Sabra and Shatila Massacre

Sabra and Shatila Massacre

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On September 16, 1982, the Lebanese Phalangist militia, backed by lsrael, perpetrated a massacre in the southern Beirut neighborhood of Sabra and Palestinian refugee camp Shatila that claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinian refugees and Lebanese citizens.

Caribbean countries announce their intention to demand compensation from European governments for crimes of slavery

Caribbean countries announce their intention to demand compensation from European governments for crimes of slavery

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The British newspaper "The Times" reported that "Caricom", a bloc of 15 Caribbean countries, will demand an official apology from European governments, and compensation worth $33 trillion, for their centuries-long enslavement.

In detail, these countries hope to begin negotiations with Britain, France, Spain, and Denmark on a 10-item plan, which includes an official apology for their role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

In addition, Caribbean countries are seeking $33 trillion in compensation from European governments. The plan also includes that these former colonial powers finance health, education, debt cancellation, and direct payments to Caribbean governments, according to what the newspaper reported.

Britain owes $19.6 trillion, Spain must pay $6.3 trillion, while France owes $6.5 trillion, according to a report issued by an American consulting firm, which worked to calculate legal compensation for the enslavement of 19 million people, over 4 centuries.

Although it is impossible to calculate the true extent of the damage caused by the slave trade carried out by European powers, these numbers constituted a “starting point for negotiations,” according to Verene Shepherd, a Jamaican history professor and vice-chair of the Caribbean Reparations Commission.

Shepherd stressed the need for “a number to start with,” stressing that “the crime is huge, and the responsibility for what happened is great.”

In 2013, Caricom established a Compensation Committee. CARICOM, or the Caribbean Community, represents a political and economic union of 15 countries in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean.

In subsequent years, the group reached out to former European colonial powers about reparations, but did not receive a “positive response” to its letters, Shepherd said.

According to The Times, some have suggested that Caribbean countries pursue reparations through the courts in the countries they target.

In turn, Peter Esbut, dean of studies at a theological college, said: “By granting slave owners compensation for the loss of their property, they are setting a precedent... If you compensate the owners for the loss of their property, you must also compensate the slaves for the loss of their freedom.”

Most European governments rejected the idea of reparations. In response to a question in the British House of Commons, last April, about whether he would offer an apology and “commit to reparative justice,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “No, I think that trying to dismantle our history is not the right way forward, and it is not something We focus our energies on it.”

The UK is becoming the third largest consumer of the child sexual abuse “market”

The UK is becoming the third largest consumer of the child sexual abuse “market”

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Thousands of children in the Philippines are being sexually abused in order to make money via live video streaming technology, and most of the cases are directed by child molesters in the United Kingdom, according to a report by the British newspaper “The Telegraph”.

According to the newspaper, estimates by the University of Nottingham and the International Justice Mission indicate that the number of children exposed to abuse in the Southeast Asian country may reach 500,000 children, or one in every 100 Filipino children.

The International Justice Mission found that more than half of the children who were subjected to violations were 12 years old or younger, and the youngest was only a few months old.

The new report notes that Western consumers are also guilty of directing child sexual abuse in the Philippines, and local traffickers are sexually abusing Filipino children, while one or more spectators watch and direct the action via an encrypted video call.

“Perpetrators pay traffickers in the Philippines at least £15 to engage in online child sexual abuse,” the report says.

The UK is the third largest consumer of live-streamed abuse, according to the National Crime Agency, and the US, Australia and Canada are also major consumers.

The newspaper reported that the use of end-to-end encryption services such as WhatsApp and Telegram to enable criminals to broadcast live abuse is not limited to child sexual abuse. Last June, it was revealed that monkeys were being tortured live through these services, with paid callers directing the torture procedures, and three women were arrested in Britain for their involvement.

HUQUQ: Muslims Right To Education Is Superseded By France's Commitment To Secularism

HUQUQ: Muslims Right To Education Is Superseded By France's Commitment To Secularism

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 As the new academic year starts, Muslims’ right to education in Europe is denied in order to uphold and enforce secularism. This seems to be the logical conclusion of the events taking place in France this week: Muslim men and women who are wearing traditional clothes are denied entry to schools unless they take off such clothes and wear French style clothes; many refused to do so.

According to a memorandum sent by French Education Minister Gabriel Attal to heads of educational institutions, wearing the abaya and long shirt "expresses religious affiliation in the school environment and cannot be tolerated."

France, home to Europe's largest...

Banning the cloak in French schools begins tomorrow, and Macron is calling for its strict implementation

Banning the cloak in French schools begins tomorrow, and Macron is calling for its strict implementation

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The French authorities have confirmed that female students who wear abayas and students who wear long shirts will not enter their classes on Monday, the first day of the school year, amid condemnation by human rights organizations and opposition political currents.

According to a memorandum sent by French Education Minister Gabriel Attal to heads of educational institutions, wearing the abaya and long shirt "expresses religious affiliation in the school environment and cannot be tolerated."

France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, has banned the Islamic headscarf in public schools since 2004.

According to French press reports, the ban on the abaya is a continuation of the implementation of the 2004 law, which prohibits the wearing of clothes or symbols that show religious affiliation in French educational institutions.

In July of last year, Le Figaro newspaper published an investigation revealing that despite the continued application of the 2004 law, there is a significant increase in the abayas worn by girls and long shirts worn by boys, so that they doubled in secondary schools, especially when Ramadan begins, so that some The managers expressed their dissatisfaction and wondered why the clothes were so popular.

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called - in statements he made the day before yesterday, Friday - for firmness in implementing the abaya ban.

"We will not let anything pass," Macron said during his visit to a vocational high school in Orange, southern France. "We know that there will be cases - perhaps due to negligence - but many cases of trying to challenge the republican system. We have to be firm."

He added that "teachers and school principals should never be left alone to face the existing pressures or challenges on this subject," adding that these "knights of the republic" have "the right to defend secularism," as he put it.

On the other hand, a broad spectrum of French people expressed their condemnation of the decision to ban the cloak, led by the leftist opposition inside and outside Parliament.

Prominent French left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon strongly criticized the decision, and called on officials to avoid provoking conflicts of a religious nature.

Manuel Bombard, coordinator of the France Independence Party - which is led by Melenchon - said that he would propose to the party's parliamentary group to reject this decision - which he described as dangerous and cruel - and to submit it for review before the Council of State in order to prove that it is a decision contrary to the constitution.

Meanwhile, French female students expressed their annoyance at the decision and considered it a blatant interference in their personal freedom.

A student - who asked not to be identified - said in a statement to Al-Jazeera, "It is not within their authority to decide what to wear. They removed the veil from us in 2004, and now they are working to remove the abaya, which is not a religious dress, but rather a cultural traditional dress. To what extent will they continue this?"

Amnesty criticizes a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim soccer players

Amnesty criticizes a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim soccer players

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Amnesty International has criticized a French judicial decision that discriminates against Muslim female soccer players, describing it as "very disappointing" and violating freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

This came in response to Monday's decision by the Council of State which ruled that the French Football Federation did not need to change its discriminatory policy which effectively bars Muslim players who wear headscarves from participating in competitive soccer matches.

"The deeply disappointing decision by the Council of State  entrenches both racism and gender-based discrimination in French football," the organization said.

"The FA's ban on religious clothing not only prevents Muslim female soccer players who wear a hijab from playing in competitive matches, but also violates their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of religion," she add

According to the organization, the decision ignores the recommendation of the general rapporteur to end this discriminatory ban and seriously undermines efforts to make women's sports more inclusive. It means that Muslim female soccer players in France will continue to be treated differently from other players, in clear violation of many of the country's international human rights obligations."

Founé Diawara, co-chair of Hijabeuses, which brought the case against the French Football Federation to the highest administrative court, said the decision was "a missed opportunity to right a long-standing wrong and simply allow us to play. Our struggle is not political or religious but rather "It is about our human right to participate in sports. Many women are excluded from football fields in France every weekend simply because they wear a headscarf."

The first article of the French Football Association's rules, drawn up in 2016, prohibits players from wearing "symbols or clothing that clearly shows one's political, philosophical, religious or trade union opinions" during matches. This ban remains in place, although FIFA abolished the ban imposed by itself in 2014 on wearing head coverings in football.

A court in France condemns the State for violating the rights of detainees: prisons infested with bugs and mold

A court in France condemns the State for violating the rights of detainees: prisons infested with bugs and mold

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Administrative wisdom in the French city of Montpellier condemned the French state for the inhuman and degrading treatment of convicts held in Perpignan prison.

The court's decision stated that the conditions in the prison violate the rights of detainees who are subjected to ill-treatment by the authorities.

The General Inspectorate's latest report submitted to the court showed that the prison occupancy rate is 280% for men, and that more than 300 detainees share about 130 beds.

The report found that "some sleep on mattresses on the floor, without space to move around, and most of them are infested with bed bugs. Mold is visible everywhere, on the walls and toilets, which are sometimes clogged," adding that "the windows were broken and the electrical network was faulty, causing At risk of fire for the prisoners."

The court ordered state authorities to ensure that dormitories are repaired and improved, fire threats are eliminated, and investigations are opened against guards for alleged mistreatment and humiliation of prisoners.

A report published by the French TV network "France Info" stated that France had broken a new record for the sixth time in a few months, regarding the number of detainees, after imprisoning more than 74,000 prisoners on the first of last July.

This prompted the European Court of Human Rights to condemn the French authorities for detaining large numbers of prisoners that exceed the capacity of the prisons, and obligated them to pay an amount of $50,000 to the plaintiffs.

A total of 16,643 detainees currently suffer from overcrowding, compared to the places available in French prisons. The total density of prisons now stands at 122.8%, compared to 118.7% just a year ago.

The report confirmed that the occupancy rate in pretrial detention prisons amounted to 146.3%, which are the prisons in which detainees awaiting trial are held. So they are presumed, according to the law, to be innocent.

To address this problem, the French government promised to build an additional 15,000 new places in prisons by 2027, stressing that the growing use of measures that constitute an alternative to detention "will show its effects in the coming months."

In 2020, the European Court of Human Rights found that France violated European Human Rights Convention Due to Overcrowded Prisons. 

The US, EU condemn Ben Gvir's statements about the rights of Jews compared to the rights of Palestinians

The US, EU condemn Ben Gvir's statements about the rights of Jews compared to the rights of Palestinians

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US State Department brands national security minister’s remarks ‘inflammatory’. In a rare comment calling out the Otzma Yehudit party leader by name, a State Department spokesperson condemned the remarks as inflammatory and compared them to racist rhetoric dangerously amplified by senior officials.

In Europe, the European Union relaeased a statement about the same issue. It "strongly" condemned the statements of the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, in which he claimed that his and his family's right to movement in the West Bank "exceeds the right of the Arabs," as he described it.

And last Wednesday, the leader of the far-right "Jewish Power" party, Ben Gvir, said - in an interview with the Israeli Channel 12 -, "My right and the right of my wife and children to move on the roads of the West Bank is more important than the Arabs' right to freedom of movement."

Ben Gvir added, "This is the reality, this is the truth, my right to life precedes their right to freedom of movement."

According to data from the left-wing Israeli "Peace Now" movement, which rejects settlements, about half a million settlers live in 132 settlements and 146 outposts in the West Bank.

These data do not include settlers in 14 Israeli settlements built on occupied East Jerusalem lands.

Ben Gvir is seen as a phenomenon of the rise of the far-right in Israel, and his supporters chant "Death to the Arabs". He is also known for his extremist stances towards the Palestinians, and he is a resident of the "Kiryat Arba" settlement, which is built on the lands of Hebron, in the southern occupied West Bank.

The disappointing legacy of the ICC

The disappointing legacy of the ICC

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Since it came online, the ICC built a record of focusing on crimes committed in the Global South and ignoring those committed by leaders of the West. The evidence was so damning that Many African leaders called for mass exit from the first permanent international criminal court that promised more in terms of holding abusers of human rights to account. Since the statute that powered the court came to force in 2002, prosecutors of the ICC have been eager to indict anyone the West does not like and ignore crimes committed by Western leaders or friends of Western leaders. For example, despite the damning evidence of torture, murder, and unlawful detention of persons since the illegal Western invasion of Iraq in 2003, the ICC did not take any measurable outcome action against the perpetrators of the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and war of aggression—the very crimes that fall under its jurisdiction. Yet, before the war in Ukraine closed its first year, the ICC gathered enough evidence to indict a sitting president. 

This article sheds some light about the corrupting power of money, political interference, and ideological biases that have infected the once promising institution on which many human rights activists pinned much hope. 

The director of the International Organization for Migration warns against "demonization" of migrants and their use as "weapons" for political gain

The director of the International Organization for Migration warns against "demonization" of migrants and their use as "weapons" for political gain

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The incoming director-general of the International Organization for Migration, Amy Pope, has denounced the tendency to "demonize" migrants who are considered among the most vulnerable for political gain, saying she aims to bring about a shift in this regard.

Pope, 49, last month became the first woman elected director-general of the organization, and said in an interview this week that she was deeply concerned about the way some countries and groups use migrants as "weapons" to win political points at home.

Several countries in Europe are facing criticism for their harsh and even illegal dealings with migrants, including Britain, following its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and Greece, where a video recording spread last month showed what appeared to be a forceful expulsion of migrants who were left to go to sea without a specific destination.

A group of migrants, including women and children, was also stuck this week at the border between Poland and Belarus, while border guards were accused of preventing them from seeking asylum.

"What we've seen in recent years is people in extremely desperate situations being turned into weapons and using their vulnerability as a way to fuel what would normally be seen as a political conflict," Pope said, when asked about this case.

"I find this tactic very disturbing because it is above all inhumane, and I think in the end it does not lead to a better outcome for any party," she added.

"The main concern is that people have an opportunity to seek protection," said Pope, who will take up her new position in October. "The matter should be considered fairly rather than being used as political leverage."

And when the agency's current deputy director last month won the race to take over its presidency against its current director, Antonio Vitorino, she pledged to adopt a more positive narrative on migration and stress that "the people we talk about are human beings".

"We've all seen that when people acknowledge others as human beings, which I think is the lesson we learned from Ukraine, they show goodwill and a lot more openness," she said.

Pope stressed that more needs to be done to show that immigrants can be the solution, not the problem.

Along with warnings about how immigration can cause stress and pressure on governments, Pope points to the pressures of labor shortages.

"This is a good window," she said, noting that the organization can help connect migrants with opportunity and emphasize "the benefit of migration for economies."

"It must start with identifying the existing labor needs and then the available skills," she said, adding that the United Nations organization can help facilitate skill training, warning that unless this happens, "that demand for labor will fuel irregular migration."

The cost of the War On Terror

The cost of the War On Terror

    10:03 AM   No comments

The war in Ukraine cannot be seen just as the war in Ukraine; precedent setting has consequences. The reluctance in Muslim majority countries to condemn the armed conflict in Ukraine can be explained by the illegal invasion of Iraq and the recklessness of western governments with the blood and property of Muslims.

About twenty years since the launch of the War on Terror, which practically was a war on Muslims, and the effect of the military campaign is yet to be fully felt and the facts about this war on terror is yet to be revealed. But some information is now emerging.

The Washington Post reported on a new report by researchers that the number of victims of the US "war on terrorism" after September 11, 2001 is estimated to be around 4.6 million.

The referenced study is likely to be a low count since it estimates only the deaths caused directly by activities the US government labels as part of the War on Terror. However, the War on terror has had far destabilizing effect on the entire region and perhaps the world. In fact, even the war in Ukraine can be attributed to the war on terror. In fact, many of the groups designated as terror groups are in Ukraine now.

It is difficult to calculate the minimum number of deaths associated with the war on terrorism in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, because the consequences are "so extensive and complex" that they ultimately cannot be quantified.

 According to estimates, the death toll ranges from 4.5 to 4.6 million people, from 3.6 to 3.7 million of whom died for "indirect reasons" caused by the deterioration of economic, environmental, psychological conditions and health conditions. But it says nothing about NATO’s war in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

Report: During the Nakba, Ben-Gurion ordered that Palestinian wells be poisoned to prevent Palestinians from returning home

Report: During the Nakba, Ben-Gurion ordered that Palestinian wells be poisoned to prevent Palestinians from returning home

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Haaretz newspaper revealed that during the Nakba, Ben-Gurion ordered that Palestinian wells be poisoned to prevent people from return. Wells in Acre, Gaza, Beersheba, Jericho, Galilee, Bedouin, & Jerusalem were poisoned. Zionist gangs spread germs that caused typhus and dysentery. The paper revealed the existence of documents that officially confirm that Israel poisoned Palestinian water wells in Acre and Gaza in 1948.

The paper reported in its Friday edition the discovery of official documents proving Israel’s poisoning of Palestinian water wells in 1948, in which prominent and well-known Israeli figures participated.

The disturbing story behind them was recently uncovered by historian Benny Morris and historian and Israel Prize laureate Benjamin Z. Kedar, following extensive archival research, the paper said.

This operation was partially exposed decades ago when rumors and oral testimonies were reported in newspapers and books about an attempt in 1948 by Israeli forces to poison wells in Acre and Gaza, contaminating drinking water with bacteria. However, only now, in Morris and Kedar’s research, has the “smoking gun” been revealed in the form of official documentation, according to Haaretz. The newly unearthed documents show that this operation was much broader in scope than earlier believed, and that other top military and political figures besides David Ben-Gurion were involved.

“We uncovered a lot of new information. We deciphered how the operation developed through its various stages; we discovered who authorized, organized, and controlled the operation; and how it was carried out in different areas,” Morris says. “We have a much fuller picture now, and one that is based in part on army documentation,” Kedar adds.

The pair recently published an article in the journal Middle Eastern Studies titled “‘Cast Thy Bread’: Israeli Biological Warfare during the 1948 War.” “Cast Thy Bread” was the operation’s code name. Naturally, most of the material related to the episode is censored, but when Morris searched through the Israeli army archives for any mention of the operation by name, he was surprised to discover numerous documents. Morris writes in the article that the censor apparently was not aware of what the code name referred to.

On April 1, 1948, David Ben-Gurion wrote in his journal about “the development of science and speeding up its application in warfare”. A month and a half later, he wrote about “biological materials” that were purchased for $2,000, the paper said.

It pointed out that now it became clear the extent of the link between what Ben-Gurion wrote and Israel’s purchase of biological materials, which appear to be a specific powder or liquid used to poison Palestinian well water.

The new documents revealed that these operations were supervised by well-known Israeli figures, led by: David Ben-Gurion, former defense minister Moshe Dayan, and former Israeli president Ephraim Katzir, among others.

The operation began in April 1948, when fears of an invasion by Arab armies were mounting. The plan was to poison wells in abandoned Arab villages as well as in Jewish locales that were due to be evacuated by new Israeli state. The idea was to prevent Arabs from returning to their villages and from settling in Jewish locales that would fall into their hands.

The documents show that Ben-Gurion was at the top of the pyramid. Below him was Yigal Yadin, who oversaw the military side of the operation. The operation was commanded by Yohanan Ratner. Initially, the top man in the field for the group was Dayan, who went on to become the Israeli army chief of staff and defense minister. The documents indicate that Dayan served as the smuggler who conveyed the bacteria from the science corps to different points throughout the country.

Photos published for the first time; atrocious methods of torture in Guantanamo

Photos published for the first time; atrocious methods of torture in Guantanamo

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Although many years have passed since the establishment of the Guantanamo prison, amid the international and human rights criticisms that surrounded this prison located in Guantanamo Bay in the far southeast of Cuba, the mystery still surrounds many of the methods of torture that were practiced behind its closed cells.

However, a detainee there, called "Abu Zubaydah", presented for the first time dozens of drawings that he wrote with her hand about the methods of torture he was subjected to in this American detention camp, as part of what was known as the CIA torture program after September 11.

And those drawings, which numbered 40 live now, constituted the most comprehensive and detailed account of the brutal methods he was subjected to at the hands of the CIA, between 2002 and 2006, according to what was reported by the British newspaper, The Guardian.

 

It also prompted the United Nations to demand his release, stressing that these methods are inconsistent with all international laws.

 
Rape and drowning

The pictures that Abu Zubayda wrote and later sent to one of his lawyers, Professor Mark Denbeaux, showed horrific acts of violence, sexual and racial insults, and prolonged psychological terror to which the detainees were subjected.

 

The aforementioned lawyer, along with his students at the Center for Policy and Research at Seton Hall Law School, collected Zubayda's photos and testimonies in a comprehensive report on torture in this notorious prison and other secret intelligence detention centers.

 

Denbeaux said: "Abu Zubayda is the first victim of the American torture program, after it was approved by the US Department of Justice based on facts that the CIA knew were wrong," as he put it.

 

It is noteworthy that Abu Zubayda, 52, was arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, then he was transferred between several secret intelligence locations, whether in Poland or Lithuania, and others, until he landed in Guantanamo in 2006, where he has been detained since then without Prosecution or proof of his involvement in any crime.

coffin

His meticulously drawn images showed masked agents physically threatening him with rape.

 It also showed other violent methods of torture and force-feeding, as well as holding the detainee in a coffin-like place and dousing it with water, or placing headphones on his ears and raising the volume to the maximum extent that a human mind can bear.

 It showed how the man in his fifties was tied with iron chains naked in front of his interrogators, some of whom were female, in order to humiliate him.

 He was also subjected to simulated drowning 83 times.

 About that experience, he wrote to his lawyer, "I was terrified of drowning all day."

 According to the 2014 Senate report summary, at least 119 individuals have fallen victim to this horrific program at Guantanamo.

 

Policing in the United States: “placed his hands around a sergeant’s neck and choked her”

Policing in the United States: “placed his hands around a sergeant’s neck and choked her”

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Another Black man's encounter with the police; as reported by the NYP:

The fracas involving several officers and suspect Romaine Francis began after he approached the cops “in an aggressive manner” around 10:30 p.m. Sunday night at the corner of Prospect Avenue and East 149th Street, according to a police spokesperson.

The officers had been conducting an investigation when the “uninvolved” 29-year-old man confronted them, police said.

Officers at the scene asked Francis to back away “multiple times,” before they tried to take him into custody, police said. A physical altercation then erupted, according to video of the incident shared on social media.

Police said that during the struggle, Francis “placed his hands around a sergeant’s neck and choked her.”

UK's Illegal wars and human rights violations in Islamic Societies

UK's Illegal wars and human rights violations in Islamic Societies

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Citing declassified materials, the organization, Declassified UK, reported that Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who held this post from 1997 to 2007, authorized a military operation against Iraq in December 1998, despite repeated warnings from legal advisers about the illegality of such actions.

How the Cold War and now the War in Ukraine have Justified Abuse of Human Rights, Inhumane Sanctions, and Abuse of Power

How the Cold War and now the War in Ukraine have Justified Abuse of Human Rights, Inhumane Sanctions, and Abuse of Power

    7:34 AM   No comments

Working hard to put pressure on countries from around the world to take a stand against Russia in relation to its military operation in Ukraine, the US government and its Western allies schedule two UNGA public votes just months apart, the most recent was just days before the one year anniversary of the start of the conflict. In both sessions, more countries from Africa voted against the resolution or abstained than from any other continent. Commentators and analysts attribute this neutrality to the role played by Russia and China most recently shoring up African economies. That may partly true. The more determinant factor that influence African leaders’ decision is the historical one: Africa’s lack of economic development was the outcome of Western colonialism (plunder of natural resources) which was motivated by racism (Apartheid systems), for which Western countries did not legally acknowledge and did not practically take full responsibility. If the West wants to have a “normal” relation with the African people, they must start there; not think in terms of handouts and bribery.

In the past, the US government and its allies justified their support to colonial, apartheid regimes in Africa, and their placement of self-determination movements and figures, like the ANC and Nelson Mandela, by the “cold War” conditions. They care for countering communism more than they cared for human rights.

Today, the US administration and its Western allies are operating with the same mentality: Countering Russia and China comes before respect for human rights and comes before remediation for past crimes and abuses.

These self-interested approaches are short-sighted, bigoted, and offensive to the people who were subjected to hundreds of years of Darwinian colonialism.

 

Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

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More than 100 children have been discovered to be illegally employed by a slaughterhouse cleaning firm across the country, federal authorities said.

The Department of Labor announced that a federal investigation found Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services Inc (PSSI) employed at least 102 children, ranging from 13 to 17 years old, to work overnight shifts at 13 meat processing facilities in eight states.

The investigation discovered that children were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat processing equipment including back saws, brisket saws and head splitters. At least three minors suffered injuries while working for PSSI, one of the country’s largest food safety sanitation service providers.

The states in which the children were employed include Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. The processor which had the largest number of employed minors is JBS Foods, with 27 children employed, followed by Cargill Inc, which had 26 employed children.

Other processors include Tyson Food, George’s Inc, Buckhead Meat of Minnesota, Gibbon Packing Co, Greater Omaha Packing Co Inc, Maple Leaf Farms and Turkey Valley Farms.

According to court documents, a 14-year-old child who worked at a Nebraska facility from 11pm to 5am five to six days a week from December 2021 to April 2022, cleaned machines “used to cut meat”.

Read original article: Over 100 children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm

More than 7 mln children affected by major quakes

More than 7 mln children affected by major quakes

    9:01 AM   No comments

More than 7 million children have been affected by the massive earthquake and a major aftershock that devastated Türkiye and Syria last week, the United Nations said on Feb. 14. 

The death toll has risen to 31,974 in the Feb. 6’s quakes, approaching the number of people who lost their lives in the Erzincan quake in 1939, in which the most casualties were experienced in the history of the country.

Apart from the estimated death toll, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) also reported that more than 81,000 others were injured following the tremors felt in 10 southern provinces.

More than 3,170 aftershocks occurred in the region since the first earthquake hit 10 provinces on Feb. 6.

Over 8,000 people have been recovered alive from rubbles by search and rescue teams so far.

Over 6,500 professionals have inspected 763,000 buildings and 1,586,901 single spaces. Damage assessment is set to be completed within a week, while constructions are aimed to start before the end of the month. Permanent residences are planned to be delivered to earthquake victims within a year.

Read news story

Chinese envoy urges US to immediately lift Syria sanctions to return 'hope of survival' to children

Chinese envoy urges US to immediately lift Syria sanctions to return 'hope of survival' to children

    7:56 AM   No comments

Chinese envoy urges immediate lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria to return the "hope of survival" to children in the country as the US' long-arm jurisdiction has further exacerbated the earthquake disaster and hindered rescue efforts with more children's lives as the cost.  

Nearly a week since the most devastating earthquakes in recent history, the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 38,000 while searches for signs of life in the rubble amid freezing temperatures continues.  

A UN official pointed out on Sunday in a post on Twitter that international help has "failed the people in northwest Syria," where more than 12 years of civil war have resulted in a complex political situation. ( Read the reporting on the Chinese statement about Syria).

This call for the lifting of unilateral sanctions on Syria comes after UN officials have made a similar demand.

UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. 

“I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said.

In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country. (Read the reporting on the UN statement on sanctions).

New Report: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians is a cruel system of domination and crime against humanity

New Report: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians is a cruel system of domination and crime against humanity

    9:26 AM   No comments

On February 1, 2023, Amnesty said that "Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed." 

The organization added: 

Since the organization launched a major campaign against apartheid one year ago, Israeli forces have killed almost 220 Palestinians*, including 35 in January 2023 alone. Unlawful killings help maintain Israel’s apartheid system and constitute crimes against humanity, as do other serious and ongoing violations by Israeli authorities such as administrative detention and forcible transfer.

Over the past few days, a series of deadly attacks has underscored the urgent need for accountability. On 26 January, Israeli forces carried out a raid on Jenin refugee camp and killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman. On 27 January, seven Israeli civilians were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in Neve Ya’akov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In response to this attack, Israeli authorities have stepped up collective punishment against Palestinians, carrying out sweeping mass arrests and threatening punitive home demolitions.

Previously, 

On 1 February 2022, Amnesty International released a report  setting out how Israel enforces an institutionalized system of oppression and domination against Palestinians  wherever it has control over their rights: in Israel, the OPT and against displaced refugees by denying their right to return. It showed how Israeli laws, policies and practices are enacted with the overarching aim of maintaining a Jewish demographic majority, and maximizing control of land and resources to benefit Jewish Israelis to the detriment of Palestinians.  

Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed, Amnesty International said today. Since the organization launched a major campaign against apartheid one year ago, Israeli forces have killed almost 220 Palestinians*, including 35 in January 2023 alone. Unlawful killings help maintain Israel’s apartheid system and constitute crimes against humanity, as do other serious and ongoing violations by Israeli authorities such as administrative detention and forcible transfer.

Over the past few days, a series of deadly attacks has underscored the urgent need for accountability. On 26 January, Israeli forces carried out a raid on Jenin refugee camp and killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman. On 27 January, seven Israeli civilians were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in Neve Ya’akov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In response to this attack, Israeli authorities have stepped up collective punishment against Palestinians, carrying out sweeping mass arrests and threatening punitive home demolitions.

Report can be read in many languages from this link