IHEU has protested to the Nigerian government about the brutal persecution of Leo Igwe, IHEU Representative for West Africa, and his family. Igwe and members of his family have been subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by Nigerian police, soldiers and criminals. The latest attack, on August 4, resulted in grievous injuries to Leo’s elderly father, who lost an eye as a result. The harassment is the result of the Igwes’ efforts to bring to justice a powerful local man accused of raping a ten year old girl.

IHEU is seeking donations to its Human Rights Defense Fund to help cover legal fees for Leo Igwe, IHEU’s Representative in West Africa. Mr. Igwe and members of his family have been subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by local police involving multiple arrests on unsubstantiated charges. Disponibile anche in italiano - vedi sotto

Legal and diplomatic condemnations of Iran by UN Member States

In March 2010, the Federal Court of Switzerland, the country’s highest judiciary body, refused any further cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran because of its grave human rights violations.

The International Liaison Committee of Freethinkers and Atheists (ILCFA) has launched a petition to express solidarity with Italian judge Luigi Tosti. Judge Tosti was first sentenced to jail and then dismissed as a judge for refusing to administer justice under a crucifix. The petition is available here: http://www.cilalp.org/spip.php?article343

Humanists have reacted generously to the disaster in Haiti, contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars through a wide range of specifically Humanist charities. In response to the devastating earthquake and ongoing suffering in Haiti, the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is partnering with a new disaster relief fund called 'Non-Believers Giving Aid'.

IHEU has appealed to authorities in Nigeria to stop the police harrasment of Leo Igwe, IHEU Representative for West Africa. Igwe and members of his family have been subjected to a sustained campaign of harassment by local police involving multiple arrests on unsubstantiated charges since 2007. Most recently, Leo Igwe and his father, Oliver Igwe, were arrested on Tuesday, January 5.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has joined an appeal to the UN to help the situation of Christians in Iraq. The Christmas Day appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, drew her attention to acts of terror against Christians in Iraq that include the bombing of 59 churches and the killings of bishops, priests and other Christians. These acts of terror, combined with kidnappings, death threats, and anti-Christian social discrimination, have prompted nearly half of Iraq's one million Christians to flee the country.

Blasphemy! It’s a cry as old as freethought, perhaps as old as religion. It’s also a crime wherever religion can get enough control of government to impose it.

And now blasphemy is making a comeback, at the UN of all places!

Ugandan Humanists are calling for international support in protesting a proposed new anti-gay law that would introduce extraordinarily harsh punishments, including the death penalty for homosexual acts and prison for family who fail to inform the authorities of homosexual relatives.

Please act now to ask the Iranian government to stop the execution of Ehsan Fattahian scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 2009.