The Human Rights Foundation promotes and defends human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad, through research-based education and advocacy.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that an officer’s use of a Taser on a young person who had stolen a small tractor and led Police in a pursuit, was an unreasonable and excessive use of force. Shortly after midnight on Monday 16 April 2018, an intoxicated 15-year old stole a tractor in Kaiwaka
A highly-classified report which confirmed possible civilian deaths during a 2010 SAS-led raid in Afghanistan was read and placed in a safe in Defence Force headquarters — only to be found accidentally. Defence Force officials have claimed no knowledge of how the report travelled from coalition forces in Afghanistan to New Zealand and how it repeatedly escaped attention
Our spies fed questions to the Central Intelligence Agency which were put to someone taken in the illegal rendition and torture programme operated by the United States’ agency, a new inquiry has found. At the time the questions were posed, the NZ Security Intelligence Service “was not aware that detainee interrogations involved torture”, according to
Climate change poses enormous human rights challenges in the Pacific and within Aotearoa New Zealand. It places responsibilities on governments and every one of us. While climate change is on the agenda of Pacific leaders in Tuvalu this week, they should ensure the link between climate change, human rights and responsibilities is explicit. Rising temperatures,
A new ruling on the ban on prisoner voting delivers a fierce reminder of the need for urgent change. Now it’s over to the government: put up or shut up, writes Andrew Geddis. In some ways, it tells us nothing we didn’t already know: the legislative ban on prisoners voting enacted in 2010 by National
US Apache helicopters captured footage of Afghan targets being shot at during a New Zealand SAS raid. The video footage released on Friday is part of a tranche of previously classified material released by the Hit & Run author Nicky Hager on Friday. A Government inquiry is inspecting claims made in the book Hit & Runthat New Zealand SAS soldiers killed six civilians
A revelation that insurgent commanders were present in villages raided by SAS troopers changes nothing, Hit & Run co-author Nicky Hager says. The confirmation from the Taliban commanders, published by Stuff and Hit & Run co-author Jon Stephenson on Wednesday, contradicts an account from Afghan villagers that no insurgents were present during the Operation Burnham raids. But both Hager and villagers’ lawyer say the new
Today, we have launched an appeal to raise funds to support the people who live in Naik and Khak Khudday Dad in Afghanistan – the alleged victims of New Zealand soldiers in Operation Burnham. DONATE NOW In August 2010, during raids by the New Zealand Defence Force and its allies on the villages of Naik
Concerns have been raised about a “power imbalance” between government agencies and community groups involved in a top-level inquiry into the Christchurch mosque shootings. The Islamic Women’s Council is meeting with the Royal Commission to discuss what it deems a lack of support through the process. The commission began hearing evidence on May 13 – including from government departments and
A human rights lawyer says the government has continuously let the Muslim community down and she doesn’t see that changing even with the Royal Commission into the mosque shootings. A public discussion in Auckland’s suburb of Ōtara yesterday saw academics, a lawyer and representatives of the Muslim community come together to discuss security issues after
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