Some human rights and other news links and thoughts

Black Lives Matter! Be Anti-Racist, Anti-Sexist, and Actively Inclusive in ALL Areas.
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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 office tower will be built entirely covered with solar panels (good! On that, I've recently thought the move the resurrect commercial square-rigged vessels would be aided by putting solar panels on yardarms);   a major oceanic current may collapse, which will be devastating;   traditional owners have commenced legal action to stop a gas field;   “catastrophic environmental impacts of conflicts jeopardize human rights around the world”;   “Australia has overshot three planetary boundaries based on how we use land”;   the challenges of trying to decarbonise steel manufacture;   the DRC may ignore a carbon preservation agreement to exploit fossil fuels;   illegal and devastating forestry in Nigeria;   a call to extend the home battery subsidy;   home gardening;   the challenges of climate migration;   wildlife near an aluminium smelter are showing health problems;   methane emissions from our coal mines are double the official value;  
   
• 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: 
• the struggle to contain COVID-19 in the NT’s remote (Indigenous) communities;   “severe Covid cases [are] ‘more likely in highly polluted areas’”;   a call not to become complacent;   low socioeconomic status increases risk of death;   calls for a renewed focus on COVID;  
   
  
• on Rashist  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: 
• on military matters:   a (wise) cautionary note to not seek to humiliate Russia too much;   partisan attacks are increasing in occupied Ukraine;   Russia will “pay £65,000 to families of national guards killed in Ukraine or Syria”;   an assessment here;   Ukraine’s bloody-minded determination to hold on to every inch of its territory is resulting in a bloody and probably unsustainable casualty rate;   Russia’s seizure of a land bridge is a goal they have had since 2014;  
  
• on human rights in the region and globally:  European prosecutors are cooperating on “justice for Ukraine”;   Russia - which is trying to sell stolen grain in Africa (which is also looking elsewhere) - has walked out of a UN Security Council meeting when confronted with its weaponisation of food;   the environmental devastation being caused;   sea mines may make resumption of grain exports impossible;   sexual violence is increasing;   “overlapping crises push millions into ‘extreme levels of acute food insecurity’” - and Thailand is trying to gouge higher prices;   Poland is pushing refugees back into Belarus and rape and other violence;   civilians are still being killed by indiscriminate Russian air strikes;  
• internationally:   “China’s strategic assessment of the conflict is becoming clearer: it does not wish to be cast in the same light as Russia, but the war has deepened Beijing’s mistrust of the west”;   a warning to take the risk of escalation seriously;   a bigotted right wing European leader has compared calls to Putin to calls to hitler;   despotic Zimbabwe is “leaning towards” Russia;   declining US public support;  
  
• an examination of why Ukrainian President Zelensky’s speeches are “rousing”;
   
• on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
•  as the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights explains the difference between a high level visit and an investigation, China outlines how it considers Australia can repair the relationship (a message greatly weakened by this, this, and this, and China's wedge strategy) and an opinion criticises the AUKUS deal as being about a potential US attack on China;   Australian PM Albanese is working to restore relations with Indonesia;   now that we have a sensible PM, New Zealand will seek sensible discussions on the problem of deportations of New Zealanders on what were often perceived as minor grounds;   
• India’s tension in response to Islamophobic statements is now affecting India’s international relations;  
  
• 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 on WAR / CONFLICT:  tensions are growing over Iran’s growing (ever since #45 stuffed the former [imperfect] agreement completely) nuclear capability;   Ethiopia has claimed it is committed to African Union mediation to end the war with Tigray;  
  
• incidents / action of concern in North Korea; 
   
  
•  on CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring) and misgovernance: 
• a police oversight body has stated it is limited to corruption, not use of inaccurate investigative techniques (hmm ... ) - see also this;   Canadian police are ignoring judges’ warnings to continue breaking Canadian law;  
   
• on DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
• globally:   Nigeria’s democracy favours “old wealthy men”;   a criticism of “performative politics”;   more charges arising from last year’s attempted insurrection in the USA;   as “archivists rush to preserve records of atrocities under Ferdinand Marcos Sr”, and “while there is widespread nervousness at the victory of Ferdinand Marcos junior in the Philippines, for many of us it was a reminder that “blood” is still an important element in the politics of the developing world”;   “education reduced crime in Mexico: broader welfare can do even more”;   unions - and judges - are trying to preserve democracy in Tunisia;   Somalia’s new President has pledged reconciliation;   as judges & lawyers  protest the loss of judicial independence, Tunisia’s despot is targeting a key union;   “how disasters impacted democracy in the Philippines”;  
  
• as crops fail, enforced disappearances continue (despite the official lifting of a state of emergency), and protests continue, Sudan’s military junta is holding “disingenuous” talks with the civilian opposition;  
  
• after 18 months of police investigation, court actions (including charging white supremacists under US laws brought in after the US Civil War to counter the KKK), and Congressional investigation, the US Congress is holding public televised hearings into the attempted coup on 6^th January, 2021 that are pointing the responsibility finger  squarely at  #45 and his white supremacist supporters: see here, here, here, here, here;  
  
  
• in Australia:   “Labor wants to end the “digital workhouse” approach to people trying to get government payments, with new minister Bill Shorten planning to turn using myGov from an often-frustrating experience into a seamless one”;   cyber security is finally being given proper recognition and support (see also here);   criticism of the RBA’s approach to current inflation on the grounds the RBA has misunderstood the cause;   an explanation of why nuclear power is so wildly financially expensive - the lack of a carbon tax, ironically, is part of it, but there are other issues (environmental issues not mentioned);   in a blow to mental health, Australia’s rental crisis is forcing families in more backward states to give up their pets;   Medicare needs changes to address mental health - particularly low income middle aged women;   a possible sign of a more independent public service - or of paving the way to economic pain;   the latest round of changes from Centrelink - against job seekers - might, IMO, be the next round of Robodebt, and I fear it may lead to suicides;   in our recent national elections, a billionaire spent $1.5 million on social media ads during an official media blackout period;  
  
  
• suppression of dissent / media in   UAE,   Ethiopia,   Australia,   Nepal;
  democracy is also at risk in   Hong Kong,   Mali,   west Africa; 
  
  
• on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC): 
• a US Republican candidate has withdrawn after a backlash in response to his common sense control measures (no wonder the USA never gets anywhere on this) - and then the USA had “13 mass shootings over the weekend leave more than a dozen dead and over 70 injured”;   evidence-based suggestions for reducing school shootings in the USA, which includes “aggressive and violent behavior [sic] has been shown by research to emerge from a mix of personal and environmental risk factors. The factors include impulsivity, callousness, exposure to violence and victimization [sic]” (emphasis added);   a new legal pathway against gun manufacturers in the USA;   as the police chief at the recent US mass school shooting says he didn’t think he was in charge (!!!), elsewhere US police idly watched a man drown (they could have called for a boat) and threatened his distraught wife, a US police officer is charged (remember: innocent until proven guilty) with murdering a black man, and one US state’s police are being investigated for suspected racist assaults;  
  
• “what’s taking the biggest toll on our mental health? Disconnection, financial stress and long waits for care”;   a call to extend my home state’s homelessness to housing programme;   a video has revealed some of the barbaric killings of the Assad regime in Syria in recent years;   “lawyers for a man whose visa was cancelled because of an adverse ASIO assessment have argued courts cannot be required to keep evidence completely secret”;   “welfare advocates have warned job seekers may have their payments suspended under a new points-based mutual obligations system because of “unnecessarily onerous” requirements” (something for our new government to fix - maybe with a clean sweep of the bigots, haters, and incompetents?);   Cameroon's government has made a rare admission of human rights abuses (including killing) by some of its soldiers;   ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and discrimination against Palestinians, is essential to stopping the decades-long conflict between the two sides, a new UN independent human rights body said;   calls for a controversial youth detention centre to be closed “before a death occurs”;   concerns over sportswashing ahead of an upcoming global events in Qatar;  
   
• human rights are at risk or abuses have occurred in:   El Salvador - see also here,   Ethiopia,   Thailand,   Vic,   Mali/the Russian mercenary Wagner group;
  
  
• violence in:   Nigeria,   Kashmir,   Sudan,   DRC,   Nigeria;
  
  
• noting Article 6 (4) (5) (6) of the ICCPR,   this, and this on the DEATH PENALTY:   the illegal military junta in Burma will enforce death sentences imposed after unfair trials;   Malaysia will allow courts to use penalties other than the death penalty, which is being viewed as abolition;  
  
  
• noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE:  fears that the former-Qld-cop-led the national neolibs in opposition are about to launch an assault on LGBTIQA+ people;   students are leading the way - well ahead of transphobic elders;   homophobia in Japan;   LGBTIQA+ allies in Thailand;   an attempt in the USA to overcome the “straightwashing” of queer history;   yet more evidence of the importance of transition for TGD youth;   an assault in WA may be a transphobic hate crime;   insurance discrimination;  
  
  
• noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM:   “a message on race in Australia”;   a call for urgent action “to protect women and children in remote NT communities”;   concerns about possible racist TPS against our new diverse MPs;   my home state’s police command have committed to eradicating racism - and have made progress, but the numbers and apparent unwillingness to self-identify show lower ranks are still racist and unwelcoming;   a staggering attempt by a racist to break up a multiracial marriage;   my home state is moving to formally commence treaty negotiations with Indigenous people - which could be replicated by other states and the nation;   a call “to protect Indigenous rock art up to 50,000 years old by blocking fertiliser plant”;   an Israeli law giving illegal Israeli settlers in the occupied West bank legal standing in Israeli courts has been overturned;   an airline is using the language of the former and now long overthrown apartheid regime to “test” South Africans for their genuineness;   the dreams of Parliamentary representation of an Indigenous man (now deceased, who famously delivered a petition to protect Jewish people to the German Embassy in the 1930s, and who my national electorate is named after) are coming closer;   “steer clear of Indigenous politics and trust verbal deals: business owner’s steps to being an ally”;  
  
  
• noting Article 7 of the ICCPR,   and   the CAT on TORTURE:  an opinion that the treatment of Assange is torture (while I have concerns over some of what Assange released, and accept some of it was validly public interest, some of these details I did not know - e.g., that Ecuador refused to allow Assange to shave so he would look ill-kempt);   a “former CIA director personally observed waterboarding of prisoner”;   Afghanistan’s extremist rulers are using torture;  
  
  
• noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:  “Nigerians with disabilities seek inclusion in electoral process”;   a report revealing abuses should have been released;  
  
  
• noting CEDAW on SEXISM:   fears of a misogynistic backlash after a defamation case around comments on alleged domestic violence between two celebrities;   victims of DV from Qld police are continuing to refrain from reporting;   a national sporting team in Canada has gone on strike for - in part - women receiving equal pay;   “when a heterosexual relationship breaks down, women are at a much higher risk of falling into poverty than men – especially if they have children to care for”;   dowry abuse in my home state;  
  
  
• noting the CRC on CHILDREN:  schools need to do more to stop children on the spectrum being bullied;  
  
  
• 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 on FOOD, CLOTHING, and HOUSING:    tenants in one Australian city are being told to keep their windows open in winter to avoid mould ... ;  
  
  
• noting Article 19 of the ICCPR on FREEDOM of POLITICAL EXPRESSION:  growing calls from around the world for Brazil to make a genuine attempt to find a missing jou8rnalist and Indigenous rights activist;  
  
  
• noting Article 17 of the ICCPR,   Article 16 of the CRC,   Article 22 of the CRPD,   and   Article 12 (1) of the DRIP on PRIVACY: more privacy fears in India;   Israel wants to the USA to lift its ban on Israel’s spyware;  
  
  
• noting Articles 2 (1) (also noting this, this, this, and this), 3, 7, 14 (see here and here), 15, 16, and 26 of the ICCPR,   Articles 3, 5 (a), and 6 (see here and here) of the ICERD,   Articles 2, 12 (2), 37, 39, and 40 of the CRC,   Articles 5, 12, 13, and 14 of the CRPD,   and   Articles 1 - 2, 7 (2), 8 (2) (c), 9 - 10, 12 (2), 20 (2), 27, and 40 of the DRIP on the JUDICIARY / JUSTICE SYSTEM:   concerns that pre-trial detention in Europe may be being used excessively and be unreasonably prolonged;  
   
• on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
• bushfires in Greece;   no relief months after  floods in Qld;   a bus crash in the NT;   industrial fires in Bangladesh - and an explosion which may leave workers destitute;   a fatal train derailment in Iran;   the starvation crisis in the Horn of Africa is about to lead to an upsurge of child deaths;   heatwaves in Spain, South Asia (still), and the USA;  
   
• cautionary  notes about what is posted on social media - but see here on the multinational legal barriers to the judgement being enforced;   more concerns over transparency reports from social media platforms;  
  
• the European Union has agreed to a single charger rule for mobile phones;  

(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.)