China is observed to be suffering from amnesia regarding the massacre that occurred at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square 20 years ago. Some attribute this to state-enforced erasure of collective memory. The communist regime in China ‘tolerates no mention of the massacre.’
On June 3 and 4, 1989, students and mostly Chinese elite and intellectuals filled the tragic square with a [...]

After days of speculation as to whether LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead or still alive, the Tamil Tigers have finally admitted that their leader died on May 17. Last week, the Sri Lanka government released photos of Prabhakaran’s body but pro-Tamil websites insisted that he was ‘alive and safe.’
Now, for the first time, a [...]

The victory over the Tamil Tigers leaves questions about the future of Sri Lanka and the condition of a quarter of a million refugees. Several humanitarian agencies have asked the government to ensure access to refugee camps controlled by government troops who suspect that rebels are hiding among the civilians. Gordon Weiss, spokesman for the [...]

US President Barack Obama has allowed the publication of reports on the practices of the CIA. Some of these reports tell of torture that is illegal as per the treaty agreements of the Geneva Conventions, among other international legal limitations. He says those who actually conducted the torture will not be prosecuted, but those who [...]

According to a secret report prepared in 2007 by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the treatment received by Al Qaeda suspects subjected to interrogation in CIA secret prisons was torture. According to the document, the practices used by the United States were cruel, inhuman, or degrading and expressly forbidden by the Geneva Conventions.
These [...]

Colombia has been eagerly awaiting the release of six FARC hostages. Bogota has temporarily withdrawn its army from the area of delivery. Preparations for the release of six Colombians kidnapped by the FARC have been ready. The humanitarian mission of the Red Cross, supported by Brazil, has been most eager and able.
On December 21, the [...]

The International Committee for the Red Cross says that its main problem on the ground is for Gaza civilians to be quickly and safely accessed by the ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), as well as for these emergency vehicles to safely reach the hospitals within Gaza. The organization also has an acute [...]