Saturday, 18 February 2023

Some human rights and other news links [Note: Content Warning - reader discretion is advised!] and thoughts - 18th February, 2023

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, wear a face mask in public if prudent to do so, and follow informed medical advice.

Some mostly human rights (including significant, relevant links in other fields - such as geopolitics, democracy, or authoritarianism) links (note: the source of news items [but not reference links] is in brackets after each item - normal rules around abbreviations will apply, and abbreviations are listed at the end of this post; links behind hard paywalls have a [$]; also, comments by me are in purple). 

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Content shown in green (which may be only part of a news story) is about what is generally considered “good news”, but personal history may still make such events triggering. Reader caution is recommended. For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]).

  • the continued intensification of the vicious transgenocide in the USA and attacks on democracy - including by Israel, which continues to destroy its international standing, are notable this week. Against that, there have also been notable advances towards good - in Spain and the FDA. Toxic personalities and personality aspects/expressions continue to not be addressed, and the climate crisis, COVID pandemic, and natural disasters get little to token or no attention/response. In other words, most of the world continues to shove its head in the sand, leaving advances to a dedicated, perceptive, and ethical few;
  • outstanding advances for women (including menstrual law) and LGBTIQA+ people in a new Spanish law (HRW);   diversity plans will be required for medical trials (Nature);   as one US state moves to try to kill trans adults as well as trans children (M), revelations that the prior bullying of two murdered queer kids was ignored (M);   “the global wall-building boom suggests a return to divisive cold war mindsets. It marks a failure of progressive politics – and reflects the resurgence of authoritarian ideologies of fear, separation and difference. More to the point, geopolitically, ethically and practically speaking, this damaging policy is a dud. Walls won’t work” (TG);   AI should not control nuclear weapons (Washington Examiner);   an examination of the appeal of the toxic masculinity of the so-called “manosphere” (TC) as referrals of male followers of a notorious violent misogynist currently in jail in Romania to a UK counter-extremism body increase (TG) and a call is made for parents to talk to sons about that misogynist (TG);   a survivor of two gun massacres has appealed for real change in the USA (TND) - where “one in 20 US homicides are committed by police – and the numbers aren’t falling” (TG);   “a team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media has been exposed in a new investigation” (TG) - see also this (F24);   emotional intelligence has declined globally (6 Seconds research);   a suggestion to aim for harmony rather than balance (Aeon);   “‘catfish[ers]’ ... have higher psychopathy, sadism, and narcissism” (TC);  
  • on the CLIMATE CRISIS (noting the UNFCCC) and ENVIRONMENT (noting multiple  international agreements): 
    • recycled plastic paving blocks (company website);   “how sea turtle poachers in the Philippines became protectors working to save endangered species” (ABC);   “New Zealand minister decries climate crisis ‘lost decades’ in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle” (thanks to, IMO, evil politicians like Howard, Abbott, and POTUS45, and inept ones like Turnbull) (TG);   “US coastal communities underestimate the danger posed by rising seas” (Nature);   climate (change) fiction - cli-fi (CT);   “Ngarinyman-Wulayi traditional owners and Northern Land Council launch legal action against land clearing” (NIT);   disturbance ecology;   29 threatened species have recovered (TC);a whistleblower has made allegations about an oil spill which are disputed by the company (TG);  a call for professional monitoring of plastic pollution (TG);  
    • climate / environmental issues have also occurred in:   India (TC),   e-cigarettes (TG),   soft plastics (TG),   train  derailments (TG),   wind power vs. deforestation in Germany (DW);

  • on NATURAL and OTHER DISASTERS (noting Article 1(3) of the UN Charter): 
  • 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:   Russia - which has lost up to half of its main battle tanks (TG) - could be preparing for a two year campaign to seize eastern Ukraine (TG), but its current offensive (which may be aiming to beat the next round of western weapons (F24) ) is struggling against a sound defence (TG) and Ukraine may launch a counteroffensive in the northern spring (F24);   Iran is smuggling drones into Russia (TG);   Poland is supporting Ukraine’ s call for western jet fighters (this could be a dangerous escalation - and would almost certainly extend the fighting back into Crimea) (DW);  
    • on human rights in the region and globally:   the UN is seeking $5.6 billion of aid funds (DW); 
    • internationally:   Poland fears what would happen if Russia wins (F24);   an opinion that “Putin’s war has reinvigorated the west’s defence of liberty. That unity must not crack now” (TG);  an examination of Russia’s disinformation campaign against NATO (DW);   Iran is building ties with China (F24);   a call for increased ammunition production in the EU and USA (F24) - and maybe Ukraine (F24);   some Global South nations are harming their citizens future prospects by trying to be neutral (which aids Russia) (F24);   
       
  • on INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (noting the UN Charter [particularly Chapters VI and VII] and numerous  international  treaties): 
    • a third “unidentified object” (quite possibly [TG] a Chinese balloon, like the previous two - and the one found over South America) has been shot down over North America (F24) - and a fourth (TG) object (TG) ... but the last three may be benign commercial projects (TG) ... see also this excellent summary (ABC), this (F24), this (ABC) and this (TG) (and, from last week, his discussion on the legality (YT) ) (and this (TND) utter rot doesn't help anything - is the fool deliberately trying to harm the UFO/UAP field? ... probably - for a rational comment on that, see this (TG));    
    • “Australia [has foiled] Iran surveillance plot and [vowed] to bring foreign interference ‘into the light’ ... the Home Affairs Minister... [described] foreign interference as “one of the core threats our democracy faces”” - the subjects of the attempted intimidation have called for better responses to individual complaints, and the Minister also acknowledged China and Russia do this as well (TG);   the President elected in Cyprus is unlikely to aid reunification (TG);   India wants to change the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan (DW);   “eight priorities for the African Union in 2023” (ICG);   international condemnation of Israel over illegal settlement of occupied Palestinian territory (ABC);  
    • 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:   Palestine’s President has called on the world to constrain (F24) Israeli aggression;   Somaliland has accused Somalia of breaking a truce (news18);  
    • incidents / action of concern in/regarding:   Australian ambassador to Iraq (ABC);
       
  • on CORRUPTION (noting international  agreements and monitoring), MISGOVERNANCE, MAL-/MIS-/NON-FEASANCE, MISCONDUCT and THREATS TO DEMOCRACY/FREEDOM: 
    • “UN rights experts gravely concerned over ‘brutal deaths’ at hands of police” in the USA (UN);   the Australian War Memorial is STILL accepting donations from companies that profit from war (TG);   “fury among NSW Liberals as MP escapes punishment for sharing explicit photos of female rival” (TG);   a fraud campaign using an advertising software has infected thousands of sites (The Hacker News);   “multiple witnesses who testified before a special purpose grand jury investigating [POTUS45’s] efforts to overturn the 2020 election may have lied and committed perjury, according to a section of the grand jury’s report” (TG);  
    • concerns around past/current/potential corruption/misgovernance also in   Togo (The Manila Times),   Canada (CBC);

  • on DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE (noting Article 25 of the ICCPR and monitoring  projects): 
    • globally:   tens of thousands have protested against proposed judicial; changes in Israel (F24);   hundreds of thousands have protested against proposed pension changes in France (F24);   a secret meeting has been held to “to address the failings of Brexit and how to remedy them in the national interest” (TG);   the anti-colonial campaign in West Papua has reached a point of desperation (TC);   the current “China Dissent Monitor” (FH);   “a newly signed plan for election security represents a “major development” for peaceful, inclusive elections in the Central African Republic” (UN);   in Burma, “the parallel National Unity Government should move beyond tokenism to genuinely include women and youth from diverse backgrounds [who are already playing key roles and breaking down stereotypes] in decision-making to build its credibility and break down patriarchal barriers. Donors should increase support for women- and youth-led organisations, while anti-regime armed groups should review the gendered way they assign recruits” (TG);  
    • in Australia:   the ambush murder of two police officers and a neighbour in Queensland in December last year has been declared (TG) an incident of domestic (TND) terrorism (ABC) by (neo)christian extremists - perhaps a bit like this (TBS)?;   “Union says NSW health system ‘at breaking point’ and calls for royal commission into funding” (TG);   “Australia should force banks to repay scam victims and adopt better protections, advocates say” (TG);   Centrelink’s inadequate phone system is blocking vulnerable people (SBS);   an APS “error” (they “forgot” despite seven questions from the Minister ... ) enabled the neoliberals in an attack on the ALP government (TG);   “Greens will back safeguard mechanism revamp if Labor bans new coal and gas projects” (TG), but the ALP has questioned how that party’s supporters would feel if that party voted with neoliberals to oppose the flawed scheme (TG) (the Greens have a history of letting the perfect get in the way of the good - see this (TND): as flawed as the current scheme is, opposing it sets us up for more lost years and decades that we cant afford: a better alternative would be to abstain - let it go through on Labor votes but don’t tie themselves to the monster that is the neolib party);   the problem of MPs changing political allegiances (I disagree with the article: I consider it needs to be addressed as I vote for policies, not the puppet people - provided they get over a minimum bar of decency) (TG);  
      • on violence in the NT:   “here’s some context missing from the Mparntwe Alice Springs ‘crime wave’ reporting” (TC);   a media outlet has apologised for a biased report (TND);  
      • on the proposed Voice to the Parliament in Australia:  “Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney warns apology boycotters against repeating the same mistakes with the Voice” (ABC) - see also this (SBS) and this (TC);   “research has shown Indigenous peoples’ needs cannot be understood and met, without Indigenous voices ... decades of government-led “practical measures” have achieved little measurable progress and in some cases, caused considerable harm to Indigenous communities” (TC);   “young people may decide the outcome of the Voice referendum – here’s why” (TC);   claims the head neolib is personally supportive of the Voice are in contradiction to their public position (TG);  
    • suppression of dissent / media in   Cambodia (TG),   Tunisia (UN),   Somalia (good news) (TEA);
      democracy is also at risk in   Peru (ICG)      ,   Nigeria (DW),   Senegal (WP [$]); 

  • on HUMAN RIGHTS (noting the various rights and treaties summarised here, IHL, Article 5 of the Rome Statute founding the ICC):  
    • “new UN report warns of spike in gang attacks, ‘gross human rights abuses’ in Haiti” (UN);   “mob storms Pakistan police station and lynches man accused [not convicted] of blasphemy” (TG);   Algeria is punishing the families of dissidents (VoA);   caste discrimination in Australia (TG);  
    • violence in:   USA (TND),   USA (AP),   Ghana (Barrons),   Burkina Faso (The Defence Post),   eastern DRC (The Globe and Mail),   South Sudan (increase in late 2022) (ST);

    • noting the GENOCIDE  Convention:   an atrocity alert for Syria, Haiti and Eritrea (GCR2P);   

    • noting the conventions and the Global Compact on REFUGEES:   Germany is contemplating a colonial-style variation of the UK’s xenophobic path on asylum seekers (DW);   “Bangladesh calls for Australia to increase intake of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar” (and we should take more refugees, IMO) (ABC);   “hope we’re done with a mean-spirited period in Australian history” (TG);   fears if rations for Rohingya refugees are cut (UN);  
      more refugee issues:   Italy (UN),   Bulgaria (R);

    • noting the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBTIQ+ PEOPLE:   on failed allyship (M);   a debunking of a fake transphobic story (Substack);   a call for an “government apology for entrapment, persecution of homosexual men” in a “gay prison” in NSW in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s (TG);   LGBTIQA+ allies outnumbered haters 7:1 at a drag story time event in Tasmania (Australian Pride Network);   blatant and illegal homophobia in NSW ahead of World Pride (QN);   the problem of corporatisation of Mardi Gras (TG);  
      more LGBTIQA+ issues:   UK (M),   a US newspaper (TG);

    • noting ICERD and DRIP on RACISM:   “Tyre Nichols, black law enforcement, intra-racial prejudice and the complex politics of white supremacy!” (M) - see also this (TG);   “Denmark and Greenland must address the negative impact of a colonial legacy that has led to structural and systemic racial discrimination against the indigenous Inuit community, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said” (UN);   a second (NIT) $400 million package to close the gap more rapidly has (TND) been (TC) announced (TG) - see also this, on the shortfalls (NIT), and this, on chronic disease (TC);   a member of the stolen generations from this century (TG);   “ASIC landmark plan to address financial inequality” (NIT);   “Traditional Owners will take their fight over the Northern Territory government’s decision to slash the security bond of Glencore’s McArthur River Mine and approve the expansion of the mine without a closure plan to the NT Supreme Court” (NIT);  
      more racism issues:   USA (TG),   traffic accidents (American Journal of Preventive Medicine),   “Countering Online Antigypsyism and Cyberhate (COACH)” (MRG),   South Asia (MRG);

    • noting CEDAW on SEXISM:    misogynistic news coverage (TC);   Centrelink’s grotesque approach to single mothers (TG);   a now former neolib candidate in NSW was disendorsed “over an explicit photo sharing scandal” (TG); 
      more sexism issues:   Africa (UN);
    • noting the laws listed here, the conventions listed here, and principles discussed here, here, here, here, and here, on the RIGHTS OF ANIMALS:   “Goffin’s cockatoo named third species that carries toolsets around in preparation for future tasks” (TC);  

    • 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:   a major tech company is facing a fourth privacy law suit (Gizmodo);   “Australians able to opt out of targeted ads and erase their data under proposed privacy reforms” (TG);   

    • 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:   “having my home invaded left me anxious and angry, but so did the calls to lock up the children who did it” (TG);   “WHO reveals one-third of prisoners in Europe suffer mental health disorders” (UN);   Victoria may raise the age of criminal responsibility on its own if the other states and the Commonwealth keep dithering (TG);   “UK solicitors warned not to act as ‘hired guns’ to silence critics of super-rich” (TG);   

    • noting the CRC on CHILDREN:   in Portugal “”Catholic clergy abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, inquiry finds (TG);  

    • noting the CRPD on PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:   “sensory maps” in a chain of stores (TND);   “new national autism guideline will finally give families a roadmap for therapy decisions” (TC);   “UN rights expert calls on Bangladesh to draft anti-discrimination leprosy laws” (UN);   

    • 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:    a NSW “real estate agent's advice for capitalising on rental crisis reignites calls to ban no-fault evictions” (ABC);   
       
  • the conspiracy fantasists latest target for their ludicrous (and too often dangerous) extremism is the 15 minute city ... (TG);  
(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.)

Abbreviations:   Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project - ACLED;   Aeon Magazine - Aeon;   Africa Centre for Strategic Studies - ACSS;   Africa News - AN;   Al Jazeera - AJ;   All Africa - AA;   Amnesty International - AI;   Associated Press - AP;   Australian Associated Press - AAP;   Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC TP ;   Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility - ACCR;   Australian Independent Media Network - AIMN;   Australian Unions - AU;   Barrons;   Bellingcat (B);   Bloomberg - BB;   Brisbane Times - BT;   British Broadcasting Commission - BBC TP ;   Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - BAS;   Cable News Network - CNN;   Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - CBC;   Centre for Strategic and International Studies - CSIS;   Climate Change News - CCN;   Committee to Protect Journalists - CPJ;   Context - CT;   the (US) Council on Foreign Relations (CFR);   Crikey - C [$];   Dabanga Sudan - DS;   Deutsche Welle - DW;   European Union - EU;   Forbes - F;   Foreign Policy - FP;   France 24 - F24 TP ;   Freedom House - FH;   Genocide Watch - GW;   Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect - GCR2P;   Globe Echo - GE;   HumAngle - HmA;   Human Rights Law Centre - HRLC;   Human Rights Watch - HRW;   Independent Australia - IA;   International Crisis Group - ICG;   Jessica Wildfire (Substack) - JW;   Just Equal - JE;   Lawfare Blog - LFB;   Lowy Institute - The Interpreter - Lowy;   Mail & Guardian - MG;   mainstream media - MSM;   Medium - M;   Michael West (news media platform) - MW;   Middle East Eye - MEE;   Minority Rights Group - MRG;   Mirage News - MN;   Nation Africa - NA;   National Indigenous Television - NITV;   National Indigenous Times - NIT;   Nature Magazine - Nature;   New York Times - NYT [$] TP ;   News24;   North Africa Post - NAP;   Openly - Op;   Out in Perth - OiP;   Pearls and Irritations - PnI;   Political Violence at a Glance - PVG;   Politico - P;   Premium Times Nigeria - PT;   Q News - QN;   Quartz - Q;   Radio France International - rfi;   Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE);   Religion News Service - RNS;   Responsible Statecraft - RS;   Reuters - R;   Robert Reich - RR;   (Bruce) Schneier - Sch;   Special Broadcasting Service - SBS;   Star Observer - Star;   Sudan Tribune - ST;   Sydney Morning Herald - SMH;   The Age - TA;   The Big Smoke (TBS);   The East African - TEA;   The Guardian - TG;   The (Nigerian) Guardian - TG-N;   The Monthly - TM;   The National Tribune - tNT;   The New Daily - TND;   The Saturday Paper - TSP;   The Sentry - TS;   The Shot - TS;   Timothy Snyder - TS;   Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA;   United Nations - UN;   Voice of America - VoA;   Wall Street Journal - WSJ [$];   War on the Rocks - WotR;   Washington Post - WP [$] TP ;   Wikipedia - WP;   Yahoo News - Yahoo; YouTube - YT.

Note: news sources are never perfectly accurate or good - for instance, some have been transphobic (which is why I may, for instance, cancel email subscriptions), but may be good in other areas (e.g., racism) - and attributes may vary depending on region and over time. I do NOT provide an unqualified endorsement of ANY of the media sources I use. Sources with evidence of being transphobic may be marked with a TP .

Finally, remember: in general, we need to be more human being rather than human doing.


 

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