Blog 12: Honduras

This week’s article is about U.S. government trained soldiers in Honduras who hunted down a 15 year old teenager and killed him. This is especially controversial because the U.S. is withholding millions of dollars in aid of police and military concerns in Honduras. The group that killed the boy was caught trying to hide any evidence of their involvement. Even though this happened back on May 26, new information has been brought to light. It seems that the actions of the group were backed by the U.S. government. The case is that the soldiers had to be vetted before the U.S. government could provide them with any supplies like the Ford truck used to track the boy down. This is a loophole since the U.S. cannot fund assistance to foreign military units who are tied to violations of human rights. Apparently this event isn’t the only thing holding the U.S. back from assisting Honduras. There have been many reports of human rights violations in Honduras.

                We do not know the reason for the government to supply a hunting party for a boy. The government had to have had a good reason for helping them since it meant cutting Honduras off from financial assistance. It seems pretty hypocritical and two-faced to me. There seems to always be someone at the end of these situations who pulls the strings. The media also takes advantage of the situation and distorts the truth to a more popular view. But who is responsible is irrelevant now. What matters is that it actually happened and what we are going to do about it. The U.S. should make sure that if they provide support, that it goes to the right people. If there’s the concern that the money could end up into corrupt hands, then it’s in the U.S. government’s best interest to provide it to the right enforcement authority.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/world/americas/honduras-teenagers-killing-could-threaten-us-aid.html?ref=freedomandhumanrights

Blog 11: South Sudan

For this week’s article, South Sudan, which has obtained its independence, last year, expelled its U.N. human rights officer. This was caused by a report of misconduct among the South Sudanese Army. This is a significant change because human rights violations were a major problem with the struggle for South Sudan’s independence. The report that had been filed about the army’s violations was of unnecessary acts of violence while trying to disarm resisting civilians. The U.S. has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in bringing the civil war conflict to an end. It is in the interest of both South Sudan and the U.S. to make sure that human rights violations be monitored. So far however, there still seems to be many cases of assault, torture and rape.

This could be very controversial if we let this escalate into something uncontrollable. Many people are afraid that with the lack of a human rights officer to oversee violations, that the South Sudanese government and army could commit such atrocities without much consequence. This would be very bad for the country and could cause civil unrest. This should have been seen coming since last year, South Sudanese Policemen beat a human rights officer. According to Reuters, the same police force opened fire on a group of students. Could it be that the South Sudanese army has become more corrupt during its fight for independence? It would seem that’s the case since the corruption has spread to a local level. There are reports of abuse by not just soldiers, but intelligence officers and the police force. This situation should be monitored very closely before it takes a step back in this regions progress for protecting human rights.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/world/africa/south-sudan-expels-un-rights-officer.html?ref=freedomandhumanrights

Blog 10: Song Ze

For this week’s article is about Song Ze, a humanitarian who aids the protestors and petitioners struggle against China’s Communist Party. Author of the article Xiao Guozhen recalls his time observing Song’s work. Song calls it upon himself to protect petitioners and offer his service to aid in the great effort. Xiao describes Song as someone who is very passionate about his work as he takes a relatively small but purposeful role in the country’s change. Xiao even says that whenever he was arrested, he was able keep a cheerful look upon him. China’s Article 73 is a policy highly criticized for its conditions that seem to violate human rights. It grants law enforcement agencies the power to secretly detain threats to national security.

What is happening to Song during his imprisonment remains a mystery. For his so called crimes against the Chinese authorities, Song could face torture, interrogations and beatings. It seems this is a possibility since Song has violated every policy the authorities place on the petitioners. His actions are of that of a man with a mission. He helps give a voice to those who have been silenced by the Chinese authorities. With his help, petitioners and protestors have a better chance to meet their goals safely. Now he faces violence and brutality all for the sake of his work. It is not right for all of his hard work that he is paid back with such suffering I could never imagine. No one who fights for what they believe in should be subjected to this.

Blog 9: Russian and U.S. Relations.

For this week’s article, the State Duma Parliament in Russia held a hearing about the United States’ authoritative role in international human rights protection. Russia suspects that the U.S. is using human rights as a reason to meddle in various foreign affairs. The Foreign Ministry stated that it was Russian authorities’ job to keep an eye out for any policies made by the U.S. that may be used to intervene in their affairs and the affairs of other sovereign nations. Another factor concerning this issue is the upcoming election and both President Obama’s and Gov. Romney’s view on the tension between the U.S. and Russia.

The U.S. has always taken upon it itself to help improve or restore conditions in countries experiencing some sort of trouble or conflict. The U.S. has also taken precautions to prevent overstepping its boundaries. Many countries are accepting to U.S. interference and others like Russia feel that they are intruding. Russia also accused the U.S. of meddling into Russian elections. On top of everything else, Russia refused to renew old policies incorporated with the dismantling of nuclear weapons. This set relations back a bit as it brought up old conflict topics. There are discussions between both sides for the outcome of the refusal of the policy, but little progress is expected to be made.

Blog 8: Youths In Prison

For this week’s blog, I found an article about the imprisonment of adolescents with adult criminals. Now the article only refers to the U.S., but the way it is written sort of implies the relevance of this issue in other countries as well. I can only assume this because of our limited knowledge of prison operations in other countries. The article talks about the numerous negative effects that the adult criminal justice system has on juvenile youths. Any traumas one might experience such as rape, injury and mistreatment could cause long term psychological damage to youths that may already have problems. The benefits of exposing kids to that sort of incarceration don’t outweigh the price of their recovery potential. Additionally, the kids who are exposed to that are more likely to commit violent crimes upon their return home. Some might even consider suicide during or after their incarceration.

Some prisons have come up with ways to segregate inmates of different age groups, but it usually means that the younger one’s end up in solitary confinement. The effect of solitary confinement on any individual alone regardless of age could destroy any hope of rehabilitation. Instead of teaching young delinquents a lesson by putting them with more dangerous criminals, we should be pushing them through the juvenile justice system to make sure that they get the proper care they need. Prisons should be for those adults who need to be removed from society for a long period of time. Kids don’t belong in prison because they still have a shot at a normal life. There’s the saying that children are our future. In that case, we shouldn’t lock them up but help the troubled youths learn to function civilly in society. Great measures should be taken to ensure that nobody under the age of 18 ends up in adult prisons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/opinion/adolescents-in-grown-up-jails.html?ref=humanrightswatch&_r=0

Blog 7: Shocking String of Rights Violations in Mali

This week my article is about Extremists in Mali and how they are paying families for their children to serve as soldiers. The Islamic extremists, some of which have ties to Al Qaeda, overthrew the president and issued harsh Islamic law across the region. The initial violations of human rights started with this overthrowing of the government where captured soldiers were executed and women were being raped. Now, the Islamic rules being pressed on civilians has mainly targeted women by having them cover themselves and restricting their work availability. There is even a ban on playing music and smoking. More and more forced marriages are taking place and the selling of wives from person to person can be seen as a way around prostitution.

Even though all of these things occurring, the U.N. Security Council requires a more detailed report on the events that are taking place. Many factors must be taken into account in order for an effective plan of action can be formed. Even though these formalities are essential, human rights groups have to push the U.N. councils to use every resource possible to speed up this planning process. During all the time that is spent preparing for a solution, children are being sold to the extremists for $600 or less. The sad truth is that many families are forced to do this because of their economic status. Women are being sold for even more than that from person to person. About a third of Northern Mali’s population has fled for their lives to nearby countries. There are so many factors of violations to human rights in this case that the initial report should have been done more thoroughly. Because of the complexity of this issue, it should be considered a priority. The numerous conflicts could result in other complications that would deem very difficult to resolve.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/10/us-mali-crisis-un-idUSBRE8991OI20121010

Blog 6: Trouble in the Gaza Strip

This week’s article is about the surge of unfair trials and corrupt criminal justice system in the Gaza Strip. Human Rights Watch has reported several cases of arbitrary arrests, torture and unfair trials by the hands of the Palestinian military regime, Hamas that resides in the Gaza Strip. There have been many cases filed by Human Rights Watch to get rid of capital punishment and civilian prosecution in military courts. Hamas claims that their prison facilities are open to a select few human rights organizations based in Palestinian territory. This way there is at least someone looking out for instances of torture and mistreatment. A Hamas representative of the Interior Ministry claims that Hamas has fired around 120 employees in security for abusing prisoners in some way or another. The report detailed by Human Rights Watch has found at least three instances where Palestinians who were suspected of association with Israel were tortured and then executed.

In situations like these, people are deprived of their rights as citizens and human beings and are treated unfairly. Personally I have heard of many cases where a militant group like the Hamas would imprison and even execute innocent civilians. The territorial conflict between Israel and the Palestinian regions has been a controversial subject since it began in the early 20^th century. This conflict spans over a wide variety of issues from water rights to the control of Jerusalem. This makes it all the more important to respond. Problems with historical territorial disputes have often led to uncivilized violence. Now, innocent people are being judged unfairly because of hightened tensions  resulted from the conflict. It is important for human rights organizations and activists to monitor instances such as this so that the unjustly actions of the authoritarian group don’t violate human rights laws.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/world/middleeast/human-rights-watch-report-critical-of-hamas-justice-system-in-gaza.html?ref=freedomandhumanrights

 

 

Blog 5: California Hospitality

For this week’s article, Amnesty International found that the treatment of prisoners in solitary confinement at the California Pelican Bay State Prison was a violation of international human rights laws. There are similar claims as to the treatment of prisoners at the Corcoran State prison. Prisons in California are already 50% over capacity. Under these conditions, over 3,000 prisoners are in extreme solitary confinement enduring the effects of the lack of sunlight, fresh air, and direct human contact. Amnesty International interviewed some of the inmates that have been held in isolation and the results were disturbing to me. Inmates talked of the lack of human contact as the worse part of the long-term confinement. One spoke of the weird and pitiful things he would have to do to pass the time.

The conditions that the inmates endure in Californian prisons have the potential to cause long-term psychological effects. Confinement to this degree should constitute as torture for its negative behavioral effects. It’s hard to believe that treatment such as this is happening in my home state and on U.S. soil let alone conditions in other countries such as Syria. Lots of changes must be made to draw the line between justified imprisonment and cruel, dehumanizing confinement. There are supposed to be programs of rehabilitation and heath aid for these prisoners, but those who are in confinement aren’t allowed to participate in such events. Prisons are worried about the excess capacity of prisons, but the cause is right in front of them. Some prisons may not release prisoners who are not mentally stable to live out their lives or just send them off to a medical institution. By keeping them in isolation they are in a way forcing the inmates to remain ineligible for release. This is a major factor in the over capacity of prisons. What would be worse than that is if the same event that happened in California last year were to occur? In 2011, over 32,000 inmates were released to lower capacity and suicide rates. Some of these inmates may have come from mental treatment programs.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/us-usa-california-prisons-idUSBRE88Q0A920120927

Blog 4: American Citizen Freed from Nicaraguan Prison

For this week’s topic I chose an article about Jason Puracul, a U.S. citizen who was wrongfully jailed in a Nicaraguan prison two years ago and has just been released. The Nicaraguan authorities charged him with money laundering and drug trafficking and a trial judge convicted another 10 co-defendants of his. They suspected him because of his job as a real estate agent, which granted Jason access to large amounts of money. What’s concerning though, is that Jason recalls seeing other prisoners, some of which are U.S. citizens, that are in similar situations. While imprisoned, Jason was told that there could be hundreds of these innocent people who have been convicted. His sentence ended when a campaign led by human rights activists overturned his conviction. Jason’s sister Janis spared no expense to see to it that he was released. Her efforts cost her and their family over $500,000.

There are cases of wrongful imprisonment all over the world. However, there was something particularly concerning about Jason’s case that rallied the attention of various organizations that specialize in determining wrongful imprisonment. Jason’s story also sparked the interest of international human rights activists, U.S. lawmakers and even a human rights lawyer. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended Jason’s freedom since he was convicted and imprisoned under an arbitrary system. This case not only inspired people to tackle cases of wrongful imprisonment in the future, but clearly demonstrated the subjects’ relevance in today’s global society. This could be the first of many cases of human rights activists and international organizations banding together to right the wrongs. A case like Jasons’ would have likely been looked over. Now because of him, wrongful imprisonment may have just moved up in human rights organizations’ priority issues.  

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/18/us-usa-nicaragua-prisoner-idUSBRE88H03920120918

Blog 3: Unrest in Syria

For my article this week, U.N. Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay has decided to put the blame on both sides of the conflict in Syria. She addresses to the U.N. Human Rights Council that both the Syrian government and anti-government forces actions could be deemed crimes against humanity. Their methods of retaliation including the use of heavy weaponry and explosives have already caused over 23,000 deaths. On top of that, more than 200,000 have fled for their lives to nearby countries according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The International Criminals Court has told Pillay that the issue is best left up to U.N. Security Council. That news was unsettling since the council was split on what action to take.

War crimes directly coincide with human rights. Human rights laws have to be taken into consideration when it comes to the acts of violence that have been committed in this uprising. Executions, air raids, bombings and even torture sessions have taken place in this almost 1 ½ year conflict. This revolution has taken its toll on both the armed forces and the innocent civilians. There is panic among the people as buildings are being shelled and the streets are under heavy fire. Many have already fled either from the violence from the fear of being captured and possibly tortured. These crimes are acts of violence towards humanity. People with authority like U.N. Human Rights Chief Pillay need to persist on ensuring that this issue is submitted to the U.N. Security Council and that a solution is arranged as soon as possible. The uprising has gotten to the point where it can only get worse unless the right measures are taken to stop it. Issues such as this happen all around the world and escalated rather quickly before anything can be done to stop them.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/syria-crisis-un-idUSL5E8KA5UM20120910

Blog 2: Drones for Human Rights

Sadly, there were a lot of articles on the neglect of human rights mostly in Syria. Many of which I couldn’t use because they were outdated. However, there was one article that incorporates how modern technology can help protect or even preserve human rights. My article for this week explains how drones like the ones used by the military could be used by nongovernmental organizations to capture high definition photos and real time broadcasts of riots and corrupt government violence in Syria.

This is an effective way to observe violations of human rights from a distance. Also, the clarity and definition of the images that the drones can pick up is so much better than the common blurred civilian-shot photos and shaky mobile phone recordings. This will be helpful for the UN and the International Criminals Court to make decisions on the best course of action in certain situation. Unfortunately, it seems that the Syrian government has been using indoor facilities to carry out their acts of beating, torture and interrogation. Drones are smaller and more affordable than before. They are also available for purchase from non-military buyers. However, there are risks to flying the drones over Syria airspace.

The Syrian government could see the drone as an act of conspiracy by an unknown foreign establishment. Or worse, the drone could be identified as an American piece of technology and be mistaken for property of the U.S. government. This could cause diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Syria.  Such risks are the reason that human rights organizations decided not to use drones as a way of surveillance. When it came down to it, the risk was just too high. At least we now know that the drone surveillance of human rights violations is a viable option for the future if we find a way to surpass the risks.  

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/opinion/drones-for-human-rights.html?_r=1

Blog 1: Volunteers Observe Police Engagement of School Occupations

Last year in Santiago, Chile, students occupy their schools in protest for improved, more adequate public education. Protests began to erupt recently from school to school in the past month. That is why this year; the Chilean government gathered a special task force to clear out occupied buildings. In reaction to this response team, small groups of volunteers with various backgrounds begin to gather at these occupations to observe and document police actions. These volunteers aptly named the "helmets" for the hardhats they wear to be recognized, do not intervene with the protests, but are there to record any misconduct with the police's treatment of the students. The article I chose this week is "Volunteers Keep Watch on Protests in Chile" by Pascale Bonnefoy. In this article, Pascale explains how a community came together to help protect the students human rights from the possibility of police brutality.

There have been numerous cases of police brutality as well as other forms of police misconduct all around the world. The misuse of authority in law enforcement is an important topic as it relates to the well-being of the community that the police are sworn to protect. There is obviously something wrong when the community has to interject and point out the wrongdoings of their protectors. I thought it was interesting how the DDHH, the Observers and Defenders of Human Rights, and the other volunteer groups used their various skills as ordinary citizens to help the students anyway they could. For instance, Pascale notes a new group that was formed last month that consisted of law students that gave legal aid to students detained by the police.

All of the reports that the observers work on tirelessly are compiled and sent to various human rights protection agencies and organizations that can put them to good use. One of the observers explained how their reports are also available as evidence in court. Pascale writes that "protest organizers now have the habit of calling the helmets beforehand". The observers findings are crucial to the well-being of the detained students. Every day, the "helmets" grow in numbers as the community bands together to provide an important human rights service to society. Unfortunately, there may be some forms of corruption in law enforcement, but the observers make sure that corruption doesn't affect their community. 

Police misconduct is an important social issue in developed or developing societies. Authority can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Steps must be taken to ensure that an individual will abide by certain guidelines and protocol. In the U.S. for instance, police cadets are put through rigorous training and psychological evaluations. Even then, some get past the tests and are let out onto the streets. The use of excessive force on civilians could alter the psychosocial state of a community and cripple the foundation of society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/world/americas/helmeted-volunteers-monitor-student-protests-in-chile.html?_r=1&ref=freedomandhumanrights