share information on human rights defenders, with special focus on human rights awards and laureates
The Human Rights Tulip award ceremony will take place on December 9, 2014, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, the Hague, in the Netherlands. Starts at 15h45 and closes at 18h15 with a reception. The event is open to the public but on invitation only and those interested should contact the organisers first: ceremony[at]humanrightstulip.nl before 2 December. For more information on the award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/tulip-award.
(ASL19, founded by Iranian-Canadian Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, develops ways for Iranians to counter the country’s “Great Firewall” of censorship – COLIN MCCONNELL / TORONTO STAR)
The prize aims to reward groups that use innovation to promote human rights. Of the 30 shortlisted candidates, ASL19, founded by Iranian-Canadian Ali Karimzadeh Bangi, is running fourth.
The remainder of the article sets out how the group helps Iranians to evade censorship.
Canadian web defenders up for top human rights award | Toronto Star.
and
have successfully co-hosted for the third time an event where candidate countries for the UN Human Rights Council have voluntarily shown up to set out their views and commitments in case they would be elected. ‘We are delighted to see more and more States prepared to participate in what is becoming an annual event, said Eleanor Openshaw of the ISHR. We would encourage all State candidates to see this as an opportunity to speak about their vision and commitments as members of the Council and, through their participation, to demonstrate the kind of transparency and accountability that should be expected of all Council members. Ahead of elections to the UN Human Rights Council in November by the GA, seven candidate States have subjected themselves to public questioning, at the event hosted at UN Headquarters by the 2 NGOs and the missions of Tunisia and Uruguay.
Albania, Bolivia, Botswana, Costa Rica, Latvia, The Netherlands and Portugal elaborated on their pledges and were questioned on how they would work as members of the Council to challenge human rights violations and uphold the credibility of the Council. It is a pity that the other 10 candidates did not (yet) have the courage to join.
The protection of human rights defenders featured prominently in the discussion, with the Netherlands Human Rights Ambassador, Lionel Veer, describing human rights defenders as agents of change and calling for stronger recognition and protection of their work under both national and international law. Building on this, all speakers affirmed their State’s commitment to the protection of defenders, with Albania and Bolivia committing to support and strengthen civil society engagement with the UN and Costa Rica pledging to support the right of peaceful protest. Botswana was explicit about its commitment to prevent and ensure accountability for reprisals and to work for the endorsement of Human Rights Council Resolution 24/24, adoption of which by the General Assembly would provide for the appointment of a high-level UN focal point to combat reprisals. We welcome the statements and commitments made by States to protect the work of human rights defenders and support robust civil society engagement with the UN, said Ms Openshaw. This is a recognition of the crucial role played by defenders in holding States to account for their human rights obligations at both the national and international levels.
A webcast of the event is available here: http://webtv.un.org/watch/human-rights-council-elections-a-discussion-of…-aspirations-and-vision-for-membership/3676385473001/.
via States set out their vision and commitments as members of the Human Rights Council | ISHR.
Cathy Salucon, Philippines via L4L
On 23 April 2014 Amsterdam-based Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) warn in an open letter to President Aquino of the Philippines for the continued labeling of lawyers as enemies of the state by the military. Since March, Atty. Maria Catherine L. Dannug-Salucon has been the subject of death threats, labeling, surveillance and verbal intimidation by military officers. Mrs Dannug-Salucon is reportedly on the Filipino military’s Watch List of so-called ‘Communist Terrorist’ supporters providing legal services. She has also been under the surveillance of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces. The surveillance is particularly worrisome in view of the killing – reportedly by members of the Intelligence Services – on 25 March 2014 of Mr. William Bugatti, a human rights defender who was also working as a paralegal for Atty. Dannug-Salucon.
Read the rest of this entry »
Theo van Boven (c) Dovana
With the start of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, there is also a plethora of side events scheduled. I will focus only on those that have Human Rights Defenders as a central theme (e.g. https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/important-human-rights-council-side-event-on-11-march-to-be-followed-on-internet/). Another one that promises to be interesting is organised by the Permanent Missions of the Netherlands and Argentina on 14 March 2014 from 13h00 – 15h:00 in Room XXI of the Palais des Nations. The main ingredient is the screening of a documentary: “Theo van Boven: a tribute”.
[Theo van Boven was Director of Human Rights in the UN in the early 80’s and was instrumental in creating what are now called the special procedures. How he was “hired and fired” by the UN in 1982 for the same reason – his deep concern for the right of people – is described in my collection of speeches by Theo van Boven: People Matter: Views on International Human Rights Policy (Meulenhoff: Amsterdam 1982)]
The film is introduced by Kees Flinterman (member of the Human Rights Committee) and Ms Flavia Pansieri, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. The screening is followed by a panel discussion with:
Finally Theo himself will give some closing remarks.
For those who want to know more about his academic work there is an anthology that brings together a selection of his writings from 1966 to 1998: http://www.brill.com/human-rights-exclusion-inclusion-principles-and-practice. And to show how he continues to contribute in practical terms see his explanation of why the Theo van Boven fund has been established and what the goals are, on You Tube:
On 24 September 2013 the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs [AIV] published its advice on the Government’s policy letter (a kind of white paper) on human rights (“Respect and Justice for All”) of June 2013. The Council, which can be quite critical, has broadly endorsed the proposed policy. The link to the full document is below but the highlights are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
(Pussy Riot’s members with their distinctive coloured balaclavas)
The two remaining members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, whose incarceration sparked a global outcry, have been released under an amnesty law, but Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina dismissed the amnesty as a publicity stunt before the Sochi Winter Olympics in February.They both promised to continue their vocal opposition to the government. The women were jailed in August 2012 after performing a protest song in Moscow’s main cathedral. Alyokhina’s first words and actions after being freed serve as a sign that this fight is likely to go on. The case divided Russia with many feeling the women were being too harshly treated and made examples of as part of attempts to clamp down on opposition to the government. But others felt their actions were a gross offence to the Orthodox faith. The act was seen as blasphemous by many others e.g. in Greece here and was condemned by several Orthodox Churches. However, their conviction for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” was criticised by rights groups [AI declared them prisoners of conscience], celebrities [such as Sting, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Madonna and Yoko Ono ], anti-Putin activists and foreign governments.
This should make us look again a the issue of blasphemy in general. The crime of criticizing a religion is not always called blasphemy; sometimes it is categorized as hate speech (even when it falls well below any sensible standard of actually inciting hatred or violence) because it supposedly insults the followers of a religion. These crimes—of expressing ‘blasphemy’ or offending religious feelings—are still a crime in 55 countries, can mean prison in 39 of those countries, and are punishable by death in six countries.
Recently, Ireland and the Netherlands started the process of removing some or part of their blasphemy laws. The arguments in these debates have universal validity.
Human Rights First and other NGOs have reported on human rights abuses caused by the use of blasphemy laws around the world. These laws are often vague and can be subject to abuse, either by the authorities or citizens who can accuse a fellow citizen of blasphemy with a personal complaint to the prosecutor. The concept is inconsistent with universal human rights standards, which protect the rights of individuals rather than abstract ideas or religions. Those accused of blasphemy are frequently threatened or attacked even before any investigation. People take to the streets and violence stoked by religious extremists ensues. Blasphemy laws have been used to justify violence and oppression against minorities. Blasphemy laws enable governments to restrict freedom of expression, thought, and religion. Application of the laws can result in devastating consequences for religious minorities. This has been the case for Christians in Pakistan and Egypt, Ahmadi followers in Indonesia, and non-believers in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In many instances, officials fail to condemn abuses or to hold the perpetrators of violence accountable. And the police often fail to stop violence against religious minorities or to protect those endangered on account of such laws.
In the past few years, several bodies of the United Nations have examined the relationship between freedom of expression and hate speech, especially in relation to religious issues. After extensive consultation with governments and civil society, the Rabat Plan of Action was published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in October 2012. This document outlines how blasphemy laws are problematic. Since 2011, a new process dubbed the Istanbul Process was launched as a result of resolutions adopted at the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. The idea is to combat religious intolerance without restricting freedom of speech but whether that is possible is a big question.
Lessons of the Debate Over Ireland’s Blasphemy Law | Human Rights First
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/Blasphemy_Cases.pdf.
BBC News – Pussy Riot: Russia frees jailed punk band members.
Not the last word on the Black Pete issue but a step in the right direction, that is how I would qualify the report of the UN [Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, WGPAD] who looked into Zwarte Piet. On Tuesday 19 November it called on the Dutch Government to take the lead in the ongoing debate about whether it is time the tradition undergo a change. The experts said that facilitation by Government of the debate would serve to promote understanding, mutual respect and intercultural dialogue. “In the meantime we ask for calm and an end to the abuse directed at opponents of the tradition in the Netherlands and the UN Experts”.
This is a lot more realistic than the rather sudden and uninformed demand by Group Chairperson Verene Shepherd who –in anticipation of the final report– told newspapers that her own opinion was that “Zwarte Piet should be abolished” which then created a strong popular backlash against any changes. The experts now explain in the statement that their task had not been an ‘investigation,’ nor was there any intention to reach a judgment [SIC]. They pointed out that the Zwarte Piet tradition has evolved and continues to evolve, saying: “Cultures and traditions are not static – they change in response to evolving contexts and in the light of understanding of how dignity and all human rights can be enjoyed by all.” They added though that it is clear that many people, especially people of African descent living in the Netherlands, consider that aspects of it are rooted in unacceptable, colonial attitudes that they find racist and offensive.
They said it is for the people of the Netherlands to discuss and decide how elements that offend might be modified. “Zwarte Piet is interpreted in different ways, but critical questions are how to treat the concerns of those who feel offended, and those who are unhappy about changing a long-held tradition for children? How do we respect the views of all those living in multicultural societies?” The experts recommended Government facilitate an “open, inclusive, non-confrontational and respectful” debate on the issue. This is a lot closer to what I advocated in this blog. Let’s continue next year.
[The statement by the experts comes just days after the Second Chamber almost unanimously 9135 of 150 MPS) voted against a motion that aimed to forbid giving Zwarte Piet a different color than black. Exactly one of the future modifications I had suggested – see link below. The motion was brought by the extreme nationalist PVV party which felt that the calls for a Piet with different colors were a “blatant assault” on Dutch heritage and tradition.]
via Panel: Calm debate on Zwarte Piet needed – NL Times.
Related articles
A judge in the Netherlands has just now (8 November) decided that the annual event of Sinterklaas arriving in the capital Amsterdam – with Black Petes – can go ahead as planned on Sunday next week. The judge is of the opinion that the mayor has been right in giving permission. As this was an urgent procedure there is no appeal possible, but the case could proceed before a regular bench and the judge pointed out that the national discussion should not have to end with this judgement.
via Zwarte Piet welkom bij intocht in Amsterdam, oordeelt rechter – nrc.nl.
Sinterklaas en zwarte piet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It seems that some politicians expressed as their view that the UN should act on Syria as quickly as on the Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) issue! A bit unfair given that smaller problems (and Black Pete is a comparatively small one) are easier to tackle and allow show some quick progress. While the popular feelings in my country of origin (the Netherlands) run high and are overwhelmingly against any changes in the Sinterklaas celebration, I personally feel that some chances would not do great harm. In fact, I think both parties are exaggerating. Those who think it is institutionalized racism have not experienced the celebration and seen the happy faces of small children, including black kids. Those who think this is purely hypersensitivity or political correctness gone overboard have never been discriminated on the basis of the color of their skin.
The Sinterklaas celebration is a marvelous and unique event that enthralls kids enormously. It is very old (17th century, I believe) but the ‘black Pete’ helper was added only around 1850. In view of the sensitivity of a minority of Dutch citizens and that of a majority of world citizens (however much they misunderstand the issue) it would not be great disaster if there were some more changes to accommodate ill-feelings. After all, few years ago the Dutch introduced women ‘black Petes’ – so why not another novelty: e.g. color them in a few different colors. In a decade from now nobody (especially small kids under 10 who are the only ones who believe in the good man!) will remember anything about all this history, the black color, the controversy.
What should not be done is to abolish or condemn the whole Sinterklaas tradition on 5 December which is much bigger and richer than the relative minor issue of the color of the helper.
PS In the informative piece of ABC News (see link below) there is an indication of the strong popular feeling in the Netherlands: a Facebook page seeking to preserve the clowns in blackface makeup known as “Black Petes” as part of the “Sinterklaas” childrens’ festival has become the fastest-growing Dutch language page ever, receiving a million ‘likes’ in a single day.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 