Bottom Ten?

MSF has highlighted the top ten most underreported humanitarian stories of 2007:

“…Drug-resistant tuberculosis spreads as new drugs go untested

Every year, tuberculosis (TB) kills an estimated two million people and another nine million develop the disease. In spite of the rising human toll, there have been no advances in treatment since the 1960s and the most commonly used diagnostic test—sputum smear microscopy—was developed in 1882 and only detects TB in half of the cases.

An estimated $900 million is needed annually for research and development for TB, but only $206 million is invested worldwide. Existing treatments and diagnostics are even less adapted for people living with HIV/AIDS, the easiest prey for the TB bacilli. And for those who become infected with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) — more than 450,000 people every year — or develop it as a result of incomplete treatment, the prospects for survival are even bleaker. The only guarantee for the few who are able to access treatment for MDR-TB is up to 24 months of ingesting a daily cocktail of highly toxic and expensive drugs that often trigger violent side effects.

In MSF programs in Armenia, Abkhazia, Georgia, Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, even under the best conditions, only 55 percent of MDR-TB patients completed the 18 to 24 month treatment. The remaining proportion died, did not improve, or stopped treatment altogether because of side effects. Adding to the frustration for medical staff on the TB pandemic’s front line is the fact that not all new drugs are being tested in the neediest patients — those with MDR-TB.

A recent article authored by international experts and published in the open-source medical journal PLoS Medicine, called for the testing of new drugs in patients whose TB is resistant to standard treatment. This approach could make it easier to detect anti-TB activity of new drugs and ultimately accelerate drug development.

…

Living precariously in Colombia’s conflict zones

Largely fuelled by a fight over control of the narcotics trade, Colombia’s decades-old civil war often makes headlines, but its impact on the civilian population of the country is rarely the focus of attention.

Over the years, as many as 3.8 million people have been driven from their homes by violence brought on by government troops, paramilitary, and rebel forces battling for territorial control, ranking Colombia third in the world after Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the largest number of internally displaced people. Armed groups have a stranglehold on roughly half of Colombia’s rural areas, depriving civilians of access to health care by making roads impassable, forcibly conscripting children into militias, and murdering those suspected of collaborating with rivals.

These civilians are equally treated with suspicion of potentially collaborating with armed groups by Colombia’s armed forces and often face harsh reprisals as a result. In desperation, families flee their homes for urban slums with little more than the clothes on their backs; and when they arrive, looking for work and shelter, they often find conditions that are as threatening as those they fled.

Their new homes are overcrowded shacks without adequate facilities. The living conditions can lead to respiratory infections and diarrheal disease, but there is little access to health care. There are also very few internally displaced persons who have the option of returning safely to the homes they were forced to abandon. MSF has a presence in 13 of Colombia’s 32 departments, working in isolated rural areas through mobile and stationary clinics and in urban areas where displaced families have gathered.

Teams provide medical care ranging from vaccinations to reproductive care and emergency services, and offer psychological care to victims of violence. As the conflict in Colombia rolls into its sixth decade and armed groups continue to target civilians in their war for control, many Colombians do not remember a time when daily life was not ruled by guns and terror.

…

As Chechen conflict ebbs, critical humanitarian needs still remain

It has been nearly four years since the most intense fighting subsided between Russian government and rebel forces in the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya. Tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who had fled to the neighboring republics of Ingushetia and Dagestan, have returned to Chechnya.

At the same time, reconstruction has increased in the Chechen capital, Grozny, the scene of indiscriminate bombing less than a decade ago, and the republic’s airport has been reopened. Yet the Caucasus region remains highly volatile. Fighting outside Chechnya has increased and a large military presence still inhabits the region. Abductions, disappearances, assassinations, and bombings continue in Ingushetia, North Ossetia, and Dagestan.

Inside Chechnya, the security situation is still precarious for civilians. Dangers may range from being caught in the middle of sporadic gunfire to getting into a car accident involving heavy military vehicles, the latter recently having become a common cause of trauma. Basic health services, particularly in the areas of obstetrical and gynecological care, are woefully lacking and, when available, remain out of reach for many impoverished returnees.

Through clinics in and around Grozny, MSF and local Chechen doctors see a population with high levels of chronic illness, including lung, kidney, and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the MSF teams also witness widespread needs for psychosocial care, caused by years of exposure to violence and displacement.

An MSF survey of IDPs living in temporary accommodation centers in Ingushetia and Chechnya found that nearly all the people interviewed were suffering from anxiety, insomnia, or depression. Chechnya’s wars also took their toll on the republic’s tuberculosis (TB) control system. As a result, MSF supports TB hospitals serving a population of 400,000. And many survivors of the wars still need care for crippling injuries.

MSF has tried to meet some of this need by operating a reconstructive surgery program in Grozny hospital No. 9 since 2006.”

Something to think about as we celebrate the coming New Year.

Holiday Mood

Nothing too serious, so let’s review some strange cases in 2007 with the Times:

“14. In 2005, Pavel M., a Romanian prisoner serving 20 years for murder, sued God, founding his claim in contract. He argued that his baptism was an agreement between him and God under which, in exchange for value such as prayer, God would keep him out of trouble..”

Seasonal Greetings

I send seasonal greetings to all readers and in the spirit of irreverence I hope that this YouTube video will cheer you up:

Free Festive Freebies

The nights are getting darker, it’s colder but Saturnalia and Christmas beckon, so to spread some Christmas cheer what better than some early and free festive goodies?

Here are some free and useful utilities, from Santa MB, “ho ho ho”

Imgburn

JKdefrag

GParted LiveCD

Missing Galloway.

Whilst looking up something on Galloway’s salute to Saddam Hussein in 1994, I realise that links in the previous article had gone missing.

So to remind us of George Galloway’s affection for Saddam Hussein, I present:

Not forgetting George and Uday, the noted rapist:

ah, the wonders of modern technology, even Galloway has difficulty lying his way out of that one.

In Honour of Bill Hicks, George Galloway and Dinosaurs

Many things could be said about Galloway’s creationist utterances, but few are better than Bill Hicks on this topic:

(H/T: your friend in the North)

Karama and Women.

Stroppyblog reminds us that women against violence is still a constant problem and I was pleasantly surprised to find openDemocracy discussing the issue of Empowering women in the Middle East.

Hibaaq Osman is interviewed and the point was made that the UN’s International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS) initially only covered ten countries and excluded most parts of the Middle East and North Africa:

“Tired of attending international conferences where Arab women were being discussed as victims, and reading reports which excluded their views and experiences, she started the organisation both to empower women to confront the violence within their own societies, and to provide accurate information to the international community.”

More information on Karama here.

Makvan Mouloodzadeh

Gays Without Borders reports:

“Iran: Young Man Executed for Alleged Sex Crime

For Immediate Release
Contact: Hossein Alizadeh, IGLHRC Communications Coordinator, 212-430-6016

(New York, Wednesday December 5, 2007) – The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has learned today that despite an order by the Iranian Chief Justice to nullify his death sentence, Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison at 5 a.m. this morning, Iranian time. Neither Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s family or his lawyer were told about the execution until after it occurred. IGLHRC is still investigating the facts in this case.

“This is a shameful and outrageous travesty of justice and international human rights law,” said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC’s executive director. “How many more young Iranians have to die before the international community takes action?”

Mr. Mouloodzadeh was a 21-year-old Iranian citizen who was accused of committing anal rape (ighab) with other young boys when he was 13 years old. However, at Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s trial, all the witnesses retracted their pre-trial testimonies, claiming to have lied to the authorities under duress. Makvan also told the court that his confession was made under coercion and pleaded not guilty. On June 7, 2007, the Seventh District Criminal Court of Kermanshah in Western Iran found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Despite his lawyer’s appeal, the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence on August 1, 2007. The case caused an international uproar, and prompted a letter writing campaign by IGLHRC and similar actions by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Outrage! and Everyone Group.

In response to mounting public pressure, and following a detailed petition submitted to the Iranian Chief Justice by Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s lawyer, the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Mouloodzadeh. In his November 10, 2007 opinion (1/86/8607), the Iranian Chief Justice described the death sentence to be in violation of Islamic teachings, the religious decrees of high-ranking Shiite clerics, and the law of the land.

In accordance with Iranian legal procedure, Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s case was sent to the Special Supervision Bureau of the Iranian Justice Department, a designated group of judges who are responsible for reviewing and ordering retrials of flawed cases flagged by the Iranian Chief Justice. However, in defiance of the Chief Justice, the judges decided to ratify the original court’s ruling and ordered the local authorities to carry out the execution.

Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s execution came days after a panel at the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

You can read IGLHRC’s action alert on our website:
http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=797

Our Letter to the Iranian authorities is also posted on our website in both English and Persian:

http://http//www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/section.php?id=5&detail=798″

In lieu

In lieu of posting one of 103 draft posts that I should have tidied up and released, I present a few updates to my blog roll:

Kylie’s Arse – a socialist feminist’s take on the world. Very funny.

Unknown Conscience – Tami Peterson’s blog, which puts a human face on life and its dilemmas.

Liberal Conspiracy – which says it is “creating a new liberal-left alliance for Britain”.

Index on Censorship – some very interesting articles.

Stroppyblog – the world of stroppy and articulate women, always worth a read and comment