Thursday, May 9

Human rights

The relations between economics and human rights are undeniably present in today’s world. Each day, nations make decisions that negatively or positively affect the lives of their citizens. Combatting human rights violations is a common goal in the international community. Global diplomacy reacts to such infractions with heavy economic and political repercussions such as sanctions and boycotts. The continued monitoring and reporting of these responses is a large component of the longevity of this beat. For more on this topic, see the Human Rights Resources page.

Hamas Opens The Gates Of Hell, Inviting The World In
16Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Human rights, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis

Hamas Opens The Gates Of Hell, Inviting The World In

Terrorist organization Hamas opened up the gates of Hell. Now the world must decide whether to enter or put out the flames. October 16, 2023—The Middle East blew up this month, inviting the world to join it on a downward track to a hellish world of murder, massacre, and a limitless cycle of revenge. It does no good to detail the specifics of the October 7 terror attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians. To do so would only continue to crush the spirit of this writer and readers alike. The point is, it was a full-scale air, sea, and ground attack by Hamas militants. It was the largest terror attack against Israel. It left 1,400 Israelis dead, thousands more injured, and at least 199 people kidnapped. Americans were included in the numbers. Militants broadcast their terror on so...
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El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America
29Jul By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Human rights, Types of News: Bit

El Salvador’s Bukele Rises In Popularity In Latin America

July 29, 2023—Reporting for the Los Angeles Times, Kate Linthicum describes El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has become a "hero on the right" for Latin American leaders even as human rights groups cry foul. It's been four years since Bukele took office and two years since he declared himself as the world's "coolest dictator." Today, many in Latin America view the president as a model for fighting gangs, violent crime, and corruption, even if it comes at the cost of civil liberties. Critics complain that the El Salvadorian leader embraces authoritarianism, but "as homicides plunged, Bukele's approval ratings skyrocketed," Linthicum writes in a LAT report this week. Even as he clears the way for mass criminal trials of hundreds of people at a time, his popularity rises in ...
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2022: Difficult Year For Human Rights
22Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Human rights, Types of News: Brief

2022: Difficult Year For Human Rights

Annual State Department Report Calls Out China, Russia, India, Israel, And Mexico March 22, 2023—In its annual report on human rights, the U.S. State Department reviewed policies and practices of governments and private groups impacting human rights in 198 countries. Overall, it's been a bleak year for freedom of speech, democracy, and even the basic right to life. The report criticized democratic republics, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as autocratic governments. "The goal of this report is not to lecture or to shame," said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Rather, it is to provide a resource for those individuals working around the world to safeguard and uphold human dignity when it’s under threat in so many ways."  https://youtu....
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G7 Aims To Improve War Crimes Investigations
30Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Human rights, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

G7 Aims To Improve War Crimes Investigations

November 30, 2022—Justice ministers representing G7 countries met on Tuesday to plan ways to investigate war crimes and bring war criminals to justice. Justice ministers from G7 countries and the European Union met in Berlin, Germany on Nov. 29, 2022. The G7 includes the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy. Photo credit: BMJ/Thomas Trutschel Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in February 2022, the international community has sought ways to prevent and condemn the aggressive actions, particularly against civilians. For example, in March the UN’s Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning Russia’s action against Ukraine and establishing a UN Council of Inquiry. That same month the International Court of Justice (IJC) autho...
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US Senator Raises Concerns About Saudi Funding for Twitter
7Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Human rights, Types of News: Bit

US Senator Raises Concerns About Saudi Funding for Twitter

November 5, 2022—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is raising national security concerns about Elon Musk's recent takeover of Twitter. Musk bought the social media company for $44 billion in part with financing from equity investors. Up to 5 percent of the loans came from Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Qatar. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the senator asked the Treasury Department's office overseeing foreign investments to use its legal authority to review the deal. Specifically, the senator asked the office known as CFIUS "to examine whether any degree of Saudi influence over Twitter’s operations or access to user data could foreseeably be used to silence government critics and human rights activists, or to further state-sponsored disinfor...
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Migrant Workers At U.S. Military Bases Face Forced To Stay By Private Contractors
31Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Human rights, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

Migrant Workers At U.S. Military Bases Face Forced To Stay By Private Contractors

Photo NBC Complaints Of Forced Labor Linger While Private Firms Continue To Win U.S. Contracts October 31, 2022—In an irony of ironies, the U.S. government opposes to human trafficking and forced labor at the same time that its Defense Department hires private contractors that routinely conducting those practices.  Migrant civilians working on U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf are subject to trafficking and abusive labor practices, according to a groundbreaking investigation conducted by a team of international journalists. The team included investigative reporters from the Washington Post, NBC News, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalists to uncover the story. Their findings came to light late las...
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EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request
14Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Europe, EU, Eurozone, Geopolitics, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

EU Advances Bosnia And Herzegovina Membership Request

European Commission Demands Candidate Countries Provide Stronger Human Rights Protections October 14, 2022—The European Commission gave the green light to Bosnia and Herzegovina on its candidacy to join the 27-member European Union. The decision, which comes with stipulations, moves to the European Council. EU leaders are aspiring to expand their bloc as a way to spread their perspective on the world stage. Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi called the enlargement policy a "geostrategic investment" in the continent's peace and stability. Candidates for the EU Line Up Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia are the latest countries to request membership. The bloc already has many countries waiting to get in, including Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo. "The Western Balkans are...
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New U.S. Ban On Xinjiang-Made Products Goes Into Effect
22Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Human rights, Types of News: Brief

New U.S. Ban On Xinjiang-Made Products Goes Into Effect

Source: WSJ June 22, 2022—A new U.S. law banning products made in Xinjiang, China goes into effect today. It requires U.S. importers to pay close attention to goods that might have been produced by forced labor in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The list of products impacted includes cotton and textiles, hair products, and silicon. Some of the companies named in the import ban are already on the U.S. sanctions list. Last year, for example, the U.S. government ban solar products made in Xinjiang. The complaint by the United States is that the products are made with forced labor by the Chinese government of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other minorities. The region is known, according to a statement by the State Department,  for ongoing practices by the Chinese governmen...
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UN Boots Russia Out Of Human Rights Council
10Apr By Jacob DavenportNo Comments
Diplomacy, Human rights, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

UN Boots Russia Out Of Human Rights Council

UN General Assembly on April 7, 2022 April 10, 2022--This week, the UN General Assembly by a two-thirds majority put forth a resolution to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. With a vote of 93 for-to-24 against with 58 countries abstaining, the resolution passed.   Some of the countries that voted to remove Russia included Ukraine, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway. China, Cuba, and Iran joined the countries siding with Russia. Meanwhile, India, Brazil, South Africa, Pakistan, and Singapore were among the 58 countries that abstained from the vote. It was April 7th, and it was the anniversary of the 1994 genocide. Mass Atrocities in Ukraine One of the main factors influencing the special session of the General Assembly was multiple report...
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Council Of Europe Moves Forward Minus One: Russia
16Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Democracy, Human rights, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

Council Of Europe Moves Forward Minus One: Russia

March 16, 2022--The human rights body for the European continent made a big decision today: It kicked one of its 46 members out. It is another sign of the turning point in history when the world becomes more divided. In what it said was "an extraordinary meeting" in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe revoked the membership of the Russian Federation after 26 years of its participation. Human Rights Body Statement The expulsion comes a day after the council's parliamentary assembly initiated the procedure. "Through their actions in Ukraine the Russian authorities deprive the Russian people of the benefit of the most advanced human rights protection system in the world, including the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights and our vast convention system," the counci...
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