HUMAN RIGHTS IN CONTEXT

Comments on Rights

Did Trump implicate US government and himself in crimes when he stated his intent to remove the people of Gaza and take over their land?

Anyone with a general understanding of international law, human rights norms, and historical precedents would recoil at the suggestion that a community be forcibly relocated to other countries while their land is seized by another nation-state. When such statements come from the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, they are cause for serious concern. To grasp the gravity of such remarks, it’s essential to consider the historical, legal, and political context behind them. In 2010, highly respected journalist Helen Thomas faced significant backlash after making a controversial statement suggesting that Jews who had migrated to Israel should return to Read more

The History of Deporting Migrants Out of the USA and Its Conflict with Human Rights Treaties

Introduction: The United States has a long and complex history of deporting migrants, a practice that has often sparked significant controversy and raised questions about its compliance with international human rights standards. From the early 20th century to the present day, U.S. deportation policies have evolved in response to shifting political, economic, and social landscapes. However, many of these policies have conflicted with human rights treaties, particularly those addressing the rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. This article explores the history of deportations in the U.S. and examines how these actions have often clashed with international human rights obligations. Read more

Globalism have on Human Rights

Globalization is the term used to describe the liberalization and interdependence between the world’s economies, cultures, and populations (Peterson Institute for International Economics). Globalization encompasses the growing cross-border trade of goods and services, foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI), technology, and information between countries. Think of it as a “McDonaldization” of not just capital, labor, and commodities but of lifestyles, ideas, preferences, food, culture, and values–the interaction amongst people within states plays a vital role in transforming not just political institutions, but cultural standards (norms), and social connections (Swathi Hosamani and Shravani Hosamani 4). Furthermore, globalization brings Read more

On the Release of Political Prisoners in Syria and Human Rights

There are good reasons for cheering the freeing of political prisoners held in Syria after the fall of the Baath rule. Indeed, no one should be imprisoned for political expression or for belonging to a political trend that disagrees with the ruling party. Therefore, probing evidence of torture and holding those responsible should be the most urgent action, but it must be done independently and transparently. The collapsed Syrian government, like all other governments around the world, created a “label” for social groups it wants to target, legislate a law that criminalize the “label”, and use the law to justify Read more

Towards a global alliance to compensate for colonialism and its crimes

by Muhammed Khalil Al-Mousa * The idea of colonialism has historically been based on the practice of imposing political, economic, social, cultural and legal domination by a foreign state, often a Western state, over a foreign territory and its inhabitants. Colonialism, which extended from the sixteenth century until the middle of the twentieth century, was a practice not prohibited under traditional international law, but it became prohibited since the middle of the twentieth century, when the United Nations decolonized the world. Colonial practices and policies were built on plundering the wealth of the colonial peoples, accumulating wealth and capital at Read more