Peter Stefanovic: Starmer Sends Message that UK’s Hard-won Reputation for the Rule of Law & Human Rights Are Safe under His Government

Jul 6, 2024

The circus has left town. The clowns are on an extended vacation. Praise Ye the Lord! – © Mark Alexander

After Brexit, Desperate Tories Needed a New Crusade. They Think Dumping ‘Human Rights’ Could Be It

THE GUARDIAN: Rightwingers want a nasty debate about the European convention on human rights to revive nativist passions

The drumbeats get louder as the call of the wild pulses through the blood of the Conservative party again. The front page of the Telegraph on Thursday splashes, “Cabinet call on PM to ditch ECHR”. On their headcount, a third of the British cabinet want to join Russia and Belarus as pariah states outside the European convention on human rights.

Downing Street says no, but others report the prime minister wavering. This is exactly how Brexit happened – and that’s the spirit the Braverman tendency hopes to reprise, with all the nativism, the xenophobia, the British “sovereignty” phantasm and even talk of another referendum, which could slice the country into two broken halves. They imagine this could save their party, or at least their own seats, at the next election. » | Polly Toynbee | Thursday, August 10, 2023

Public Order vs. Civil Rights: Is Liberal Britain Under Threat? | DW News

Jul 16, 2023 | Civil liberties and human rights - are they under threat in Britain? The United Kingdom sees itself as a champion of democracy. But new laws that criminalize some forms of protest and limit workers' right to strike are worrying human rights organizations. The right to asylum is also in the spotlight. What's happening to liberal Britain? How free and fair is Britain today?

Global Gay: The Next Frontier in Human Rights - Documentary

Nov 16, 2018 | A global revolution is underway to obtain what UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Barack Obama call ‘the final frontier in human rights’: the universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

Homosexuality is forbidden in almost half of the world. Out of 196 UN member states, there are 7 where it is punishable by death. In 84 others, it can merit prison and physical punishment. But today, momentum is building and the debate on gay rights is omnipresent - whether it be regarding legalization in the Middle-East and Africa or the focus of gay marriage laws in the West.

After years of long diplomatic struggle, several world leaders have declared themselves in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. But victory won’t come easily. The countries that still punish homosexuality refuse to give in to international pressure. Global acceptance and equality will take time to achieve.

‘Global Gay’ follows this battle for decriminalization through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers, providing a vibrant chronicle of the growing global social movement. In the words of Ban Ki Moon, “The time has come”.

Filmed in Russia, Cuba, Cameroon, Nepal and South Africa.

Where Do LGBTQ People Have Reason to Fear for Their Lives the Most? | DW News

May 17, 2023 | Despite widespread international condemnation, Uganda's parliament has this week passed an amended version of a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill. The first draft was rejected by the President in March - but if he signs this watered down version into law it could see some same sex acts punishable by the death penalty. For Uganda's existing LGBTQ community the debate surrounding the bill has already left many fearing for their lives and questioning whether they need to flee the country.

Events are taking place around the world to mark the International Day against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. Organisers say the rights of LGBTQ people are increasingly at risk in some places. While many countries HAVE passed legislation recognizing the rights of transgender people or same-sex parents, others are rolling back protections. Protests have taken place across the United States, where campaigners say hundreds of new laws have been passed which attack the rights of LGBTQ people.

UN Human Rights Chief Says UK Should Rethink Plans to Deport Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Volker Türk critical of scheme he considers ethically problematic and believes government must look again at how to deal with people-smuggling gangs and the treatment of refugees

‘You cannot offshore your responsibilities to another state in the way envisaged [by the UK government].’ Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
The new UN human rights chief has urged the British government to reconsider its plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, warning that in the past similar “offshoring” schemes had led to “deeply inhuman” treatment of refugees.

In his first public comments on the controversy since taking office two months ago, Volker Türk rejected prime minister Rishi Sunak’s description of the £140m deal as “common sense”, saying that as well as being legally and ethically problematic it was also “very costly” and unlikely to work.

“You cannot offshore your responsibilities to another state in the way that is envisaged [by the UK government],” Türk told the Guardian. “It does raise very serious concerns, both from an international human rights and international refugee law perspective.” » | Lizzy Davies | Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Qataris Bristle at What They See as Double Standards over Their World Cup

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Many in the country say the barrage of criticism about its human rights record and the exploitation of migrant workers is laced with discrimination and hypocrisy.

The skyline of Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Monday. The country is the first in the Middle East to host the World Cup. | Erin Schaff/The New York Times
When the singer Rod Stewart was offered more than $1 million to perform in Qatar, he said, he turned it down.

“It’s not right to go,” Mr. Stewart told the The Sunday Times of London recently, joining a string of public figures to declare boycotts or express condemnation of Qatar as the Gulf nation hosts the soccer World Cup.

In the prelude to the tournament, which started this past weekend, Qatar has faced an increasing barrage of criticism over its human rights record, including the authoritarian monarchy’s criminalization of homosexuality and the well-documented abuse of migrant workers.

Yet Mr. Stewart voiced no such disapproval when he performed in 2010 in Dubai or 2017 in Abu Dhabi, cities in the nearby United Arab Emirates — a country that also has an authoritarian monarchy and has faced allegations of human rights violations but that has more successfully cultivated a Western-friendly image. Mr. Stewart declined a request for comment through his public relations firm. » | Vivian Nereim | Friday, November 25, 2022

Where is the logic in worshipping Allah as the One God and Creator on the one hand and then criminalizing and punishing His creation on the other? How can God be both inerrant and yet still create gay people who are considered ‘abhorrent’. Are gays not a part of God’s creation? Are gays not exactly how God wanted them to be? Or did the inerrant God err? – © Mark Alexander

Human Rights Concerns Hang over World Cup in Qatar | DW News

Nov 18, 2022 | With less than two days to go until kickoff in the controversial World Cup in Qatar, the human rights situation in the emirate is still considered poor. There have been changes, but do they go far enough? The situation of migrant workers in Qatar has attracted particularly intense criticism in recent years. Numerous journalists and non-governmental organizations have traveled to the country, documenting the sometimes hellish living and working conditions in shelters and on construction sites.

Coupe du monde 2022 : un miroir des malheurs du monde : L’éditorial du « Monde ». L’indignation tardive suscitée par l’organisation du Mondial de football au Qatar illustre comment certaines préoccupations, le changement climatique en tête, sont devenues centrales et comment les pays occidentaux se sont laissés aveugler par le mirage qatari. »

Democracy Now! After a Year of Taliban Control, "Women and Girls of Afghanistan Have Lost Their Right to Be Human"

Aug 15, 2022 One year ago today, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, promising to bring stability after two decades of war and U.S. occupation. But the country now faces a grave humanitarian crisis and a severe rollback of women's rights. We speak with Afghan journalist Zahra Nader, editor-in-chief of Zan Times, a new women-led outlet documenting human rights issues in Afghanistan. "The people of Afghanistan did not make this decision, and they did not choose the Taliban," says Nader, who explains how imperial occupations of her home country led to the political instability today. Nader also describes the hunger crisis as 95% of Afghans face hunger, and calls for more international attention on Afghanistan.

Russian Court Orders Closure of Country’s Oldest Human Rights Group

THE GUARDIAN: Supreme court ruling on Memorial is watershed moment in Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on independent thought

A Russian supreme court judge delivers the verdict. Photograph: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Russia’s supreme court has ordered the closure of Memorial, the country’s oldest human rights group, in a watershed moment in Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on independent thought.

The court ordered Memorial’s closure under Russia’s controversial “foreign agent” legislation, which has targeted dozens of NGOs and media outlets seen as critical of the government.

Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to document political repressions carried out under the Soviet Union, building a database of victims of the Great Terror and gulag camps. It has also grown into an important advocate for the cause of human rights in Russia, spawning branches and initiatives in many of Russia’s more than 80 regions. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Comment Vladimir Poutine poursuit la réécriture du passé soviétique : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le travail titanesque de l’organisation russe Memorial, véritable «conscience» historique de la nation et pilier central de la résistance à la répression politique actuelle, vient d’être stoppé en plein vol avec sa dissolution par la Cour suprême. »

Global Gay: The Next Frontier In Human Rights - Documentary

Nov 16, 2018 • A global revolution is underway to obtain what UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Barack Obama call ‘the final frontier in human rights’: the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. Homosexuality is forbidden in almost half of the world. Out of 196 UN member states, there are 7 where it is punishable by death. In 84 others, it can merit prison and physical punishment. But today, momentum is building and the debate on gay rights is omnipresent - whether it be regarding legalization in the Middle-East and Africa or the focus of gay marriage laws in the West. After years of long diplomatic struggle, several world leaders have declared themselves in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. But victory won’t come easily. The countries that still punish homosexuality refuse to give in to international pressure. Global acceptance and equality will take time to achieve. ‘Global Gay’ follows this battle for decriminalization through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers, providing a vibrant chronicle of the growing global social movement. In the words of Ban Ki Moon, “The time has come”. Filmed in Russia, Cuba, Cameroon, Nepal and South Africa. - Follow us on social media : Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/BestDocument...

Patel's New Law Removes Your Fundamental Human Rights. | Truth To Power

Botswana Upholds Ruling Decriminalising Same-sex Relationships

THE GUARDIAN: Court of appeal decision hailed as victory for LGBTQ+ community that could encourage other African countries to follow suit

Activists wait for a decision by judges on the government’s appeal against the 2019 ruling.Photograph: Monirul Bhuiyan/AFP/Getty
THE GUARDIAN: Court of appeal decision hailed as victory for LGBTQ+ community that could encourage other African countries to follow suit

Gay rights campaigners expressed joy at the Botswana court of appeal’s decision to uphold a ruling that decriminalised same-sex relationships, saying the country’s judiciary had set an example for other African countries.

The government had appealed a 2019 ruling that criminalising homosexuality was unconstitutional. The ruling had been hailed as a major victory for gay rights campaigners on the continent, following an unsuccessful attempt in Kenya to repeal colonial-era laws criminalising gay sex.

Dismissing the appeal on Monday, the bench of five judges unanimously ruled that criminalising same-sex relationships was a violation of the constitutional rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to dignity, liberty, privacy and equality.

“Those sections [of the penal code] have outlived their usefulness, and serve only to incentivise law enforcement agents to become keyhole peepers and intruders into the private space of citizens,” said court of appeal president Ian Kirby.

The ruling added: “Since the appellant’s grounds of appeal have been unsuccessful there can be only one outcome and that is that the appeal must fail.”

Before the 2019 ruling, gay sex was punishable by up to seven years in jail. » | Nyasha Chingono in Harare | Monday, November 29, 2021

Global Gay: Fight For Human Rights | Social Documentary | Real Stories

Oct 21, 2020 • A global revolution is underway to obtain what UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Barack Obama call ‘the final frontier in human rights’: the universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

Homosexuality is forbidden in almost half of the world. Out of 196 UN member states, there are 7 where it is punishable by death. In 84 others, it can merit prison and physical punishment. But today, momentum is building and the debate on gay rights is omnipresent – whether it be regarding legalization in the Middle-East and Africa or the focus of gay marriage laws in the West.

After years of long diplomatic struggle, several world leaders have declared themselves in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. But victory won’t come easily. The countries that still punish homosexuality refuse to give in to international pressure. Global acceptance and equality will take time to achieve.

‘Global Gay’ follows this battle for decriminalization through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers, providing a vibrant chronicle of the growing global social movement. In the words of Ban Ki Moon, “The time has come”.

European Human Rights Chief: Governments Must Take ‘A Long, Hard Look in the Mirror’ | Conflict Zone

Jun 10, 2021 • The Council of Europe’s latest report gives a stark warning on the state of democracy on the continent, saying the democratic environment and institutions “are in mutually reinforcing decline.”

But what can it do to reverse the backsliding? And how can it uphold human rights in countries who enjoy membership of the club but don’t follow its rules?

On DW’s Conflict Zone, host Tim Sebastian speaks to Dunja Mijatovic, the commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe, on the line from Strasbourg.

Conflict Zone is Deutsche Welle's top political interview. Every week, our hosts Tim Sebastian and Sarah Kelly are face to face with global decision-makers, seeking straight answers to straight questions, putting the spotlight on controversial issues and calling the powerful to account.

Global Gay: The Next Frontier in Human Rights - Documentary (2018)

A global revolution is underway to obtain what UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Barack Obama call ‘the final frontier in human rights’: the universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

Homosexuality is forbidden in almost half of the world. Out of 196 UN member states, there are 7 where it is punishable by death.

In 84 others, it can merit prison and physical punishment. But today, momentum is building and the debate on gay rights is omnipresent - whether it be regarding legalization in the Middle East and Africa or the focus of gay marriage laws in the West.

After years of long diplomatic struggle, several world leaders have declared themselves in favor of the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. But victory won’t come easily. The countries that still punish homosexuality refuse to give in to international pressure. Global acceptance and equality will take time to achieve.

‘Global Gay’ follows this battle for decriminalization through the lives and work of some of its fearless pioneers, providing a vibrant chronicle of the growing global social movement. In the words of Ban Ki Moon, “The time has come”.

Filmed in Russia, Cuba, Cameroon, Nepal and South Africa.

'US Turns Blind Eye to Saudi Atrocities' as Teen Sentenced to Death for Joining Anti-Government Rally

Human rights organizations and the media are urging the Saudi government to not execute a teenage boy, for among other 'alleged crimes', 'taking part in anti-government rallies'.

With the activists now sounding the alarm, it's not the first time the Saudi authorities are being accused of violating human rights.

The Guardian View on Abortion: Protecting a Human Right

THE GUARDIAN: Cruel laws risk lives and harm women around the world. Attempts to extend them must be resisted

No law can end abortions, however severe its restrictions and however harsh its penalties. Each day almost 70,000 unsafe abortions are carried out around the world, and they are vastly more likely to happen in countries with strict laws. What such legislation does do is force some women to continue pregnancies against their wishes, while risking the lives and wellbeing of others. Women in the US have seen their ability to terminate pregnancies dismantled piece by piece. Now states are racing to outlaw or dramatically curb abortions with extreme and unconstitutional bills. The aim is to directly challenge Roe v Wade, the US supreme court ruling that established that abortion is legal before the foetus is viable outside the womb, at around 24 weeks. Last Tuesday, the governor of Georgia signed a bill essentially banning abortions after six weeks from 2020. Some described it as a sign that men who wish to control women’s bodies have no idea of how they actually work. More likely, those who pushed hardest for the change understand all too well that many women will not know they are pregnant until it is too late. » | Editorial | Sunday, May 12, 2019

Analysis: The Saudi Justice System and Human Rights | Al Jazeera English

Saudi Arabia has temporarily released three of the women's rights activists held in custody for almost a year, state media has said, following a court hearing in which the detainees alleged torture and sexual harassment during interrogation.

At least 11 activists were arrested last May in a sweeping crackdown on campaigners just before the historic lifting of a decades-long ban on female motorists.

In a separate development on Thursday, a United Nations human rights expert said that Saudi Arabia should hold public trials for those accused of killing Khashoggi in order for the judicial process to be credible.

Al Jazeera's Senior Middle East Analyst Marwan Bishara talks about the two issues.

EU Rebukes Saudi Arabia over Human Rights at UN Forum l Al Jazeera English

As many as 36 countries, including all the European Union members, have signed a statement criticising Saudi Arabia's human rights record. It calls on the kingdom to cooperate with a United Nations-led investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and to release the detained activists. Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba reports from Brussels.