The Human Rights Foundation promotes and defends human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad, through research-based education and advocacy.
Warning: This story discusses issues related to rape and sexual violence. New Zealand has stubbornly high rates of sexual violence, despite feminist movements like #MeToo. Laura Walters looks at the the societal barriers to ending rape. The advent of online dating and aggressive porn increasingly appear to be a contributing factor to stubbornly high rates
The High Court has refused to allow lawyers representing Afghanistan villagers to seek further information from the government inquiry into Operation Burnham. The inquiry is investigating allegations that New Zealand soldiers killed six Afghanistan civilians during a military operation in 2010 and the military then covered up what happened. Those allegations were the subject of
Afghanistan villagers, who claim to have lost relatives in a military operation involving New Zealand soldiers, need to be front and centre of an inquiry into the incident, a lawyer says. Operation Burnham is investigating allegations that New Zealand soldiers killed six Afghan civilians during a military operation in 2010 and the military then covered up
Lawyers for the Afghan villagers caught up in Operation Burnham have failed in the first High Court challenge of the secretive inquiry. An attempt to reveal details of who was being nterviewed behind closed doors was denied by Justice Rebecca Ellis on Tuesday. In the Wellington High Court on Monday, lawyers for the villagers argued detail was essential
On 22 March 2019, we wrote to the Attorney General, Hon David Parker, calling for transparency in the inquiry into the racist terrorist attacks on Christchurch mosques: The Human Rights Foundation considers that for an inquiry into “what all relevant agencies knew or could or should have known … and whether they could have been in
The $7 million Operation Burnham inquiry is facing another hurdle as lawyers for the Afghan villagers ask for details of witnesses to be disclosed. The controversial inquiry, which is inspecting claims made in the book Hit & Run that SAS soldiers killed six civilians in the 2010 operation, has been heard mostly behind closed doors. Lawyers for the
On its current timetable, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the mosque attacks (to be headed by Justice William Young) will begin its work next month, and is due to report back by December 10 at the latest – which would be apt, given that date is International Human Rights Day. Inevitably, there will be
The Australian man accused of carrying out the Christchurch terror attack will appear in court for the second time on Friday, this time facing 50 charges of murder and 39 of attempted murder. But legal experts disagree on whether the Crown should try and convict the 28-year-old of terrorism. AUT law professor Kris Gledhill told
A resounding vote of no confidence met those arriving at the public hearing into the SAS’s role in deaths of six Afghan civilians with a large banner claiming the inquiry is a “farce”. Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Sir Terence Arnold, a retired Supreme Court judge, are chairing an inquiry into claims made in the Hit &
Newsroom co-editor Mark Jennings, investigations editor Melanie Reid and freelance cameraman Hayden Aull were detained by Fijian police after they were accused of trespassing. Mark Jennings writes of an unexpected night in Suva. Police stations, anywhere in the world, are not great places to be spending time, but Totogo, in downtown Suva, is one of the least pleasant. It’s old,
