Showing posts with label Julie Inglese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julie Inglese. Show all posts
By Julie Inglese

Mondoweiss has reported an increase in the denial of visa requests from Israeli youth, military, and intelligence officials when attempting to enter the United States.

The State Department has begun implementing recommendations contained in a 2011 Inspector General’s report dealing with the Leahy Amendment. The “US legislation requires the mission to vet Israeli military personnel who train with US counterparts to make sure they have not committed human rights abuse.” The recent enforcement of the legislation may be why Israeli’s are being denied visas.
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April 01, 2014
By Julie Inglese

The Times of India is reporting that the United Kingdom has agreed to vote in favor of an independent investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka at the upcoming U.N. Human Rights Council.

The U.S.-led resolution alleges that 40,000 civilians were killed at the end of Sri Lanka's separatist war despite the great progress that they have made in reintegrating child soldiers and reconstructing conflict areas. The United Kingdom said it strongly believes “that, without a credible investigation… it will be very difficult for the Sri Lankan people to move forward in the true spirit of lasting peace, reconciliation and unity…”
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March 31, 2014
By Julie Inglese

On Sunday, an Egyptian court finally “ordered the release on bail pending trial of a prominent activist charged with breaking a new law that heavily restricts protests.” The judge presiding over the case agreed with the defense attorney that the defendant was only being held without bail as punishment; therefore, the judge allowed for his release. 

The defendants and lawyers broke out in chants: “Revolutionaries and free, we will continue our journey!” Rights groups criticize the case against the defendants because it is seen as suppression by authorities of dissidents, broadening the “crackdown on Islamist supporters of the ousted President Mohammed Morsi to include the secular opposition.” 

ABC News reports that many see the release of the defendant as a step toward justice.
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March 24, 2014
By Julie Inglese

In the years leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics, thousands of migrant workers from countries such as Armenia, Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Ukraine arrived to Sochi, Russia to build an Olympic-worthy city from the ground up. Though most of these workers came to Russia willingly, they quickly faced inhumane treatment by their host country. Specifically, migrant workers in Russia were denied the proper housing promised by their employers and payment for their labor. This raises the question: Has the International Olympic Committee (IOC) violated the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by allowing the Olympic Games to proceed in spite of the human rights violations suffered by migrant workers?

The UNGP’s are guidelines adopted based on the Special Representative’s “Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework,” which was unanimously adopted by the Human Rights Council. They are intended to provide practical advice to governments, companies, and other stakeholders on how to better protect individuals and communities from the adverse human rights impacts of business activities.

The Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russia to host the 2014 Olympic Games is questionable from the standpoint of international human rights guidelines, but is not itself a violation of international norms.

However, by virtue of their business relationship, the Olympic Committee assumes responsibility for any human rights violations Russia commits in connection with the Olympic Games. The Committee has a business relationship with Russia as the host country for the 2014 Olympic Games, and the Committee is a business enterprise within the meaning of the UNGP. Under the UNGP, a business enterprise like the Olympic Committee must “avoid infringing on the human rights of others.”
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March 08, 2014
By Julie Inglese

A U.N. panel presented findings this month indicating that potentially hundreds of officers in North Korea have committed crimes against humanity, including: systematic torture, starvation, and killing of its people.

North Korea completely rejected the findings, saying they were based on “lies and fabrications deliberately cooked up by hostile forces and riff-raffs.”

The North’s formal rejection of the report came after the U.N. human rights chief urged world powers to refer the state to the International Criminal Court. However, Eurasia Review explains that  this referral is extremely unlikely because of “China’s probable veto of any such move in the UN Security Council.”

Only time can tell if the report will impact the regime, but defectors who fled the North, including prison camp survivors, expressed skepticism about a resulting change.
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February 27, 2014
By Julie Inglese

Citing widespread dismay with Russia’s anti-gay laws, a coalition of more than 30 human rights and gay rights groups is calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ensure that future Olympic host countries do not have discriminatory laws on their books. 

“Countries with laws designed to discriminate against or attack the dignity or human rights of any individual or group ... should not be given the honor and privilege of hosting the Olympic [g]ames” asserted the coalition in a letter to the president of the IOC.

A spokesman for the IOC has responded to these pleadings by explaining that the current charter includes provisions that do not allow discrimination, according to the Associated Press. However, he concedes the proposed language could be considered at the upcoming IOC deliberation.

The coalition includes Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Campaign, PEN, All Out, Athlete Ally, and the Russian LGBT Network. You can read more at Human Rights Watch.
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February 25, 2014
By Julie Inglese

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin said gay visitors should feel “relaxed and at ease” while in Russia for the Sochi Olympics, he also requested that they abide by a propaganda law and “leave the children in peace,” according to MSNBC. 

Russia has a propaganda law that bans the promotion of "nontraditional" sexual relationships among minors. However, the law does not define what propaganda means, leaving LGBT advocates fearful that anyone who is openly gay could be violating the law. 

Additionally, the International Olympic Committee has emphasized that the Olympic Charter bans political protests, so advocating for gay rights during the games could get someone sent home. 

Time will tell what the law really means and if it will cause trouble during the Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, the mayor of Sochi said that his city has no gay people. 
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January 31, 2014
By Julie Inglese

Human Rights Watch reports that China has arrested 50 activists since March, in order to rein in dissent of the Communist regime. This included the rest of Xu Zhiyong, “the most prominent activist jailed since Noble Peace Prize winner Liu Viaobo in 2009,” according to BusinessWeek. 

Xu Zhiyong, a civil rights lawyer, is known in part for founding the New Citizens’ Movement, an alliance of activists that promotes rule of law and democracy in China. 

“Any kind of challenge to the authorities in the form of organized movement is still a big red line,” Maya Wang, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, told BusinessWeek. Xu’s sentence of four years has proven this. 
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January 29, 2014
 By Julie Inglese

“No other Winter Games has faced such an acute terror threat. No other Winter Olympics has been so engulfed in politics. No other recent Olympics has been so closely associated with one man — Putin, the "captain" of the Sochi team.” 

The Olympics is intended to bring together great athletes to create pride and unity in their countries. However, Redding explains that the world cannot stop focusing on a possible terrorist attack. An Islamic militant group in Dagestan claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings that killed 34 people in late December in Volgograd and threatened to attack the games in Sochi. 

Putin has gone through great lengths to ensure safety for all and one of the best Winter Olympics yet. Let’s hope Putin delivers. 
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January 28, 2014
By Julie Inglese

Human Rights Watch urges government leaders to begin an international discussion on “fully autonomous robot weapons.”  Although these weapons are yet to come into existence, technology is getting close and many countries have already publicly addressed their existence. 

The robots will have the capacity to select targets and kill them without further intervention by humans.  A debate is already taking place on whether the robots are a danger to human rights.  Some people believe that talks should begin now on how or if these robots should be used, while others propose an outright ban on their use before they even go into the field.
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November 21, 2013
By Julie Inglese

On Tuesday, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Cuba, and Algeria won seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council. 

A recent article from The Washington Post has noted that many groups have nothing kind to say about the newly elected countries. This includes UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer who said, “China, Cuba, Russia, and Saudi Arabia systematically violate the human rights of their own citizens, and they consistently vote the wrong way on U.N. initiatives to protect the human rights of others… For the U.N. to elect Saudi Arabia as a world judge on human rights would be like a town making a pyromaniac into chief of the fire department.” 

Neuer is not the only one with strong feelings about the election. Humans rights groups have been claiming the newly elected representatives undermine the council’s credibility. Human Rights Watch has pointed out that five of the new council members have refused to allow U.N. visits to investigate alleged abuses, which generally means a country has "a lot of explaining to do." 

Continuing reading about the controversy over at The Washington Post. 
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November 20, 2013
By Julie Inglese
Palm oil mill by Marufish, on Flickr


While high demand for palm oil in Africa and Southeast Asia is widely known for being a large environmental concern, Voice of America (VOA) reports that there also is an underlying human rights issue that is being neglected. 

VOA spoke with Norman Jiwan, the executive director of Transformation for Justice Indonesia and the co-editor of a new report on the issue. Jiwan told VOA that the expansion of the palm oil industry in Indonesia "has created serious land conflict because of the land grabbing" from indigenous peoples without consent. This in turn is threatening the food supply of some communities.

The same issues have emerged in Africa and advocates are working with palm oil companies in hopes of settling land disputes.
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November 18, 2013
By Julie Inglese

President Barack Obama would like the United States to become an aggressor in Syria’s civil war. The Syrian government's “alleged” use of chemical weapons to kill hundreds crossed a redline that U.S. President Barack Obama claimed a year ago would be the game changer.

Obama is trying to go through the formal measure of getting Congress to okay the attack, but does that make it legal?

Putting aside whether attacking Syria is the right thing to do, let us look at what the law is and predict what the legal and institutional consequences of law breaking might be.
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October 23, 2013
By Julie Inglese

Argentinian plaintiffs have sued a German corporation based on events that allegedly occurred in Argentina more than 30 years ago. In the 1970s and 1980s, thousands were killed, kidnapped, or "disappeared," including trade unionists, journalists, and intellectuals in Argentina in what has become known as the dirty war. The plaintiffs say, "the kidnapping, detention and torture of these plaintiffs were carried out by state security forces acting under the direction of and with material assistance" from the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gonzalez-Catan, near Buenos Aires. The Ninth Circuit allowed this case to be tried in California, but some Supreme Court Justices seem skeptical that the case belongs in the United States. 

Find out more on the granting of certiorari at Fox News.
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October 17, 2013
By Julie Inglese

More than 950 rebel suspects were reported dead in the Nigeria’s jails in the first six months of 2013, according to Amnesty International. The organizations says that rebels suffocated from over-packed cells and some were beaten to death, while others were removed from their cells and shot. The dead are allegedly members of Boko Haram, a rebel group with a possible link to Al Qaeda that is seeking to implement Islamic law across Nigeria. Boko Haram is accused of gunning down 50 sleeping students because they believe that secular education is a sin. The Los Angeles Times discusses possible responses. 
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October 17, 2013
By Julie Inglese

The Church of Scientology is promoting the idea of a day to celebrate humans and the fundamental rights they each deserve. The church celebrated its International Peace Day on September 21, but just issued a report on the event yesterday. Youth in Budapest took the day seriously this year and decided to take to the streets, calling out the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. People passing by joined in with their hands in the air to shout out that fundamental rights are imperative to each life and deserve to be celebrated. 
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October 16, 2013
By Julie Inglese

There have been relentless human rights violations in Western Sahara of the Sahrawi people, and both the United Nations (U.N.) and the international community have refused to act. Despite Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Center’s continual push at getting the U.N. to act and “send a clear message” that the extensive violations will not be tolerated, the U.N. Security Council “renewed the mandate of the U.N. mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara without adding a human rights monitoring component.” The Moroccan government has signed onto many treaties that prohibit this type of behavior, but they have refused to abide by the standards provided. If no one affirmatively puts an end to this behavior it will continue for the foreseeable future.

AllAfrica further explains the situation. 
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September 20, 2013
By Julie Inglese

CNN reported that a groundbreaking case was settled on Friday in New Delhi, India. After seven months of public outcry and uncertainty about the punishment of the allege rapists, four men were found guilty and sentenced to death, a rare occurrence in India, for the ruthless rape of a 23-year-old girl. The innocent victim was merely riding a bus when she found herself surrounded by at least five drunk men that gang raped her so brutally that she died several days after the attach. This case points to a change in India’s stance on both the death penalty and women’s rights. India has taken a large step forward in their demand for better treatment of women. 
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September 17, 2013
By Julie Inglese

The most significant use of chemical weapons against civilians since 1988 occurred last month in Syria. CNN reported that the "United Nations Mission has… confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria." The horrific event, likely a result of the President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, sparked an agreement between Russia and the United States. Russia has agreed to work with the United States to remove all chemical weapons from Syria, but this must be done on the honor system, which may make for a bad outcome. Only time will tell how the agreement plays out. 
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September 16, 2013
By Julie Inglese 

The European Union and China are at it again with a dispute over restrictions on trade. Beijing imposed an 11 percent tariff on high-performance stainless steel tubes being imported from Brussels. The European Union went to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to convince them to put a stop to the tariffs by claiming they do not follow WTO rules. The two countries have had several disputes over trading restrictions and there is still no compromise in sight.

DW has put together an interesting look at what the ongoing tensions mean. 
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August 30, 2013
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