Some (mostly) human rights links and thoughts - Saturday 18th December, 2021

Some human rights (including significant, relevant links in other fields - such as geopolitics, democracy, or authoritarianism) links: 

• an EXCELLENT article on why public shaming of anti-vaxxers, as with public shaming of the obese, LGBTIQ+ people, etc - is not a good approach (the article acknowledges public health is a key determinant in this matter, as it balances the right to life of the many against the decisions of a minority [however, I consider those who turn to violence are not covered by this - they are actively harming others] ); 
• there is still opposition to allowing poorer nations effective access to vaccinations;
• an article saying the only realistic target to prevent serious climate change is a 75% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050, and as that is "more or less impossible", the only option remaining for governments is to minimise the change and help us prepare for what is coming;  
• Russia, home to a bunch of cyber ransom criminals, has vetoed a UN resolution on the obvious risk to security of the climate crisis;  
• Russia's long past genocidal invasion of Siberia . . . and its current abuses in Africa may now extend into Mali, to the tune of US$10 million/month;
  
• the EU has imposed sanctions on a Russian mercenary group;
• "human rights are key to democracy"; 
• "Statement from the Equal Rights Coalition on the nexus between democracy and the human rights of LGBTI persons "; as the Vatican belatedly and inadequately apologises for hurting some LGBTIQ+ people and France bans so-called "conversion" abuses, Hungary's homophobic PM plans a campaign that breaches international rights standards to appeal to neochristian bigots, the UK's rampant transphobia extends to their Supreme Court, and issues also occur in Thailand;
• a US ride sharing service has been caught being transphobic;
  
• the UN is asking questions about the effectiveness or otherwise of WA's proposed heritage protection act as more racism occurs in sport;
  
• a campaign is underway for mandatory "never to be released" sentencing of murderer-rapists (my thoughts are here);
• the damage caused by gender bias in teaching, and my home state's police force continues to fail on domestic violence as staggering revelations are released over a then serving police officers protection of child abusers;
• the devastating humanitarian disaster under misogynistic violent extremists in Afghanistan has seen families sell their children ...; 
• in a staggering crime against humanity, the Sudanese military used anti-aircraft weapons against peaceful protestors; 
• human rights abuses are continuing in Tigray, Ethiopia; 
  
• the US military has been accused of absolving itself over a drone killing of civilians;
• "the United States [has] imposed extensive human rights-related sanctions on dozens of people and entities tied to China, [Burma], North Korea and Bangladesh" - to their displeasure, and which we can potentially do also, now that we finally have a Magnitsky-style Act; 
• the growth of abuses and repression in North Korea under their current leader;
  
• declassified Israeli documents provide details of Israeli involvement in massacres of Palestinians in 1948 and the development of two tiered education - and Israel is still showing showing racist bias;
• the national neolib nitwits ableism continues;
• the role of moderates in preventing genocide; 
• staggering information on the number of submarines and the amount of military spending by Australia, China and the USA - now, and in the future;
• an opinion piece arguing that, in my nation, "little has been done to stop white-collar crime in the banking sector despite a number of inquiries and a Royal Commission into fraudulent activity";
• concerns that "the focus on China's rise ignores the weakening of the West";
• "greater protection is needed for civil society representatives who are increasingly being targeted in repressive and life-threatening environments, UN and regional human rights experts said in a joint declaration ";
• "People(s)-Centered Human Rights—A Necessary Framework to Counter Neoliberalism's Dangerous Contradictions"; 
• as a social media platform exposes spy companies and a sports organisations stays silent, the USA has "announced a partnership with Australia, Denmark, Norway, Canada, France, the Netherlands and the UK to try to stem the flow of sensitive technologies to authoritarian governments" - and an opinion that "it's time for democracies to protect dissidents from spyware" (also, a guide to avoiding defamation cases);
  
• an article reporting that India has "stifled dissent" (and discussion) on Kashmir;
• Denmark's hardline former immigration minister has been sentenced to jail over automatic (rather than checking for risk) separations of couples where one was underage;
  
• "time to end the ‘criminality with impunity’ of Australia’s immigration detention regime ";
  
• an article on the flaws and advantages of police use of facial recognition, with a simplistic recommendation for improving public confidence; 
• Lebanon has made a nominal only "attempt" to help "undocumented" workers; 
• an NGO is monitoring violations of housing laws in Lebanon;

 On journalism: 

• some of the media have FINALLY picked up on the fact that the anti-vaxxers are NOT popular with people in my home city.