The Pastor of House On The Rock Church in Lagos, Pastor Paul Adefarasin has sounded a note of warning to female members of the church not to enter his church in miniskirt.
Before he began his Sunday sermon yesterday, he made it clear to female members who wear ‘distracting’ miniskirts that he would deal with them.
“I will assume that the members that do this are probably new or uninformed ones,” the dapper man of God began.
“But we don’t allow miniskirts in this church. If you must wear something short, make sure it covers your knees. Otherwise, an usher might need to come and complete your dressing.”
When Pastor Adefarasin asked for a witness, a large portion of the congregation shouted a resounding “yes.”
Just a few weeks ago, the pastor warned female singers not to climb the altar with high-heeled shoes. [myad
Kano, the capital city of Kano state has been in the news since last week as members of Boko Haram pound it with bomb blasts, the latest of which is the one that occurred today at the NNPC Mega Station in Hotoro Quarters, along Maiduguri Road.
Only yesterday, bomb explosions rocked three different parts of the state capital, the most devastating being the one that killed at least five people and injured eight others at the Catholic Church in the Sabon Gari area of town. The same yesterday, a female suicide bomber met her death while attempting to blow up the campus of the Bayero University.
The blast today was reported to have killed four people including the suicide bomber. Eight others that were buying kerosine were injured in the blast, but the station was spared from burning.
Security Forces later cordoned off the scene, and the Police Bomb Disposal personnel searched the area for more Improvised Explosive Devices.
The female bomber had reportedly slipped into the crowd of residents buying kerosene at the station before detonating the explosives.
The Police confirmed the death of the suicide bomber and three others, noting that the eight persons that were injured had been rushed to the hospital.
A statement on the police website, said that the NNPC station was not set ablaze “due to the security barricade put in place by the Policemen on duty at the station,” adding that this would have complicated the emergency response.
“Citizens are advised to stay off the scene, be vigilant and report any suspicious person(s) or activities to security forces. Full scale investigation has commenced, intensive patrol of the city is ongoing,” the statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, said.
The blast at St. Charles Catholic church, Kano, on Sunday was caused by also caused by a female suicide bomber. The Police said it had arrested five male suspects for their complicity in the bomb attacks on the church and other places in the city.
Three of the suspects were picked up for their involvement in the attack on the church while the two others, were were arrested in connection with the foiled bomb attack at Isyaku Rabiu Mosque in Kano. [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has made it clear that Nigeria would have by now been thrown into turmoil if the insurgents had succeeded in killing General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi in the recent Kaduna twin bomb attacks. The President who received in audience today, Muslims in Abuja that paid him Sallah homage in the Presidential Villa, Abuja said it was by the grace of God that such calamity was averted. “If General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi had been killed in the Kaduna twin bomb attacks, we wonder what would have happened. Of course, we wouldn’t have gathered here to celebrate Eid-el-Fitri. This country would have been in turmoil now. We thank God for steering away this calamity that would have befallen this country.” President Jonathan described General Buhari as a leading political figure in Nigeria with massive followership, apart from being the former Nigeria’s Head of State. He also described Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as a respected and responsible Islamic scholar that has been preaching peace and unity in the country. Jonathan stressed the need for all Nigerians to rally round and defeat what he called the evil ones masquerading in the garb of religion. The President called on the religious leaders in the country to continue to preach peace for the followers, away from the messages of hate on religious and ethnic grounds. He described the Sallah homage by Muslims as a honour for him and his immediate family, even as his Principally Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Tukur disclosed that the President followed Muslims to fast for the 29 days it lasted. Tukur said that President Jonathan also hosted different Islamic and religious leaders to the breaking of fast in the Villa at different times. The Muslims in Abuja were led to pay Sallah homage on the President by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, along with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed. [myad]
Nigeria’s former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described members of the deadly Boko Haram as evil doers masquerading behind the name of religion, asking all Muslims to pray to God to defeat and destroy them. In an Eid-al-Fitr Sallah message marking the end of the Muslim Ramadan fasting, the former Vice President regretted that the terrorists have shed so much blood in the name of religion. Atiku who is also the Turaki Adamawa, noted that the dark agenda of the terrorist seem to have defied any clearly defensible goals even as he described their activities as contradicting all the tenets of the Islamic religion, including the injunctions on the sanctity of life. He emphasized the need for Muslims to join hands with other Nigerians of goodwill to defeat the terrorists’ agenda of trying to provoke sectarian crisis by attacking the places of worship. He said that the terrorists have so far spared neither Muslims nor Christians, the reason he said Nigerians must be united against them “so that we don’t play into their hands by helping them to achieve their agenda of seeking to divide and dismember our dear country through deliberate provocation.” The former Vice President called on the security operatives to always be ahead of the terrorists by nipping their plots in the bud even as he appealed to all Nigerians to assist the security agencies by being vigilant and furnishing them with information that may enhance their efficiency to deal decisively with insurgency and other criminal activities. Atiku Abubakar also urged political leaders to urgently deal with the hardships of the ordinary people in the country, insisting that the worsening level of poverty and unemployment have been responsible for the feeding criminal tendencies. Atiku saw the situation as embarrassing and needs to be redressed. [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a message of felicitation to Nigerian Muslims on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitri, asking them to imbibe Ramadan’s spiritual lessons and the Holy Prophet’s teachings of piety, love, justice, fairness, equity, peaceful co-existence with others, tolerance, honesty and dedication to duty. “I hope such spirit will remain with us all for the benefit and greater glory of our dear nation. The Holy Month permeate into us all, and positively influence our attitudes towards our fellow countrymen and women, irrespective of their religion or places of origin; and promote greater commitment to the peace, unity and stability of the nation.” President Jonathan regretted that though the observance of the Holy Month was tainted in parts of the country with the continuing atrocities of extremists and terrorists in our midst, but urged all patriotic Nigerians to remain strong and resolute in defence of freedom, unity, law and order, peace, security and progress of the nation. “I feel the pains and anguish of all our compatriots who have experienced the harrowing impact of terrorism unleashed on them by brainwashed and misguided agents of evil and disunity, but we must never throw up our hands in helplessness and despair as the terrorists and purveyors of anarchy want.” He wanted Nigerians to remain unwaveringly committed to showing solidarity with the Armed Forces and security agencies by giving them the full support they require to prosecute the war against terrorism to a successful conclusion. The President assured Nigerians that his government is totally committed to winning the war by eventually putting the scourge of terrorism and insecurity rapidly behind us to enable him give the fullest possible attention to the urgent task of improving the living conditions of Nigerians. “We cannot and will not be deterred from our goal of positively transforming our nation into a strong, united, progressive, stable, secure and prosperous nation in which all citizens will live in peace in spite of our immense diversities.” Jonathan prayed to God to continue to bless Nigeria even as he wished all the Muslims who have successfully undertaken this year’s Ramadan Fast abundant rewards from Allah. [myad]
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has expressed surprise at an attempt, by terrorist gang, on the life of the former Nigeria military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari even as he felicitated with Muslim faithful in the country on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitri. The Governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, condemned the attack, saying that had the terrorists succeeded in killing the General, it would have precipitated a chain of reactions an end of which nobody could predict. He described General Buhari as a man of peace who had surrendered his life to fight for the peace and unity of the country during the civil war and has consistently advocated the oneness of Nigeria. The governor could not lay his finger on why “such a revered statesman could have been marked for elimination in an unprovoked terror attack.” The Governor noted that the recent spate of bomb attacks and general insecurity in the country has made it imperative for Muslims and adherents of other religions to seek the face of God in prayer for divine intervention in the affairs of the country. Governor Fayemi said the prayer of the faithful is needed now more than ever for God’s guidance for our leaders to have the right approach towards ending the nefarious activities of the insurgents. He called for cooperation and vigilance on the part of the citizens in the war against insurgency. “This is the time we all need to come together to tackle insecurity in the country even as we pray for God’s protection over the land.” Fayemi insisted that the growing level of insecurity is greatly undermining development in the country even as he prayed for peaceful repose for the souls of those who died in terrorist attacks and wished those injured a speedy recovery. Fayemi congratulated Muslims for the successful completion of the Ramadan fasting, adding that witnessing another Eid-el-Fitri is a special privilege from Allah who has control over the destiny of man. He said that the 30-day spiritual exercise has drawn the faithful closer to Allah, urging them to keep on practicing the lessons learnt from the Holy month in their relationship with their Maker and fellow human beings. Governor Fayemi commended Muslims in Ekiti State in particular for their support, describing them as important partners in his administration’s success story, as well as the peace and stability being witnessed in the state. He said that Muslims and adherents of other religions in the state have always lived together in peace and harmony, and advised them to continue in peaceful coexistence. [myad]
A judge in the case of child rape, Philip Cattan is now being investigated in the United Kingdom for allegedly falling asleep in court while the trial was in progress
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office confirmed it is looking into the allegation against Philip Cattan, who was presiding over a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
The complaint is that Cattan nodded off as a young alleged victim was giving evidence this week via video-link in the trial of John Quigley. The judge stopped the trial following the allegation and it will now be re-listed.
A spokesman for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said: “The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office is aware of the allegation that Recorder Philip Cattan fell asleep during a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
“The matter is being considered in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Judicial and other office holders) Rules 2013.”
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: “The jury has been discharged in the trial of R v John Quigley at Manchester Crown Court following an issue that arose at court during the cross examination of the first complainant in the case.
“The trial will be relisted as soon as possible. The complainants and other witnesses have been kept informed.”
Quigley, 49, of Avon Road, Burnage, Manchester, denies a number of sex offences including the rape of a child under 13.
Philip Cattan is a well-known barrister in the Manchester area and is member of the St Johns Buildings chambers in the city.
He has appeared in a number high profile cases and was defence barrister in one of the trials relating to the 2001 Oldham riots.
Mr. Cattan sits in Manchester as a recorder, which is a part-time judge.
It will be recalled that Judge Gabriel Hutton was disciplined in 2002 after he nodded off during a rape trial at Gloucester Crown Court, causing it to be abandoned.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said that Cattan will not be commenting. [myad]
We, the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, popularly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” strongly condemn the killing of hundreds of children and innocent civilians in Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces, the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and we mourn the continued suffering of Gaza’s inhabitants.
Gaza faces shortages of water and electricity supply, of hospitals, physicians and medicine, while bombs and bullets kill and injure both civilian people and health workers in a spiral of violence and hopelessness. Around 24 % of all those who have lost their lives in Gaza, as a result of Israeli bombing and military invasion, are children.
Nevertheless, the responsibility for such deaths lies not only with the joint and manifold accountabilities of Israel’s soldiers, Hamas’ fighters and their governments. Other governments are responsible either directly or indirectly through the transfer of weapons, military advice and silence. Such countries and the United Nations seem not to have learned from the past. Meanwhile, even as the violence grows rapidly in Gaza, negotiations move at an incredibly slow pace and are hindered by the vested interests of countries that don’t face any bloodshed in this conflict. Dialogue and negotiations cannot be replaced by the use of military force. Revenge solely produces revenge and bloodshed solely produces more bloodshed.
Nobody will forget the recent scenes of broken school books in the streets of Gaza and the broken lives of the children who used them. Their dead bodies splattered near their books, which are never to be used again, paint a tragic picture of unparalleled cruelty. Nobody has the right to end their lives nor to threaten the lives of those children that still survive. They are also our children.
In this context we strongly support the outstanding and courageous work, determination and perseverance – amidst the thunder of bombs – of our fellow recipient Raji Sourani (RLA 2013, Palestine) and his colleagues at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, who are denouncing the killings of innocent civilians and the continuity of a dirty non-declared war being waged against the principles of international humanitarian law. We also want to express our deepest admiration for the work of Israeli peace organisations such as Gush Shalom (RLA 2001), and the incredible work of all medical personnel operating in Gaza right now continuously highlighted by our friends at Physicians For Human Rights-Israel (RLA 2010), who continue to hold up the torch of humanity despite being exposed to the inhumane machines of war.
As recipients of the Right Livelihood Award we urge the United Nations, the European Union and regional bodies, such as the Arab League and the Organization of American States, and countries from all over the world to join their voices, to condemn these unacceptable violations of human rights, to request an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the blockade of Gaza and to ask for the beginning of new peace talks. And to also halt all actions that perpetuate this conflict, hinder a peace settlement and supply the warring parties with arms. If we don’t act urgently, more children and innocent people will be killed in the following days, in the following hours, in the following minutes, in the following seconds.
Signatories to this statement, as of Friday July 25 2014, 11 am CET, are 46 Right Livelihood Award Laureates from 32 countries: (We will continue to update the list on our website, www.rightlivelihood.org)
• Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, Founder, SEKEM, Egypt (RLA 2003)
• Swami Agnivesh, India (RLA 2004)
• Dr. Martin Almada, Paraguay (RLA 2002)
• Uri Avnery, Founder, Gush Shalom, Israel (RLA 2001)
• Dipal Barua, Former Managing Director, Grameen Shakti, now at Bright Green Energy Foundation, Bangladesh (RLA 2007)
• Nnimmo Bassey, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nigeria (RLA 2010)
• Andras Biro, Hungary (RLA 2005)
• Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, South Korea (RLA 2003)
• Dr. Tony Clarke, Executive Director, Polaris Institute, Canada (RLA 2005)
• Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), Brazil (RLA 1991)
• Prof. Dr. Anwar Fazal, Director, Right Livelihood College, Malaysia (RLA 1982)
• Prof. Dr. Johan Galtung, Norway (RLA 1987)
• Dr. Juan E. Garcés, Spain (RLA 1999)
• Dr. Inge Genefke, Denmark (RLA 1988)
• Gush Shalom, Israel (RLA 2001)
• Dr. Monika Hauser, Founder, Medica Mondiale, Germany (RLA 2008)
• Dr. Hans Herren, Founder of Biovision Foundation, Switzerland (RLA 2013)
• Dr. SM Mohamed Idris, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (RLA 1988), Consumers Association of Penang and the Third World Network, Malaysia
• Bishop Erwin Kräutler, Brazil (RLA 2010)
• Dr. Katarina Kruhonja, Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights-Osijek, Croatia (RLA 1998)
• Birsel Lemke, Turkey (RLA 2000)
• Helen Mack Chang, Fundación Myrna Mack, Guatemala (RLA 1992)
• Dr. Ruchama Marton, Founder and President, Physicians for Human Rights, Israel (RLA 2010)
• Prof Dr. h.c. (mult.) Manfred Max-Neef, Director, Economics Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile (RLA 1983)
• Prof. Dr. Raúl A. Montenegro, President, Fundación para la defensa del ambiente, Argentina (RLA 2004)
• Frances Moore Lappé, Co-Founder, Small Planet Institute, USA (RLA 1987)
• Jacqueline Moudeina, Chad (RLA 2011)
• Helena Norberg-Hodge, Founder and Director, International Society for Ecology & Culture, United Kingdom (RLA 1986)
• Juan Pablo Orrego, President, Ecosistemas, Chile (RLA 1998)
• Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan, India (RLA 1991)
• P K Ravindran, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, India (RLA 1996)
• Fernando Rendón, Co-Founder and Director, International Poetry Festival of Medellín, Colombia (RLA 2006)
• Dr. Sima Samar, Chairperson, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Afghanistan (RLA 2012)
• Dr. Vandana Shiva, Naydanya, India (RLA 1993)
• Prof. Michael Succow, Founder, Michael Succow Foundation for Nature Conservation, Germany, (RLA 1997)
• Suciwati, widow of Munir, KontraS, Indonesia (RLA 2000)
• Dr. Hanumappa Sudarshan, Karuna Trust & VGKK, India (RLA 1994)
• The Kvinna Till Kvinna Foundation, Sweden (RLA 2002)
• Shrikrishna Upadhyay, Executive Chairman, Support Activities for Poor Producers of Nepal, Nepal (RLA 2010)
• Prof. Dr. Theo van Boven, The Netherlands (RLA 1985)
• Martín von Hildebrand, Founder and Director, Fundación GAIA Amazonas, Colombia (RLA 1999)
• Dr. Paul F. Walker, Director, Environmental Security and Sustainability, Green Cross International, USA (RLA 2013)
• Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, New Zealand/Switzerland (RLA 2009)
Press Consultant for Africa Right Livelihood Award Foundation Box 15072 104 65 Stockholm Sweden Mobile: +254-724-568-164 Stockholm office: +46-8-702 03 40. [myad]
Ebola, a haemorhagic disease which causes the spontaneous bleeding of internal organs of affectation, has been trending in Nigeria since the news broke out, of the 40-year-old Liberian man who entered Nigeria with the virus on Friday and died yesterday in a undisclosed Lagos hospital. Ebola is considered to be perhaps more dreadful than AIDS and cancer. Ebola kills within seven days, usually from three to 30 days. It kills 90% of its victims.
Below, as taken from the Facebook wall of King O. James, are the signs/ symptoms of Ebola Viral Haemorhagic Disease (EVHD):
Fever
Sore throat
Headaches
Weakness
Joint and muscle pain
Chest pain
Bleeding from nose, ear, skin, eyes
Paleness (anaemia),
Easy fatigability
Apathy
Breathlessness
In pregnant women it leads to miscarriage and heavy vaginal bleeding.
Warning signs of Ebola may mimic malaria symptoms.
There are several ways of contracting it… through body secretions such as sweat, blood, saliva, mucous, breast secretion, tears, urine, and sexual transmission with an infected person. Hence, the commonest way is through physical contact e.g. a handshake.
Prevention is the key word!!!
1. Avoid bush meat or any meat you are not sure of its source.
2. Wash your hands frequently with detergent or soap using clean water.
3. Avoid trips to Ebola endemic countries (DRC, Uganda, Congo, Gabon, Sudan, etc)
4. Get a hand sanitizer for family
5. Avoid buying foodstuff, clothing or other personal materials from markets/shops that share the same vicinity with live or roasted bush meat, dealer’s or sellers
6. Be careful with hands when using railings on the stairs, door knobs and other utilities used by the public.
7. Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be worn when handling sick animals or their tissues
8. Watch out for people with flu-like symptoms and sudden fever
9. Avoid pig farms, pig farms in Africa play a role in the amplification of infection because of the presence of fruit bats on these farms.
10. Avoid bat meats and bat products
11. Report any suspicious case to the nearest health care centre.
Again, don’t forget to always wash your hands with soap regularly. [myad]
Israel and Hamas are believed to have signaled readiness to halt hostilities for 12 hours even as Secretary of State, John Kerry said the search for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza is ongoing.
Kerry said that Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu “has indicated his willingness to do that as a good-faith down payment to move forward.”
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference in Cairo, Kerry said that mediators want the initial pause to build into a weeklong truce for the Islamic Eid festival, an idea he said hasn’t been made final.
Hamas, the Islamist organization that rules Gaza, has also agreed to a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire starting at 7 a.m. today, according to the group’s news agency al-Ray and pro-Hamas TV station al-Aqsa.
Neither side has agreed to Kerry’s plan for a weeklong cease-fire during which talks on a durable settlement can get under way. While the “basic outline” is accepted on all sides, Kerry said, there are still problems of “terminology and context of the framework.” He said he’ll continue the pursuit today from Paris, where foreign ministers from European Union nations and Hamas allies Qatar and Turkey are due to join negotiations.
Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, told reporters at the White House that a 12-hour pause “would be a very modest initial step” and that “in some ways, I’m more skeptical of these very short cease-fires.”
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has left more than 860 Palestinians and 35 Israeli soldiers dead since it escalated on July 8. There have been earlier humanitarian pauses during that period, for injured people to be moved or civilians to replenish supplies. Protests spread to the West Bank late on July 24, and several Palestinian demonstrators were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces.
Channel 2 and other Israeli media said that ministers at a security cabinet meeting late yesterday weren’t satisfied with the latest shape of Kerry’s broader plan. Kerry, at the press conference, said no formal proposals have been submitted, and declined to disclose the sticking points.
The Ynet news website reported, without saying where it got the information, that during a 12-hour halt Israel will continue to destroy tunnels used by Hamas militants to launch raids into the Jewish state but won’t initiate fire. It also cited Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon as telling the army to be ready to “significantly expand the ground offensive in Gaza very soon.”
Israel says its military offensive aims to end the barrage of rockets fired at its towns from Gaza, and destroy the tunnels. Hamas says the economic embargo on the territory must end as part of any accord. Egypt, which has mediated past conflicts, is working with Kerry to broker a deal.
Israel, like the U.S. and European Union, classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Palestinian officials have said they’re planning to take charges of Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court. The UN Human Rights Council this week voted to probe possible Israeli war crimes, with only the U.S. voting no. Israel criticized the council’s move.
Some of the biggest protests in years have broken out in the West Bank, to express sympathy for the people of Gaza. The territory is controlled by the Palestinian Fatah group, which recently reconciled with Hamas after a seven-year rift.
Palestinian officials said at least six protesters have been killed in clashes with security forces in Hebron, Nablus and the Qalandia checkpoint with tires burned and rocks hurled at border guards, according to Israeli news service Ynet. Israeli police have confirmed one death.
The latest Gaza conflict, the third in six years, deepened last week when the Israeli military added to its air bombardment by sending troops into the territory. Israeli financial markets have been mostly unaffected, with the benchmark stock index little changed since fighting escalated on July 8, and the shekel approaching a three-year high.
The Israeli army yesterday increased its figures for military deaths to include Oron Shaul, a sergeant whom Hamas had earlier said it had captured. Three civilians have also been killed in Israel. Palestinian health officials say most of their dead are civilians, while more than 5,700 people have been injured.
Hamas’s armed wing said that it tried to strike the airport in Tel Aviv again yesterday, after international airlines this week temporarily suspended flights citing security concerns. Israel’s army said its Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted two rockets fired at the Tel Aviv area, and had no reports of injuries or damage. [myad]
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We Condemn Israeli Defence Forces For Killing Innocent Civilians In Gaza, By Right Livelihood Award
We, the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, popularly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” strongly condemn the killing of hundreds of children and innocent civilians in Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces, the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and we mourn the continued suffering of Gaza’s inhabitants.
Gaza faces shortages of water and electricity supply, of hospitals, physicians and medicine, while bombs and bullets kill and injure both civilian people and health workers in a spiral of violence and hopelessness. Around 24 % of all those who have lost their lives in Gaza, as a result of Israeli bombing and military invasion, are children.
Nevertheless, the responsibility for such deaths lies not only with the joint and manifold accountabilities of Israel’s soldiers, Hamas’ fighters and their governments. Other governments are responsible either directly or indirectly through the transfer of weapons, military advice and silence. Such countries and the United Nations seem not to have learned from the past. Meanwhile, even as the violence grows rapidly in Gaza, negotiations move at an incredibly slow pace and are hindered by the vested interests of countries that don’t face any bloodshed in this conflict. Dialogue and negotiations cannot be replaced by the use of military force. Revenge solely produces revenge and bloodshed solely produces more bloodshed.
Nobody will forget the recent scenes of broken school books in the streets of Gaza and the broken lives of the children who used them. Their dead bodies splattered near their books, which are never to be used again, paint a tragic picture of unparalleled cruelty. Nobody has the right to end their lives nor to threaten the lives of those children that still survive. They are also our children.
In this context we strongly support the outstanding and courageous work, determination and perseverance – amidst the thunder of bombs – of our fellow recipient Raji Sourani (RLA 2013, Palestine) and his colleagues at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, who are denouncing the killings of innocent civilians and the continuity of a dirty non-declared war being waged against the principles of international humanitarian law. We also want to express our deepest admiration for the work of Israeli peace organisations such as Gush Shalom (RLA 2001), and the incredible work of all medical personnel operating in Gaza right now continuously highlighted by our friends at Physicians For Human Rights-Israel (RLA 2010), who continue to hold up the torch of humanity despite being exposed to the inhumane machines of war.
As recipients of the Right Livelihood Award we urge the United Nations, the European Union and regional bodies, such as the Arab League and the Organization of American States, and countries from all over the world to join their voices, to condemn these unacceptable violations of human rights, to request an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the blockade of Gaza and to ask for the beginning of new peace talks. And to also halt all actions that perpetuate this conflict, hinder a peace settlement and supply the warring parties with arms. If we don’t act urgently, more children and innocent people will be killed in the following days, in the following hours, in the following minutes, in the following seconds.
Signatories to this statement, as of Friday July 25 2014, 11 am CET, are 46 Right Livelihood Award Laureates from 32 countries: (We will continue to update the list on our website, www.rightlivelihood.org)
• Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, Founder, SEKEM, Egypt (RLA 2003)
• Swami Agnivesh, India (RLA 2004)
• Dr. Martin Almada, Paraguay (RLA 2002)
• Uri Avnery, Founder, Gush Shalom, Israel (RLA 2001)
• Dipal Barua, Former Managing Director, Grameen Shakti, now at Bright Green Energy Foundation, Bangladesh (RLA 2007)
• Nnimmo Bassey, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nigeria (RLA 2010)
• Andras Biro, Hungary (RLA 2005)
• Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, South Korea (RLA 2003)
• Dr. Tony Clarke, Executive Director, Polaris Institute, Canada (RLA 2005)
• Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), Brazil (RLA 1991)
• Prof. Dr. Anwar Fazal, Director, Right Livelihood College, Malaysia (RLA 1982)
• Prof. Dr. Johan Galtung, Norway (RLA 1987)
• Dr. Juan E. Garcés, Spain (RLA 1999)
• Dr. Inge Genefke, Denmark (RLA 1988)
• Gush Shalom, Israel (RLA 2001)
• Dr. Monika Hauser, Founder, Medica Mondiale, Germany (RLA 2008)
• Dr. Hans Herren, Founder of Biovision Foundation, Switzerland (RLA 2013)
• Dr. SM Mohamed Idris, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (RLA 1988), Consumers Association of Penang and the Third World Network, Malaysia
• Bishop Erwin Kräutler, Brazil (RLA 2010)
• Dr. Katarina Kruhonja, Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights-Osijek, Croatia (RLA 1998)
• Birsel Lemke, Turkey (RLA 2000)
• Helen Mack Chang, Fundación Myrna Mack, Guatemala (RLA 1992)
• Dr. Ruchama Marton, Founder and President, Physicians for Human Rights, Israel (RLA 2010)
• Prof Dr. h.c. (mult.) Manfred Max-Neef, Director, Economics Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile (RLA 1983)
• Prof. Dr. Raúl A. Montenegro, President, Fundación para la defensa del ambiente, Argentina (RLA 2004)
• Frances Moore Lappé, Co-Founder, Small Planet Institute, USA (RLA 1987)
• Jacqueline Moudeina, Chad (RLA 2011)
• Helena Norberg-Hodge, Founder and Director, International Society for Ecology & Culture, United Kingdom (RLA 1986)
• Juan Pablo Orrego, President, Ecosistemas, Chile (RLA 1998)
• Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan, India (RLA 1991)
• P K Ravindran, Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, India (RLA 1996)
• Fernando Rendón, Co-Founder and Director, International Poetry Festival of Medellín, Colombia (RLA 2006)
• Dr. Sima Samar, Chairperson, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Afghanistan (RLA 2012)
• Dr. Vandana Shiva, Naydanya, India (RLA 1993)
• Prof. Michael Succow, Founder, Michael Succow Foundation for Nature Conservation, Germany, (RLA 1997)
• Suciwati, widow of Munir, KontraS, Indonesia (RLA 2000)
• Dr. Hanumappa Sudarshan, Karuna Trust & VGKK, India (RLA 1994)
• The Kvinna Till Kvinna Foundation, Sweden (RLA 2002)
• Shrikrishna Upadhyay, Executive Chairman, Support Activities for Poor Producers of Nepal, Nepal (RLA 2010)
• Prof. Dr. Theo van Boven, The Netherlands (RLA 1985)
• Martín von Hildebrand, Founder and Director, Fundación GAIA Amazonas, Colombia (RLA 1999)
• Dr. Paul F. Walker, Director, Environmental Security and Sustainability, Green Cross International, USA (RLA 2013)
• Alyn Ware, Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament, New Zealand/Switzerland (RLA 2009)
• Chico Whitaker Ferreira, Brazil (RLA 2006)
• Alla Yaroshinskaya, Russia (RLA 1992)
• Angie Zelter, Trident Ploughshares, United Kingdom (RLA 2001)
Zahra Moloo
Press Consultant for Africa
Right Livelihood Award Foundation
Box 15072
104 65 Stockholm
Sweden
Mobile: +254-724-568-164
Stockholm office: +46-8-702 03 40. [myad]