Dutch-Australian human rights activist Jan Ruff-O'Herne died at the age of 96 in the Australian city of Adelaide. Ruff-O'Herne was the first of the so-called "comfort women" to openly tell how she was used as a sex slave by Japanese soldiers in a military run "comfort station" during World War II, NOS reports.
human rights
Jul 31 '19 10:00
Natig Isbatov, a 32-year-old asylum seeker from Azerbaijan who the Netherlands deported earlier this month, is being persecuted in his home country for political reasons, human rights organization Amnesty International and refugee organization VluchtelingenWerk Nederland said to NRC.
Feb 18 '19 10:10
Two Russian women were arrested at Schiphol airport on Monday morning, independent Russian newspaper Novaja Gazeta reports. The Koninklijke Marechausee could not confirm the arrests to the Volkskrant.
Dec 25 '18 13:51
In his sixth Christmas Day address to the Netherlands, Dutch King Willem-Alexander spoke in support of equal opportunities and the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, even quoting former U.S. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Willem-Alexander used his annual platform to speak out against intimidation, extremism, and marginialization of people deemed "different".
Oct 25 '18 08:58
The Stichting Werkgroep Herkenning - the Foundation for Recognition - is calling on the Dutch government to apologize for the abuse of "kraut girls", or "moffenmeiden" as they are called in the Netherlands, after the Second World War. "Moffenmeiden" refers to women and girls who had any form of friendly relationship with German soldiers during the war.
Sep 4 '18 09:39
The usual procedure was deviated from in awarding the Human Rights Defender Tulip to the Jordanian prince Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, Minister Stef Blokf of Foreign Affairs acknowledged to the Telegraaf.
Jun 21 '18 07:52
The United States decided to step out of the United Nations' Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs responded that he regrets the decision. Prime Minister Mark Rutte called it "unwise", the Telegraaf reports.
Mar 22 '18 16:30
Human rights organization Amnesty International calls on the Dutch government to do justice to the millions of people who voted against a new law for the Dutch intelligence services in a referendum on Wednesday. The law should be changed on certain points to make certain it protects human rights, the Dutch branch of the organization said in a statement on Thursday.
Feb 22 '18 08:52
Amnesty International strongly criticized several European Union member states, including the Netherlands, in its annual yearbook that was presented on Thursday. According to the organization, human rights are under pressure in the EU, ANP reports.
"In countries like Poland and Hungary, the rule of law is being eroded even further. But also in France and in the Netherlands, human rights are no longer always a matter of course", the human rights organization said with the publication of its Yearbook 2017-2018.
Oct 31 '17 08:07
Detainees in the special terrorist departments in the prisons in De Schie and Vught are detained under inhumane conditions, human rights organizations Amnesty International and Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) said in a report. "People are locked up in their cell for long periods and systematically undergo degrading visitations", the report states, RTL Nieuws reports.
Feb 6 '17 10:13
The Netherlands can and should be preventing Dutch companies from exporting polluting fuel to Africa, lawyers of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) conclude in an investigation commissioned by environmental organization Milieudefensie. By not intervening, the Dutch government is violating international treaties and human rights, the researchers conclude, the Telegraaf reports.
Jan 31 '17 08:37
Only lst year Amnesty International fought against unjust regimes in countries like Turkey or Russia. This year the United States is almost at the top of the list and even the Netherlands is climbing in the rankings of countries the organization is concerned about, director Eduard Nazarski said to RTL Nieuws. He specifically mentioned PVV leader Geert Wilders and VVD leader and Prime Minster Mark Rutte.
Dec 21 '16 10:50
Dutch banks still generally fall seriously short when it comes to climate policy and that sets the organizations behind, according to a new report published by the Fair Bank Guide on Wednesday, ANP reports.
Only SNS, ASN and Triodos scored well on their climate policy. Aegon, ING, ABN Amro, Rabobank, Delta Lloyd and Van Lanschot all scored an insufficient. According to the researchers, most Dutch banks don't require oil companies to prevent drilling in the fragile Arctic. They also don't publish measurable CO2 reduction targets for the companies in which the invest.
Jun 15 '16 10:10
A recent study by Radboud University Nijmegen that concluded that regulating cannabis cultivation could improve human rights is no reason for the Netherlands to change its policy on marijuana, Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice said in response to questions from the D66
Apr 22 '16 14:41
Indonesian President Joko Widodo was greeted by angry protesters as he arrived at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen for a meeting on Friday. Three protesters were arrested after they managed to sneak into the hotel and hung the flag of the Moluccan government in exile from the window.
Apr 4 '16 14:15
The first group of Syrian asylum seekers from Turkey will arrive in the Netherlands on Tuesday, the European Commission announced on Monday. These are "recognized asylum seekers" that EU member states agreed to take in as part of the asylum agreement with Turkey, which took effect on Monday.
Mar 17 '16 09:19
Four humanitarian groups wrote a scathing letter about the asylum deal the European Union wants to make with Turkey to Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "Not borders, but people must be protected", they write. "It is time for Europe to put human rights central again."
Feb 24 '16 13:29
European countries, including the Netherlands, are losing sight of protecting international human rights in the wake of the refugee crisis and the rise of terrorist organization ISIS, according to Amnesty International's annual report
Nov 17 '15 16:50
UNICEF Netherlands is concerned about refugee children in the country being relocated from emergency shelter to emergency shelter. Director Jan Bouke Wijbrandi is concerned about the affect this has on traumatized children and worries that the Dutch government is not putting the needs of the child first.
Oct 28 '15 13:50
King Willem-Alexander made a point of speaking about human rights during a speech to future senior officials and managers in the Chinese industry. He stressed the importance of a constructive dialogue on the issue.
Oct 19 '15 10:39
King Willem-Alexander and Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs will broach the topic of the human rights situation in China during the Royal Couple's state visit to the country at the end of this month.
May 12 '15 11:35
Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs pushed for an improvement on human rights in Mexico during his visit to the the South American country. He discussed this with his Mexican counterpart Minister José Antonio Meade Kuribrena as well as with the representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Javier Hernandez.
May 12 '15 08:46
The Cabinet has to work harder on improving human rights in the Netherlands, especially in the areas of failed asylum seekers, disabled people and women in the Caribbean, a new report from the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights assessed. The institute's third annual Human Rights in Netherlands report was released on Tuesday.
Apr 23 '15 12:52
According to UN Rapporteur Philip Alston, the bed-bath-and-bread compromise made by coalition is in violation of international rules and harms the international image of the Netherlands. "It is clearly a violation of human rights. Anyone who doubts that is being dishonest." the human rights rapporteur said.
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