#8 -ˏˋ⚖️🙅♀️💣ˎˊ- Human "fraternity" and African giant-pouched rats
The weekly roundup keeping you on the cutting edge of international justice and human rights issues, or something like that.
Dear all,
When I was working for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, I stayed on different occasions in Kramatorsk.
I would often escape my room at Hotel Kramatorsk in exchange for a pot of the best ginger tea ever - at RIA Pizza.
They’ve hit RIA Pizza, two days ago, killing 12 people.
And I have no words to conclude this introduction.
Maxence
P.S.: It’s not the first time that civilians in Kramatorsk are targeted. If you haven’t done so yet, I recommend that you read the following piece: Death at the Station, Russian Cluster Munition Attack in Kramatorsk, A Human Rights Watch and SITU Research Investigation.
In this week's issue, you’ll read about:
Child kidnapping: A forgotten aspect of Genocide in international law
A UN resolution on “Human Fraternity” raising human rights concerns
A report describing how the Wagner Group captured the Central African Republic, including its natural resources and political power, and committed atrocities
Rats that are being trained to detect landmines
And more….
Saved from the World-Wide Web over the past few days
🇷🇺 🇺🇦 Child kidnapping: A forgotten aspect of Genocide in international law
This is a fascinating blog post providing an overview of the origins behind the inclusion of a prohibition on the forcible transfer of a group's children in the Genocide Convention.
Extract:
[Raphael] Lemkin claimed he had “worked out the plan which was later accepted, namely, to try the Germans for stealing children.” That trial, United States v. Greifelt, conducted as part of the “subsequent Nuremberg trials” by the United States military under Control Council Law No. 10, centered on Nazi child stealing. Mr. Neely, the American prosecutor in that case, told the court that “throughout this proceeding we shall hear the defendants say how well these children were treated and of the wonderful care afforded them. … But it is no defense for a kidnapper to say he treated his victim well.”
🌐 New UN Security Council resolution on “Human Fraternity” raises human rights concerns
The article discusses the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution on Human Fraternity, which aims to promote peace and tolerance among different religions and cultures. While the resolution has been praised for its positive message, some experts have raised concerns about its potential impact on human rights. The article highlights the following benefits and limitations.
Benefits:
The resolution promotes interfaith dialogue and cooperation, which can help reduce religious tensions and conflicts.
It recognizes the importance of human dignity and the need to protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their religion or belief.
Limitations:
The resolution does not provide a clear framework for how to address human rights violations that may arise from religious or cultural practices.
It does not address the root causes of religious conflicts, such as discrimination, intolerance, and inequality.
It may be used to justify restrictions on freedom of expression and other human rights in the name of promoting religious harmony.
Extract:
The resolution repeatedly uses the word “extremism” without any further qualifier—not even the common reference to “violent extremism.” Proponents of the text argued that states need to address extremism before it becomes violent. Yet human rights experts have long pushed back against overly broad language about extremism and terrorism in multilateral statements and resolutions as well as domestic legislation, noting that such language is easily abused by repressive regimes to target domestic critics and restrict citizens’ freedom of expression, association, and assembly.
[…] In addition to broad references to extremism, the resolution’s emphasis on “human fraternity” also raises concerns for gender-equality advocates. Not only does the term itself, rooted in the Latin word for “brother,” have gendered connotations: it is also associated with conservative religious actors who are actively opposing progress on gender equality in multilateral institutions.
🇺🇸 UN report calls on U.S. government to close Guantanamo Bay
The United Nations has released a report calling on the U.S. government to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. The report condemns the facility as a site of "unparalleled notoriety" and "a stain on the US Government's commitment to the rule of law." Takeaways:
The continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is a violation of human rights and a stain on the US Government's commitment to the rule of law.
The US government must close the facility and provide appropriate remedies for those who have been subjected to enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture.
➡ Read more on Responsible Statecraft.
🇨🇫 Architects of Terror: The Wagner Group's blueprint for state capture in the Central African Republic
An investigative report by The Sentry details the “Wagner Group's blueprint for state capture in the Central African Republic”. The report describes how the Wagner Group captured the country, including its natural resources and political power, and committed atrocities.
Under the cover of a counteroffensive against anti-Touadéra armed groups, Wagner, Touadéra, and his inner circle have perpetrated widespread, systematic, and well-planned campaigns of mass killing, torture, and rape throughout the country.
➡ Read the report on The Sentry’s website.
💡 Ratting out land mines: The African rodents set to clear Nagorno-Karabakh minefields
African giant-pouched rats are being trained to detect landmines in Azerbaijan. The rats are being deployed by APOPO, a Belgian NGO that specializes in training rats to detect landmines. The rats are being used to detect TNT explosives, which they can smell with their acute sense of smell.
Takeaways:
The use of rats to detect landmines has several benefits, including their ability to detect explosives without triggering them, their low cost, and their ability to cover large areas quickly.
However, there are also limitations to using rats, including their limited lifespan, the need for specialized training, and the potential for false positives.
➡ Read more on RFE/RL’s website.
Also rescued from the World-Wide Web
Artificial Intelligence and International Criminal Law (EJIL: Talk!)
An overwhelmed, overstretched, ignored, and under-financed human rights system is being confronted with a stark reality: it may not be able to deliver on its mission (The Geneva Observer)
Central African Republic: Special Court hands down first reparations decision (Justice Info)
Is Armenia’s Move to Join the ICC a Strategic Necessity or Geopolitical Suicide? (Carnegie Endowment)
Mali : les enjeux des intenses négociations en cours sur le retrait de la Minusma (RFI)
Sudan Today Follows Decades of Justice Denied (Just Security)
France-Rwanda : «Isolé, enfermé dans le mensonge», l’ex-gendarme rwandais Philippe Hategekimana condamné à perpétuité (Libération - abonné.e.s)
If you’re still reading this, 👏 (and thanks). This is the end of this edition, thank you for stopping by :)
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See you next time!
Maxence
Currently listening to: Avant elle, Aliocha Schneider
P.S.: Prefer to read in French? You’re in luck: this is a bilingual publication.