International Women's Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement (ASSOCIATED PRESS - GENNA MARTIN)
The European Union has announced sanctions against officials from six countries, including Russia and Afghanistan, for violence and rights abuses against women. This comes as countries around the globe mark International Women's Day on Wednesday.
Nine individuals and three official entities have been added to sanctions lists, subject to visa bans and the freezing of any assets held in the EU, according to a document seen on Tuesday by French news agency, AFP.
The sanctions target two Moscow police officers, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Fedorinov and his subordinate Ivan Ryabov, who are accused of ordering the arrest and torture of female anti-war protesters.
Also named are Russian special forces commander Major General Nikolai Kuznetsov and tank commander Colonel Ramil Ibatullin, whose units are accused of systematic acts of rape and sexual violence in Ukraine[1].
From Afghanistan[2], the Taliban minister for higher education Neda Mohammad Nadeem and the minister for the propagation of virtue and the repression of vice, Muhammad Khalid Hanafi, are also listed.
The former is accused of depriving women of education and the second of "curbing their freedom of speech and expression, and inflicting harsh punishments and violence on those who do not respect the Taliban's edicts."
Systematic gender-based violence
In South Sudan[3], the commissioner for Mayiandit county, Gatluak Nyang Hoth, and of Koch county, Gordon Koang Biel, are said to have made "widespread and systematic use of sexual violence as a war tactic and instrumentalised it as a reward and entitlement for men participating in the conflict."
Myanmar[4]'s deputy minister of home affairs Toe Ui is said to have allowed military security agents to "use forced nudity, rape, electro-shocks, burning of genitalia and excessive violence during the arbitrary detention and interrogation of men, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community."
Ui is a former head of the Office of the Chief of Military Security affairs, which is listed separately as an agency responsible "for systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence".
Iran[5]'s Qarchak prison in Tehran province is listed as a place where women are subjected the sexual abuse by guards and threatened with rape to extract false confessions.
Stand up for values
And in Syria[6], the Republican Guard is said to be ordered by the government "to use sexual and gender-based violence to repress and intimidate the Syrian people, particularly women and girls."
The names are expected to be formally added to the EU sanctions list later in the day, but diplomatic sources confirmed to AFP that they had been approved by member states.
"By imposing these sanctions, we're sending a clear message to perpetrators that they won't get away with their crimes," the Netherlands' foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a news release.
"This is also a message to the victims: the EU will support you, wherever you are in the world. Sanctions are a powerful way for us to stand up for universal values and force international change," he said.
"We will not hesitate to expand the list to include other perpetrators of sexual violence."
'Unparellelled' repression
Meanwhile, the United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk[7] on Tuesday delivered his first update on human rights around the world since taking office six months ago.
He voiced alarm at "the scope and magnitude of discrimination against women and girls", describing it as "one of the most overwhelming human rights violations worldwide".
He highlighted the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have effectively squeezed women out of public life since sweeping back to power in August 2021.
"The repression of women in Afghanistan is unparallelled," he said. "Such a tyranny must not escape accountability."
He also pointed to Iran, which was rocked by months of nationwide protests last year after Mahsa Amini died in custody following her arrest for an alleged breach of Iran's dress code for women.
"It is urgent for the authorities to act on the demands of protestors, in particular women and girls, who continue to endure profound discrimination," Turk said.
Beyond country crackdowns on women's rights, Turk said he was "shocked to the core by the contempt for women ... spawned across the internet by so-called influencers" condoning "the pervasive commodification of women".
(with wires)
References
- ^ Ukraine (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ Afghanistan (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ South Sudan (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ Myanmar (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ Iran (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ Syria (www.rfi.fr)
- ^ Volker Turk (www.ohchr.org)
Newer articles:
- Impunity drives cycles of ‘horrific’ crimes in South Sudan, Human Rights Council hears - 08/03/2023 07:02
- Nicholas Haysom Interview: South Sudan must choose between ‘stable and democratic’ future, or more conflict - 08/03/2023 06:58
- South Sudan thanks India for its support, advice - 08/03/2023 06:17
- UN restores voting rights for Lebanon, Gabon, South Sudan, passes on Venezuela - 08/03/2023 06:15
- Sudan Gen.Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, says military leaders clinging to power - 08/03/2023 05:46
Older news items
- Women march as rights under threat across the globe - 08/03/2023 01:23
- UN envoy says 2023 is a `make or break’ year for South Sudan - 07/03/2023 07:40
- Chinese envoy calls for immediate lifting of sanctions on South Sudan - 07/03/2023 06:26
- Sudan: Network Airline Services now UK cargo GSA for Badr Airlines - 07/03/2023 00:30
- UNICEF: Malnutrition in mothers soars by 25% in crisis-hit countries - 07/03/2023 00:20
Latest news items (all categories):
- رسالة مفتوحة إلى مدام لميس الحديدى - 01/11/2024 17:50
- Policy actions to strengthen Public Finance Management in South Sudan - 01/11/2024 15:30
- WFP Calls for Cash to Frontload South Sudan Operations Amid Warnings of Rising Hunger - 01/11/2024 15:26
- DTM South Sudan: Biometric Registration and Cash Assistance - Raja Town (October 2024) - 01/11/2024 15:23
- Urgent Call for Government Regulation of Land in the Capital Juba and other areas in South Sudan to Prevent Community Hatred - 01/11/2024 14:52
Random articles (all categories):
- UNICEF - National Consultancies - Nutrition Field Monitor (14 Positions - Various locations within South Sudan) - 14/06/2021 14:17
- Uganda’s fragile state status - 03/12/2022 01:00
- UK warns against travel to South Sudan - 26/07/2018 12:56
- Explained: What is happening in Sudan? - 25/10/2021 02:25
- 'The new South Sudan cannot concede seven goals' - Uganda coach McKinstry - 06/11/2020 23:56
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 54005 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22154 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21270 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 18705 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 17336 times