AUTHOR
LISA JUNG & KAROLINA KISIEL
WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS STILL HAS US IN IT’S GRIP, THERE ARE AT THE MOMENT OTHER THINGS THAT DESERVE OUR ATTENTION. THE PAST WEEKS THERE HAVE ATTACKS BY EXTREMISTS IN FRANCE, THE U.S. ELECTIONS ARE COMING UP, ABORTION HAS BEEN BANNED IN POLAND AND THE SARS-MOVEMENT AND ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT CONTINUE. IN THIS BLOGPOST, WE WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU OF THESE FOUR VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND THEIR IMPACTS RELATED TO HUMAN RIGHTS.
U.S. ELECTIONS
ON THE 3RD OF NOVEMBER, THE UNITED STATES WILL ELECT A NEW PRESIDENT. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE OUTCOME WILL BE FELT WORLDWIDE GIVEN THE FAR-REACHING IMPACT A PRESIDENT HAS. IF DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE JOE BIDEN WINS, MANY WILL BE FREED FROM TRUMP’S HARMFUL POLICY’S. FIRSTLY, BIDEN HAS DRAWN UP THE “LIFE EVERY VOICE PLAN”, IN WHICH HE DESCRIBES MULTIPLE PLANS TO LIFT UP BLACK COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. TRUMP ON THE OTHER HAND HAS FIRMLY STATED IN THE LAST DEBATE THAT HE IS “THE LEAST RACIST PERSON IN THE ROOM”, WHILE PUBLICLY CONDEMNING THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AND HAS OUTED RACIST SLURS AGAINST THE MEXICAN FROM THE BEGINNING OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN 2016. SECONDLY, BIDEN IMMEDIATELY WANT’S INSTATE AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE, AND IMPLEMENT KAMALA HARRIS’ BILL TO CREATE A TASK FORCE THAT ELIMINATES RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HEALTHCARE. LASTLY, BIDEN IS PLANNING TO MODERNIZE THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM AND INCREASE THE INTEGRATION OF MIGRANTS INTO AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. WHILE LOTS OF DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE BY TRUMP, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REPAIR IT, AND MAKE HUMAN RIGHTS A ‘GUARANTEE’ IN AMERICA AGAIN.
ABORTION-BAN IN POLAND
IN THE PAST WEEK, A COURT RULING IN POLAND HAS ALMOST COMPLETELY BANNED ABORTION. ONLY EXCEPTIONS CONCERNING RAPE, INCEST AND THE MOTHER’S HEALTH BEING AT STAKE ALLOW FOR ABORTION. THE POLISH CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN SEEKING TO LIMIT ABORTION ACCESS IN THE COUNTRY FOR YEARS AND HAS FINALLY DONE IT. CONSEQUENTLY, POLISH WOMEN CANNOT DECIDE FREELY OVER THEIR OWN BODIES, AND WILL NOW HAVE TO RESORT TO ILLEGAL MEANS OF ABORTION IF THEY DO NOT WISH TO HAVE A CHILD. EVEN IN CASE OF INCURABLE ILLNESSES OF THE CHILD, THE WOMEN IS FORCED TO CARRY OUT THE PREGNANCY KNOWING THAT IT IS NOT VIABLE. POLISH WOMEN HAVE TAKEN TO THE STREETS AND INTERNATIONALLY LOTS OF WOMEN HAVE SPOKEN OUT AND DECLARED TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY. SEVERAL NGO’S LIKE AMNESTY HAVE ALSO SPOKEN OUT AND REQUESTED CHANGE. ADDITIONALLY, THIS DOES NOT ONLY TAKE PLACE IN POLAND BUT A WHILE AGO THE U.S., STILL UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF TRUMP, HAS SIGNED A GLOBAL ANTI-ABORTION PACT, STATING THAT ABORTION IS IN NO WAY AN INTERNATIONAL RIGHT. THE DECLARATION SAYS IT SEEKS TO IMPROVE WOMEN’S HEALTH AND PRESERVE HUMAN LIFE. A CONSERVATIVE AGENDA IS THUS SPREADING THROUGH THE WORLD OPPOSING TO THINGS THAT SHOULD BE REGARDED HUMAN RIGHTS.
EXTREMIST ATTACKS IN FRANCE
THIS MORNING THREE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VIOLENTLY KILLED IN A CHURCH IN NICE BY A 21-YEAR OLD TUNISIAN. ANOTHER MAN WAS SHOT BY POLICE THE SAME MORNING AFTER THREATENING THEM WITH A HANDGUN. THIS IS THE THIRD EXTREMIST ATTACK IN FRANCE IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME, AFTER THE BEHEADING OF TEACHER SAMUAL PATY EARLIER THIS MONTH. EMMANUEL MACRON PUBLICLY CONDEMNED ISLAMIC EXTREMISM, AND SAID FRANCE WILL NOT SURRENDER ITS CORE VALUES. SUBSEQUENTLY, MANY ARABIC COUNTRIES HAVE BOYCOTTED FRENCH PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY FEEL THAT MACRON GIVES THE PEOPLE A FREE-PASS TO INSULT ISLAM. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY PROTEST IN FRANCE AS WELL AS IN ARABIC COUNTRIES AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE ATTACKS.
THE #ENDSARS MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA IS STANDING UP AGAINST THE ATROCIOUS CRIMES AND ABUSES OF POWER COMMITTED BY SARS - SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD. THE MOVEMENT STARTED ITS ACTIVITIES IN 2017, AND HAS SINCE DEMANDED TO DISBAND THE SARS UNIT. CURRENTLY, AS A RESULT OF SARS’S CONTINUOUS ABUSES, PROTESTS HAVE STARTED ALL OVER NIGERIA. ON OCTOBER 11TH, THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE ANNOUNCED THAT THE UNIT WOULD SOON BE DISBANDED. YET DESPITE THE PROMISES MADE, THE SARS UNIT REMAINS OPERATIVE. IT APPEARS THAT THE AIM OF THE PROMISE MADE BY THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE, WAS MAINLY TO PACIFY THE PUBLIC OPINION AND NOT TO UPHOLD IT. DURING THE RECENT “LEKKI TOLL GATE MASSACRE”, THE NIGERIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE OPENED FIRE TOWARDS MANY PROTESTERS. SINCE THEN, THE PROTESTS MAY HAVE STOPPED FOR NOW, BUT THE MOVEMENT ITSELF IS STILL GOING. THE LIVES LOST WILL NOT BE IN VAIN.
ARMENIA/ AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT
THE ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT OR THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT IS AN ONGOING ANIMOSITY BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN (SUPPORTED BY TURKEY) AND THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH AND ARMENIA. THIS CONFLICT HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE TERRITORIAL DISPUTE OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION. FOR 32 YEARS BOTH OF THE SIDES HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO GET CONTROL OVER THE AFOREMENTIONED REGION. ALTHOUGH A FRAGILE PEACE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN MADE IN 1994, THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT HAS REIGNITED RECENTLY. ON THE 27TH OF SEPTEMBER 2020, THE CLASHES HAVE STARTED IN THE SO-CALLED NAGORNO-KARABAKH LINE OF CONTACT. AS A CONSEQUENCE, ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH INTRODUCED MARTIAL LAWS IN THEIR TERRITORIES. MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE THEN.
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