AUTHOR
LISA JUNG & MAGDALENA SUZA
IN THIS BLOG WE’LL REPORT ON RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE LAST WEEK AND THEIR RELEVANCE. THIS WEEK’S BLOG CONCERNS A VARIETY OF HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD, BOTH CLOSER TO HOME AND FAR AWAY. ALSO A GENERAL REMARK IS MADE ON AMNESTY’S “WRITE FOR RIGHTS” ACTION.
WRITE FOR RIGHTS
ACTIVISTS AND CIVILIANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD NEED YOUR HELP. THIS YEAR THERE IS AGAIN AN ACTION BY AMNESTY CALLED “WRITE FOR RIGHTS”. YOU CAN EASILY SIGN A PROTEST LETTER TO GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE INFRINGED HUMAN RIGHTS OR WHO HAVE EVEN IMPRISONED/ SENTENCED TO DEATH ACTIVISTS. YOUR HELP CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, WITH ONLY MINIMAL EFFORT. IF WE ALL WRITE, WE CANNOT BE IGNORED!
THE UN DISABILITY CONVENTION, A LONG WAY AHEAD
WHILE THE UN DISABILITY CONVENTION WAS SIGNED BY THE NETHERLANDS, THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS MUNICIPALITIES OFTEN DO NOT MEET THE OBLIGATIONS BY IT YET. WHILE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR PARTICIPATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE IMPROVED, THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. THE DUTCH COLLEGE VOOR DE RECHTEN VAN DE MENS STATES THAT EXPERTS ARE OFTEN INVOLVED TOO LATE, OR NOT AT ALL, WHEN DESIGNING POLICIES OR DRAWING UP LEGISLATION. THE MOST IMPORTANT EXPERTS, ARE THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THEMSELVES. ONLY THEY CAN HOW EDUCATION, WORKING, LIVING AND HEALTH CARE CAN BE IMPROVED, THEN WHY ARE THEY OFTEN FORGOTTEN IN THE PROCESS? THEY THEREFORE PROPOSE RULES ON WHEN AND HOW TO INVOLVED EXPERTS IN THE PROCESS. THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE ARE THEREFORE NOT ONLY TO INVOLVED EXPERTS, AS WELL AS DISABLED PEOPLE WHEN BRAINSTORMING ABOUT POLICIES AND LEGISLATION. ALSO DIVERSITY, MEANING PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT DISABILITIES, IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THE NATIONAL LEGISLATION PROCESS.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FRANCE?
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS JUST PASSED THE NEW LAW CALLED ‘LOI SECURITE GLOBALE’(COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY LAW). WHAT IS BEHIND NEW REGULATIONS? NEW MEASURES INCLUDE REINFORCING LOCAL (MUNICIPAL) POLICE FORCES, ENFORCING CRIMINAL OFFENCES TOWARDS POLICE OFFICERS AND PRIVATE SECURITY AGENTS, EXPANDING THE USE OF SURVEILLANCE DRONES, ALLOWING POLICE OFFICERS TO CARRY THEIR WEAPONS IN BUILDINGS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. MOREOVER, PUBLISHING IMAGES OF POLICE OFFICERS WHERE THEY CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND IF IT COULD ‘HARM THEIR PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL INTEGRITY’ WILL BECOME A CRIME WITH PENALTY UP TO €45 000 FINE OR TO 1 YEAR IN PRISON. CONSEQUENTLY, FREEDOM OF PRESS IS IN DANGER, AS WELL AS THE NEW LAW WILL PREVENT HOLDING POLICE OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR VIOLENT ACTS. IT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND THAT FRANCE HAS BEEN FACING THE PROBLEM OF POLICE BRUTALITY FOR MANY YEARS. STARTED IN 1961 WHEN BETWEEN 150 AND 200 ALGERIAN PROTESTERS AGAINST THE CURFEW THEY HAVE TO OBEY, HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THE POLICE. AFTERWARDS, THE PRESS WAS CENSORED, THE CRIMINAL FILES MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEAR AND THIS CRIME WAS FINALLY FORGOTTEN. THE MINORITY GROUPS, PREDOMINANTLY ARABS AND BLACK PEOPLE ARE USUALLY THE TARGET OR POLICE STOPS. ONLY IN SEINE ST DENIS, CALLED ‘GHETTO’ AS IT IS THE POOREST AND MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE DISTRICT OF PARIS, AT LEAST 220,000 CHECKS WERE HELD, WHAT IS DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. THE BILL PASSED THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY VOTE AND WILL LAND IN THE SENATE IN JANUARY.
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