The 54 year-old artist whose biography includes working on the iconic Beijing National Stadium that was used in the 2008 Olympics, was detained on April 3 on his way to Hong Kong from Beijing.

Ai Weiwei’s troubling arrest and disappearance.
According to police in China, Ai Weiwei was arrested in connection with economic crimes, though no details have been released officially on what exactly those crimes might have been. Reports in government-owned newspapers suggest that he was arrested in connection with a failure to pay taxes. Weiwei has not been seen since his arrest, leading to international concern over his well-being and health.

China’s most famous artist and architect
Ai Weiwei, who lived in the U.S. between 1983 and 1991, is easily one of the country’s most well-known artists, documentary film makers and architects. His impressive biography includes exhibitions at the Venice Biennale show, the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Australia and the Liverpool International in 2008.

Outspoken critic of human rights violations
In addition to his artistic endeavors, Weiwei is also an outspoken critic of China’s communist government and of its human rights abuses. In interviews and commentaries both domestically and internationally, Weiwei has blasted his country’s intolerance for free speech and democratic values. In 2008, Weiwei withdrew from the team that was helping to build the Olympic stadium saying the government was using the Olympics for patriotic propaganda purposes instead of focusing on free speec and democracy. It is these actions and this aspect of his biography that no doubt resulted in his arrest in Beijing and subsequent disappearance.

Despite, widespread calls for his release, especially from western government’s the Chinese government itself has so far given no indication that it plans to release, or even bring Weiwei to trial anytime soon.

Aung San Suu Kyi left her family and returned home to care for her sick mother in 1988. During this time, she became active in bringing democracy to the Burmese people. Her mother soon passed away and shortly after, she was placed under house arrest for her role in the politics of Burma. She was unable to see her husband and children for most of the next twenty-one years.

She was under house arrest for the majority of that time. Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband died of cancer during her time under house arrest. She knew she could not leave, or she may not be allowed back in the country to continue helping the Burmese people. Suu Kyi’s most recent arrest came in 2009. She was finally freed in November of 2010.

In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Prize. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for her continuous fight for human rights. Suu Kyi did not keep the prize money for herself. She used the money she won from the Nobel Prize to help the Burmese people. In 2009, she won the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award. Amnesty International had been familiar with the case of Suu Kyi for many years. The Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award is Amnesty International’s most honorable award. It honors those who have gone above and beyond to protect the rights of others.

Vietnam’s state-controlled media has enabled the government to establish censorship of most news. The regime has always used firewalls for censorship of independent Web bloggers; now, it has used more advanced malware devices to collect information and damage Web sites run by prominent online critics, according to Google and McAfee. There are a number of political issues that have been the target of critical bloggers: bauxite mining, property redistribution and legal cases.

Human Rights Watch has also corroborated the use of the cyber attack against well-known critics of the Vietnamese regime. It has detailed multiple cases of police harrassment, imprisonment and the cyber attack against online critics. Telephone and internet services have been terminated on prominent online blogger Web sites, according to Human Rights Watch.

Vietnam reserves the right to take “appropriate action” against Web sites deemed to be security risks. The government has admitted that it is shutting down bad Web sites, but that the actions are not due to political dissension.

In 2009, China’s “Operation Aurora” involved a series of cyber attacks against Adobe, Google, and Yahoo. By silencing the most prominent government critics, these regimes hope to establish censorship by fear and intimidation. Because the World Wide Web has increased the free flow of ideas, information and news, oppressive governments are increasing their efforts to control this independent media format.

Why is food insecurity such a problem on a global scale? Basic human rights include the right to adequate food and the United Nations has set up the Millennium Development Goals that include cutting the world’s hunger by half by the year 2015. Yet, today human rights are violated as hunger increases in the world.

Hunger in America has risen by 46 percent since 2006, with 26 million suffering from hunger on a domestic front. It is not only the homeless and the indigent who go hungry. Food banks battling hunger in America report that 37% of the food distributed goes to families with one person working a full time job. Hunger in America now affects one in eight people.

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that only $30 billion per year, invested in farm production and infrastructure, could erase the base causes of food insecurity in the world by the year 2025.

Not only would the programs address food insecurity and hunger, they would eradicate them by promoting long term commitments and involvement in agriculture in developing third world countries, as well as developing countries introducing the small-scale farmers into markets and stopping the mandating of bio-fuels.

Countries and nations have an obligation to preserve human rights by respecting, protecting and fulfilling the need for adequate food for all people, directly if necessary, and appealing to global communities when they cannot provide this basic human right.

Globally, governments must be held accountable for any human rights violations when it pertains to keeping people free from hunger and food insecurity in the world. They must enact legislation that prevents starvation, ensures a basic social protection and prosecutes any human rights violation that occurs.

But Mayon Volcano is not the only reason for the Philippines being featured in many newspapers: also the human rights situation in the land of the 7107 islands is being watched by human rights organizations. There are people who want to improve the political situation and fight for the rights of the population. But some of them fear to be kidnapped or even killed for their activities.

Dissidents or journalists who criticize politicians and mighty clans are prone to get into conflict and have to be worried about their lives. The latest kidnappings and killings in Maguindanao / Mindanao during November 2009 are a sad example of that situation. At that time, a few dozen people where killed, most of them were journalists and political opponents of the family clan of the Ampatuan. Many witnesses link Andal Ampatuan Junior to the massacre.

The son is being sad to be wanting to follow the footsteps of his father by becoming the governor in Maguindanao province. Now, the head of the massacre is imprisonned and probably has to face a harsh judgment. Also his father, Andal Ampatuan Senior seems to be involved in the cruel bloodbath, when 57 civilians have been murdered.

Mindanao, the huge southern island in the Philippines, is known for having big problems concerning human rights since decades. Groups like Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who are fighting for an autonomous Muslim State terrorize the whole country. It is questionable, if  controversial laws like the “Human Security Act” of 2007 might help to make further steps in the peace process. Hopefully, the new government after the elections this year will make efforts and bring peace and human rights to the Philippine people. They would deserve it.