Some (mostly) human rights links and thoughts

Black Lives Matter! Be Anti-Racist, Anti-Sexist, and Actively Inclusive in ALL Areas.
The Climate Crisis is real, urgent and existential!

The Pandemic is Real, and Vaccinations save lives. Stay safe - wash your hands, practice social distancing and wear a face mask in public, and follow informed medical advice - and be considerate towards those at risk or in situations of vulnerability (including economic) while the COVID-19 pandemic is a problem.

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

• on the climate crisis (noting the UNFCCC) and environment (noting multiple  international agreements): 
• a scientist's thoughts on nuclear energy (some of this [e.g., the short life of nuclear reserves] was new, some of it I knew [the expense], and some I disagreed with [I consider nuclear waste a major problem], but it is well presented and ties multiple aspects together);   sustainable farming in Kenya;  
   
• on the COVID-19 pandemic (noting WHO advice, Article 12 of the ICESCR, and public emergency provisions of the ICCPR and the ICESCR) and other health matters: 
• concerns have been expressed over China's now less well organised but still extreme lockdowns - and food riots have been reported;   "long COVID affects 1 in 5 people following infection. Vaccination, masks and better indoor air are our best protections";   herd immunity no longer appears possible as the world passes half a billion cases - 6% of a global population, of whom ~65% have received at least one vaccination (but just under 15% of people in poorer nations);   the WHO has stated COVID-19 is far from being endemic;  
   
  
• on Putin and his cronies' illegal (it is contrary to Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter  and international law [and the 1928 Pact of Paris which was successfully used in post-WW2 trials], and possibly includes conduct contrary to the "laws" of war and international humanitarian law (IHL)) invasion of Ukraine: 
• a call for a treaty between Ukraine and the UN as response and counter to Russia's violent aggression (I had thought of a treaty between the EU and Ukraine, but this proposal is much better);   against an opinion that this war is a greater nuclear risk than the Cuban Missile Crisis, an argument for non-proliferation;   more thoughts on how peace negotiation could be undertaken;   Russia has defaulted on its foreign debt;  
  
  
• Putin is now claiming his goals are based on eastern Ukraine;  in an attempt to get nominated for the Darwin Awards, some Russian troops stole 700 kg of radioactive material from Chernobyl;   Ukraine is calling for help as it prepares for Russia's assault in eastern Ukraine - which has begun with a new commander in chief (possibly not as exceptionally brutal as suggested), questions about its ability to concentrate effective forces (many units may still be significantly weakened by their battles elsewhere in Ukraine), and attacks on Ukraine's air defences - and current attacks  continue;   an examination of the use of militia;   Russia is continuing its campaign of propaganda (particularly in South and Central America) and subversion;   the Russian military has a history of long-lasting military campaigns;   how to spot fake "military success" stories;   an opinion that Putin may have sabotaged himself (my words) because "human beings tend to draw more closely to whatever identity is currently under threat. Even a feature or category that we do not consider meaningful to our sense of self can take on great meaning if we believe we are being treated badly for it";   hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have returned home and tens of thousands are returning each day;  
  
  
• more on the racism of Ukraine;   the racism of the world is giving increased focus to Ukraine and ignoring other tragedies;   Russia has banned Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch;   the EU will assist the ICC's investigation of war crimes in Ukraine - the OSCE has already released a report;   a warning of rape and sexual violence in Ukraine;   noting the "laws" of war and IHL, demining is needed and underway where Russians retreated;   Syrians are sharing what they have learned from years of surviving attacks from Russia's military;   a UK service is setting single Ukrainian women up for sexual abuse;   more on the impact of Putin's illegal invasion on northern Africa and West Asia;  
   
• on international affairs (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
•  a call to remove racism from the use of international law;   remembering that some warned China's initial presence in Tibet in the 50s was like honey on a knife, a warning that Russia's version of a "new world order" is bad for Africa;   under our xenophobic national neolib nitwits, our Solomon Islands "diplomacy" was insulting - and hence the shift to China;   a suggestion to try realpolitik approaches by accepting North Korea is a nuclear armed state and dealing with it to allow focus on other regional issues (I have mixed views on that - if it avoids distraction, good, but does that do anything for the oppressed people of North Korea and the at-risk people of South Korea?);  
  
  
• noting particularly Chapters VI and VII of the UN Charter, the 1928 Pact of Paris used in post-WW2 trials, the "laws" of war and IHL and Article 20 of the ICCPR:   clashes in South Sudan have resumed;   Africa has been "urged to use good governance [and] inclusion to [counter] violent extremism";   Taiwan has issued a "war survival handbook";   possible Algeria-Morocco violence over Western Sahara;  
  
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•  on corruption (noting international  agreements and monitoring) and misgovernance: 
• from my home state, "VicForests refers itself to anti-corruption watchdog over ‘spying’ allegations" (as it should);  
   
• on democracy (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• although authoritarian nations have a numerical ascendancy, moves out of the despotry of authoritarianism into democracy by some nations shows hope remains strong;    an examination of the possibility of a coup after civilian protests;  
  
• protests against a possible election in Indonesia are being compared to "those that ousted President Suharto in 1998";   protests in support of democracy and against the one-person rule that has been grabbed in Tunisia;   after two coups and still no democracy, the people of Sudan are furious;   more on Sri Lanka's economic crisis (which led to the current political crisis, and could kill more people than the pandemic);   private foreign debt is exacerbating a crisis in Zambia;   a rebuttal of the Malian junta's claims;   suppression of peaceful dissent in Angola;   "ECOWAS ... has [given] extended timelines to the coup countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea to ... return to democratic and constitutional rule";   an assessment of the changes made and challenges faced/facing Tanzania's President - that nation's first female leader;  
  
• a comparison of the two major (Australian) parties' policies on key issues;   a call to consider all those who are less well off;   an opinion that "it’s more important to know the impact of your policies than to know economic figures off-hand";  
   
  
• on human rights (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
• a criticism of the West's double standards on human rights - as the USA announces it is monitoring an increase in human rights abuses in India (which does appear to be happening);   ageism in Australia;   "people with disability are increasingly ‘forgotten’ in emergency planning";  a call to act on the people who went missing during the violence in Cyprus in the 1970s;   the moral problems of tourism to despotries such as Burma;   the USA "finally sees the point of the International Criminal Court";  
  
  
• violence in the West Bank is growing - including a series of Israeli army raids;   "the EU will halt military training missions in Mali but will keep a presence in the Sahel, . . . citing concerns over "interference" and civilian killings committed by Russian mercenaries" (who are also meddling in Sudan) - see also this call for continued non-military support;   an excellent exposé and analysis of the backroom deals and other aspects of the recent wave of violence in El Salvador;   steps towards implementing the long-recommended integration of rebels forces into the army in South Sudan;   achieving peace in Colombia depends on stopping the violence;   Yemen's first nationwide ceasefire in six years is still hlding . . . ;  
  
  
• noting Article 19 of the ICCPR:   an attack on journalism in Turkey - which itself appears to have contributed to Libya's parlous state of being;   a trial change of media sources has led to a change of views, showing the power of the media;   in 2021, Burma jailed more writers than any other nation;  
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles:   "gender-affirming care doesn’t ‘turn’ anyone trans" - and see also this;   "trans advocates call for election debate on issues that matter, not 'faux' culture wars";   a transphobic academic;   an Australian political party has apologised for the transphobic views of one its members, and given assurances that does not represent its policies and views;
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP:   a call to remove racism from the use of international law;   "racism in Australia is about the structures that ensure non-white people don’t get a fair go";   a Native Title claim in southern Queensland has finally been recognised;   in the USA, a woman who falsely accused a black teenager of stealing her phone has pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime;   barriers to Indigenous people voting in Australia;  
  
  
• noting CEDAW:   an all-female newsroom in Somalia;   Indonesia has (finally) banned sexual abuse and forced marriage;   "NSW police officers convicted of domestic violence have kept their jobs, despite force's claims of 'zero tolerance'";   those attempting to legally defend women accused of sorcery in PNG are at risk of harm or event death;   one more US state has banned abortion;   misogynistic - and wildly inaccurate - abuse of sportswomen in a supposedly professional sport;   the still continuing struggle against marital rape;   sexism in economics;   floods have exacerbated domestic violence in SE Qld;  
  
  
• noting the conventions on refugees:   concerns about harassment of Afghan refugees in Iran;   the UK is planning on repeating our xenophobic, abusive, and sadistic barbarity by sending refugees to another nation . . . ;  
  
  
• noting Article 7 of the ICCPR,   and   the CAT:   a report on allegations that some Australian soldiers tortured people in East Timor at the turn of the century (and got at least one false "confession");  
  
  
• noting Article 9 of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (iv) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Articles 11 (1) (e), 13 (a), and 14 (2) (c) of the CEDAW,    Article 26 of the CRC,   Article 28 (2) of the CRPD,   Article 21 of the DRIP,   and   ILO conventions:   as targetted programmes often miss many, the need for universal social security;  
  
  
• noting Articles 6 (1), 7, and 8 (see here) of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (i) (ii) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Article 11 (1) (a - c) of the CEDAW,   and   Article 27 (1) of the CRPD:   "the whole point of abandoning what was once called “centralised wage fixing” and deregulating the labour market over the past 30 years was to put employers in charge of deciding how much they pay their employees. And, guess what, on the whole Australian employers have decided to boost their profits rather than boost their workers’ wages";   a reasonable article on overwork and exhaustion - which fails to mention the fear of losing jobs;   "home aged care staff [are] at ‘breaking point’";  
  
  
• noting Article 17 of the ICCPR,   Article 16 of the CRC,   Article 22 of the CRPD,   and   Article 12 (1) of the DRIP:   egregious breaches of privacy in professional sport;   concerns over potential breaches of privacy through data harvesting by major political parties in Australia's election;  
  
  
• vegan diets are better for dogs;   UK chickens can legally be described as free range despite never going outside;  
   
• on natural disasters (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• a heatwave has been killing a marine food source for an Indian city;   drought and heat are killing crops and displacing farmers in Iraq;   a tropical storm has caused fatal floods and landslides in the Philippines;   floods and landslides have also killed hundreds of people in South Africa;   a call to act to prevent famine in South Sudan and Somalia . . . and $100 million funds have been released for this purpose (is more needed?);  
   
• “impulsive psychopaths (term used to refer to “dark tetrad” refers to a group of four personality traits. These are Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy [together known as the “dark triad”], plus sadism") like crypto”;

(Should you elect to write to your elected representatives or others on these matters, it may be useful to familiarise yourself with the links shown in blue - or to at least refer to them. Don't forget to check whether your nation has ratified the treaty concerned.)