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): 
• an opinion that neither major party is giving adequate / appropriate emphasis to addressing the climate crisis ahead of the upcoming (Australian national) election;   the potential peacekeeping benefits of sustainable cooperation on water in West Asia and northern Africa;   the problem of Europe dumping waste in Africa;   as the IPCC warns we are still facing disaster, "the United Nations secretary-general says Australia and other countries intent on increasing fossil fuel production are dangerous radicals . . . “Simply put, they are lying”;   one of the architects of the Paris agreement is now terrified;   "biodegradable" plastic ain't necessarily so, but there are small moves towards an international treaty on this;   cuts to emissions could be achieved affordably . . . but we also need to remove CO2;   almost everyone alive breathes polluted air;   a call for IPCC reports to be made more readable;   a call to trust Indigenous people to help fight against deforestation;   "the US must pivot to renewable energy and end its reliance on petro autocrats";   "more than half of public health issues in Africa linked to climate change";   a plan to deal with an abandoned oil tanker off Yemen which, if nothing is done about its continuing deterioration, could cause an oil spill disaster;  
   
• on the still continuing 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: 
• one third of the world remains completely unvaccinated;   two thirds of Africa may have had COVID;    the pandemic has made obvious people's preference not to work under factory-farm type office conditions;   an examination of why some people are - stupidly - abandoning COVID-safe health measures;   an informed medical opinion that this is the worst year of the pandemic;  
  
• mining in the Amazon is enabling increased breeding of mosquitoes and thus the spread of malaria;   a possible approach for dealing with antibiotic resistance;  
   
  
• 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: 
• as the conflict moves towards a major assault in Ukraine's east (is this where we see old style mass Russian army movements - although their army now is relatively small? There are cautions Putin may not have given up on capturing Kyiv yet) and the risks of the conflict widening grow , Russia is escalating its propaganda and cyberwar against Ukraine (including hacking social media accounts);   growing  evidence  that retreating Russian troops are murdering  civilians and committing mass rape (don't only blame the officer in charge on the scene - responsibility goes a long way up and down)   (which, appalling and undoubtedly a war crime or even a crime against humanity that it is, I do not consider to be genocide - Putin wants to subjugate Ukraine to Putin's vision of a "greater" Russia, which includes replacing democracy by a puppet regime, but he doesn't want Ukrainians to no longer exist . . . he just wants them to exist as slaves to his notions . . . but, on the other hand, noting the Genocide  Convention and following propaganda (although Russia has admitted to large scale troop losses) and events since I wrote the preceding, this expert DOES);   more on the forced deportation to Russia of civilians - via concentration camp-like centres for "filtering" (i.e., violent abuse);   evidence of some Ukrainian atrocities;   in a further and significant blow to global shipping, the Black Sea has been mined - with both sides accusing the other of doing so (it is hard not to suspect Russia, with a history of landmines & human rights abuses and no compelling need to use shipping for export of its goods, rather than Ukraine);   an assessment that Putin is making the same types of mistakes as hitler did in World War (part) Two, and a video setting the broader context of current events;   the USA has prudently cancelled a planned test of an ICBM;   a BBC investigation of the combat experience of one Russian unit in Ukraine;   Russia's development of relations with Africa might help Russia evade sanctions;   a warning that Putin may turn to WMD if he cannot win a conventional war in eastern Ukraine;  
  
• the problem of sexual violence;   a peace negotiator's views on the challenges negotiating an end to Putin's invasion of Ukraine (including a Northern Ireland type approach to Crimea / eastern Ukraine [with Minsk II implemented], armed neutrality, and the challenge of getting Russia to withdraw from some of the major assets it has seized [nuclear power stations, control over rivers, and locations that give similar military artillery capacities that North Korea has over South Korea] );   suggestions on how democracies can better respond to the invasion;   an examination of the nations that are fence sitting;   Turkey is positioning itself as a mediator;   asylum seekers remain jailed in Ukrainian war zones;   Chinese people being evacuated from Ukraine are facing severe expenses;   the problems stateless people in Ukraine are facing;   the malnutrition in Africa being caused by Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine;  
  
• people outside Russia are cold calling people in Russia to get around Putin's suppression of information;   an opinion piece that - legally, as other nations could and perhaps should "unite . . . and subdue" nations that are a threat, US President Biden's comments about Putin not staying in power should not be "walked back" - to which I point out that the world is unprepared for a nuclear war (which would devastate the world even if the world was prepared - and that risk did not exist when some of the opinions being cited were made), and the means shape the end, so the only way Putin can be removed from power that does not cause damage is by Russians voting him out;  
  
• lists of the businesses that have withdrawn from vs. those that have stayed in Russia;   the Baltic states have stopped buying gas from Russia;   sanctions may further increase following discovery of atrocities;  
   
• on international affairs (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
•  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:   a two month ceasefire has started in Yemen as the President hands power to a Council - but the political instability may prolong the war;   interviews with US defence experts and simulations suggests a consensus favouring great power deterrence and force modernisation in budget planning (at about 3% more spending), with a distinct aversion to spending on counter-terrorism and middle power deterrence;   a step towards peace in South Sudan;   concerns China could use learnings from Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine to invade Taiwan;   why militaries want hypersonic missiles;   "India’s inadvertent missile launch underscores the risk of accidental nuclear warfare";   a reminder from the past of the horrors of war;  
  
• a call to teach international relations in a way that is NOT racist (I would love to write a global history book that is not focused on Europe - or read such a book written by an unbiased expert);  
  
• the pandemic has exposed the problems with globalisation (that some of us have been pointing out for years) and highlighted deglobalisation - which highlights the risk of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater": take the best of both and discard the worst;   
• concerns over pressure to remove a violent organisation of religious bigots from the list of terrorist organisations;   
• “an interesting outcome of the events in Ukraine today is that it has helped the world community to revive its memory about how a big nation like China used its brutal force to occupy weaker neighbouring nations like Tibet, East Turkistan and South Mongolia by imposing its own interpretation of history and law”;  
  
• despots in Africa are increasingly nervous about social media;  
  
• the need to educate people about international maritime law;  
   
  
•  on corruption (noting international  agreements and monitoring) and misgovernance: 
• calls for the International Monetary Fund to "ensure that any new loan program with Egypt expands social protection, strengthens judicial independence, and addresses corruption and the need for transparency, including for military-owned businesses";   
• as questions are asked about this and concerns are expressed over the use of taxpayer's money for political ads, the AFP have called for a national anti-corruption commission as the "current anti-corruption regime is unequal and holds law enforcement to a higher standard than politicians";  
   
• on democracy (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• noting Article 19 of the ICCPR and the vital importance of access to information for democracy, an Indian journalist has been prevented - by India's government - from travelling to Europe to speak about the intimidation of journalists in India . . . , and blasphemy laws have been used to silence a humanist in Nigeria;   allegations the privatisation of Channel 4 in the UK is right wing revenge;  
  
• another reflection on the evil done by John Howard to Australia starting two decades ago;   the experience of being on the receiving end of an attack by the conservative media;  
  
• Hungary has the opportunity to vote out the pro-Russian, right wing, reactionary bigots currently in power and help to stop the "authoritarian rot" in Europe . . . and chose not to (commentary includes media bias/suppression, LGBTQ-phobia and lies about Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but voters still have to agree to be duped, so that's not always a clearcut excuse . . . at least this and their continued allowance of corruption will see them lose EU funds in the future) - and Serbia made a similar wrong choice;   concerns about the state of democracy in Pakistan;   attempts to delay elections in Indonesia;  
  
• Sudan's coup leader is threatening to push an envoy out and that nation further into despotry;   
• continuing protests in Sri Lanka have led to the Cabinet resigning;   protests in Peru after an imprisoned former president was pardoned (again);  
  
• the need to increase taxation;   support for a windfall profits tax;  
  
• this story shows the existence of some independence of thought and the use of collective pressure for beneficial outcomes in China - despite the repressive brainwashing of the CCP (which is very encouraging in terms of that nation one day being a democracy);  
   
  
• on human rights (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
• "the developing legal landscape of human  rights  due  diligence";   the UN’s Human Rights Council has adopted a ‘fake news’ resolution and urged nations to take action against hate speech;   the US military is making progress against violent extremism within its ranks - but not enough (which also has lessons for other military/paramilitary organisations around the world);   a rabbinic organisation has supported an Israeli courts freeze on demolition of Palestinian homes;   more violence in Israel;   another  mass shooting in the USA;   displaying hate symbols will be criminalised in NSW;   (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter), the first aid convoy in three months is on its way to Tigray, in northern Ethiopia;   a US county court has ruled in favour of bigots and against inclusivity in the corporate world;   the problem of cultural pressure to have children;   violence in Nigeria (over a hundred still missing after a train attack),   Mali - and see also this, on mass killings by Russian mercenaries and the Malian army, and this, on the need for more peacekeeping resources,   and in Senegal - which has has spilled over into The Gambia;   concern that responses to gang violence in El Salvador may breaching human rights;   our Human Rights Commission may lose its standing if it does not make more independent appointments;   “an equal, diverse and inclusive workplace is a key driver of resilience and recovery”;   growing pressures on civil society across the world;   after its notoriously abusive RAB was sanctioned, Bangladesh retaliated against victims and their families;  
   
• noting the Genocide  Convention:   the still present effects of the Rwandan Genocide;   a call to learn from the past - see also this;  
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles:   a lesbian who was subjected to conversion abuses has called for TGD people to be protected from the same abuse (note also the international law requirements to look after people's health);   a major media platform in the USA has finally been stripped of its "preferred LGBTIQ friendly employer" status for its attacks on LGBTIQ people;   the Australian Greens are concerned about growing internal trans-exclusionary influences - which also shows, as an additional and lesser, IMO, issue, the challenge of deciding whether to be an idealistic influencer "keeping the *******s honest", as Don Chipp termed it when founding the Australian Democrats - which later self destructed over a failure to live up to its principles), or a party capable of forming government;   the "Unbox Me" campaign for TGD children;   an airline has adopted a gender neutral uniform;   a pro-TGD rally in Sydney;   a transphobic nurse in the USA has been suspended for breaching professional and legal privacy requirements;   the first legal challenge against a US state's LGBTIQ-phobic law is underway;   yet more transphobia in the UK;  
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP:   a reflection on the possible role of intergenerational trauma and internalised racism in the recent violent assault at a US film industry awards night, and a reminder of the prolonged and nearly more violent anti-Native American incident half a century ago;    the leader of a large religion has apologised to the indigenous people of Canada for past abuses committed by the religion they lead;    a national Indigenous help line;   archaeological evidence of an Indigenous trading route described as "Australia's silk road";   a call for anti-racism at work in Australia;   lessons on inclusivity from a multi-racial community in South Africa;   an example of the fear that stops people speaking out;   racism against the Roma;  
  
  
• noting Article 8 of the ICCPR,   Article 6 of the CEDAW,   Articles 11, and 32 - 36 of the CRC,   Articles 16 and 27 (2) of the CRPD:   the history of US slavery and neoslavery;  
  
  
• noting the CRC:   a kidnapper who caused trauma to over a score of children by kidnapping and burying them will be released on parole on the ridiculous and offensive basis that no serious physical injury was caused . . . they have had LIFETIME of TRAUMA - that argument shows, IMO, a lack of comprehension, emotional intelligence, & competence at being human, and possibly a macho bias of thinking (see also this);   a petition calling for Tibet's children to be protected;  
  
  
• noting CEDAW:   and particularly noting Article 6, a woman who was abducted, raped and enslaved as a war trophy for twenty years by an Indonesian militia figure, has escaped back to Timor Leste;  some police and judicial systems are attempting to improve;   "a women-only gem mine in Zimbabwe is giving abuse survivors hope";  
  
  
• noting the conventions on refugees:   a plan has been launched to support the Rohingya who fled genocide to Bangladesh and those Bangladeshis (some of whom have destroyed Rohingya businesses) in that region as well;   in a political pretence, the national neolib nitwits have released some refugees; jailing "immigration detainees" in Canada has been declared a crime;   Greece is using refugees to abuse and pushback other refugees;   the final eight refugees have been released from a notorious detention centre in Melbourne - without support, and in a possibly politically driven action;  
  
  
• noting Article 17 of the ICCPR,   Article 16 of the CRC,   Article 22 of the CRPD,   and   Article 12 (1) of the DRIP:   "the perils of biometric data collection in India";  
  
  
• noting the CRPD:   a person with autism has described his experiences, and outlined that there is a variety of experiences/issues associated with autism;  
  
  
• noting Article 6 (1) of the ICCPR,   Article 11 of the ICESCR,   Article 5 (e) (iii) (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Article 14 (2) (h) of the CEDAW,   Article 27 (3) of the CRC,   Article 28 of the CRPD,   and   Article 20 of the DRIP:    the devastating and society-changing impact of increasingly unaffordable housing in Australia over the last forty years;
   
• on natural disasters (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• flash floods and landslides in Brazil - and South Sudan;   drought and famine in Somalia;   more floods in eastern Australia;   multiple humanitarian crises in sub-Saharan Africa;  
   
• locals in El Salvador are not all supportive of digital currency;  

(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.)