Blog #10 Azerbaijani Human Rights Lawyer Convicted and Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison

April 22, 2015, an Azerbaijani court sentenced Intigam Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s leading human rights lawyer, to seven years and six months in prison on what are questionable charges. 

Aliyev was convicted on what Baku’s Grave Crimes Court says are the following “politically motivated” charges: tax evasion, illegal business activities, embezzlement, or the misappropriation of funds, and abuse of authority. On April 16, 2015, the same court sentenced Rasul Jafarov, another human rights defender, to 6.5 years on similar charges.

Giorgi Gogia, who according to the article is the senior South Caucasus researcher at Human Rights Watch, explains that Aliyev is Azerbaijan’s key figure in human rights advocacy. If this conviction and sentencing isn’t lifted, it would mean that future victims of human rights abuse in Azerbaijan have lost one of their strongest advocates.

Aliyev is a lawyer and chair of the Legal Education Society, which disputed human rights cases in domestic courts. He was one of the first Azerbaijani lawyers to bring cases to the European Court of Human Rights and has also trained the republic’s human rights lawyers. In August 2014, Azerbaijani authorities confiscated the group’s computers and documents and shut down its office. In addition to Aliyev’s arrest, authorities have started applying a new series of what seem to be extremely restrictive laws on nongovernmental organizations, including requiring a government license of foreign donor organizations and government speculation of grants awarded. Authorities have also frozen bank accounts of over 50 groups, and in some cases accounts of individual staff members.

Human Rights Watch argues that the charges are politically motivated, and mock what was once an acceptable justice system before Aliyev’s arrest. I agree; if his position of human rights advocacy is so great and influential, then he would represent a problem in the eyes of more controlling authorities. However political motivation charges aren’t new, this kind of corruption has been around for years. What’s more disturbing is that Aliyev is in fact one of the leading human rights advocates in the area, and without his guidance a stream of cases will be left defenseless. A worse possibility is if other strict governments follow this example, and we start to see a decline in cases of human rights being disputed. 

Read the article here: http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/22/azerbaijan-human-rights-lawyer-convicted

Salwa Majeed

04/24/2015

11:48 PM

Blog #6 Human trafficking laws 'should not ban buying sex'

Human trafficking laws 'should not ban buying sex'

According to BBC, Holyrood's justice committee has been gathering evidence on the Human Trafficking Exploitation Bill, which is going though parliament.  Many campaigners throughout Scotland are asking for prostitution to be made illegal, but the committee thinks they are not the right legislation for addressing this very pressing issue. Michael Matheson, who is the Justice Secretary, has agreed to meet with campaigners on both sides of the matter before a conclusion is reached. 

The committee backs the basic principles of the legislation, creating a specific offense of human trafficking and calling for a maximum penalty of life in prison. However, the persons forced into committing a crime will not be held responsible for their crimes. There are many positive parts of the bill, it is just a matter of singling out the offense of human trafficking and strengthening the protection of the victims of trafficking. The issue of creating an offense for the purchasing of sex along with this bill is not appropriate and should be consider two separated issues. 

It is wonderful to hear that Scotland is making progress in regards to human trafficking. I am glad to hear that this offense is being made illegal and punishable through the justice system. However, I do agree that the two issues involved (trafficking and selling sex) should be dealt with separately. I can see why they would try to lump the two together to protect the victims of human trafficking, but I think that it would be more appropriate if they created a clause in the bill that protects victims of human trafficking. I think that a separate bill should be passed in order to make prostitution illegal, therefore anyone who is selling their bodies can (and hopefully will) be prosecuted for that offense. If there is a clause in the Human Trafficking Exploitation Bill that dismisses any charges of selling sex from the victims of human trafficking, then the victims are protected, and the persons selling sex without being trafficked can still be prosecuted. Overall, I agree with the committee in their decision not to lump together two separate, although related, issues. It makes more sense to be specific about the offenses and to protect the victims of human trafficking. 

Andrika Payne

4/24/2015

11:34 PM

Blog 10:Faith turns Christians into terrorist targets

The world's worst terrorist groups, such as ISIS and Al-Shabaab, aim to create societies governed by strict, distorted versions of Sharia law. This is bad because that means anyone who doesn't subscribe to such extremist views are enemies and in danger -- Christians included. Not only are Christians in danger, but most victims of ISIS are fellow Muslims who refuse to go along with the ISIS worldview and ruthless tactics. There has been more than enough evidence to prove that Christians have been targeted heavily by these terrorist groups. The latest attack occurred on Friday, April 24th,when an Italian prosecutor claimed that a network of Pakistanis associated with al Qaeda talked about attacking the Vatican back in March 2010. U.S. Rep. John Delaney stated that this attack is simply a wake up call to the world that we live in, regarding militant groups across the country, and Christian persecution. Some acts against Christianity has been planned, but not as horrifying as others. For example, there have been several reports claiming that Muslim migrants have threw 12 Christians off the boat in the Mediterranean Sea. Other deadly acts and alleged plots have been blamed on established terror groups, including a French man attacking French churches.
Sid Ahmed Ghlam asked for an ambulance to come to his Paris home on Sunday after (he claimed) he accidentally shot himself in the thigh.However, Ghlams plan went south after authorities ound four Kalashnikov guns, a revolver, ammunition, police armbands and more in his car and his home.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/world/terrorists-attacks-on-christianity/index.html

Nathan Larson
Blog 10
War

     This week it was revealed that the media correspondent for Al-Qaeda propaganda in the United States was killed by a U.S. drone strike in January. Unfortunately, two American hostages as well as an Italian hostage were also killed in the drone attack due to lack of intelligence about their locations.  Al-Qaeda media correspondent Adam Gadahn was an American Citizen, born in Oregon, he grew up on a Goat farm and converted to Islam when he was 17. He was accused of treason in 2006 when the government learned he was spreading propaganda in the U.S. for Al-Qaeda.  His death is a vital blow for the U.S. against Al-Qaeda as his death will mean that there will need to be further leadership structuring within their ranks. Al-Qaeda has been struggling to create a solid leadership base in order to grow and continue its terrorist activities. The United States has been fortunate enough to have had great success in the past six months, eliminating forty of Al-Qaeda’s leader’s forcing Al-Qaida to scramble to keep itself active. The drone program has provided the United States the ability to keep track of and eliminate Al-Qaeda members and leaders forcing them to be on the move more frequently has made it near impossible for them to form significant bases of operation anywhere they have previously been comfortable conducting their terrorist activities. There has been some concern however that as the United states military presence diminishes in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda will return to its mountains and reestablish its network their where they have previously had success. If this happens the efforts the U.S. has put forth over the past decade will have been seemingly In vain. Eradicating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan will be difficult to complete with only the drone program, but as it has been witnessed that troop presence although somewhat effective hasn't solved the problem completely, and more U.S. casualties is avoidable if we withdraw. There is always the concern that the terrorism simply continue when we leave, but with the drone program it is possible to keep an eye on the situation with no personal danger to U.S. troops. It is hopeful we can suppress the terrorist activity going forward, with limited U.S. risk of life, but the terrorism problem around the world seems to be escalating rather than subsiding, so it is difficult to find much hope. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/world/asia/cia-qaeda-drone-strikes-warren-weinstein-giovanni-lo-porto-deaths.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

http://news.yahoo.com/killing-u-al-qaeda-media-frontman-seen-big-104616516.html

Russia Concerned with NATO Military Operations

Over the past couple of days NATO has been running military exercises around Britain's cost and they claim that these operations have nothing to do with the Russia's excessive military action including jets flying over British territory. NATO has dubbed these operations under the name Joint Warrior and according to the article includes “13,000 personnel from 14 countries operating more than 50 ships and submarines as well as 70 aircraft.” Although NATO has been condemning Russia's influence in the Ukraine and their abrasive military actions they claim that Joint Warrior was in effect long before these actions. According to Commanding officer Brad Williamson “...It's not just a game we're doing out here, that there are real world implications to our ability to provide security to alliance member...” however NATO still chooses to keep the specifics of these operations top secret and have only really released that their operations are broken up into two parts training and a term they used “free play.” Russia has suspicions about the actions NATO is currently taking and has sent some of their own personnel to investigate although NATO claims that they did not see anything to raise for alarm.

There are a few questions to be asked about these actions that NATO has taken, one of course being whether or not this will become part of the aid that the U.K. Promised to send Ukraine a few weeks back. And of course whether or not Russia's jets flying in British airspace has anything to do with Joint Warrior, even if it is only to speed up operations.  

William A. Bullard 

April 24, 2015

11:13 PM 

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/24/europe/war-games-nato-uk/index.html

Blog #10: Federal Prosecutor Drops Kirchner Conspiracy Case

Summary:

A federal prosecutor has dropped the accusation that was made towards the president of Argentina Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after she and her foreign minister had conspired to shield Iranians after the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center. Javier de Luca, the prosecutor, said in a court document that there was no crime on which to base an investigation. Alberto Nisman, who was found died of a gunshot wound to the head shortly before he was to present his finding before congress, was the one who had brought up the case. Mr. Nisman said that Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement, had carried the bombing out while the Iranian officials planned and financed it. He stated in a criminal complaint that by Argentina and Iran expediting the investigation into the bombing it was actually the veneer for a secret deal in which Argentina promised to absolve former Iranian officials accused of masterminding the attack. In exchange Iran would send oil to Argentina to ease its crippling energy deficit. The bombing case itself still remains unsolved. Nisman death divided and fascinated the nation and suggestions of a shadowy power struggle between the premier spy agency and the government had fueled speculation over how he died. Mr. Nisman's ex wife had a private inquiry commissioned which suggested that he was murdered, and the first journalist to report the death had fled to Israel in which he says he feared for his life. Mr. Kirchner who first suggested that Mr. Nisman had killed himself, has shifted in believing that he had been killed pointing to previous cases of suicide that were never cleared up.  Mrs. Kirchner and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman who Nisman also accused in being part of the cover up, pointed to statements from Interpol's former secretary general that they had never sought to lift arrest warrants for Iranians suspected of being involved in the bombing. A federal prosecutor has revived Mr. Nisman's case by seeking to charge Mrs. Kirchner in connection to the claims of secret negotiations with Iran. The decision itself from Mr. de Luca's in dropping the case is a victory for the government but it raises new questions about the impartiality of judges and prosecutors in Argentina's acutely politicized judiciary. He took it to a higher court stating that he would not pursue the investigation because there was no evidence of a crime.


Reaction:


I think that the fact that they are dropping the case does benefit the government in many ways. but at the same time I feel that they are trying to hide something. The case itself if the bombing hasn't been solved yet and that just right there amazes me. Which also gets me to think that maybe the Nisman case itself might never be resolved either.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/world/americas/federal-prosecutor-drops-kirchner-conspiracy-case.html?_r=0
Alexandra Palma


10:38 pm


4/24/15

Blog #10: Women Who Sit Too Much Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk

Women Who Sit Too Much Have Higher Breast Cancer Risk

Summary

A study conducted in Sweden concluded that women who spent too much time sitting down at work and outside of work have a greater risk of developing breast and endometrial cancer. The study formulated this analysis from 29,000 of these women, between the ages of twenty-five and sixty-four, who did not previously have cancer before the start of the study, for twenty-five years. The women were divided in three groups; those who worked in an office and participated in no recreational sports, those who worked in an office but did participate in recreational and leisure activities, and those who have a physically active job and required more standing and participated in recreational activities. Upon completion of the study, the researchers concluded that women who were not active at work or participated in no recreational activities are 2.4 times more likely to have a diagnosis of endometrial cancer, and breast cancer before menopause, versus the women who have a physically active job and participate in recreational and leisure activities. To reduce or prevent the women from increasing their chances of developing these cancers, Anna Johnsson, one of the authors of the study, conveyed that people who work in office settings can do simple things throughout the day to lessen their sitting time.

Analysis

Breast cancer has been prevalent in women’s health for many years now. Although there are no known cures for any form of cancer, knowing that there is some way that women who work in offices can reduce their chances of developing this cancer is incredible. I hope that in the near future, studies like these can be conducted to help women and men. In today’s society, a lot of people are inactive; they do not participate in any extracurricular activities. I believe that this study will be a wakeup call for women who do not participate in any activities. Women will realize that recreational activities are vital in their health, especially if know that this may be a possible way to reduce their chances of developing breast or endometrial cancer.

Shané Lennon

4/24/15

10:27pm

http://www.livescience.com/50620-sedentary-job-cancer-risk.html

Blog #10 Kenya's War on Terror Helps Terrorists

Summary:
Kenya's plan to close the Dabaab refugee camp, about 50 miles from the Somali border, is intended to reduce the chance of attacks by the al-Shabaab, which is the Somalia-based militant group that recently murdered more than 140 people at a Kenyan university.  However, kicking almost 40,000 Somalis back into a mostly lawless, poverty-wracked land will create more misery, and eventually result in more terrorist recruits.  In announcing the Dabaab refugee closure, Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto said, "The way America change after 9/11os the way Kenya will change after Garissa (the university) attack. Hm....

Analysis: 
I think that before Kenya decides to close these refugee camps, they should look a the impact of this closure.  As mentioned in the article, more terrorist recruits will result in this from the Somalis that are being forced back into the poor land.  Another issue is, the Kenyan government needs to look at their problems in the country and analyze why attacks have occurred by the al-Shabaab groups.  They have conducted more than 100 attacks in Kenya, killing at least 400 people.  However, rather than solve these problems Kenyatta's government has blamed attacks on political opponents and passed "anti-terrorism" laws that actually allow it to crack down on the news media and non-governmental organizations. Kenya has even shut down money transfer services that are vital to the Somali refugee community.......(even another reason for these groups to be recruited as 'terrorists.'

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-20/kenya-s-war-on-terror-helps-terrorists

4/24/15
10:31 pm

Blog #10: UN Condemns Horrific Week of Human Rights Violations in Libya

This past week in Libya, there have been horrific human rights violations. Several hundred people lost their life in the Mediterranean trying to escape violence in Libya. There were also several members of a prominent family killed by the Islamic State in Libya. Those trying to escape were migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and they were all at risk of killings, torture, abduction, and physical assault. The human rights division of the UN Support Mission in Libya had several visits to detention centers in Libya. They reported concern including “chronic overcrowding, poor sanitation, health care, and insufficient food.” The spokesperson of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also stated that there were reports of physical or verbal mistreatment, labor exploitation, sexual violence, and confiscation of identity documents.

            It is so sad to me that the people killed in the Mediterranean felt so scared that they had to flee from their own country when most of them were already in poverty. The Islamic State in Libya also held an execution of at least 28 Christians in two separate incidents this week. Something needs to be done in Libya. As a human, you are allowed to practice whatever religion you want and you should not be targeted just because you are a Christian. This has been an issue all year in Libya. Earlier this year, the High Commissioner urged Libyans “to unite against extremists launching attacks based on religious, ethnic, national, racial, or political ground” and would like to continue to reiterate this today.

Emily Burris

04/24/2015

10:16 pm

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50676#.VTqGzxZCZFI

Gold

On Friday, an interesting and thought-provoking article was released. It was a story about of a farmer in Peru that brought his sheep down to the river, and within a few minutes after they drank, they all died a violent death. This is because this stream was filled with poisonous nitrate from blasting into mountains in order to scrape out what little gold they could find. The American company, Newport Mining Company, is being funded by the World Bank and IFC to blast away at mountains and use toxic chemicals in to get out the gold ore. The gold mine in this instance is called Yanacocha and is the one of the leading gold mines in production today. When the mine is blasted, they mix cyanide type residue that pulls out the gold ore. This residue is easily washed away with rainwater and is not taken care of beforehand, which ends up in the water streams. Though this mining process is said to bring in many new jobs, over 50% of the population in the Cajamarca province where Yanacocha lies live beneath the poverty line and do not see any benefits from this environmental destruction.

World Bank and IFC has been caught with going over their own policies before and there is no reason for it to stop here.  The problem with this situation is the fact that the World Bank has been more inclined in recent years to fund situations that could be hazardous to the countries they are trying to develop, simply to exploit them for their resources. This sort of greed is what we have been seeing in Brazil as well, only the World Bank is not hurting themselves directly, so the consequences are not as visible.

This story follows Ethiopia as well and shows how the World Bank is creating hazardous situations there. As these chemicals increase in contamination, the question comes up of how bad will the people have to suffer before World Bank stops the environmental destruction?

http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/worldbank-evicted-abandoned/how-worldbank-finances-environmental-destruction-peru

Blog #10 Ebola can be transmitted by Sex

Just recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed the guidelines on the transmitting of the Ebola virus. They are said that you should not have any form of sex unless protection is being used. They have found that it is possible to transmit the virus through sexual contact. The World Health Organization and Liberia have come to the same conclusion about using protection during sex if you have been infected with the virus but is over it now. They are going off of the fact that a man could have possibly gave his female partner months after he had been over the virus. They found genetic material in a sample of semen that a man gave them after he had gotten over the virus. 175 days after he had started to develop symptoms. That’s 74 days longer than ever found in a survivor. They have not came to an actual conclusion on whether or not if the virus is fully sexually transmitted like other STD’s but it is quite possible that you can transmit it that way. They are planning to test the body fluids of things such as semen, breast milk, and urine. Experts say that they have not ruled out the possibility of Ebola being sexually transmitted but they do think that it is possible for it to happen. Even though the virus has cleared the blood system it is still possible that it is still in the body. They has made test available to people to be tested to see if they still have the virus in their system at all.

 

 

Looking at this I think this can help on other levels as well. I think that if you can get the people to start using protection to protect against the Ebola virus it can also help protect them against other infections as well. Also this can help lower the population which in other ways can be beneficial all around. If you can get the people to start using protection for this virus it can help out on other levels as well.  So by doing this you are killing two birds with one stone.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/world/africa/signs-ebola-spreads-in-sex-prompt-a-cdc-warning.html?_r=0

DfID accused of heightening inequality through support for private sector

Summary:

            The UK government has decided to take wealth that could be used to help the poorest countries and attempt to help allow children to have free public education and instead are using that to fund the private sector. The Department for International Development (DfID) has close relationships with the private sector and is filling the pockets of the large corporations. There was a study done on Friday called Profiting from poverty, again, and it showed that the aid that should be used to support human needs building up public services in low economic sectors as the UK. The DfID is dogmatically promoting private health and education when it’s been shown that this approach actually entrenches inequality and endangers access. On Friday, a group of US, British and South African NGOs and teachers’ groups issued a letter to the CEO of Person, a company that is one of the corporations that is given money from the DfID, that states that the states that Person is not allowing affordable public education but increasing private education.

Analysis:

            I believe that if the UK has the ability to increase the private education, then they should allow the public education a chance to get a better education. Children all over should be allowed a chance to have an education. I think that the private sectors getting such large selection of the money is unfair. Everyone should have an equal chance of education. With the sudden changes in how education and poverty have correlated lines, it is easy to see how they are together. When poverty is high, education is low. The education sector needs to rely greatly on assistance, mostly when the location is in poverty stricken area. The inequality that appears in those areas that are lower in poverty extremely needs of assistance from things like the DfID. They require this assistance because they do not have the ability to request the assistance from the parents.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/apr/24/dfid-private-sector-support-inequality-global-justice-now-report

Elizabeth Causby

April 24, 2015

10:06 pm

Blog #10 This time it's Europe's Fault

Europe (Greece) is now being compared to the 2008 Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy. It is believed that the next big economic meltdown is about to begin from Greece and the rest of Europe will follow. If this is true not only will there be social consequences, but political consequences as well. If Syriza is not able to follow through the people will be disappointed and will turn to the fascist alternative, Golden Dawn.  If this happens, France will follow since it is the scariest country at the moment in Europe. When looking at the opinion polls, 25% believe in the anti-immigrant and anti- EU belief.

Another concern is that Europe’s Bank is very fragile and even though ECB can still print money it is questioned if it should be blocked or not.  When Tsipras was elected people believed that he would be able to talk with Merkel and Schauble and that they would come to a conclusion. Greece would “continue to pay off the debt”, and would be given help so that the country would not go into bankruptcy. Help was not given and nothing has changed, if anything the catastrophe is coming closer and closer. The economic and political consequences of Greece are one of the next choices: defaulting on its sovereign debts, leaving the euro or even both.  It seems that the reason for this is not only Greece’s fault; Europe has no way of compromising. Unemployment at this moment in Greece has reached 30% of the workforce, which is almost as much as the US during the Great Depression.

There has been many attempts over the past few months in order to find a solution. Greece has been trying to convince Europe that they should be helped and Europe seems to not have any solutions that are “appropriate” for the Greeks. What will happen is a mystery and I don’t think Syriza has much left to do. Greek citizens are in great desperation and need someone to give them a solution. Unfortunately, if Syriza does not give a solution soon, next election we might actually see the Golden Dawn get even more votes. The citizens of Greece need to see a change in order for them to come to the surface for some air.   

Eugenia Marantos 

04/24/2015

9:38 PM

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/greece-economic-crisis-117228.html#.VTpAZZNhlS5

Blog Ten- New Clause for Bangledesh

Blog 10

Summary/Analysis

In past weeks, there has been a lot in international news about increasing the minimum age in which girls are legally able to marry. This has given such hope for upcoming years and future generations. Hopes in that less abuse will occur within the home, that young girls would be able to do more for themselves, and that traditional beliefs would be revisited. While hope still remains intact, an article by Nandini Chowdhury from Devex.com has pointed out that certain countries have instated a clause for the minimum age of marriage.

This clause states that the “Child Marriage Restraint Act will keep the minimum age at 18, but still allow natives to marry at 16, if the woman is pregnant, or with parental approval” (Chowdhurry, 2015). This means that the main issue of “forced” marriage for children is still present. It means that young girls can be manipulated by their culture and society to get married and pursue what others believe best.

Young girls can still be made to marry by way of parental encouragement. Though merely a draft, this act, says Nandina Chowdhury mentions that “instating can easily make the situation of child brides worse than it is and was” (Chowdhurry, 2015).  

Work Cited

Chowdhurry, N. S. (2015, April 22). A dangerous clause to "legally" decrease child marraige in Bangledesh. In Devex. Retrieved from https://www.devex.com/news/a-dangerous-clause-to-legally-decrease-child-marriage-in-bangladesh-85966

Time Stamp: 4/24/2015 9:08pm