Human-rights activists are using high-resolution satellite cameras to keep watch over imperiled villages in the Darfur region of Sudan and posting the images online to enlist help preventing violence.
The new Amnesty International Web site was launched Wednesday in conjunction with a conference at the University of California at Berkeley.
“We’re hoping that by shining a light that we will deter the abuse from ever happening,” said Ariela Blatter, director of the Crisis Prevention and Response Center for Amnesty International USA.
Satellite images have been used before to document destruction in Darfur and elsewhere. But the latest project offers clearer, more up-to-date images, allowing experts to better track developments, Blatter said.
The quality of the pictures is “very, very good,” said Lars Bromley of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international nonprofit group that publishes the journal Science and provided technical assistance for the project. “We can see cows. We can see vehicles. We can certainly see houses and fences and other structures.”
That’s especially important in an area such as Darfur, which is too dangerous for most people, said Bromley, project director for the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program.
The region has been wracked by violence since 2003, when ethnic African rebels and the pro-government janjaweed militia began fighting. More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million forced to flee their homes Read Full Story
More satellite images are available at EyesonDarfur.org.
taken from : obiakpere
Amnesty International USA's unprecedented Eyes On Darfur project leverages the power of high-resolution satellite imagery to provide unimpeachable evidence of the atrocities being committed in Darfur - enabling action by private citizens, policy makers and international courts. Eyes On Darfur also breaks new ground in protecting human rights by allowing people around the world to literally "watch over" and protect twelve intact, but highly vulnerable, villages using commercially available satellite imagery.
The project was led by the Crisis Prevention and Response Center (CPRC) - Amnesty International USA's rapid response center for engaging members, policy-makers, and the public in preventing and responding to human rights crises around the world.
taken from : primarysourcenews
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