LISA JUNG, KAROLINA KISIEL & 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 NUMEROUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE WOULD LIKE TO DEMAND ATTENTION FOR BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMIC ISSUES THIS WEEK.
THE DUTCH ‘TOESLAGENAFFAIRE’
THIS AFTERNOON THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT RESIGNED BECAUSE OF THE DUTCH ‘TOESLAGENAFFAIRE’. DUE TO UNFUNDED ETHNIC PROFILING BY THE TAX AUTHORITIES, MANY PEOPLE WITH DOUBLE NATIONALITIES WERE SUBJECTED TO EXTRA CHECKS. CONSEQUENTLY, BASED ON MINOR MISTAKES THEIR ENTIRE CHILD BENEFITS WERE STOPPED OR IN SOME CASES EVEN DEMANDED TO BE PAID BACK. DATA ANALYSIS IS A GROWING AREA FOR THE TAX AND CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION. THE TAX AND CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION'S WEBSITE STATES THAT THE DATA & ANALYTICS DEPARTMENT “IS WORKING ON SMART INNOVATIONS THAT BRING MILLIONS TO SOCIETY”. ON THE BASIS OF DATA, THIS DEPARTMENT DRAWS UP RISK MODELS: WHICH GROUP SHOULD BE CHECKED EXTRA THOROUGHLY? AMNESTY HAS HOWEVER COMMENTED SEVERAL TIMES THAT ELIMINATING ALL FRAUD, BY POSSIBLY CONDEMNING INNOCENT PEOPLE, IS NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN ARTICLE 1 OF THE DUTCH CONSTITUTION ON EQUALITY. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE A STATEMENT BY RESIGNING. HOWEVER, FOR THE MOMENT NOT MUCH WILL CHANGE SINCE THEY WILL REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL THE ELECTIONS IN MARCH. BUT A FORMAL STATEMENT IS NOT ENOUGH, AND VICTIMS SHOULD STILL SEE A FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FOR ALL THEIR SOCIAL, MENTAL AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THIS HAS CAUSED.
TRUMP; CONTINUING THE DEATH PENALTY AND GUANTÁNAMO BAY
THIS WEEK THE US EXECUTED THE ONLY WOMAN ON FEDERAL DEATH ROW FOR A MURDERING A PREGNANT WOMAN, BEFORE CUTTING OUT AND KIDNAPPING THE WOMAN’S BABY IN 2004. FOR SOME TIME IT APPEARED THE EXECUTING WOULD BE CANCELLED DUE TO A MENTAL COMPETENCY HEARING THAT SHOULD BE HELD GIVEN THE MENTAL PROBLEMS THE FEMALE INMATE HAD DUE TO SEXUAL ABUSE DURING HER YOUTH. SINCE JULY 2020 THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS EXECUTED 12 INMATES, WHICH IS MORE THAN ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATION SINCE WORLD WAR II. JOE BIDEN HAS SPOKEN OUT AS BEING AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY AND HE WILL HOPEFULLY USE HIS POWER TO HALT THE EXECUTIONS AND SAVE LIVES. SECONDLY, INSISTED IN KEEPING OPEN GUANTÁNAMO BAY IN CUBA WHERE SUSPECTS OF TERRORISM HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT BY PRESIDENT BUSH AFTER 9/11. INMATES ARE BEING TORTURED AND HAVE ‘DISAPPEARED’. FOR ALL SUSPECTS IMPRISONED SHOULD BE GUARANTEED FAIR TRIAL. SEVERAL MEN HAVE BEEN ORDERED BY A JUDGE TO BE RELEASED BUT HAVE STILL BEEN IMPRISONED YEARS LATER. OBAMA TRIED TO CLOSE THE CAMP IN VAIN, SO WE SHOULD NOW CALL UPON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TO CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO BAY.
THE CAPITOL ATTACKS
ON THE 6TH OF JANUARY, A WORLD-SHAKING EVENT TOOK PLACE IN THE USA. TRUMP SUPPORTERS ATTACKED THE CAPITOL’S BUILDING WHILE US CONGRESS WAS TO CERTIFY BIDEN’S VICTORY IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND CONFIRM HIM AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. SINCE THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION, TRUMP HAS BEEN TELLING ITS SUPPORTERS ABOUT THE ALLEGED ELECTION FRAUD. BEFORE THE ATTACK HAPPENED, HE HAD TWEETED “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!”. MANY PEOPLE TURNED OUT TO COME. TRUMP MADE A SPEECH IN WHICH HE ENCOURAGED HIS SUPPORTERS TO “STOP THE STEAL” AND WALK DOWN WITH HIM TO THE CAPITOL. HE DID NOT SHOW UP AT THE BUILDING HIMSELF, BUT HIS SUPPORTERS LISTENED TO HIM AND EVENTUALLY RALLIED IT. THE STORMING STARTED, SOME OF THE ATTACKERS MANAGED TO GET INSIDE OF THE CAPITOL. THE LAWMAKERS WERE EVACUATED. BY THE END OF THE STORMING 4 PEOPLE WERE DEAD, DOZENS MORE WERE INJURED AND AT LEAST 50 HAVE BEEN ARRESTED. TRUMP’S ACCOUNTS ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK HAVE BEEN BANNED. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CERTIFICATION OF BIDEN’S VICTORY WAS SUCCESSFUL. MANY PEOPLE, BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, CONDEMNED THE VIOLENCE. CURRENTLY, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE FIRST PRESIDENT IN THE US’ HISTORY TO BE IMPEACHED TWICE.
COVID VACCINES IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
ISRAEL IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES WHICH HAS DELIVERED THE VACCINES TO A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF ITS CITIZENS THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY. PALESTINIANS WITH RESIDENT STATUS IN OCCUPIED EAST JERUSALEM HAVE BEEN OFFERED THE VACCINES. HOWEVER, THE QUESTION ARISES: WHAT ABOUT THE VACCINES FOR PEOPLE LIVING UNDER OCCUPATION IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA? ACCORDING TO THE FOURTH GENEVA CONVENTION, ISRAEL IS OBLIGATED TO MAINTAIN HEALTH SERVICES IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORY. HOWEVER, WHILE THE ISRAELI POPULATION WILL BE VACCINATED IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THE 4,5 MILLION PALESTINIANS WILL REMAIN UNPROTECTED AND EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS. FOLLOWING THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS, THE VACCINES ORDERED SEPARATELY BY THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MAY NOT BE DELIVERED TO THE OCCUPIED TERRITORY OF THE WEST BANK AND GAZA EN MASSE FOR MANY WEEKS. UNDOUBTEDLY, THE UNEQUAL ACCESS TO VACCINES BASED ON ETHNICITY OR RACE IS DISCRIMINATORY AND UNLAWFUL. THUS, THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS CALLED ON THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AND THE GAZA ADMINISTRATION TO COLLABORATE WITH ISRAEL IN IMPLEMENTING COMPREHENSIVE OPT VACCINATION PROGRAMME.L
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