Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue’s Post

Balkans - 24 April 2024 As a number of Western Balkan countries join the global trend toward authoritarianism, human rights are suffering, the latest Amnesty International report warns. This and other Balkan Legal News can be found in our weekly round-up here. https://lnkd.in/dN--EMkW

👇🏼 Here’s what Professor Saul Takahashi, former member of the UN Office for Human Rights, shared in his recent blog published by Law for Palestine. He urges world states to ensure accountability, not only through independent and collective sanctions but also by considering Israel's exclusion from the community of “peace-loving nations” that the UN is meant to represent, including expulsion from the UN. In light of Israel’s recent move to ban #UNRWA, is this action now more urgent than ever? 📌Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/eZpZmbN7

Dear Friends, Now that the world is voting 94% in favor of the JAZZforPEACE proposal for a cease-fire with funds earmarked for military use redirected to outstanding causes to benefit the people of both communities, what do you think about the idea of taking all of the people who want to destroy Hamas and taking all of the people who want to destroy Israel (meaning Hamas) and putting them together on the same island so that all of the Israelis and Palestinians who do NOT want to be a part of that can live in peace while they receive their much needed and much deserved funding? If you could vote RIGHT NOW for a Cease-Fire. WOULD YOU DO IT? What if it ALSO included FUNDS, for food and help to those in need?  WOULD YOU DO IT? Guess what ~ NOW YOU CAN! https://lnkd.in/emFNgYHa 

The recent deal between the EU and Egypt has grave implications for migrants and refugees. Not only will countless Egyptians be affected, but refugees from across Africa, including those escaping conflict and persecution in countries like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will also face dire consequences as they seek safety and refuge in Europe through North Africa. The EU's adoption of border externalisation policies, coupled with delegating responsibility to authoritarian leaders to deter migrants, is deeply worrying. Their measures often involve violent means, denying migrants their fundamental right to request asylum in Europe. This approach contradicts the values of the EU and undermines its commitment to human rights and international protection. We cannot stand by silently while migrants' lives and rights are compromised. We must demand accountability and urge the EU to reconsider its strategies, ensuring that policies prioritise human dignity and safety above all else. This is not who we are. We can and must do better.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐄𝐔 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐔 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧? The EU has "enlargement" or "expansion" plans to spread rule of law, human rights, and peace to states in Eastern Europe and parts of Eurasia. However, the EU's historical relationship with the colonialist, apartheid state of Israel (EU Israel Association Agreement in 1995) demonstrates the EU considers Israel exempt from rule of (international and humanitarian) law, human rights, and peace.

European Union means human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights,️ peace and other human values https://lnkd.in/ezTZ-BbP

What do you know about International Human Rights Day? International Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10. This tradition began in 1948 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to promote a functioning international human rights system. Human rights are a fundamental part of what it means to be human. What do you know about detention centers and filtration camps operated by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine? One of the most notorious symbols of the Russian Federation's crimes is the former cultural center “Izolyatsia” in Donetsk (https://lnkd.in/d-uwNa6G). This site has become a de facto concentration camp where individuals have been tortured, shot, and imprisoned for more than a decade—and it remains operational today. The larger picture of these crimes is made up of many pieces, and “Izolyatsia” is just one of them. It stands as a stark example of where appeasement of an aggressor leads. The Russian Federation has made it clear through its actions that it is interested only in war. Waiting for concessions from such a regime is a tragic waste of time—and lives. Until all prisoners held in the illegal “Izolyatsia” prison and similar filtration camps in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are freed, until the inevitability of punishment for these crimes is ensured, and until safeguards are put in place to prevent such atrocities in the future, we will continue to call for justice. This includes the urgent establishment of a full-fledged international ad hoc tribunal to address the crime of aggression against Ukraine, perpetrated by the political and military leadership of the Russian Federation. #IzolyatsiaMustSpeak #HumanRightsDay #StandWithUkraine #StopRussianWar #RealPeaceNotAppeasement 

European Parliament resolution of 24 October 2024 on the situation in #Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with #Armenia (2024/2890(RSP)) Parliament denounced Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record and called on the EU to end its gas dependency on Baku. According to the resolution Azerbaijan must withdraw #troops from #Armenia’s sovereign territory. Reaffirming their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, MEPs advocate for the normalisation of relations between the two countries and the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement. They also call for the withdrawal of all Azerbaijani troops from the entirety of Armenia’s sovereign territory, respect for the relevant decisions of the International Court of Justice, and the #release of the 23 Armenian prisoners of war detained following Azerbaijan’s retaking of the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year. For the full text of resolution see the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/duqrczDt

New report from the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese. Excerpts below- "As the world watches the first live-streamed settler-colonial genocide, only justice can heal the wounds that political expedience has allowed to fester. The devastation of so many lives is an outrage to humanity and all that international law stands for." "The current genocide is part of a century-long project of eliminatory settlercolonialism in Palestine, a stain on the international system and humanity, which must be ended, investigated and prosecuted." "...the Special Rapporteur urges Member States to: (a) Use all their political leverage – commencing with a full arms embargo and sanctions – so that Israel stops the assault against the Palestinians, accepts a ceasefire and fully withdraws from the occupied Palestinian territory in line with the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024; (b) Formally recognize Israel as an apartheid State and persistent violator of international law, reactivating the Special Committee Against Apartheid to comprehensively address the situation in Palestine, and warn Israel of possible suspension of its membership under Article 6 of the Charter of the United Nations;"   https://lnkd.in/g5pBqP3G