Human Rights Commission 2023 Annual Report
The Human Rights Commission has released their 2023 Annual Report.
A spokesperson said, “The Human Rights Commission’s 2023 annual report was laid in the House of Assembly and will be sent to the Upper House next week.
“The report details the work the Commission has undertaken during the calendar year 2023 and highlights achievements, observations and activities. These include:
- a 28% increase in the number of intakes when compared with the previous year. For the sixth year, sex, place of origin, ethnic or national origins and disability were identified more frequently by members of the public as the basis for alleged discrimination.
- Leave to intervene as a third party in the proceedings of a matter before the European Court of Human Rights, which concerns the revocation of a right to same-sex marriage in Bermuda.
- The launch of an awareness campaign designed to raise the profile of the HRC and educate the public about their human rights in accordance with the Human Rights Act 1981.
- Results from the Commission’s Island wide consultation to obtain the public perspectives on a variety of human rights issues to inform recommendations to the Government of Bermuda.
- A feature on Bermuda Is Love as an example of individual human rights advocacy in support of collective rights.
- Summary of Human Rights Tribunal Matters.
“The 72-page report can be found on the Human Rights Commission’s website at humanrights.bm.
“It can also be collected in person at the Office of the Commission at 32 Victoria Street, Milner Place, Ground Floor, Hamilton.
“As the National Human Rights Institution for Bermuda, the Human Rights Commissions’ vision is a Bermuda that honours human rights for all.
“Find out more by phone 295-5859, email info@humanrights.bm, website www.humanrights.bm, and social media platforms, Facebook – Bermuda Human Rights Commission.”
The full Human Rights Commission’s 2023 Annual Report follows below [PDF here]:
Under Palestine: I must have missed the part where Hamas (Palestinians) invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, murdered men, women, and children in their homes, assaulted women, took & are still holding hostages, etc. The write-up seemed to lack a few important publicly available details.
Israel, Australia, Japan, UK, US, others have officially designated Hamas a terrorist organization – European Union has also designated Hamas a terrorist group – October 13, 2023
Apart from the U.S., the U.K., Israel, Australia, Japan and the European Union are among other countries and regional blocs that have officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
>>> U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, “The people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling attack. They are not militants. They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists.” Sunak joined a vigil with local communities at Finchley United Synagogue in London. <<<
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong gave a speech on Oct. 11 with regard to the attacks on Israel.
"Australia stands against terrorism. We stand in solidarity with Israel. We unequivocally condemn the attack by Hamas: Indiscriminate rocket fire, the targeting of civilians and the taking of hostages. I reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself," she said in her speech via the minister for foreign affairs website.
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Source: Encylopedia Britannica
Israel-Hamas War: war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence.
More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The war began with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip, followed weeks later by the incursion of ground troops and armored vehicles. By early 2024 tens of thousands of Gazans had been killed and over half of the buildings in the Gaza Strip had been destroyed or damaged.
The October 7, 2023, attack
Aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attack
Survivors of a Hamas rocket strike on Tel Aviv talking with rescuers on October 7, 2023.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas led a stunning coordinated attack, which took place on Shemini Atzeret, a Jewish holiday that closes the autumn thanksgiving festival of Sukkot. Many IDF soldiers were on leave, and the IDF’s attention had been focused on Israel’s northern border rather than on the Gaza Strip in the south.
The assault began about 6:30 am with a barrage of at least 2,200 rockets launched into Israel in just 20 minutes. During that opening salvo, Hamas used more than half the total number of rockets launched from Gaza during all of 2021’s 11-day conflict. The barrage reportedly overwhelmed the Iron Dome system, the highly successful antimissile defense system deployed throughout Israel, although the IDF did not specify how many missiles penetrated the system. As the rockets rained down on Israel, at least 1,500 militants from Hamas and the PIJ infiltrated Israel at dozens of points by using explosives and bulldozers to breach the border, which was heavily fortified with smart technology, fencing, and concrete. They disabled communication networks for several of the Israeli military posts nearby, allowing them to attack those installations and enter civilian neighborhoods undetected. Militants simultaneously breached the maritime border by motorboat near the coastal town of Zikim. Others crossed into Israel on motorized paragliders.
About 1,200 people were killed in the assault, which included families attacked in their homes in kibbutzim and attendees of an outdoor music festival. That number largely comprised Israeli civilians but also included foreign nationals. A March 2024 United Nations report found evidence that some were victims of sexual violence before they were killed. Adding to the trauma was the fact that it was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Hostages taken on October 7, 2023
Portraits of some of the hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attacks, displayed on a wall during a rally in Tel Aviv calling for their release.
More than 240 others were taken into the Gaza Strip as hostages. Many of them were taken from their homes and some from the music festival. Including Israelis with dual citizenship, more than half of those taken hostage collectively held passports from about two dozen countries, effectively pulling several countries into the efforts to release their citizens.