Egypt’s approach to free speech has seen it in the headlines. Mozn Hassan, a well-known female activist, has been banned from travelling to a human rights conference in Beirut. This crackdown on dissent also saw the deportation, also last week, of Liliane Daoud. The British-Lebanese TV host was not given an official explanation for her deportation, after five years of working with OnTV.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on the UN’s Human Rights Council to suspend Saudi Arabia, citing its leadership of a coalition against the Houthis in Yemen. Airstrikes carried out by the coalition are deemed, in the report, to be unlawful, killing at least 913 civilans.
While I want to look at issues around the world in this blog, it seems apt to start in the UK. My country's decision to leave the European Union was not wholly unexpected, but the outbreak of xenophobic and racist hate crimes is highly concerning. Benjamin Ward's affirmation that we need a focus on human rights more than ever hits the mark - respect for the fundamental rights of all is something we need to preserve through all of the tension and uncertainty.
Unfortunately, there are a number of domestic issues we already have to deal with. A report from the United Nations' Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has strongly criticised British austerity policies for having a discriminatory effect on disadvantaged members of society - including the young, ethnic minorities, low-income families and people with disabilities. The report pointed to, among other things, welfare reform, a reliance on food banks, rising homelessness and the inaccessibility of legal aid. Rights work in this area will continue to be crucial in the next few years, particularly if all the pessimism regarding the UK's economic situation proves to be warranted.
Another report particularly that shocked me (having recently re-read some of Juan Méndez's memoirs on his torture victim) was one relating to MI6. They were alleged to have been involved in the detention, rendition and torture of a Libyan husband and wife, political opponents of then-leader Muammar Gaddafi. Millions of pounds of public money has been spent just to cover the case up, with millions more for compensation.
Meanwhile, in Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar, Senegal, Hissène Habré (once Chad's dictator) has been sentenced to life imprisonment for human rights abuses. This case is significant not only for its implications for international law, bringing about justice for human rights abuses and offering "African justice for an African criminal", but also for being the first time that a head of state has been convicted of personally committing a sex crime.
While the achievement must be commended, it is also concerning to read Human Rights Watch's reports regarding the backing Habré received from both the USA and France. Although the USA was aware of Habré's propensity for brutality, it helped push him into power in place of a supposedly pro-Libyan government, while France provided arms and military assistance to his oppressive, one-party regime. A stark reminder of how governments need to be held accountable when it appears that other interests are overriding humanitarian considerations.
At a moment of upheaval in the United Kingdom, as we exit the European Union at the same time as millions of people are displaced in the Middle East, when the importance is the economy is held to be unquestionable while the living conditions of any citizens deteriorate, while politicians want to bring in a bill of rights that we wrote in place of... a bill of rights that we already wrote, is there a better time to focus on rights?
My humble aim is to look at a number of current issues related to human rights, civil liberties and equality on a regular basis, providing a news digest and any insight should I feel it's worth sharing with the world. I hope that this, as well as a variety of links (coming soon) will prove informative, intriguing and even (I can dream) inspiring to other people who want to make a difference in our uncertain times.
