A study by Education International highlights the atrocious scale of human rights violations against Colombian teacher trade unionists.

Trade unions in more than 100 countries, from the eastern Pacific to the west coast of the Americas, are mobilising on 7 October to tackle the global economic and employment crisis and demand fundamental reform of the world economy.

The coup regime in Honduras took one giant step forward in the abuse of illegitimate power by issuing an Executive Decree to suspend guaranteed rights under the Honduran Constitution, with the pretext of "serious disruption of the peace". The decree justifies the suspension of rights citing vandalism and "the quantity of illegal protesters".

In the last few years, several Latin American countries have attempted to improve labour conditions for rural workers and domestics, whose labour rights have long been ignored. But the new laws, even those with limited scope, are not always enforced.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemned Brazil for illegal wiretaps of the Landless Workers Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra, MST) in the southern state of Paraná.

Fears about the spread of disease can lead to calls for restrictions on the rights of individuals infected or believed to be infected. While some limitations can be justified for the sake of public health, they should meet internationally accepted legal standards, including respect of human dignity.

An interesting aspect of the swine flu outbreak is how early the link was made with factory farming. This was largely the result of pressure from local residents in the village of La Gloria in the municipality of Perote, Mexico.

A recent evaluation of the World Bank’s health work is damning in its criticism of the lender’s approach, particularly in Africa. Meanwhile, the Bank is continuing to push privatisation in public services such as health, education and water, despite fierce criticism.

A new joint initiative of ESCR-Net and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law seeks to provide advocacy and educational resource of first-hand human rights documentation on the impacts businesses have on human rights around the world. Send your contributions.

The General Assembly condemned this weekend’s coup d’état in Honduras, calling for the restoration of the democratically-elected President and constitutional Government.