By Courtney Cox
The Associated Press conducted an investigation that uncovered modern day slavery in Benjina, an Indonesian island. NPR reports that some of the laborers, many from Myanmar and Thailand, were coaxed into slavery by promises of a job. Others were kidnapped or coerced to work. Many of the enslaved individuals were told that they must pay a broker fee, for food, and shelter as they work twenty to twenty-two hour shifts fishing. This fabricated debt became impossible to repay. The slaves are fed “a few bites of rice and curry” and are locked in cages to prevent escape. The Associated Press tracked the final destinations of the seafood caught by the forced laborers. Some of the seafood went to ports in Thailand; others sailed much closer to home. In the U.S., much of the seafood is found in common cat food brands and is sold to distributers that sell to Safeway, Wal-Mart, and Kroger.
By Courtney Cox
The U.S. refused to discuss Israel’s human rights record during the annual U.N. Human Rights Council forum. Reuters reports that the debate focused on alleged abuses occurring in the Palestinian territories. The U.S. has not spoken on the issue in the forum since 2013. That same year, the U.S. and Israel entered into an agreement (essentially a gag clause) when Israel resumed its participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Israeli Foreign Ministry justified the agreement because the debate “negatively singles out Israel.” The U.S. was not the only country that remained silent. Israel’s other allies, including France and Great Britain, also refused to participate in the debate.
By Courtney Cox
Chinese Human
Rights Defenders allege that the government
has begun to infiltrate “thought police” into universities to monitor
instruction that promotes Western ideals like freedom of speech. To that end, despite
the abolition of re-education through labor camps (camps
designed to punish minor offenders for up to four years without a trial) allegations
of security agents arresting and detaining government critics, academics, and
journalists pervade human rights discourse. Aljazeera
reports that detentions are occurring in “secret gulags and psychiatric facilities”
and often involve torture. China has ratified the Convention Against Torture. However, the Committee Against Torture has
condemned the Chinese government for regularly violating the treaty. For
example, the Chinese government has never comprehensively investigated the
Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, which involved an armed assault on peaceful
pro-democracy protesters.
By Courtney Cox
The Dominican Republic and Haiti have shared the island of Hispaniola
for centuries. Historically, their relationship is a hostile and complex one.
During the early twentieth century (under the U.S. occupation of the Dominican
Republic), many Haitians seeking opportunity journeyed across the border to the
Dominican Republic as migrant workers on sugarcane plantations. The working
conditions they experienced were degrading: they often lived in run-down
company homes without plumbing or electricity, food was sparse, and medical
services were practically non-existent. Most Dominicans refused to work under
the awful conditions, crystallizing a national attitude of inherent Haitian inferiority.
No
one perpetuated this national attitude more than tyrant Rafael
Leónidas Trujillo Molina who controlled the Dominican Republic from 1930
to 1961. Although he had Haitian ancestors, he promoted an antihaitiansimo ideology. His racist
policies culminated in his 1937 order for the extermination of all peoples of
Haitian descent in the Northwest. Given the mélange
races in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, one may wonder, what methods did
officers use to identify Haitians? After all, ninety percent of Dominicans have
African lineage. To solve this dilemma, officers were instructed to have
people suspected of being Haitian to pronounce the word perejil (parsley). Improper pronunciation of the ‘r’ sound in perejil
resulted in immediate execution. Twenty to thirty thousand Haitians were
assassinated during the massacre.
By Courtney Cox
Dr. Avijit Roy was brutally beaten
to death by a group of machete-wielding extremists on a university campus this
week in Dhaka. His wife, Rafida Ahmed, was
injured in the attack. Dr. Roy, the son
of a prominent secularist and human rights activist, was allegedly murdered in retaliation for criticizing Islam. An American
and Bangladeshi citizen, Dr. Roy was a well-known atheist thinker. The Daily Mail reported that he
was the founder of a blog named Free Mind
that featured blogs concerning “scientific reasoning and religious extremism.” Dr. Roy received death threats prior to his
murder for “crimes against Islam.” Protestors have taken to the streets to
demonstrate against “the
intimidation and murder of secular writers.”
By Courtney Cox
For the first time in United States history, the State
Department created a special envoy to promote the universal human rights of
LGBTs. Randy
Berry, a Foreign Service officer stationed in the Netherlands, has been
appointed for the special position. According to NPR, Secretary of State
John Kerry claimed that Berry’s position will primarily serve to “reaffirm the
universal human rights of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or
gender identity.” More specifically, Berry will be charged with combating
foreign countries’ efforts to criminalize same-sex activity. The creation of
the post is consistent with the Obama administration’s desire to promote LGBT
rights at home and abroad.
By Courtney Cox
On February 6, 2015, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, concluded his first official visit to the United
States with a press conference at Georgetown
University Law Center. Just days following the brutal beheading of his Jordanian
compatriot (Muath al-Kaseasbeh) at the hands of ISIL, the Commissioner
expressed his outrage at the “monstrous crimes” that violent extremist groups
like ISIL and Boko Haram have committed. The focus of the press conference
concerned the current “grave period” of violent extremism. The Commissioner
asserted that an ideological battle must be waged against extremists. He
stressed that the international community must “fight their ideals with our
ideals.”
By Courtney Cox
Texas Senator Cornyn has altered the title of the
subcommittee over which he is chairman. The subcommittee formerly known as the
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights is now merely
the Subcommittee on the Constitution. Senator Cornyn’s press secretary claims
that the name was abruptly changed “because the
Constitution covers our most basic rights, including civil and human rights”
reports the International
Business Times. Needless
to say, human rights and civil rights activists are discouraged. Activist Nancy Zirkin
noted that the subcommittee has historically examined “the human rights record
of the United States and consider[ed] ratification of essential
human rights treaties like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women.” Activists hope that the civil rights and human
rights issues plaguing our country will not be neglected given the modification of the subcommittee’s title.
By Courtney Cox
Every four years, all United Nations members must undergo a Universal
Periodic Review of their human rights records. During a review of Turkey
this week, accusations of human rights abuses were revealed. Reviewing states
criticized Turkey for its suppression of freedom of speech, citing the
imprisonment of journalists as evidence. Concerns were also raised about
increased police crackdowns on demonstrators and media censorship. Al
Jazeera reports that Turkey defended its record, claiming that “it has made
progress in promoting human rights and freedom of expression that are an
‘indispensable’ part of the country’s democratic order.”
By Courtney Cox
Just one day after the U.N. Security Council rejected a
resolution that would require the establishment within three years of a
Palestinian state on lands occupied by Israel, the Palestinian Ambassador to
the U.N. submitted letters of accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Al
Jazeera reports that days later, the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
confirmed that Palestine will join the ICC on April 1, 2015. The ICC was created
by the Rome Statute in 1998 and has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity,
genocide, and war crimes. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas believes acceding
to the treaty will facilitate the prosecution of war crimes committed by
Israel. Israel has promptly responded by freezing the transfer of over $100
million in tax funds collected for Palestinians. The United States is also
unsettled by Palestine’s new membership. A State Department representative asserted
that the move would cause an impediment to permanent peaceful resolution.
