Final Blog: Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill

I decided to do my blog this week on a situation starting to arise in Uganda concerning their Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The bill was recently placed on the Ugandan parliament’s agenda for discussion and has the support of the speaker, as well as other parliamentarians. They declared that its passage in December would be a “Christmas gift” to the people of Uganda. Human Rights First has opposition to this bill because it will have adverse consequences for the human rights of gay, bisexual, gay, transgender, and intersex people. Currently in Uganda, same-sex relations are already illegal, but this bill proposed tougher penalties not only for the LGBTI community but those who assist them. It can have affect with their health care practitioners, and it establishes a dangerous precedent for the persecution of other minority groups in the country.

This bill was first introduced in 2009, and currently the Anti-Homosexuality Bill is scheduled to be discussed before the parliament as a high priority bill. This means that the lawmakers could pass the legislation before December 15^th, when they will have recess.  

With the bill’s discussion growing very closely, supporters of the LGBTI community have called onto President Obama to stop the passing of the legislation, in hope of killing the piece of legislation. Human Rights First’s Paul LeGendre was quoted by saying, “We call on President Obama and Secretary Clinton to work toward preventing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill from coming to a vote in the Ugandan Parliament,” and continued by adding, “They should also reiterate their serious concerns to Ugandan President Museveni, whose signature would be required for the bill to take effect.”  This group commends Obama and his Administration for their opposition to this bill, since it was introduced in 2009. They have been also very appreciative of President Obama’s efforts to counter laws that criminalize same-sex relations. They believe that this is a key part of Obama’s memorandum on international advances towards the rights of the LGBTI community. They called upon Secretary Clinton for her efforts to speak out against human rights abusers, and those based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  

Human Right First are supporting the efforts made by human rights group and fellow Ugandans who oppose the bill, and are hoping to get assistance from the Obama Administration to help their efforts. A Ugandan civil society leader, Julius Kaggwa was quoted by saying, “Now is the time for the international community to express solidarity with LGBTI Ugandans.”

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/human-rights-group-asks-obama-to-help-stop-ugandas-kill-the-gays-bill/politics/2012/11/27/54714

Blog 12: Human Rights on Capital Punishment in Pakistan

My blog this week deals with controversy and uproar with human right groups concerning an execution in Islamabad, Pakistan. Some human rights groups have denounced the country decision made this week that involved carrying out its first execution in four years. They claimed that it was a worrying step backward in this country. Until then, the country had been adhering to an informal moratorium concerning capital punishment.

The execution took place on Thursday at a jail located in the central Punjab city of Mianwali. Muhammad Hussain, a former solider, was executed by hanging. He was sentenced to death in 2009 for fatally stabbing one of superiors over a personal dispute. He pleaded both to the country’s military and the civilian leadership, but both claims were denied, and therefore the sentence was carried out.

While human rights groups are in an uproar, the Pakistani claimed that the country’s moratorium on executions applies only to civilian justice, and not military court. Since Hussain was a former solider and military court for the venue for his conviction, they believe that the moratorium was upheld.  However, Zohra Yusuf, chairwomen of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan was quoted by saying, “The government had vowed its commitment to the right to life and desisted from executing anyone….Despite this setback, HRCP still retains hope that the government will not abandon its pledge to work towards the abolition of the death penalty in Pakistan.” Another human rights activist, Polly Truscott, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific program was quoted by saying, “The death penalty is no less offensive to human dignity and the right to life, just because the person to be killed happens to be a soldier.”

With this information presented the question of human rights vs. legal issues come into play. While on one hand the Pakistani government did claim that they would no longer execute, there was no hold or law on military based executions. I’m not claiming which side is right or wrong, because in a debate over capital punishment, can either side really be right; or for that matter, wrong? I do believe that both sides had solid reasons, and opinions to back up their point of view.

 What shocked me was that later in the article it claimed that more than 8,300 people were currently on death row in Pakistan, but they claimed a moratorium on capital punishment. I did find it interesting that there last execution, which was carried out in November 2008, was the result of a military court verdict.  

http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-human-rights-groups-decry-pakistans-first-execution-in-four-years-20121116,0,481035.story

Syrian Rebel Video Surfaces Blog 10

In Beirut, a video has emerged that appears to show Syrian rebels killing a group of captured soldiers. These killings took place on Thursday during an apparent assault by the rebels in the town of Saraqeb, which has been a scene of heavy fighting over the past few weeks. Tension has risen between rebels and the forces of President Bashar Assad’s regime.

In the videos the rebels are spraying them with bullets while the soldiers are on the ground helpless. It shows them in crowded areas in the town, where screaming erupts. It also shows the men on the ground, some dead and others shaking from the bullet wounds, and the crowd after the shooting takes place. It’s reported that twelve soldiers were killed.

Other than this video being disturbing and the fact that lives were lost, certain Human Rights groups are warning that the gunmen may have also committed a war crime. This video raises a lot of concerns over the brutality among these rebels, because Washington has been hesitant to give support to the rebellion. With this video surfacing, they are questioning themselves.

Now the rebels are in full control of the town Saraqeb after the regime troops pulled back during Thursday’s fighting. This gives the rebels a higher strategic point that the rebels have been working to capture for months.

Other accounts of videos showing these rebels and their brutality have been reported in the past. Reports of rebels pushing prisoners against walls, and shooting them have also been found. Right now the authenticity of the video is in question, and is being worked on. Groups of people are trying to find out if videos like these are real, or if they are a fabricated show.

Events like these bring human rights into question, along with the authenticity of the videos. Soldiers and innocent lives are being taken away by this rebel groups. Now that the rebel groups are in complete control of a city and a major strategy point, one can only wonder how many more lives will be taken away.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/02/activist-groups-says-armed-men-have-apparently-executed-detainees-including/

Blog Post 9: Human Rights Issues in Zanzibar, Africa

My blog post this week centers around current and uprising human rights issues in Zanzibar, Africa. According to my reference article, there has been citing’s of rights violations which has led to a tension in the African area which is deemed by officials as “unnecessary”. Due to these factors, the Tanzania Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance, has intervened and condemned the situation in the Isles. These groups urge authorities to immediately address it.

A press release from the commission stated that “The situation in Zanzibar is an indication of lack and good governance and accountability and rule of law. The commission advises the government to make sure that such incidents never reappear”.  

More issues come from Zanzibar with their Commissioner, Zahor Khamis, have also added to the situation. A statement by TCHRG stated that he condemned the murder of a police officer, destruction of public and private property, and the “controversial kidnapping” of a kidnapping of a famous Muslim cleric.

With these claims being made it’s hard to distinguish what is true. The Commissioner of Police, Mussa Ali, has denied these allegations, mostly about the kidnapping of the Muslim cleric. However, the Human Rights Commission is getting involved. “Although the abduction claims are unclear, we urge through investigations to find the truth and also hunt for criminals behind the murder of the policeman, injuring people and destroying property,” Zahor stated in a press release.

In addition to these acts, these have been alleged that police in Zanzibar have been launching nation-wide campaigns to pull-down Uamsho flags. Witnesses have claimed that armed officers have been in these rights violations in different parts of Zanzibar. It’s also been reported that these same officers have been beating these citizens. However, the Zanzibar police have constantly denied reports of these “alleged” attacks.

The question here is not only who is right, the government, police, or the citizens, but what can be done once the truth is found out? Also human rights are questionable here, not only with the citizens, but also with the government and police involved.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201210260245.html

Blog 8: Human Rights in Greece

Human rights groups in Athens, Greece are accusing the government of subjecting people who are seeking asylums to an application process that is “degrading and illegal”. They are also claiming that the process is aiming to discourage them from formally requesting state protection. As many as fourteen groups in Athens claimed that refugees from various war zones that are unable to file for asylum because of Greek’s main processing center, (located in Athens). The center accepts as few as twenty applications each week. A fifty pare report criticizing the process is being sent to the European Union.

A coordinator of the study, Efthalia Pappa was quoted by saying, “The process is ridiculous, degrading, and illegal. It’s an insult to our humanity.” Examples of this system being degrading, as well as challenging human rights are later explained in the article. Instances of unaccompanied children and other asylum seekers having to wait in lines just to access the system have been reported. These persons have no access to food or even toilets at the asylum center. Evidence has also been found that criminal gangs were in charge of who made it to the front of the lines; at other time police had to use batons and pepper spray to “control the crowds”.  A lawyer who provide free advice to asylum seekers, Vassilis Kerasitotis, was quoted by saying, “The situation is a total jungle…We have no choice but to complain to the European Union.”

The situation here is the not only the injustice of the actions taking place by the government, but the question of human rights. Who is really in the wrong here? Is it wrong for illegal immigrants or refugees, as well are certain homeless groups, to want to seek shelter? Is the application process really as degrading and as hard to access as it is made out to be? This situation is basically presenting the question of, “Who rights, if anyone’s, are being taken away?”  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/greek-rights-groups-slam-asylum-process-call-treatment-of-refugees-degrading-and-illegal/2012/10/19/28e879b4-1a0e-11e2-ad4a-e5a958b60a1e_story.html