OPINIONS

"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-- Mahatma Gandhi

UPHOLDING HUMAN RIGHTS
AROUND THE WORLD

Compiled by Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000

"One Planet, One People, One Peace"

Hardly any media coverage has been given last week to a worrying situation vigorously denounced by major human rights groups. In far too many countries human rights violations are continuing unabated and the very U.N. Human Rights Commission that is supposed to act as a global voice of conscience to denounce such abuses has been virtually silenced by a
majority of its 53 member states following an arduous 6-week long meeting that ended in Geneva last Friday. A resolution calling for new anti-terrorist measures to conform with international humanitarian law was even withdrawn in the closing hours of the meeting following political pressures from the U.S. Alleged abuses in Zimbabwe, Chechnya, Cuba and Iran will not fall under the scrutiny of the commission because of political maneuvering within the commission itself. The Democratic Republic of Congo where over 2.5 million people have died because of a prolonged war does not have enough human right monitors to prevent thousands of people from being subjected to ongoing horrors. There are reports of rising executions in China as a result of its clampdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement and Muslim minorities and yet China succeeded in preventing this UN commission from looking into this situation. Ordinary civilians have been the main victims of the intensified conflict in Israel - because of suicide bombings - and in the Occupied Territories, particularly in Jenin where a UN fact-finding mission is to begin assessment of allegations of an atrocious carnage of up to 500 civilians during the recent re-occupation of several
West Bank cities by the Israeli army. The list of countries where rampant human rights abuses are on the rise is indeed very long.

Please dedicate your prayers and meditations, as guided by Spirit, in the coming two weeks to contribute in fostering in everyone's mind and heart a profound commitment to uphold the sacredness of all human lives and the dignity of all human beings, no matter where they live and their social status. Empower through unconditional love a global awakening to the innate
reality of the brother/sisterhood of all humanity and the growing sense of our Unity with All That Is through the key emotionally charged thoughts of "One Mind, One Heart, Oneness", repeatedly projected. May all essential human rights be upheld around the world, for the Highest Good of All.

Human Rights after 9-11 (18 March, 2002)
From: http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/humanrights020318.html

The UN Human Rights Commission is meeting in Geneva for its annual session. It's a time-honoured tradition to examine which countries need an international reminder to respect basic rights. Featuring high on the list of the 53-member body are China, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Africa, Colombia and Chechnya.

Conspicuously absent from this year's deliberations is the United States, which failed to get enough votes in last year's secret UN ballot to remain on the Commission. And yet, dominating this year's session will be the aftermath of the September 11th suicide bombings in the United States.

The attacks deeply unsettled many countries, including the US, and triggered a global crackdown on terrorists. But in the view of Amnesty International's Martin MacPherson, terrorists are not the only victims.

"Since the attacks, states have introduced legislation which violates accepted international human rights standards and the risk is then that we may criminalize legitimate activities, for example areas around freedom of association or freedom of expression. People are being detained indefinitely and denied access to the normal criminal justice system. Some countries have established special courts or tribunals to try certain types of so-called terrorist cases and those courts have special rules and evidence, which are different from what is normally accepted in the criminal justice system. There's a risk that they may violate fair trial standards, for example deny defense council access to evidence which is deemed secret or sensitive for the state."

    September 11th Pretext

The Amnesty spokesman points to Russia which has used the aftermath of the September 11th attacks to its advantage comparing the US war on terrorism with its own violent crackdown on separatists in Chechnya. He says it's given Israel a similar excuse to use excessive force against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. And in Africa, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe issued new restrictive legislation saying he had to deal insurgents and terrorists in the country.

"There is a risk that governments will ride on the interest to combat terrorism since the 11th of September for their own internal purposes."

Links:
Commission on Human Rights - http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - http://www.unhchr.ch
Amnesty International - http://www.amnesty.org

Civil liberties, human rights (April 25, 2002)
From: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0425/p10s02-lign.html

The people who used to light single candles rather than curse the darkness now have searchlights at their disposal.

The Helsinki Accord and other treaties of the 1970s gave rise to a wave of new human rights groups. They labored tirelessly to publicize the failures of totalitarian regimes to uphold rights they had just signed onto. These activists helped end the cold war.

Their movement started small but has grown. "It's a big battalion. It's got troops, it's got divisions. It's got fax machines!" Harvard historian Michael Ignatieff told a recent forum on human rights at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. The annual budget of Human Rights Watch, for instance, has grown from $200,000 to $20 million.

The world's human rights agenda is changing, in part because sovereignty is changing. Governments are more willing to accept international norms. Courts now cite precedents from courts in other countries. Even the historically Euroskeptical British have signed onto European standards of justice. The United States remains out of step with all this.

"There are three great languages of American freedom: civil liberties, civil rights, and human rights," the Canadian-born Ignatieff said. "But human rights is for export. At home you use the language of civil liberties." The US system remains "self-enclosed."

For this, Ignatieff blames the legacy of slavery. The hesitancy to accept international human rights standards goes back to the 1950s, when the US feared exposing the Jim Crow South to global scrutiny.

And today, Americans fail to appreciate the degree to which the US is the outlier on issues such as capital punishment, and the rights of women and children.

If you wish to send any information or comments, email us at mail@ambassadors.net.

The Ambassadors