Britain must stand up for human rights in Sri Lanka – a response
Posted: March 11, 2013 Filed under: accountability, Asia, freedom of expression, human rights, Sri Lanka, UK, War Crimes | Tags: CHOGM, Commonwealth, DavidMiliband, killingfields, Rajapakse Leave a comment »Whilst I agree with the overall premise of the article, – that Britain should stand up for human rights and demand the relocation of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) due to be held in Sri Lanka later this year, I feel that David Miliband’s credibility on issues of human rights are rather damaged by his previous tenure in government.
Regarding Sri Lanka, it is his less than altruistic motivations in visiting the country back in 2009, and his attempts to address the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, that causes me to question his current interest in this very important issue.
Moreover, regarding respect for human rights more generally, his half hearted attempt at scoring political points fails epically given his tenure as Foreign Secretary in a government known to have be complicit in countless human rights abuses whilst prosecuting the war on terror. Such an unfortunate legacy also casts a dark cloud over his ability to credibly champion human rights.
That being said, his argument that CHOGM 2013 should be moved from Sri Lanka has significant merit given Sri Lanka’s:
- continued lack of accountability & justice for UN documented war crimes;
- lack of progress on reconciliation;
- deterioration of the rule of law; and
- intimidation and elimination of critical/dissenting opinions & press
Falkland vote: a hollow victory
Posted: March 9, 2013 Filed under: Argentina, Chagos Islands, democracy, Falkland Islands, South America, UK | Tags: Diego Garcia, Malvinas, Self Determination Leave a comment »Regardless of the outcome of the Falkland Island vote on whether to remain a British Overseas Territory, this exercise of democracy is greatly devalued by Britain’s refusal to grant a similar vote to the former residents of another overseas territory, the Chagos Islands.
It is a sad paradox to denounce Argentinian declarations of sovereignty of the Falkland Islands whilst simultaneously exercising unilateral sovereignty over the Chagos Islands – in doing so, ignoring the wishes of those who were expelled from their lands to return.
Moreover, in defending the historic expulsion of natives from their lands and continuing their disenfranchisement over successive administrations, the British Government clearly shows double standards and hypocrisy in choosing to uphold self-determination rights only when it is convenient to its own strategic interests.
Victory in the vote will undoubtedly be trumpeted by the British Government as “the people deciding their future” but in reality it is sadly nothing but a rubber stamping of London’s flawed and inconsistent foreign policy.
Human rights – including the right to self-determination, are universal.
Rape; and the natural state of Men.
Posted: January 8, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: India, nirbhaya, rape, RealMenDontRape Leave a comment »
A lot has been posted across social media since the horror that befell a young student in Delhi. This image really captures an angle that I hadn’t considered.
If there is one thing that I would add, it’s that:
“Real men don’t rape”
Falkland Islands, Chagos Islands and self-determination
Posted: January 4, 2013 Filed under: Argentina, Chagos Islands, Falkland Islands, human rights, South America, UK | Tags: David Cameron, Fernandez, Malvinas Leave a comment »Whilst President Fernandez of Argentina is deliberately raising the Falklands sovereignty issue to bolster her own re-election hopes, as well as distracting from the social problems facing Argentinians at present, the UK government is being equally (and quite blatantly) selective about whose self determination rights it respects.
If the Falkland Islanders wish to remain British, thats lovely! But the position of the UK on supporting the Falkland Islanders self-determination(SD) rights is only credible if it maintains consistency in respecting the SD rights of those from other territories it has come to acquire over the years.
Simply put, if the UK supports the SD rights of the Falkland Islanders, then why doesn’t it support the rights of the former residents of the Chagos Islands who were illegally evicted in the late 60s?
Is it just a case of political inconvenience? Does the fact that the US has a base at Diego Garcia factor into the decision over whose rights are to be respected and whose are be ignored?
(Incidentally, this is the same Diego Garcia that facilitated illegal rendition back in the early 2000′s, thus implicating the UK Government in President Bush’s illegal rendition programme)
Finally, such declarations of sovereignty and respect for self-determination rights must be considered in light of potential oil & mineral resources that may lie deep beneath the areas under contention.
India gang-rape death: Why has it come to this? And where can India go from here?
Posted: December 30, 2012 Filed under: Asia, human rights, India, rape, womens rights | Tags: Delhi, Nirbaya Leave a comment »
Protesters and mourners attend a vigil in Delhi as a student’s death galvanises Indians to demand greater protection for women. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
It could be argued that if any “positive” can possibly come out of the unbelievably horrific suffering endured by the 23-year gang rape victim who sadly later died from her injuries; it is that India’s politicians have finally been jolted into addressing the status of women in Indian society.
One manifestation of the existing imbalance is a society where female foetuses are aborted; another is the suffering of harassment (and much worse) by women in the course of their everyday lives. And another can be seen in the amount of support given by political parties to contesting candidates who have been charged with rape and other crimes against women. There is a mountain to climb – but are India’s politicians willing and capable of this challenge?
Beyond the numerous expressions of sadness and heartbreak expressed by many politicians since both the crime and the victim’s death, there must follow broad reforms to secure the safety of women in Indian society. For example, it is especially essential that the police and wider justice system be reformed to ensure that accusations of rape are investigated and prosecuted with integrity, in a timely and sensitive manner.
Another area of action is undoubtedly, education. However, given the gap between the ageing leadership and youthful population, popular figures might be enlisted to front campaigns designed to educate the youth on the issues of women’s equality, consent, and the unacceptability of any violence against women.
Wider questions should also asked however, as to why is it that the safety of women has been ignored/devalued by those in power to the extent that it takes something as horrific as what this girl suffered to affect change? And finally, if the politicians need to be jolted into action, what then have they been doing that is distracting them from providing for the safety needs of the populace in the first place?
Birthday wishes of freedom & justice for Bradley Manning
Posted: December 17, 2012 Filed under: accountability, human rights, torture, USA | Tags: bradley manning, Obama, wikileaks 1 Comment »
Photograph: Jose Luis Magana/Reuters
Today, December 17th, is Bradley Manning’s 25th birthday.
Instead of celebrating with loved ones like many others who turn 25 do, he will be spending it in pre-trial detention.
The US Military and its contractors have got away with much worse over the years – and thats only the crimes in the public domain – and yet it chooses to pursue this particular case with such cruel vigour. It really begs the question of where its priorities lie.
Bradley’s shameful and degrading mistreatment in detention, including at one stage being kept in a cage, is stain on the conscience on Obama and the wider Democratic administration; and a betrayal of the freedoms which America proudly trumpets to the wider world.
Birthday wishes of freedom & justice for Bradley, may his next birthday be spent in the freedom and company of loved ones.
Sandy Hook: a madness that must end
Posted: December 15, 2012 Filed under: Arms Control, democracy, North America, USA | Tags: guncontrol, NRA, Obama, WestWing Leave a comment »Once again – and with depressing regularity, we find ourselves outraged by yet another gun-related massacre in America. This time it’s innocent victims are excruciatingly young and the scale of fatalities painfully high.
To quote the West Wing’s President Bartlett:
“The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight. They’re our students and our teachers…”
In the aftermath of past outrages there has been little political desire to effect a substantive change in America’s gun control laws. So potent is the fear of NRA-induced electoral oblivion, the legislature has been paralysed.
Sadly, this problem extends beyond guns. For too long, special interest groups and powerful lobbies have prevented decisive action on a range of pressing US domestic and global issues.
Whether its gun control, climate change, Israel/Palestine etc. maintaining the status quo is not only a stain on America’s democratic credentials in the eyes if the world but an unacceptable compromise for its citizens.
In addition to tackling gun control, perhaps President Obama, can work to leave a lasting legacy for both America and the World by reigning in the hugely influential entities who have obstructed and intimidated so readily in the past to serve their own interests.
One final quote from the West Wing:
“the true measure of a people’s strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive”
The moment has arrived.
