Ukrainian former world heavyweight boxing champ Wladimir Klitschko declared that Ukraine will "close the sky on our own" amid Russia's war with the eastern European country after the US and its allies have rejected pleas to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine's skies.
"[If] allies and partners cannot close the sky [over Ukraine,] we will constantly get bombarded with rockets and air strikes," Klitschko, the brother of the mayor of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, told CNN on Tuesday.
Klitschko added, "So if you don't close the sky, just give us the weapons. We're going to close the sky on our own. And we have enough of our will to defend our country. We just need the equipment to do it," according to the news outlet.
The ex-boxer and member of the Kyiv Territorial Defense called on world leaders to continue supplying weapons to Ukraine and to ramp up economic sanctions against Russia.
“In few places have the human consequences of this decline been as stark as they are in the Russian government’s brutal war on Ukraine,” Blinken said in remarks on the release of the U.S. State Department’s 2021 global human rights report.
“Governments are locking up more critics at home…. We’ve also seen a rise in governments arbitrarily detaining individuals to try to gain leverage in bilateral relationships, to use them as human pawns,” he added.
Read more at:
U.S. Rights Report Warns Of Global 'Backsliding,' As Blinken Slams Russia Over Ukraine
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Rights. Show all posts
4/20/22
4/1/21
Turkey: U.S. Faults NATO Ally Turkey With Range of Human Rights Issues - by Selcan Hacaoglu
The Biden administration faulted Turkey over a series of “significant human rights issues” ranging from allegations of arbitrary killings and torture cases to the jailing of tens of thousands of political foes, including politicians, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists.
The release late Tuesday of the “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” exposes mounting mistrust on both sides of the alliance and lingering tensions with Turkey under President Joe Biden.
The U.S. leader criticized Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an “autocrat” in a meeting with the New York Times in 2019 and hasn’t called Erdogan since taking office in January.
Read More At: U.S. Faults NATO Ally Turkey With Range of Human Rights Issues - Bloomberg
The release late Tuesday of the “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” exposes mounting mistrust on both sides of the alliance and lingering tensions with Turkey under President Joe Biden.
The U.S. leader criticized Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an “autocrat” in a meeting with the New York Times in 2019 and hasn’t called Erdogan since taking office in January.
Read More At: U.S. Faults NATO Ally Turkey With Range of Human Rights Issues - Bloomberg
3/22/21
EU agrees first sanctions on China in more than 30 years
The EU, togetherwith the US and Britain has imposed sanctions on China in more than 30 years
Read more at: EU agrees first sanctions on China in more than 30 years | Euronews
Read more at: EU agrees first sanctions on China in more than 30 years | Euronews
3/14/21
German- Turkish Relations: Young Turkish people seek fresh start in Germany amid repression at home
Turkey is once again experiencing a brain drain, as more and more young graduates and other highly qualified workers are leaving the country to start a new life abroad.
Critics blame President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government for failing to offer qualified Turks enough prospects and even stigmatizing them. The criticism has intensified since protests broke out at Istanbul's renowned Bogazici University in January after Erdogan appointed an unpopular rector loyal to his ruling AKP party. The police cracked down heavily on the demonstrations, and politicians have described the student protesters as "terrorists" or even "perverts."
Read More at Young Turkish people seek fresh start in Germany amid repression at home | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 13.03.2021
Critics blame President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government for failing to offer qualified Turks enough prospects and even stigmatizing them. The criticism has intensified since protests broke out at Istanbul's renowned Bogazici University in January after Erdogan appointed an unpopular rector loyal to his ruling AKP party. The police cracked down heavily on the demonstrations, and politicians have described the student protesters as "terrorists" or even "perverts."
Read More at Young Turkish people seek fresh start in Germany amid repression at home | Europe| News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 13.03.2021
3/13/21
Russia: Human Rights Abuses: Russian police detain around 200 people, including leading opposition figures, at Moscow meeting
The detentions come amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin sentiment, following the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny who returned to Russia in January after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning in Siberia.
The Moscow forum, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, was a gathering of municipal deputies from all over he country, Andrei Pivovarov, the event’s organiser and executive director of Open Russia, a British- sed group founded by exiled former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told radio station Echo Moskvy.
Russian police detained around 200 people, including several prominent opposition figures, at a meeting of independent and opposition politicians in Moscow on Saturday, the interior ministry said.
Read more at: Russian police detain around 200 people, including leading opposition figures, at Moscow meeting | Reuters
The Moscow forum, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, was a gathering of municipal deputies from all over he country, Andrei Pivovarov, the event’s organiser and executive director of Open Russia, a British- sed group founded by exiled former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told radio station Echo Moskvy.
Russian police detained around 200 people, including several prominent opposition figures, at a meeting of independent and opposition politicians in Moscow on Saturday, the interior ministry said.
Read more at: Russian police detain around 200 people, including leading opposition figures, at Moscow meeting | Reuters
Global Human Rights Abusers: China and Russia top EU list of global rights abusers - by Andrew Rettman
China, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea, Russia, and South Sudan are to be stigmatised as home to the world's worst human-rights abusers under new EU sanctions.
The move will cover some 11 officials and four entities in total from the six countries.
Read more at China and Russia top EU list of global rights abusers
The move will cover some 11 officials and four entities in total from the six countries.
Read more at China and Russia top EU list of global rights abusers
3/2/21
Saudi - US Relations: Biden needs Saudi support, that makes it tough "for him" to push for human rights - by Abigailngwy
U.S. President Joe Biden is caught between “two opposing forces” when it comes to Saudi Arabia, according to Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council.
During his presidential campaign, Biden said Washington would make Riyadh the “pariah that they are” and hold the kingdom accountable on human rights issues. However, the president now sees that Saudi Arabia’s support is important for his agenda in the Middle East region, Kempe said.
Read more at: Biden needs Saudi support, that makes it tough to push for human rights
During his presidential campaign, Biden said Washington would make Riyadh the “pariah that they are” and hold the kingdom accountable on human rights issues. However, the president now sees that Saudi Arabia’s support is important for his agenda in the Middle East region, Kempe said.
Read more at: Biden needs Saudi support, that makes it tough to push for human rights
2/27/21
Saudi-Arabia - Human Rights: Wife of Jamal Khashoggi speaks to DW
Egyptian woman Hanan El Atr has come forward claiming to be the wife of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after the CIA released a report claiming that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered Khashoggi's death in October 2018. Riyadh has rejected the claims.
El Atr told DW's Oliver Sallet that she was "devastated" about the revelations in the report, saying her husband was not dangerous enough that he needed to be trapped and murdered. "I'm sure if they know the truth about Jamal, and I'm allowed to say his message and his truth, they will really regret what they did to my husband," she added.
El Atr also thanked US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for holding the Saudi crown prince accountable for Khashoggi's death. "They kept their word for human rights, they emphasize, and they've been transparent and help the truth to come out, which has encouraged me now, because I'm free to talk now, because I didn't have this freedom for two years," she said.
Read more at: Wife of Jamal Khashoggi speaks to DW | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 27.02.2021
El Atr told DW's Oliver Sallet that she was "devastated" about the revelations in the report, saying her husband was not dangerous enough that he needed to be trapped and murdered. "I'm sure if they know the truth about Jamal, and I'm allowed to say his message and his truth, they will really regret what they did to my husband," she added.
El Atr also thanked US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for holding the Saudi crown prince accountable for Khashoggi's death. "They kept their word for human rights, they emphasize, and they've been transparent and help the truth to come out, which has encouraged me now, because I'm free to talk now, because I didn't have this freedom for two years," she said.
Read more at: Wife of Jamal Khashoggi speaks to DW | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 27.02.2021
2/25/21
Saudi Arabia - Human Rights Abuses: Saudi heir complicit in Khashoggi murder, US assessment reportedly finds
Joe Biden is expected to call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, as his administration prepares to release a declassified intelligence assessment that will reportedly name the royal’s son and heir as complicit in the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Biden’s call to the 85-year-old ruler would take place “soon” and that the declassified report on Khashoggi’s murder was being readied for release. Biden, who said he has read the report, is insisting that he speak only to the king.
Read more at: Saudi heir complicit in Khashoggi murder, US assessment reportedly finds | Jamal Khashoggi | The Guardian
The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Biden’s call to the 85-year-old ruler would take place “soon” and that the declassified report on Khashoggi’s murder was being readied for release. Biden, who said he has read the report, is insisting that he speak only to the king.
Read more at: Saudi heir complicit in Khashoggi murder, US assessment reportedly finds | Jamal Khashoggi | The Guardian
1/18/21
Russia: Alexei Navalny: Poisoned Putin critic Navalny detained for 30 days
Russia's most prominent opposition figure has been arrested and detained for 30 days, after returning to Moscow for the first time since he was poisoned last year.
Mr Navalny, 44, said a court ruling from a police station was a mockery, urging people to stage street protests.
Mr Navalny has described the embezzlement charges as politically motivated.
US and European leaders have led calls for his release.
Mr Navalny was almost killed in an attack involving the nerve agent Novichok last August, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Moscow has denied involvement. The opposition politician's allegations have however been backed up by reports from investigative journalists.
Read more at: Alexei Navalny: Poisoned Putin critic Navalny detained for 30 days - BBC News
Mr Navalny, 44, said a court ruling from a police station was a mockery, urging people to stage street protests.
Mr Navalny has described the embezzlement charges as politically motivated.
US and European leaders have led calls for his release.
Mr Navalny was almost killed in an attack involving the nerve agent Novichok last August, which he blamed on the Kremlin. Moscow has denied involvement. The opposition politician's allegations have however been backed up by reports from investigative journalists.
Read more at: Alexei Navalny: Poisoned Putin critic Navalny detained for 30 days - BBC News
1/12/21
Human Rights: Article 10: Freedom of expression
Article 10 protects your right to hold your own opinions and to express them freely without government interference.
This includes the right to express your views aloud (for example through public protest and demonstrations, or through: published articles, books or leaflets, television, or radiobroadcasting, works of art, the internet and social media).
The law also protects your freedom to receive information from other people by, for example, being part of an audience or reading a magazine.
Read more at: Article 10: Freedom of expression | Equality and Human Rights Commission
This includes the right to express your views aloud (for example through public protest and demonstrations, or through: published articles, books or leaflets, television, or radiobroadcasting, works of art, the internet and social media).
The law also protects your freedom to receive information from other people by, for example, being part of an audience or reading a magazine.
Read more at: Article 10: Freedom of expression | Equality and Human Rights Commission
1/2/21
EU-US Relations: The Total Failure of the Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy and the consequences for the EU - by RM
The fall of the Soviet Union handed the U.S. a unique opportunity, as the surviving superpower, to lead the world toward a period of greater cooperation and conflict resolution through the use of diplomacy, global organization, and international law. This great opportunity to change US foreign policy doctrine was completely squandered by successive US presidents, who chose "the stick above the carrot" and consequently making the world a more dangerous place today.
The differences between the foreign policies of the EU, based on cooperation, trade , the environment,and Human Rights, and that of the United States became especially aparent during the Trump Administration, when Europe started staking out separate, clashing positions, on everything, from telecommunications to energy. The EU and US both issued sharp disagreements on the basic building blocks of foreign relations—namely, how the international system should work. French President Emmanuel Macron seized the spotlight, and sent the hearts of European federalists aflutter, by calling for “a European way” while raising the possibility of a French-led European nuclear deterrent, a precondition for any true independence from the United States.
If opinion polls are to go by, we are already separated. Nowhere is this felt more acutely than in Germany, the most important country in Europe. In January, Pew Research released a poll showing that 57 percent of Germans hold an outright unfavorable view of the United States. A few months earlier, in September, the European Council on Foreign Relations reported that 70 percent of Germans want their country to remain neutral in any conflict between Moscow and Washington.
For some European, Anglo-Saxon capitalism is seen as ruthless and rootless, mowing down the social order in the service of individual greed. For others, the United States’ dominance of the West breeds resentment, especially in an era of globalization, when even the slightest shocks from across the Atlantic hit the EU's bottom line or derail its diplomacy.
With the US Biden Administration in charge soon, the overall relationship between the two Transatlanic Super Power partners certainly will get off to a better start, but the US administration must certainly not expect that the status quo is re-established. Take note America, your former "lap dog" now considers itself an independent partner with its own voice.
EU-Digest
The differences between the foreign policies of the EU, based on cooperation, trade , the environment,and Human Rights, and that of the United States became especially aparent during the Trump Administration, when Europe started staking out separate, clashing positions, on everything, from telecommunications to energy. The EU and US both issued sharp disagreements on the basic building blocks of foreign relations—namely, how the international system should work. French President Emmanuel Macron seized the spotlight, and sent the hearts of European federalists aflutter, by calling for “a European way” while raising the possibility of a French-led European nuclear deterrent, a precondition for any true independence from the United States.
If opinion polls are to go by, we are already separated. Nowhere is this felt more acutely than in Germany, the most important country in Europe. In January, Pew Research released a poll showing that 57 percent of Germans hold an outright unfavorable view of the United States. A few months earlier, in September, the European Council on Foreign Relations reported that 70 percent of Germans want their country to remain neutral in any conflict between Moscow and Washington.
For some European, Anglo-Saxon capitalism is seen as ruthless and rootless, mowing down the social order in the service of individual greed. For others, the United States’ dominance of the West breeds resentment, especially in an era of globalization, when even the slightest shocks from across the Atlantic hit the EU's bottom line or derail its diplomacy.
With the US Biden Administration in charge soon, the overall relationship between the two Transatlanic Super Power partners certainly will get off to a better start, but the US administration must certainly not expect that the status quo is re-established. Take note America, your former "lap dog" now considers itself an independent partner with its own voice.
EU-Digest
12/30/20
Arms Sales versus Human Rights: US approves sale of $290m in bombs to Saudi Arabia
Arms deals with Middle East dictatorships are being rushed through by Trump, critics say, despite opposition over human rights records.
The US state department has approved the sale of $290m in bombs to Saudi Arabia as part of a flurry of arms deals with Middle Eastern dictatorships in the last weeks of the Trump administration.
Critics of the sales say they are being rushed through despite broad congressional and public opposition to such military support because of the human rights records of the regimes involved and in the case of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the huge civilian death toll from the war in Yemen.
Read more at: US approves sale of $290m in bombs to Saudi Arabia | US news | The Guardian
The US state department has approved the sale of $290m in bombs to Saudi Arabia as part of a flurry of arms deals with Middle Eastern dictatorships in the last weeks of the Trump administration.
Critics of the sales say they are being rushed through despite broad congressional and public opposition to such military support because of the human rights records of the regimes involved and in the case of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the huge civilian death toll from the war in Yemen.
Read more at: US approves sale of $290m in bombs to Saudi Arabia | US news | The Guardian
12/28/20
US - Saudi Relations: Saudi court jails women's rights activist, posing challenge for Biden
A Saudi court on Monday sentenced prominent women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul to nearly six years in prison, her family said, after her conviction in a trial that has drawn international condemnation.
The verdict and sentence pose a challenge to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s relationship with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who has criticised Riyadh’s human rights record.
Read more at: Saudi court jails women's rights activist, posing challenge for Biden | Reuters
The verdict and sentence pose a challenge to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s relationship with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who has criticised Riyadh’s human rights record.
Read more at: Saudi court jails women's rights activist, posing challenge for Biden | Reuters
12/6/20
The Netherlands: Should the Dutch ‘Black Pete’ tradition be abolished?
Many children in the Netherlands have grown up with the image of Black Pete, a helper for St Nicholas, an equivalent of Santa Claus.
The character is highly controversial, as the figure is usually portrayed by a white person wearing blackface makeup with exaggerated lips and an afro wig
Note EU-Digest: Indeed quite controversial. This has been a centuries old tradional Childrens celebration, before it became a racial issue. Amazing that the people promoting this as a racial issue have no qualms with the flagrant human rights violations of Saudi Arabia and many other countries around the world?
Read more at: Should the Dutch ‘Black Pete’ tradition be abolished? | Netherlands | Al Jazeera
The character is highly controversial, as the figure is usually portrayed by a white person wearing blackface makeup with exaggerated lips and an afro wig
Note EU-Digest: Indeed quite controversial. This has been a centuries old tradional Childrens celebration, before it became a racial issue. Amazing that the people promoting this as a racial issue have no qualms with the flagrant human rights violations of Saudi Arabia and many other countries around the world?
Read more at: Should the Dutch ‘Black Pete’ tradition be abolished? | Netherlands | Al Jazeera
11/27/20
Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Violations: Saudi activist's trial moved to specialized terrorism court following rare court appearance
The trial of Saudi activist Loujain Alhathloul has been transferred from Saudi Arabia's criminal court to a court specializing in terrorism charges, according to her family.
The move, which has been decried by human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, is the latest development in the case, which has been back in the spotlight following the G20 conference in Riyadh. The referral is a setback for efforts to push for her swift release and means she will face charges related to terrorism and national security.
Alhathloul, 31, earned a degree from the University of British Columbia and lived in Vancouver for five years before being arrested in May 2018 along with nine other prominent women's rights activists.
Anoter example of scandalous misbehavior re: human rights violations of Saudi Arabia.
Read more at: Saudi activist's trial moved to specialized terrorism court following rare court appearance | CBC News
The move, which has been decried by human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, is the latest development in the case, which has been back in the spotlight following the G20 conference in Riyadh. The referral is a setback for efforts to push for her swift release and means she will face charges related to terrorism and national security.
Alhathloul, 31, earned a degree from the University of British Columbia and lived in Vancouver for five years before being arrested in May 2018 along with nine other prominent women's rights activists.
Anoter example of scandalous misbehavior re: human rights violations of Saudi Arabia.
Read more at: Saudi activist's trial moved to specialized terrorism court following rare court appearance | CBC News
10/9/20
EU-Saudi Relations: European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit
The European Parliament on Thursday voted to downgrade its attendance
at the November G20 summit in Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns,
and to urge for sanctions.
The bill is one of the strongest political messages the institution has ever issued on Saudi Arabia and comes on the two-year anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
MEPs approved a wide-ranging resolution that condemns Saudi human rights abuses and urges the European Union to downgrade its representation at the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit to avoid legitimizing human rights violations.
Belgian MEP and vice chair of the delegation for the relations with Arab Peninsula Marc Tarabella said: "We are all aware of the importance of Saudi Arabia as a partner of the European Union and for the stability of the Middle East. However, this must not be an alibi for violating human rights."
Read more at:
European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit | News | DW | 08.10.2020
The bill is one of the strongest political messages the institution has ever issued on Saudi Arabia and comes on the two-year anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
MEPs approved a wide-ranging resolution that condemns Saudi human rights abuses and urges the European Union to downgrade its representation at the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit to avoid legitimizing human rights violations.
Belgian MEP and vice chair of the delegation for the relations with Arab Peninsula Marc Tarabella said: "We are all aware of the importance of Saudi Arabia as a partner of the European Union and for the stability of the Middle East. However, this must not be an alibi for violating human rights."
Read more at:
European Parliament urges EU to snub Saudi G20 Summit | News | DW | 08.10.2020
EU Parliament - Saudi Arabia resolution: EPP to oppose Saudi Arabia human rights resolution
The European Parliament's biggest political group, the centre-right
European People's Party (EPP), will not be supporting a resolution
defending human rights in Saudi Arabia.
The resolution to be voted on Thursday (8 October) singles out the plight of Ethiopian migrant workers in the Kingdom but also highlights imprisoned women rights defenders and others.
Read more at:
EPP to oppose Saudi Arabia human rights resolution
The resolution to be voted on Thursday (8 October) singles out the plight of Ethiopian migrant workers in the Kingdom but also highlights imprisoned women rights defenders and others.
Read more at:
EPP to oppose Saudi Arabia human rights resolution
6/25/20
Middle East - Syria: International community has failed completely' in Syria - by Niels Melzer
Nils Melzer: What worries me most right now is a general trend towards
the erosion of the international human rights system. We can see that in
China, Hong Kong, Russia, Brazil, the United States, Syria — it is
impossible to name them all. In every country affected by the migration
crisis, there are serious issues. What we are seeing is a strong erosion
of human rights standards and of the readiness of states to be held to
account for violations of human rights.
Read more at:
International community has failed completely′ in Syria | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 25.06.2020
Read more at:
International community has failed completely′ in Syria | World| Breaking news and perspectives from around the globe | DW | 25.06.2020
4/18/20
Middle East: The Saudis’ War in Yemen Is a Crime Against Humanity
The proxy war that Saudi Arabia and Iran have been waging in Yemen for the past five years
goes beyond the pale of human capacity for extreme cruelty and
ruthlessness, and against the spirit and the letter of the Quran.
That war has thus far caused more than 100,000 deaths in Yemen. Out of a population of 30 million, 20 million are in desperate need of food, medicine and a steady supply of clean drinking water.
Over two million children are severely malnourished. Half of them are infected with cholera and many will perish as there is little or no chance of receiving medical treatment.
All that damage has been caused by the more than 6,000 coalition bombing raids that targeted Yemen’s civilian infrastructure.
Note EU-Digest: Saudi Arabia together with Israel are two of the major allies of the United States in the Middle East. All this is going on while the weapons industry in the US, EU and Russia are laughing all the way to the bank
Middle East: The Saudis’ War in Yemen Is a Crime Against Humanity - The Globalist
That war has thus far caused more than 100,000 deaths in Yemen. Out of a population of 30 million, 20 million are in desperate need of food, medicine and a steady supply of clean drinking water.
Over two million children are severely malnourished. Half of them are infected with cholera and many will perish as there is little or no chance of receiving medical treatment.
All that damage has been caused by the more than 6,000 coalition bombing raids that targeted Yemen’s civilian infrastructure.
Note EU-Digest: Saudi Arabia together with Israel are two of the major allies of the United States in the Middle East. All this is going on while the weapons industry in the US, EU and Russia are laughing all the way to the bank
Middle East: The Saudis’ War in Yemen Is a Crime Against Humanity - The Globalist
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