Pakistan Chief Justice Freed by New Premier

Moments after being confirmed as Pakistan's new prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry (pictured) be freed. Chaudhry had been under house arrest since November when President Musharraf had security forces carry him out of the Supreme Court while hearing a case about Musharraf's right to continue as president. Gilani also ordered the release of other deposed judges who had crossed Musharraf. The new Pakistani government has promised to reinstate roughly 60 judges removed by Musharraf.

Darfur Peacekeeping Force Struggling

Despite what many consider an ongoing genocide in Darfur, the United Nations peacekeeping force continues to be delayed. The force officially replaced the incapable African Union force on January 1, 2008, but so far has only deployed 9,000 of an anticipated 26,000. The remainder are expected at the end of the year, but help cannot get to Darfur fast enough. Only time will tell if the force will be able to overcome bureaucracy, Sudanese government resistance, and the unwillingness of many nations to send troops to the conflict. Meanwhile, the people of Darfur suffer.

Annan: UN "Overstretched"

Former secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan, said yesterday that the UN is "overstretched" and should not take on any more responsibilities as long as the major powers continue to withhold the needed support.

"I don't think the UN is in a position today to go in and take over in Afghanistan; I don't think the UN will get the resources to play a major and active role in Somalia. We are already struggling to get the resources in Darfur, where some have declared it a genocide."

The UN is currently trying to get a force of 26,000 troops into Darfur, but weak support has delayed their deployment. For example, the UN has requested 24 helicopters to patrol the region, but no nation has responded to repeated requests for this equipment.

Violence in Kosovo Escalates

A United Nations police officer from the Ukraine has died following injuries suffered during riots by Serbs in Kosovo. Rioters used rocks, Molotov cocktails, and even hand grenades against police after police retook two UN courthouses in the town of Mitrovica. The clash left 150 injured, including over 60 police.

Serbians are still upset over Kosovo's declaration of independence and vow not to let the territory split. Russian authorities, who support Serbia, condemned the UN's use of force. UN police allegedly exchanged gunfire with some rioters and used stun grenades. The UN will pull its police out of the area, leaving NATO troops to try and keep the peace.

Pro-Tibet Protests Around the World

Protests calling for an end to Chinese rule of Tibet have erupted across the globe. Violent protests have taken lace throughout Tibet, leaving anywhere from 10-80 dead and many more injured or jailed. Meanwhile, there have been protests in places such as the Chinese embassy in Paris, the Chinese consulate in the Hague, and in New York outside the United Nations and Chinese consulate. With the world watching as the Olympics approach, China has been urged to practice restraint against protesters.

US State Department Names World's Worst Human Rights Offenders

North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Eritrea and Sudan were named the world's ten worst human rights offenders in a new report detailing 2007 abuses. To the surprise of many China was dropped from the list, although their “overall human rights record remained poor.” Some question whether the upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing are the reason for China's drop.

Meanwhile, groups like Amnesty International noted the irony of having the Bush administration create a detailed list of human rights abuses. Amnesty International USA executive director Larry Cox's statement seems right on point:

"It is also shocking to read the horrific record of what amounts to torture and cruel treatment of individuals held by allies of the United States in the war on terror, knowing that the U.S. government has sent people to those countries for interrogation through its extraordinary renditions program."

The report's release seems a bit untimely for the Bush administration considering the President's recent veto of a bill that would limit harsh interrogation techniques that some consider to be torture (see post below).

To see the 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices head over to the US State Department site here.

Bush's Anti-Torture Veto Stands

An attempt by the House of Representatives to override President Bush's veto of a ban on enhanced interrogation techniques failed yesterday. The bill would have limited the CIA and other US agencies to interrogation techniques found in the Army's field manual. This would have prevented the use of waterboarding and induced hypothermia. President Bush cited terrorism concerns in vetoing the bill. The veto leaves the following techniques, among others, potentially available to the CIA and other agencies: hooding prisoners or putting duct tape across their eyes, stripping prisoners naked, forcing prisoners to perform or mimic sexual acts, subjecting them to hypothermia or mock executions, and withholding food, water and medical treatment. All of these acts are prohibited in the Army's field manual.