwandan national Amani Uriwani, said that Rwandan “military men” from Europe with lots of cash and cars had asked for his help “to shoot at a military person”, according to witness Kalisa Mubarak.
“He said they are Rwandese from Europe. They also want to shoot another Rwandese,” said Mubarak, an immigrant who runs a hair salon in central Johannesburg.
Mubarak told the court that Uriwani said he had been offered 10,000 rand ($1,500, 1,000 euros) to take part in the attack.
Three Tanzanians and three Rwandans have been charged with attempted murder. All six have pleaded not guilty.
The case has strained relations between South Africa and Rwanda, which wants to bring Nyamwasa home to serve a 24-year prison sentence after a military court tried him in absentia on charges of desertion, defamation and threatening state security.
Nyamwasa was tried with three other former top officials who co-authored a document slamming what they said was the repression of freedoms in Rwanda since Kagame's arrival in power in 1994.
He also faces terrorism charges for allegedly masterminding grenade attacks last year in Kigali in the run-up to presidential elections.
Nyamwasa's presence in South Africa has caused diplomatic headaches for Pretoria.
Spain and France are both seeking to extradite him for his alleged role in the Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 people were killed. He has denied the charges. -
Sapa-AFP
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France admits arming Libyan rebels
A diplomat says France may have violated a UN arms embargo by sending weapons to rebel fighters in Libya.
|||Paris/Misrata - France said on Wednesday that it had airlifted weapons to Libya's rebels this month, the first time one of the Nato countries bombing Libya has openly acknowledged arming the insurgents seeking to topple Muammar Gaddafi.
A three-month-old bombing campaign has so far failed to dislodge the Libyan leader, straining the Western alliance. The bombing is justified by a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising force to protect civilians, but Britain, France and the United States say they will not stop until Gaddafi falls.
The rebels' advances have been slow, although they say they have made considerable progress in the past week on the front nearest Tripoli. On Sunday rebels advanced from the mountains southwest of the capital to 80km from the capital.
A French military spokesperson confirmed the delivery of weapons after Le Figaro newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying France had parachuted rocket launchers, assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles into the western mountains.
“There were humanitarian drops because the humanitarian situation was worsening and at one point it seemed the security situation was threatening civilians who could not defend themselves,” armed forces spokesperson Thierry Burkhard said.
“France therefore also sent equipment allowing them to defend themselves, comprising light weapons and munitions,” he said, adding that the drop also included medicine and food.
The move may violate a UN arms embargo. A UN diplomat familiar with the work of the Security Council committee that oversees enforcement of sanctions on Libya said providing arms to any group in the country could constitute a violation.
“I don't know the details, but it sounds like this would be a violation,” the diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Le Figaro said France's decision to send arms had been taken without consulting Nato partners. It quoted a high-level source saying “there was no other way to proceed”.
There was no immediate rebel comment to the news. France's allies reacted cautiously.
“We as Nato are not engaged in this kind of activity, although it is also well known that there are nations that are doing this so it is not up to me to comment or judge,” Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, head of Nato's military committee, told reporters in Brussels.
Britain, alongside France one of the most active members of the coalition behind the bombing, acknowledged the French move raised questions in the light of a UN mandate which justifies the operation in terms of reducing civilian casualties.
“It does raise quite a few issues, not least the United Nations resolution, although in some circumstances clearly that could be justified,” British Minister for International Security Gerald Howarth told reporters.
“But it is very much a matter for France and no criticism of France (is) intended therein. But it's not something we shall be doing,” he added.
Britain has given the rebels items such as body armour in the past, but has always made a point of saying the aid it gave was “non-lethal”.
As the Nato operation extends beyond 90 days, fissures have appeared in the coalition against Gaddafi, with Italy calling for a suspension to the bombing and US officials complaining about the lack of European firepower.
Dutch Defence Minister Hans Hillen warned Nato allies on Wednesday against “mission creep” and forecast more arguments about the future of its campaign if it lasted beyond September.
“Libya is a very, very big country indeed. People who thought that merely by throwing some bombs it would not only help the people, but also convince Gaddafi that he could step down or alter his policy, were a little bit naive,” he said.
Nato warships off the Libyan coast fired on government forces near the strategic town of Zlitan east of Tripoli, rebels said on Wednesday. Gaddafi's forces have so far successfully blocked the rebels at Zlitan, preventing them from advancing on Tripoli from the east.
“Last night, Nato struck from the sea at Gaddafi's forces positioned in the coastal area,” a rebel spokesperson inside Zlitan, who identified himself as Mabrouk, told Reuters.
“The (pro-Gaddafi) brigades are preparing for the next days. They have stepped up deployment here. They have brought several rocket-launchers. The number of checkpoints is also growing. The situation is getting more difficult.” - Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/france-admits-arming-libyan-rebels-1.1090946
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Egypt tensions mount
Bloody clashes between protesters and anti-riot police raged in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as frustration mounts over the pace of reform.
|||Cairo - Bloody clashes between protesters and anti-riot police raged in Cairo's Tahrir Square into the early hours of Wednesday, as frustration mounts with Egypt's military rulers over the pace of reform.
Witnesses said the overnight disturbances, which left around 50 people injured, were some of the most violent in months in the square, which was the focal point of protests that forced veteran president Hosni Mubarak from power in February.
They accused loyalists of the ousted leader of stirring up the violence after municipal councils they dominated across the country were dissolved by court order on Tuesday.
Activists called for an open-ended sit-in in Tahrir Square. The ruling military council warned of a plot to destabilise the country.
The April 6 Movement, one of several behind calls for a popular uprising, urged “all Egyptians to head to Tahrir Square.”
It said a protest to push for democratic reforms that was scheduled for July 8 “will begin today and a sit-in will carry on until there are clear signs that the demands are met.”
But the army called on protesters not to give in to “schemes” aimed at sowing chaos.
“The regrettable incidents in Tahrir Square... are designed to destabilise the country and pit the revolutionaries against the police,” the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said in a statement.
The clashes “have no reason behind them except to destabilise Egypt's security and stability in accordance with a carefully thought out and organised scheme,” SCAF said.
The Egyptian football association postponed a match between bitter Cairo rivals Ahly and Zamalek until further notice “due to the latest events in Tahrir Square.”
A white cloud of smoke hung over the square before dawn as security forces repeatedly fired tear gas to try to disperse the protesters who numbered in their thousands, an AFP photographer reported.
The interior ministry blamed families of victims killed in the uprising saying some of them stormed a theatre where a memorial service was being held for those who died.
A security official said that clashes erupted and the families were then joined by hundreds of protesters who began to throw rocks before heading to Tahrir Square.
But activists said police beat the families who had been barred from joining the service.
“After being denied entry .... clashes erupted between protesters and security guards at the theatre. The police showed up and started beating the families of martyrs,” pro-democracy activist Arabawy wrote on his blog.
Nearly 850 people were killed during the popular revolt that brought an end to Mubarak's 30-year rule.
Witnesses told AFP that buses unloaded young men armed with sticks and knives, and accused loyalists of the old regime of stirring up the trouble.
After protests erupted against Mubarak's rule on January 25, the authorities deploying hired thugs in a bid to quell the unrest.
Tuesday's clashes broke out just hours after a Cairo court ordered the dissolution of municipal councils across the country, all of which were dominated by members of Mubarak's now disbanded National Democratic Party.
“I don't think the timing of these clashes is a coincidence,” one witness told satellite channel ON TV.
“It came just after the dissolution of the local councils, a decision which I'm sure will make many people (from the old regime) very angry,” the witness in Tahrir Square said.
Television footage showed protesters chanting: “the people demand the fall of the Field Marshal,” referring to Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when Mubarak stepped down.
Protesters who first took to the streets to demand the overthrow of Mubarak, have begun to shift their anger to the ruling military council, accusing it of using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent. - Sapa-AFP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/egypt-tensions-mount-1.1090717
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59 Icelandair Pilots Fired
According to mbl.is 59 pilots got a termination letter on Monday from Icelandair. According to Gudj�n Arngr�msson, spokesman for Icelandair these are pilots that were hired to the company this spring for the summer season. This is the deal they knew they would get when they were hired.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379492
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Prosecutor says ?game over? for Gaddafi
ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo says it’s only a matter of time before Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi is booted.
|||Tripoli/The Hague - Libya's Muammar Gaddafi could fall within two to three months, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor said on Tuesday, as rebels sought to press an advance on Tripoli that has made rare progress in recent days.
The ICC's Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who on Monday announced an arrest warrant for Gaddafi on charges of crimes against humanity, is the latest international official to say the Libyan leader would soon capitulate to a Nato-backed revolt.
“It is a matter of time... Gaddafi will face charges,” Moreno-Ocampo told reporters in The Hague, where the warrants were approved for Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi.
He added: “I don't think we will have to wait for long... In two or three months it is game over.”
While there is little chance of Gaddafi being arrested if he remains in power, the Libyan leader's foes have seized on the warrant to justify the three-month Nato bombing campaign and to try and bolster world opinion against him.
In comments that appeared to make any political settlement even less likely, rebels said after talks in Paris that even indirect contacts with Gaddafi were now excluded.
“I don't think there is any place for direct or indirect contact with Gaddafi,” Mahmoud Shammam, a spokesman for the National Transitional Council (NTC) said after meetings with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Before the ICC move, Shammam was quoted earlier this week as confirming that talks with Gaddafi's side were under way through intermediaries and suggested Gaddafi could be allowed to stay in Libya as long as he stepped down from power.
In its eastern stronghold of Benghazi, the NTC hosted the foreign minister of Bulgaria, whose country along with Romania brought to at least 22 the total of countries which recognise the NTC as representatives of the Libyan people.
That does not include United Nations Security Council veto-holder China, which has merely acknowledged the NTC as an “important domestic political force” and is reserved on the ICC warrants.
“China hopes the ICC can prudently, justly and objectively carry out its duties, and ensure that its relevant work genuinely aids regional peace and stability,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.
The rebellion against Gaddafi has made little progress since Western countries began bombing three months ago, but rebels say they are finally advancing closer to Tripoli.
Rebels based in the Western Mountains region southwest of the capital made their biggest breakthrough in weeks on Sunday to reach the town of Bir al-Ghanam, where they are now fighting pro-Gaddafi forces for control, their spokesman said.
The move took them 30km north of their previous position and closer to Tripoli, Gaddafi's main power base.
A rebel spokesman said there had been further fighting on Monday. “Fighting broke out yesterday evening in Bir Ayad and Bir al-Ghanem. The (government) brigades used Grad rockets. The fighting stopped later after strikes by Nato,” he said.
A Reuters photographer said rebels tried to salvage weapons from a pro-Gaddafi arms depot 20km southeast of the nearby town of Zintan after it had been bombed by Nato, but they were prevented as fire broke out across the entire depot.
Elsewhere, rebels in Misrata said Gaddafi's forces struck at the Mediterranean coastal city 200km east of Tripoli overnight. Rebels have not been able to advance far from Misrata to approach Tripoli from the east.
“Gaddafi's forces bombarded Misrata last night. There were no casualties, thank God. Today the situation is quiet for the moment,” said the spokesman, who gave his name as Youssef.
The revolt has turned into the bloodiest of the Arab Spring uprisings against autocratic rulers across the Middle East, becoming a full-blown civil war with control of the country divided between the rebels and Gaddafi's government.
At a Nato briefing, Lieutenant-General Charles Bouchard cited what he called “indiscriminate shelling” by Gaddafi forces in Nalut and Misrata. He said Gaddafi's government maintains a significant-sized force in the Brega area, where the frontline has barely moved in months.
The situation in Tripoli remained tense, he said, adding that Nato had reports that the government was still violently suppressing anti-Gaddafi protests in the capital. - Reuters
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/prosecutor-says-game-over-for-gaddafi-1.1090342
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Iceland-EU Talks commence
This morning Iceland began accession talks to join the European Union in BrusselsSource: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379490
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?Plot to strangle Rwandan in SA hospital?
When a Rwandan army general survived being shot, prosecutors say the people behind it planned to finish the job.
|||First a gunman shot the exiled Rwandan army general. When he survived, prosecutors say the people who wanted him dead plotted to strangle him in his South African hospital bed.
Prosecutors won't say whether they believe Rwandan President Paul Kagame's government was behind the attack carried out in another corner of the continent.
But on Tuesday as the trial began, prosecutors disclosed that key witnesses are now under special protection in South Africa because they fear the Rwandan government.
Rwandan authorities have angrily denied the allegations of involvement in the June 2010 attack on Lt. Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, and have even hired a South African lawyer to monitor the court proceedings this week in Johannesburg.
“The government of Rwanda doesn't have anything to hide. They're not involved in this,” their lawyer Gerhard van der Merwe told The Associated Press.
Prosecutor Shaun Abrahams refused to say Tuesday whether his case would implicate the Rwandan government. He said the evidence will speak for itself during the complex trial, which is being conducted in English and translated into three other languages:
French, Swahili and Kinyarwanda.
The shooting victim, who has kept a low profile since the June 2010 attack, also faces international war crimes charges linked to the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide - allegations he denies.
Nyamwasa was once Rwanda's military chief before he fell out with the president and went into exile in South Africa last year. He and several other top Kagame aides have since been convicted in absentia on charges that include threatening state security.
Now three Rwandans and three Tanzanians are accused of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and other charges in Nyamwasa's shooting in South Africa. They each pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday.
Nyamwasa and other Rwandans living abroad have accused the president of crushing dissent and democracy after he helped to end the 1994 genocide that left more than 500,000 people dead in Rwanda.
In May, British police warned some Rwandan exiles living in the UK that their lives were in danger, and the threat is believed to have emanated from the Rwandan government.
Human rights activists also charged last year that Rwanda's Tutsi-led government was pursuing Hutus in neighboring Uganda. Rwanda's government denied involvement in a series of attacks on Hutu Rwandans in Uganda.
Human rights groups say opposition politicians, journalists and civil society activists have been subjected to crackdowns inside Rwanda as well. Earlier this year, in a case Human Rights Watch said was politically motivated,
Rwanda's High Court sentenced an opposition leader to four years in prison on charges of endangering national security, attempting to organize unauthorized protests and inciting ethnic divisions.
The key suspect in the South Africa case is Pascal Kanyandekwe, a Rwandan businessman. He's also accused of plotting to kill Nyamwasa while the general was hospitalized after the shooting.
Kanyandekwe and four men not linked to the shooting are to stand trial in the hospital plot later this month. He also is accused of bribery after two police officers said he offered them $1 million to let him go when they arrested him in July 2010.
The other two Rwandans accused in the case are Nyamwasa's driver and a former Rwandan soldier, according to prosecutors.
While Nyamwasa portrays himself as a champion of democracy and is a victim in the trial that opened Tuesday, he also faces serious criminal charges.
He and other senior Tutsis are accused of waging an extermination campaign against Hutus in the chaotic aftermath of Rwanda's genocide -charges that Nyamwasa denies.
A Spanish judge in 2008 charged Nyamwasa and 39 other members of the Rwandan military with the mass killings of civilians after they seized power in Rwanda.
A U.N. report last year echoed the 2008 Spanish charges, accusing invading Rwandan troops of killing tens of thousands of Hutus in 1996 and 1997 in neighboring Congo.
South African refugee and human rights groups have gone to court to try to have Nyamwasa's asylum status stripped because of the allegations.
In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, the groups acknowledge it might not be safe for Nyamwasa to return to Rwanda and instead proposed that he be tried in South Africa. -
Sapa-AP
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/plot-to-strangle-rwandan-in-sa-hospital-1.1090273
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- Norway out of Afghanistan by 2014
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr St�re, who paid a surprise visit to Norwegian troops in Afghanistan on Saturday, says Norway will make a gradual withdrawal of its troops towards 2014.
Source: http://www.norwaypost.no/news/norway-out-of-afghanistan-by-2014-25385.html
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A 500 Years Old Pawn Found in Iceland
An archeological group working in Gufusk�lar in Sn�fellsnes has found a piece from a chess set, thought to be more than 500 years old. The set was probably used by sailors when they were ashore. The piece found now was a pawn.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379489
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Icelandic Brewery has to Expand to Keep up With Demand
The owners of the Brewery in �rsk�gsstr�nd north of Akureyri are expanding the factory by 200 square meters to be able to put up more tanks for brewing. This is an increase of 40%. The investment is close to 40 million ISK and production capacity will rise from 380 thousand liters to 550 thousand liters per year of the beer Kaldi.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379495
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LEDAP commends Fashola for signing Disability Law, urges President Jonathan to sign into law Nation
LEGAL Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) commends Governor of Lagos State, Babatunda Raji Fashola (SAN), for signing into law the Special Peoples? Law 2011. The law was earlier passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly in December 2010 and revised to allow for late signing by the governor in May 2011. By signing the bill into law, Governor Fashola has shown that he is committed to the welfare of vulnerable persons in Lagos State.
Lagos is the first to promulgate such law aimed at domesticating the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disability and similar normative standards. Similar bill passed by the National Assembly is still waiting for signature of the President. LEDAP calls on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign the National Disability Bill 2011 into law.
The new law contains provisions to ensure that people living with disabilities in Lagos State are given equal rights in all social services, employment, political and educational facilities. The law also safeguards disable persons against discrimination; guarantees them right to access to information, conducive socio-economic environment; access to special education; to public transport facilities, among others. Under the law, a dedicated Office for Disability Affairs to address complaints of harassment, discrimination and torture, will be set up. The office will also ensure that the tenets of the law are fully and effectively implemented.
Nigeria ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol on September 24, 2010. The signing into law of the Lagos State Special Peoples? Bill will not only advance the inclusion of those living with disabilities in Lagos into the socio-economic environment and assist them in leading an independent life, but will also adhere to Nigeria?s obligations under the Convention and its Optional Protocol.
The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 19 million people in Nigeria living with disabilities. Living with a disability, whether it is physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional or developmental, has a significant and often long-lasting impact on an individual?s life. People living with disabilities experience widespread exclusion from the social, economic and political life of their communities, which is inevitably as a result of on-going stigmatisation rooted in cultural and religious beliefs, and/or the neglect of their needs in the design of policies, programmes and facilities.
The passing of the bill into law and eventual signing by Governor Fashola were outcomes of several efforts of many organisations working for persons with disability in Nigeria, including LEDAP.
In March 2011, LEDAP, in collaboration with Centre for Persons with Disability, launched one million signature campaign to request Governor Fashola to sign the bill into law. The signature campaign was kicked off at the National Stadium on March 16, 2011, at a press event attended by several supporters of the bill, including journalists and disability activists. The campaign also has the support of Lynxxx, musician, entertainer and Pepsi ambassador; and Joseph Dosu, former goal keeper for the Super Eagles, gold medallist Atlanta Olympic Games 1996. Lynxxx and Disu were the first and second signatories to the campaign. Over 1 million Lagosians signed up subsequently within one month. On May 14, 2011, the signatures were submitted to Governor Fashola, demonstrating the huge public support for the bill.
LEDAP thanks Governor Fashola for listening to the call of the people in this respect. It urges the governor to forthwith direct the management of BRT public transport companies of the Lagos State government to add rumps and other facilities that would enable disable persons including wheel-chair users to use the public buses at all the bus terminals in the state. All public buildings should also construct the necessary facilities for easy access to disable persons. Banks and other private companies that have electronic scanner doors must provide access to disable persons. There are several reports that disable persons on clutches and wheelchairs are disallowed from entering banking halls because they are unable to access the caged security screening doors. The new law has made it mandatory for such companies to provide adequate alternative access to persons with all forms of disability.
LEDAP and other disability groups will in coming months initiate litigation and other actions to ensure full compliance with the law by public and private entities in the state
?Obiagwu is national coordinator, LEDAP
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Monday, June 27, 2011
Teen Summer in Norway - The Beginning
This is the first of several articles written by a Norwegian-born teenager living in the US, returning to Norway for the first time this summer. She has promised to share her experiences with us...
Source: http://www.norwaypost.no/news/teen-summer-in-norway-the-beginning-25380.html
Angry Elves Said to Have Wreaked Havoc in West Fjords
The employees of the contractor �safl in Bolungarv�k, the West Fjords, had trouble with their construction equipment this week. Yesterday an explosion in a mine went wrong, causing rocks to rain over a residential area. Some locals believe elves are causing these mishaps.Source: http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=379383
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