Devex’s Post

The right to peacefully protest, picketing and petitioning public authorities, as enshrined in Article 37 of the Kenyan Constitution must be respected. Read more on our publication by Kavutha Mutua here- https://lnkd.in/dR_zQNrC

Stopping genocide is a human obligation not just a human right. This is the great cause in my and most peoples lifetime. Subverting standing orders to deny a democratic debate and vote under the dubious guise of allegations about members safety from attacks by innocent protestors against genocide is a very dangerous precedent. Any such threats should be investigated and action taken. I thought democratic nations were supposed to stand up against such threats not bow to them. What I thought was democracy was where you represent the views of 80% of the population of the UK. It appears to be have been usurped by lobby groups, political funders and aggressive bullying by propoganda merchants. In which case why bother with the fig leaf of an election to pretend we are a democracy.

September 28 will mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information. Let’s join the claim to protect journalist’s rights and ensure media editorial independence, which is a claim to respect people’s right to know. Across #Europe, governments and political parties are targeting independent media groups through smear campaigns and arbitrary regulations. They are also blocking journalists from attending political rallies, and the ones who attend face the risk of illegal detention and violence. Civitates calls on governments, policy makers, and human rights defenders, to pay closer attention to the growing insecurity of journalists in Europe and calls on private and public funders to increase their support to build resilience against disinformation. Adrian Mihaltianu, Gabor Kardos #InternationalDayofUniversalAccesstoInformation #AccesstoInformation #OpenAccess #civitates #civitatesEU #information #independentmedia #media #journalism

#China is Erasing the Memory of the #Tiananmen Massacre. We Can’t Let Them. It’s long past time to hold Beijing accountable for human rights violations. Please read this moving and important piece by Sophie Richardson Truth and justice matter! https://lnkd.in/ex7YuJUN

19 Nov 05:55: Putin’s Russia 👺 isn’t the only ‘Sc** of the Earth’ of course 👺🇨🇳Xi🇨🇳: BBC News: Top Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders sentenced to jail: Asia: 19 Nov 2024, 02:29: Updated 1 hour ago Getty Images Koh Ewe: BBC News: A Hong Kong court has sentenced key pro-democracy leaders to years in jail for subversion, following a controversial national security trial. Benny Tai and Joshua Wong were among the so-called Hong Kong 47 group of activists and lawmakers involved in a plan to pick opposition candidates for local elections. Tai received 10 years while Wong received more than four years. Most of the group were found guilty of conspiring to attempt subversion, while two were acquitted. Their trial marked the largest use of the harsh national security law (NSL) which China imposed on Hong Kong shortly after the city's explosive pro-democracy protests in 2019:

🔴 Human Rights Violations Demand Immediate Action The recent violations of human rights in Bangladesh are deeply concerning and cannot be ignored. We urge the United Nations Human Rights and the United Nations to take immediate and decisive action to address these injustices. #JusticeForBangladeshiStudents and #StandWithBangladeshiStudents are not just hashtags; they represent a call for justice, equality, and the protection of fundamental human rights. Thank you, United Nations Human Rights for your attention to this critical issue. We trust in your commitment to uphold human dignity and expect swift measures to ensure justice and security for Bangladeshi students. #HumanRightsViolated #GlobalJustice #UnitedForHumanRights #Bangladesh #StudentsRights

#StatecraftInTheNews: In a historic ruling, 45 of Hong Kong’s prominent pro-democracy figures have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years under Beijing’s national security law, in the largest subversion trial since 2020. The accused included former lawmakers, activists, and journalists. Among them, legal scholar Benny Tai received the longest sentence (10 years). Joshua Wong, a symbol of the 2019 protests, was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months. The case stemmed from the group’s role in organising a 2020 pro-democracy primary election. Judges claimed the plan could have led to "overthrowing the government." The US, Australia, and human rights groups condemned the sentences, calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to politically motivated prosecutions. Since the 2020 law's enactment, Hong Kong has seen media shutdowns, civil society dissolutions, and protests largely banned. Citizens now vote for only 20 of 90 lawmakers, with Beijing loyalists dominating the legislature. The sentences signal a turning point, as Hong Kong faces its most significant erosion of political freedoms in decades.

The danger of escalation and the current narrative in the media about Gaza. The pro Palestine protests and the focus in the media on the suffering of the people in Gaza without the proper context is not at all reassuring me. The decisions taken by the leaders of Israel is not necessarily the decision of the inhabitants or Jews in general. There are frequent mass protests opposing the continuation of the war and the decisions taken by the leaders. Also Zionist does not equal nazism and yes there are also groups using violence against Palestinians and stealing land. It is not so easy to understand why the fighting continues, but it is convenient because of the current focus in the media to generalise and attack all Jews anywhere. Often by people with a certain connection to the people of Gaza by a shared religion for example, or by a limited view only aware of the casualties recognising the pain and suffering. We need to have it straight that not all Israeli are Jews, and that Israeli Arabs and Palestinians have similar rights. Most of the population does not necessary practice Judaism and are Jew by birth rather than religion. Most deeply religious Orthodox Jews do not support the violence and Jews world wide are not necessarily Zionists or supporters of Israel’s decision making in this conflict. Not all zionists share the same opinion or practice violence. Jews abroad do not necessarily follow Israel’s politics and often feel citizen of the country they live in. Go on the web and do some research and you will find many wonderful projects bringing together Israeli and Palestinians, fighting injustice for the Palestinian and there are many people in the country having normal relationships with palestenians. Next to that, it is not necessarily a war because of faith. Maybe for Hamas it is as being rather extreme and fundamentalist in their views on Islam. There are many problems in the Muslim world with Muslim extremism, creating war, chaos and terror also in Muslim countries. The role of extremism in this conflict, and the terror and suffering it caused in Israel and continuing with the remaining hostages kept captive and evacuation of the north of Israel, is completely left out of conversations, media and the relation to instability elsewhere in the Arab world is at all not mentioned.