AUTHOR
ANTONIA LANDWEHR, KAROLINA KISIEL & LISA JUNG
IN THIS BLOG WE’LL REPORT ON RELEVANT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE LAST WEEK AND THEIR RELEVANCE. THIS WEEK’S CONCERNS A VARIETY OF HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD, BOTH CLOSER TO HOME AND FAR AWAY.
PROTESTS IN BELARUS
IN BELARUS, OVER 1.000 ARRESTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED DURING THE LATEST ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS. THE DEATH OF AN OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS ON THURSDAY HAS LED TO A NEW WAVE OF ANTI-GOVERNMENT DEMONSTRATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT WAS REPORTED BY PROTESTORS THAT THE OPPOSITION-ACTIVIST WAS BEATEN BY PLAIN CLOTHED POLICE OFFICERS AFTER AN ARGUMENT THAT AROSE AFTER POLICE OFFICERS TRIED TO REMOVE DEMONSTRATORS` RED AND WHITE RIBBONS. THE EU CONDEMNED THE VIOLENCE AGAINST THE MAN AS “OUTRAGEOUS AND SHAMEFUL”, WHEREAS THE BELARUSIAN GOVERNMENT DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EVENT. THE ELECTION OF LONG-TIME LEADER LUKASHENKO IN AUGUST, WHICH IS WIDELY VIEWED AS RIGGED, CAUSED A POLITICAL CRISIS IN BELARUS, LEADING TO WEEKLY PROTESTS AGAINST THE REGIME. THE OCCURRENCES OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CRISIS ARE MASSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC.
ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST IN PERU
ON SATURDAY EVENING, DURING A VIOLENT SUPPRESSION OF PROTESTS AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE DIED AND 13 WERE INJURED IN PERU`S CAPITAL LIMA. IT WAS REPORTED THAT POLICE OFFICERS FIRED TEAR GAS AND SHOTGUN PELLETS TOWARDS THE DEMONSTRATORS. A SERIES OF PROTESTS HAVE STARTED IN PERU AFTER THE IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT VIZCARRA, WHO WAS ACCUSED OF BRIBERY, WHICH HE DENIES. PRESIDENT VIZCARRA TRIED TO INTRODUCE REFORMS, WHICH WERE SUPPORTED BY MANY VOTERS. THE INTERIM PRESIDENT MERINO RESIGNED AFTER THE POLICE VIOLENTLY BROKE DOWN THE DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST HIM.
ZWARTE PIET
PAST SUNDAY, HUNDREDS OF COUNTER-PROTESTERS CAME TO A DEMONSTRATION OF KICK OUT ZWARTE PIET (KOZP) IN MAASTRICHT. THE ORGANISATION AIMS AT BANNING ‘ZWARTE PIET’ FROM THE DUTCH FEST OF SINTERKLAAS, BECAUSE OF IT’S RESEMBLANCE TO SLAVES. THE ME HAD TO KEEP THE COUNTER-PROTESTERS AT DISTANCE FROM THE PROTESTERS BY USING HORSES AND DOGS. FIREWORKS WERE ALSO THROWN AT THE POLICE. WHILE THE PROTESTERS WORE MASKS AND KEPT THE 1.5 MANDATORY DISTANCE, THE COUNTER-PROTESTERS DID NOT ABIDE BY THE RULES. WHILE THE KOZP DEMONSTRATION WAS CORRECTLY REGISTERED WITH THE AUTHORITIES, KOZP STATES THAT THEIR FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND THE RIGHT TO PROTEST ARE UNJUSTIFIABLY INFRINGED. ANOTHER INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT, IS THE FACT THAT ‘OMROEP ZWART’, HAS REACHED THE NECESSARY AMOUNT OF MEMBERS TO OBTAIN BROADCASTING TIME ON DUTCH TELEVISION. THIS BROADCASTING CHANNEL STANDS FOR REPRESENTING DIVERSITY IN DUTCH SOCIETY.
ARGENTINA TO LEGALISE ABORTION
PRESIDENT ALBERTO FERNÁNDEZ SENT THE ARGENTINIAN LAWMAKERS IN THE CONGRESS A BILL THAT AIMS GIVE HIS COUNTRY BROADER ACCESS TO ABORTION, OVERTURNING STRICT, ANTI-CHOICE LAWS. DURING HIS ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN, HE PLEDGED TO CHANGE THE COUNTRY’S STRICT ABORTION LAWS. IN ARGENTINA, IT IS CURRENTLY ONLY ALLOWED TO HAVE AN ABORTION WHEN THE MOTHER HEALTH IS IN DANGER OR IF SHE HAS BEEN RAPED. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ESTIMATED THAT EVERY YEAR OVER 40 000 ARGENTINIAN WOMEN ARE HOSPITALISED DUE TO THE ILLEGAL, BOTCHED PROCEDURES.
IRAQ’S MASS EXECUTION
THREE YEARS AGO THE MILITARY IN IRAQ TOOK ACTION TO RETAKE IRAQ’S TERRITORIES UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ISLAMIC STATE (IS). SINCE THEN, THE MASS EXECUTIONS OF PEOPLE HAS STARTED. THE MAIN REASON FOR THE EXECUTIONS IS THE ALLEGED AFFILIATION OF THE PEOPLE WITH IS. ONLY THIS MONDAY IRAQ EXECUTED 21 INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT IS WORTH EMPHASISING THAT LAST YEAR IRAQ RANKED FOURTH AMONGST THE COUNTRIES WITH THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF DEATH PENALTIES CARRIED OUT.
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