AUTHOR
BY LISA JUNG, KAROLINA KISIEL, AYÇA ZEHRA KARABABA & ROBIN DIETEREN
THIS WEEKS BLOG ZOOMS IN ON TWO SPECIFIC ISSUES: (1) THE CASE OF JAKUB ŻULCZYK AND (2) HAKAN DAĞDEVIREN. ADDITIONALLY TWO SYSTEMIC ISSUES ARE CONSIDERED, NAMELY THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN QATAR AND THE SEPERATION OF FAMILIES AT THE U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER.
THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR AND LABOUR MIGRANTS
SINCE QATAR WAS ASSIGNED THE ORGANIZATION OF THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP IN 2010, IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT WORKERS' HUMAN RIGHTS ARE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY VIOLATED IN THE STADIUM CONSTRUCTION. RECENTLY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS STARTED A CAMPAIGN IN ORDER TO PUT PRESSURE ON FIFA TO IMPROVE THE PROTECTION FOR LABOUR MIGRANTS.
THE AUTHORITIES IN QATAR HAVE RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED REFORMS TO IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS. THE PROBLEM HOWEVER LIES WITHIN THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE NEW LAWS. CONSEQUENTLY, MANY WORKERS ARE STILL SUBJECT TO CRUEL BOSSES WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE PEOPLE.
CURRENTLY ALMOST 2 MILLION MIGRANT WORKERS WORK IN QATAR, WHERE THEY FACE EXTREMELY LONG WORKING DAYS AND BACK WAGES, WHICH IN SOME CASES AREN’T PAID AT ALL.
FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE SET BY NORWAY ON WEDNESDAY, ALSO THE GERMAN FOOTBALL TEAM LINED UP IN T-SHIRTS THAT STATED ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’, BEFORE THEIR WORLDCUP QUALIFICATION MATCH AGAINST ICELAND. WITH MORE COUNTRIES FOLLOWING, FIFA BECOMES MORE AND MORE INCLINED TO AMELIORATE THE SITUATION.
THE LIMITS OF THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH? THE CASE OF JAKUB ŻULCZYK
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows." - George Orwell, '1984'
JAKUB ŻULCZYK, A POLISH WRITER, MAY FACE UP TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON FOR CALLING PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA A “MORON”. JAKUB ŻULCZYK IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY READ WRITERS IN POLAND. THE AUTHOR OF THE FAMOUS “BLINDED BY THE LIGHTS” THAT EVEN MANAGED TO BE MADE INTO THE HBO TV SERIES. IT ALL STARTED WITH ŻULCZYK’S NOVEMBER FACEBOOK POST THAT ACCUSED PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA OF NOT UNDERSTANDING THE US ELECTION SYSTEM. AFTER PUBLISHING THE US MEDIA REPORTS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL VICTORY FOR JOE BIDEN ON THE 7TH NOVEMBER, PRESIDENT DUDA TWEETED, “AS WE AWAIT THE NOMINATION BY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, POLAND IS DETERMINED TO UPKEEP HIGH-LEVEL AND HIGH-QUALITY PL-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR AN EVEN STRONGER ALLIANCE.” JAKUB ŻULCZYK REFERRED THEN TO THE PRESIDENT’S TWEET STATING THAT HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING AS ELECTORAL COLLEGE NOMINATION. “JOE BIDEN IS THE 46TH PRESIDENT OF THE USA,” HE WROTE. "ANDRZEJ DUDA IS A MORON." HE THEN ADDED. THE FOLLOWING POST WAS DEEMED TO BE “OFFENSIVE” AND “UNACCEPTABLE” BY THE PROSECUTION. THE DEFENDANT REFERRED TO THE PROSECUTION’S ALLEGATIONS IRONICALLY SAYING THAT HE MAY BE THE FIRST POLISH WRITER IN A VERY LONG TIME WHO HAS BEEN PUNISHED FOR WHAT HE HAD WRITTEN. NOTABLY, POLAND HAS NINE INSULT LAWS. THEY INCLUDE OFFENDING THE STATE OFFICIALS OR ABUSE OF THE STATE SYMBOLS. MOREOVER, THEY ALL COME WITH POTENTIAL SEVERE PUNISHMENT, INCLUDING PRISON TERMS. A 2017 REPORT BY THE ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE (OSCE) ANALYSED THE INSULT AND DEFAMATION LAWS AMONG 57 COUNTRIES AND CONCLUDED THAT POLAND HAD THE JOINT HIGHEST NUMBER. IN THE CASE OF ŻULCZYK, BUT ALSO THE RECENT PABLO HASÉL’S OR THAILAND’S ACTIVISTS CHARGED FOR OFFENDING THE MONARCHY, SIMILAR QUESTIONS MAY BE ASKED: DO THE FOLLOWING CASES HAVE A RIGHT TO DRAW LIMITATIONS FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH? IS THE POSSIBLE THAT A THREE-YEAR TERM IN A PRISON IS AN ADEQUATE PUNISHMENT FOR INSULTING THE STATE OFFICIAL? CAN WRITERS, SINGERS, ARTISTS BE PUNISHED FOR THE THINGS THEY WRITE? CAN THE PEOPLE BE PUNISHED FOR SIMPLY SPEAKING UP THEIR MINDS?
12-YEAR-OLD HAKAN DAĞDEVIREN, WHOSE MOTHER AND FATHER HAVE BEEN IN PRISON FOR 2 YEARS, GOT CANCER AND NEEDS HIS MOTHER
12-YEAR-OLD HAKAN DAĞDEVIREN, WHOSE MOTHER AND FATHER HAVE BEEN IN PRISON FOR 2 YEARS IN TURKEY, GOT CANCER. HAKAN FIRST COMPLAINED OF FATIGUE AND WEAKNESS. HE ALSO HAD RASHES ON HIS BODY. IN THE EXAMINATIONS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DISEASE WAS CANCER, AND IT WAS FOUND THAT IT SPREAD TO THE LIVER, ABDOMEN, GROIN, NECK AND ARMPIT. HAKAN WILL HAVE TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR MONTHS FOR HIS TREATMENT. HIS GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER ARE TAKING CARE OF HAKAN. GRANDMA AND GRANDFATHER THINK THAT THE TRAUMAS THEY EXPERIENCED HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON THEIR GRANDCHILD'S ILLNESS. ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY TOLD, HAKAN HAD PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AND BECAME INTROVERTED, AFTER THE POLICE RAIDED THEIR HOMES AND THE DOOR WAS BROKEN BY THE POLICE AND ENTERED. AFTER MONTHS, HAKAN, WHO WAS VERY QUIET AT FIRST, BEGAN TO ASK, "WHY IS THAT, WHY DID THEY TAKE MY FATHER, WHY DID THEY TAKE MY MOTHER AND NOT OTHERS". MERAL DAĞDEVIREN TOOK HER GRANDSON TO A PSYCHOLOGIST AND SAID, “I SHOWED IT TO A PSYCHOLOGIST. PSYCHOLOGIST SAID, “HE HAS TAKEN SO MUCH BURDEN ON HIS SHOULDERS THAT HE IS TRYING TO CARRY THE BURDENS OF HIS MOTHER, FATHER, SISTER AND YOU ON HIS SHOULDERS. "HE'S TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF AND HE CAN'T HANDLE IT," SHE SAID IN HER WORDS.
ACCORDING TO THE DOCTORS, HAKAN HAS A CHANCE TO SURVIVE, BUT HIS MOTHER MUST BE WITH HIM DURING THE TREATMENT. IT WAS LEARNED THAT HAKAN, WHO WAS STATED TO BE A VERY EMOTIONAL CHILD, ALWAYS WANTED HIS MOTHER WITH HIM. HIS GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER ARE DESPERATE. GRANDFATHER ALI DAĞDEVIREN SAID, “BOTH HIS FATHER AND MOTHER ARE UNDER ARREST. THE TRUST OF MY SON IS MELTING AWAY BEFORE OUR EYES. HE WAS SAID TO HAVE T-TYPE LEUKEMIA. THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL, BUT HIS MOTHER SHOULD BE WITH HIM. WE ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR THE CHILD. HE WANTS HIS MOTHER. WE ASK THE AUTHORITIES; DO NOT LET THE CHILD DIE IN SIGHT.”.
MOTHER SABRIYE DAĞDEVIREN LEARNED IN PRISON THAT HER 12-YEAR-OLD SON HAD LEUKEMIA:
"I LEARNED THAT HAKAN WILL STAY IN THE HOSPITAL FOR ABOUT A YEAR. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS TO STAY IN THE HOSPITAL ALL THE TIME, BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF HIS 90-YEAR-OLD MOTHER AT HOME. I LEARNED THAT OUR NEIGHBORS ARE IN TURN WITH MY SON."
“HOW PAINFUL IT IS FOR A MOTHER TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS NOT A FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVE STAYING WITH A CHILD WHO IS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY AT THE AGE OF 12. EXCEPT FOR THE NEWS THAT I WILL GET FROM MY SON ONCE A WEEK, I CANNOT DO ANYTHING.” SAID THE MOTHER SABRIYE DAĞDEVIREN.
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT REMAIN INDIFFERENT TO THE CRY OF A MOTHER WHO SAYS "LET ME BE WITH HIM IN THE TREATMENT OF MY SON."
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD AT LEAST ALLOW HAKAN TO BE WITH HIS MOTHER IN THE TREATMENT OF BLOOD CANCER, NO MATTER HOW HIS MOTHER IS ACCUSED. IT CAN DELAY THE EXECUTION OF THE MOTHER DURING THE TREATMENT PROCESS. HOWEVER ACCORDING TO NATIONAL LAW, SINCE THE MOTTER ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF FETÖ (WHICH IS KNOWN AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN TURKEY EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO SUCH EVIDENCE) THE MOTHER CANNOT BENEFIT FROM THE DELAY OF THE EXECUTION. HOWEVER, THE GOVERNMENT CAN FIND OTHER WAYS TO BRING MOTHER AND CHILD TOGETHER. FOR EXAMPLE, THE MOTHER CAN GO TO THE HOSPITAL ACCOMPANIED BY THE GUARDS. HAKAN NEEDS HIS MOTHER, THE 12-YEAR-OLD NEEDS HIS MOTHER DURING HIS TREATMENT.
FAMILY SEPARATION AT THE U.S. – MEXICO BORDER BIDEN PROMISED A MORE GENEROUS MIGRATION POLICY THAN HIS PREDECESSOR TRUMP: CHILDREN WILL NOT BE SEND BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRY ONCE THEY REACH THE UNITED STATES. THIS NEW POLICY HAS LED THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ARRIVING ACROSS THE U.S. BORDER TO RISE SINCE DONALD TRUMP LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE – AND THE SITUATION AT THE BORDER ITSELF HAS NOT IMPROVED. ON MONDAY, MARCH 22, THE FIRST IMAGES SURFACED FROM A DETENTION CENTRE SINCE TRUMP'S DEPARTURE. THE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN BY DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN HENRY CUELLAR FROM TEXAS (JOURNALISTS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE). THE PICTURE SHOWS A CRAMPED SHELTER WITH MAKESHIFT CONDITIONS AS THE GOVERNMENT'S LONGER-TERM CHILD AND FAMILY (DETENTION) CENTRES FILL UP. BESIDES THE PRIMITIVE CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE CENTRES, CHILDREN ARE STILL BEING SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS. AFTER HE TOOK OFFICE THIS YEAR, JOE BIDEN HARDLY CHANGED THE OLD-MIGRANT POLICY, ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT UNACCOMPANIED MINORS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO CROSS THE BORDER. THIS CAUSED THE PROBLEM TO SHIFT. FAMILY SEPARATION NOW TAKES PLACE BY FAMILIES AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BORDER, INSTEAD OF BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. PARENTS AND GUARDIANS HAVE MADE THE DISASTROUS DECISION, OUT OF DESPERATION, TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN OFF AHEAD OF THEM, ALONE, TO THE LAND OF THE FREE. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SHOULD PRIORITIZE ASYLUM SEEKERS’ HUMANITARIAN NEEDS. THIS RATHER THAN PUTTING THEM IN CAMPS AND TREATING THEM, INCLUDING CHILDREN, AS CRIMINALS. FOR DECADES, THE UNITED STATES HAS JUSTIFIED THIS CRUEL BORDER POLICY WITH THE REASONING THAT IT WILL PREVENT MIGRANTS FROM COMING. HOWEVER, AFTER MONTHS OF MASS SEPARATIONS OF PARENTS FROM THEIR CHILDREN IN 2018 (THE MOST CRUEL POLICY THUS FAR) BORDER APPREHENSIONS HAS ONLY INCREASED IN 2019. LUCKILY, THERE ARE COMMUNITY- AND FAITH BASED GROUPS, AND OTHER NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ALONG THE BORDER THAT PROVIDE THE MIGRANTS WITH VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN RESPONSES, LIKE COOKING FOOD AND PROVIDING THEM WITH MEDICAL CARE.
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