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 

Why do western media and governments react to human rights abuses only when they happen outside western countries?

Why do western media and governments react to human rights abuses only when they happen outside western countries?

    8:58 AM   No comments

When human rights abuses take place in Muslim-majority countries, Western governments impose sanctions and Western media provide extensive coverage of instances of abuse. But when similar or even more egregious or persistent human rights abuses take place in a Western country, Western governments and media outlets ignore the event or treated it like an isolated secondary event. Why?