CfHR & MESA Respond to Arrest of Grad Student in Iran

AAA's Committee for Human Rights signed onto a letter [pdf] by the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association of North America expressing concern about the recent arrest of Esha Momeni by Iranian police. Momeni, a graduate student in journalism and media studies at California State University--Northridge, was arrested in Tehran following a minor traffic violation. She was not charged with a crime during her arrest, but has since been charged with "acting against national security" and "propagating against the system," the LA Times reported. Police searched Momeni's property and confiscated many of her belongings, including her computer, videotapes, books, and writings. AAA and MESA are concerned that her arrest is related to her research on the women's movement in Iran. According to Amnesty International, she videotaped interviews with members of Change for Equality, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the status of women in Iran by training them in civil disobedience. Momeni has been released on bail, but may not leave the country and will soon stand before a tribunal to face the charges against her.

Edited Volume Released: Reparations & Human Rights

Waging War, Making Peace - Reparations and Human Rights will be formally launched by Left Coast Press at this years AAA meetings.

This book is subtitled "A Report from the American Anthropological Association, Committee for Human Rights, Reparations Task Force" and is developed from a 2006 CfHR-sponsored session at the AAA's and subsequent task force work. The book was developed as an interdisciplinary reader -- meant to communicate anthropological insights and experiences to a broader public and academic audience.

Click here for additional information.

Table of Contents

1. WAGING WAR, MAKING PEACE: THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF REPARATIONS ~ JOHNSTON, Barbara Rose (Ctr. For Political Ecology)
2. REPARATIONS AND THE ILLUSIVE MEANING OF JUSTICE IN GUATEMALA ~ DILL, Kathleeen (Latin American Studies Institute, University of Texas, Austin) and Barbara Rose Johnston (Ctr. For Political Ecology)
3. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: IMPLEMENTING REPARATIONS IN POST TRUTH COMMISSION PERU ~ LAPLANTE, Lisa J. (Praxis: An Institute for Social Justice)
4. REPARATION: NICARAGUA ~ PHILLIPS, James (Southern Oregon University)
5. CALCULATING THE DAMAGES OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES: REPARATIONS MODELS AND THE PEOPLE OF DIEGO GARCIA ~ VINE, David (American Univ), Philip HARVEY (Rutgers) S. WOJCIECH SOKOLOWSKI (Johns Hopkins)
6. VICTIM REPARATIONS AND PERPETRATOR IMMUNITY: THE CASE OF ALGERIA AND MOROCCO ~ SLYOMOVICS, Susan (MIT)
7. THE INNOCENT VICTIM' BEFORE CAPITAL PUNISHMENT ~ DI BELLA, Maria Pia (CNRS-GTMS-EHESS, Paris)
8. THE PIECES OF PEACE: LAWFARE IN THE NEW CYPRUS ~ BRYANT, Rebecca (George Mason University)
9. BEYOND RECOGNITION: STAGGERED LIMITED RETURN OF PALESTINIANS INTO ISRAEL ~ RABINOWITZ, Dan (Tel-Aviv University)
10. THE ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF PEACE ~ SCHAFFT, Gretchen (American University)
11. REPARATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ~ RENTLEN, Alison Dundes (USC)
Index

400 Academics Write to Senator Obama

Anticipating a democratic victory in the November 4 presidential elections, four-hundred academics specializing in Latin America urge Senator Barack Obama to become a partner, rather than an adversary, concerning to the changes already under way in Latin America. Above all, they ask Senator Obama to understand the current impetus for progressive change in many of the region’s countries: the rejection of the “free-market” model of economic growth that has been imposed in most countries since the early 1980s, and the adoption of more socially just and environmentally sustainable development styles. The group expresses the hope that an Obama administration will embrace the opportunity to inaugurate a new period of hemispheric understanding and collaboration for the welfare of the entire Hemisphere. Most of those signing are members of the Latin American Studies Association, the largest and most influential professional association of its kind in the world.

Thanks go to Arturo Escobar, professor of anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill, for developing the petition, as well as all those involved in drafting the final version.

AAA has posted the letter along with signatories here [pdf].

CfHR Responds to US Census Bureau

Last month, the AAA's Committee for Human Rights wrote to the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives [pdf] and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce [pdf] urging them to "take appropriate legislative action to (1) pressure the U.S. Census Bureau to refrain from classifying any speakers as 'linguistically isolated' due to its inaccurate and discriminatory nature, and (2) to add a question concerning proficiency in languages other than English to the national census in order to arrive at a more accurate picture of language in the U.S.A." Comprehensive language information will allow our nation's institutions to better implement and tailor programs to meet local needs. CfHR will follow up with House Representatives to ensure that their concerns are addressed.

Child Soldiers Accountability Act is Signed by President Bush

Human Rights Watch reported that the Child Soldiers Accountability Act of 2007 has been signed by President Bush. The bill allows the US to arrest, prosecute, deport, and deny entry to individuals who have recruited and used children in armed conflicts. In 1998, the International Criminal Court declared the recruitment and use of children as soldiers a war crime. Despite efforts to curb recruitment, children are currently used as combatants in at least 17 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

New Development Agency

In Japan, Sadako Ogata, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, received a huge influx of financial resources for her aid organization—the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The agency swallowed a government bank that offers grants and low-interest loans, effectively raising its available financial reservoirs by $10.3 billion. The amount, which is approximately 2.5 times that of USAID, makes it the world’s largest bilateral development agency. Ogata plans on collaborating with other aid agencies and nations to fight poverty and provide relief to crisis areas, such as Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Returning Refugees

The Economist recently published a story on the politics involved in returning refugees to their respective homelands. They ask, "is the right of return a principle on which no negotiation is possible, or is it simply one of several considerations, on which there can be political trade-offs?"

Afghanistan has apparently been a "relative success story," with over 5 million refugees returning from Pakistan and Iran since 2002. Unfortunately, the voluntary return of displaced Afghans has come to a halt amid worsening security, as well as social and economic, conditions.