Vaccines Don't Grow on Trees... Or Do They?

    At this time, the global population is very well aware of what a coronavirus is and more relevantly what COVID-19 is. Spanning since December of 2019, this virus has reshaped the way that the global population has lived its past year and nine months. One of the attributes that has arisen has been a need to prevent the spread of the virus via vaccination efforts. Before the pandemic, developing vaccines was a rather closed industry and once one vaccine was found it was monopolized. However, COVID-19 broke this pattern inviting a counsel of the minds to challenge one another and try to come up with the best vaccine possible. With such a competitive spirit, this search has ultimately led to issues of political conflict and overall hurdles in making vaccines available. Worldwide, safe access to vaccines for those who desire to be vaccinated should be non-negotiable regardless of the form which the vaccine takes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PHARMAJET

    National variations have challenged scientists globally to push medical boundaries toward groundbreaking extents. India's rendition, Zydus Cadila, is revolutionary in that "it's the world's first DNA vaccine, and it's also needle-free." This vaccine, ZyCoV-D, is administered through the firing of fluid at a high frequency to cells in the skin making it easier to administer with a decreased threat of biohazards or cross-infections. Further mind-boggling leaps have been made, such as the Canadian effort to grow vaccines on plants, specifically the Nicotiana benthamiana to ultimately become a quick and inexpensive option. The concept of developing vaccines through this plant works off of the fact that it contains proteins that mimic the structure of the virus, but does not contain any genetic material. Strides like these are opening doors to boundless medical possibilities.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATHIEU BELANGER, REUTERS

    However, it is not all promising. Nations such as Iran and Taiwan are finding political unrest in vaccines they will promote. Despite developing their own, COVIran Barekat and Medigen respectively, these nations faced hardships with the virus with Iran itself reporting 700 daily deaths just last month. Iran resorted to creating COVIran Barekat out of desperation after U.S. sanctions limited their ability to acquire more widely used forms of vaccinations. Similarly, Taiwan developed Medigen refusing Chinese vaccines such as Sinopharm and Sinovac due to political conflict. Vaccine nationalism has also been a hurdle against widespread availability. Though it has arguably been done well by the Cubans, having given patriotic nomenclature to its vaccines. Though the Abdala vaccine, Soberana 2, and single-dose Soberana Plus all inspire pride in the Cuban people promoting vaccination domestically, many other nations see the vaccination race as a clear, one-winner game. Such as the Russians with their vaccine, Sputnik V, that has left Russia to portray itself as a world leader in science and foreign policy (despite domestic speculation of the vaccine) ultimately causing upheaval in European nations.

PHOTOGRAPH BY AGÊNCIA BRASÍLIA

    This competition among nations has left under-developed nations out as well with high-income countries reserving the bulk of the projected produced vaccines for the year. These nations are then left to develop their own (with very limited capabilities and funding) or remain unvaccinated. Ultimately, vaccination for the COVID-19 pandemic has been a scientific catalyst yet also a catalyst for international dispute. In order to put an end to this pandemic, its variants, and ultimately this international discord, the opportunity to make safe access to vaccination a global phenomenon is paramount regardless of the demographic composition of the nation. For this to be conceivable, concessions in pride and income must be made by corporations and national governments worldwide.

Sources:

 Kampfner, John. 2021. “Vaccine Competition May Now Be the World's Best Bet.” Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/06/vaccine-competition-may-now-be-worlds-best-bet (September 30, 2021).

Brasília, Agência. 2021. “Covid-19 Vaccine Viles Photo.” Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/64586261@N02/ (September 30, 2021).

Handley, Erin. 2021. “Iran Banned US Vaccines, Taiwan SNUBBED China's. Here's What They Came up with Instead.” ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-22/covid-19-vaccines-homegrown-vaccine-nationalism-world/100464976 (September 30, 2021).

“Needle-Free Injection Technology.” 2021. PharmaJet. https://pharmajet.com/ (September 30, 2021).

“What Is Coronavirus?” Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus (September 30, 2021).

Cuba Protest Against Communist Government amid COVID-19 and Economic Struggles

What happened in the Protest?

On July 11th, thousands of enraged Cuban people took the street to protest for basic necessities like food, medicine and other essential products. In a country where almost every aspect of life is controlled and protest is illegal, this event marked Cuban people’s most extreme call for change within the political system. The protest started from a small town called San Antonio de los Baños, which recently suffered from power cuts, and quickly developed into a major uprising in more than 40 towns and cities, including the capital Havana. In addition to demanding change to cater for basic amenities, many also raised “Down with the Dictatorship” signs, chanted “Freedom” and “Patria y Vida” or “Homeland and Life”, which is a spin on the Communist Regime’s long standing slogan “Homeland or Death”. Many live-streaming videos and other footage of the unrest also went viral across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,... The Communist party responded by deploying the police force to tear gas and use violence on the protesters as well as shutting down the internet in an attempt to stop people from spreading awareness and calling for help. Several demonstrators were then captured, including famous figures such as visual artist Luis Manuel Otero, poet Amaury Pacheco and José Daniel Ferrer, the leader of Cuba’s most important opposition group, and whose whereabouts are now unknown. This uprising is considered the largest-scale protest in Cuba since the Cuban Revolution in 1953.

Background on the Communist Regime

The recent social unrest in Cuba is very alarming but not surprising. It’s a result of years of dictatorship under the rule of the Communism Party with President Miguel Díaz-Canel in charge. The Communist Party has been met with waves of protest way before this unrest. Since its establishment in 1959, this party has been a dictatorship system, putting Cuban people in substandard living conditions, limiting its people's freedom of speech and freedom on the Internet. In addition, the government has been operating an unstable economy that heavily relies on tourism and sugar exports. The paralysis of the tourism industry for a year due to COVID-19 restrictions and a significant drop in revenue from Azcuba, Cuba’s sugar monopoly, made the government unable to import basic goods with foreign currency. This protest can be considered the last draw as Cuban people have been living in deteriorating conditions for so long with electrical blackouts, food shortages and made even more miserable with the spread of COVID-19 cases. Within the weeks of protest Cuba saw a record spike in COVID-19 cases and death due to the slow roll out of vaccines by the government. As of July 13th there have been reportedly 245,000 cases. 

International responses

US President Joe Biden called Cuba a “failed state”. He voiced his support for Cuban people, "The U.S. stands firmly with the people of Cuba as they assert their universal rights. And we call on the government of Cuba to refrain from violence in their attempt to silence the voices of the people of Cuba." The crisis has also been heavily condemned by the United Nations and other rights groups. Celebrities like Pitbull and Daddy Yankee have also been using their platforms to raise awareness about this humanitarian crisis. Camila Cabello, Cuban-Mexican singer posted a video on her Instagram to spread awareness about the crisis with the hashtag #SOSCUBA, which was then quickly spread on the Internet in support of protesters and to put pressure on local authorities.

 

What this protest means

According to Arturo López-Levy, a former analyst with Cuba’s Interior Ministry, major political changes are not going to happen in the short term. But he added that the protests do put pressure on the government and draw significant attention from the rest of the world. This could open the door for more than one candidate to run within their one-party system by allowing an independent candidate to run, similar to how Iran allows moderate and conservative candidates to run in their elections. This can potentially break the dictatorship and strengthen the nation’s fragile democracy. Other possible changes are the delegation of power from the central government to provinces and clarification on the arrests and charges of demonstrators.

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/are-protests-beginning-end-cubas-communist-government-rcna1460

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57799852

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1015318087/the-hip-hop-song-thats-driving-cubas-unprecedented-protests

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/07/21/cuba-protests-tania-bruguera-500421

https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/is-cubas-communist-party-finally-losing-its-hold-on-the-country

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/11/cuba-protests/

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/celebrities-local-artists-react-to-cuba-protests-stand-in-solidarity-with-soscuba-hashtag/2492977/

 

The Rise of Coup: From Guinea to the Whole Africa

On 5 September 2021, the President of Guinea Alpha Condé was captured by the country's armed forces in a coup d'état after gunfire in the capital, Conakry. Special Forces commander Mamady Doumbouya released a broadcast on state television announcing the dissolution of the constitution and government. There are several reasons why the coup takeover would happen. First of all, Alpha Condé used Guinea’s natural resources to improve the economy, but the population of the country doesn’t feel its effects. What’s more, president Condé changed the constitution in 2020 to secure the third term of his presidency which cause severe protests against him. Last but not the least, president Condé tried to balance the budget of the country in August 2021 by tax hikes, slashed spending on the police and the military, and increased funding for the office of the President and National Assembly.

The broke-out of the coup in Guinea is not only a problem of Guinea but also reflecting similar problems in other African countries. The study led by two US researchers, Jonathan Powell and Clayton Thyne, has identified over 200 such attempts in Africa since the late 1950s.

The overall number of coup attempts in Africa remained remarkably consistent at an average of around four a year in the four decades between 1960 and 2000. Jonathan Powell says this is not surprising given the instability African countries experienced in the years after independence. The number of coups did drop a lot in the past two years, but it's worth noting that so far this year, there's been a noticeably higher than average number of coups compared with the previous two decades which is Niger, Chad, Mali, and Guinea. So what caused the coup to make a comeback in Africa?

The research network Afrobarometer conducted surveys across 19 African countries which showed 6 in 10 respondents saying corruption is increasing in their country (the figure was 63% in Guinea) while 2 in 3 say their governments are doing a poor job fighting it. Furthermore, 72% believe ordinary citizens "risk retaliation or other negative consequences" if they report corruption to authorities, a sign Africans believe their public institutions are not just partakers in, but active defenders of, corrupt systems.

When speaking of poverty, One in three people is now unemployed in Nigeria, West Africa's largest economy. The same goes for South Africa, the most industrialized African nation. It is now estimated the number of extremely poor people in sub-Saharan Africa has crossed the 500 million mark, half the population.

Another important reason is that Africans are losing their belief in the presidential elections. Surveys conducted across 19 African countries in 2019/20 showed just 4 in 10 respondents (42%) now believe elections work well to ensure "MPs reflect voters' views" and to "enable voters to remove non-performing leaders."

In other words, more than half the population believes that the candidates are lack representativeness and accountability.

From above it is clear that young Africans are losing faith in their corruptive government, poor economy, and unreliable presidential candidates. They then welcome coup to bring some “radical changes” However, just like comments from Joseph Sany that “The initial reaction of what you see on the streets will be of joy, but very soon, people will be demanding action... and I'm not sure the military will be able to deliver on the expectations, basic service delivery, more freedoms.”

Resource link:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/12/africa/africa-coups-resurgence-intl-cmd/index.html

https://guardian.ng/news/unemployment-rises-to-33-3-per-cent/

https://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/publications/Dispatches/ad425-support_for_elections_weakens_in_africa-afrobarometer_dispatch-7feb21.pdf

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46783600

Britain's Failing Economy

Background:

    In 2016 the UK voted to secede from the European Union to gain more control of their country, particularly regarding trade and immigration. Before Brexit, the UK had open borders with countries in the EU and followed regulations set by the EU. Brexit resulted from a spark of nationalism in 2016, but the UK did not officially separate until January 1st, 2020. Unfortunately, they separated right before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had tremendous effects on their economy.

Immigration:
    Brexit has had the most significant impact on immigration. Britain implemented new policies that made it harder for EU citizens to immigrate into the country. By doing so, Britain effectively cut down on the amount of foreign low-income employees, creating job shortages in sectors like truck driving. The truck driving shortage has created a lot of problems with the energy industry and food industry. COVID-19 added to the deficit because it made it more difficult for European truck drivers to get back into the UK, but the new policies have slowed most immigration.

"Covid was just the straw that broke the camel's back, in the sense

that things have just become less pleasant here [for EU workers]," L. Alan Winters.

Energy Crisis:
    Britain has an ongoing natural gas and electricity shortage, leading to a spike in prices. This is partially due to China's increased demand and Russia's deficit. Additionally, Britain's shortage is tied to a lack of storage facilities. Since Britain seceded from the EU, they no longer have access to their internal energy market. The natural gas shortage has been the most damaging. It has prevented trade and resources from entering the country because there is not enough gas for truckers. It is estimated that Britain's energy prices will also rise by £500 million by the end of the year, equivalent to about $670 million. Britain can no longer rely on the EU for help, so they are stuck trying to figure out the situation by themselves.

Food Supply:
    Not only is Britain suffering an energy crisis, but they are also suffering from a food shortage. Since the UK is a northern island, they do not produce many goods in their own country. Instead, they rely heavily on imports from other countries. Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, they did not have the same access to imports and could not rely on the EU for aid. On top of that, most supermarkets don't have enough staff to stock shelves with the limited materials supplied. Farms and food processors have also had to cut back on production because there is no means of transportation to get goods from a factory or farm into supermarkets.

“[B]y early December, UK shoppers will experience worse grocery

shortages than at the peak of the pandemic last year”

What Does This Means for the Rest of the World?:
    Britain's economic decline has implications for the rest of the world's global economy, which could ultimately create more conflict between countries. Britain is one of the world's largest trading partners, and if its economy continues to decline as it has been, it will affect other global markets. The UK trades a lot with the US, many European countries, and other global superpowers and trades with developing countries. Suppose they cannot supply the same amount of goods or income they did before these developing countries will end up in hot water. They won't be able to support themselves as much, which could result in conflict. Ultimately, the UK's struggling economy is a sign to the rest of the world of the damage COVID-19 had on countries and the damage of stricter immigration policy.

Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/28/business/brexit-fuel-food-shortages/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887
https://theonebrief.com/brexits-article-50-mean-business/
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/internationaltrade/articles/uktradingpartnersananalysisoftraderelationships/2020

Teenage Girls in Afghanistan Fear Taliban Will Strip Them of Education

Afghanistan finally opened its classrooms back up on Saturday the 18th after being shut down for nearly a month due to the Taliban takeover. The Taliban ordered boys in grades seven through twelve to return to school, leaving the girls in those grades at home worried about their access to education. While girls in younger grades were allowed to attend, they had to be segregated from the boys. Many families still held their younger girls back at home in fear. The Taliban claimed they were looking for safe transportation for girls to get to school, but this has nonetheless sparked nationwide fear for the future. There is worry that the Taliban will permanently ban these girls from school, which would leave millions of girls in Afghanistan with crushed dreams.

Many people in Afghanistan, mothers in particular, are feeling deja vu from the mid 1990s. After the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996, they continued to gain momentum and gain control over Afghanistan throughout 1997-1998. It was during this time period that they began stripping women of their rights. They banned women from working and getting an education, and also performed brutal punishments. Women would get beaten, amputated, and publicly executed. When first restricting girls from school, the Taliban said they did so for security and safety reasons. This sounds scarily similar to what spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said to an Afghan media group the other day. He told them they were, “working on an approach so that all women and girls can continue their education and employment,” yet he never stated when girls would be able to return. The current situation is nearly identical to 30 years ago, causing many to believe that history is repeating itself, and Afghanistan is moving backwards.

The Taliban continues to create segregating environments between women and men in education. They claim, “coeducation is in opposition to sharia law.” Male teachers are not allowed to teach girls above third grade, universities must have separate classrooms for men and women, and female teachers are becoming less and less available. Thousands of professors are trying to leave Afghanistan, which could lead to an overall education crisis. Women are frustrated that they are fighting for a basic right they used to have in the past, and that they can’t receive an education without being seen as sinful or scared for their safety.

All of these are warning signs pointing towards an Afghanistan with even worse treatment of women. Women have been ordered to stay out of public until security concerns fade, and have been getting beaten by Taliban workers as they protest against the government. Protests are taking shape in other ways too, with many boys staying home from school to advocate for their sisters and friends. 

(“We don’t go to school without our sisters”)

People are calling for the international community to take action. Pashtana Durrani (founder and executive director of Afghanistan-based charity LEARN) begs for intervention, and for the international community (Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) to use their leverage to threaten to stop funding the Taliban if they continue to withhold education from girls. 

If or when teenage girls may return to school, it is uncertain whether or not the Taliban will censor what is being taught. There is speculation that female figures from history, or lessons on reproduction from biology, will be erased from textbooks. 

Sources

• https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1028472005/afghanistan-conflict-timeline

• https://www.npr.org/2021/09/19/1038681716/the-taliban-are-stopping-afghan-girls-from-going-to-secondary-school

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-girls-education-taliban/2021/09/23/7e439a2c-1b05-11ec-bea8-308ea134594f_story.html

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistans-taliban-prohibit-girls-from-attending-secondary-school-as-boys-return-to-classrooms-11631951310

• https://www.rferl.org/a/Why_Does_The_Taliban_Fear_Women/1610619.html

• https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/27/world/asia/taliban-women-kabul-university.html

• https://theconversation.com/the-taliban-are-megarich-heres-where-they-get-the-money-they-use-to-wage-war-in-afghanistan-147411

Preliminary Results are In…and they’re not what you might expect

    For the past 15 years Angela Merkel has ruled as the Chancellor of Germany since her election in 2005 when she was elected as the first female chancellor in history. However, the preliminary results show that her reign has come to an end. The current winner, Olaf Scholz, is the head of the Social Democratic Party(SPD). However, three of four Germans did not vote for him. The others who ran against him included Armin Laschat of the center-right Christian Democratic Union(CDU), Annalena Baerbock of the Greens Party, and Christian Lidner of the Free Democratic Party. Shcolz won 25.7% of the vote followed by Laschat, Baerbock, and Lidner respectively at 24.1%,14.8, and 11.5%.

Compared to previous elections in Germany, there are now four mid-sized parties competing for positions in government. Since the end of World War II, German elections have always been a contest between two parties, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union. However, this year the Greens Party and the Free Democratic Party received a substantial number of votes. The Greens Party, as it says in its name, stands for climate change and social justice. As for the Free Democratic Party, they are a pro-business party, who are vying for tax cuts and a smaller role of state.

So why does this matter? As previously mentioned, German politics, like the United States, have always been defined by a two party system. However, this election went against the traditional narrative. Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, the Berlin based of the German Marshall Fund calls it “an unprecedented situation” and that there is a “structural shift going on in German politics”. Prior to this election, Angela Merkel ruled as the Chancellor of Germany as a CONSERVATIVE! Yet, she was dethroned by a social democratic party, which in the United States would be viewed as appalling. The other compelling aspect of this election was the large number of votes received by the Greens and Free Democratic Party. The question is, how did these parties get votes when in the past they hadn’t been able to? The answer, they were able to appeal to young and first time voters. These results demonstrate the new direction German politics are headed, the end of the two party system.

Meng Wanzhou -- A Controversial Figure

Last Saturday, September 25th (Beijing Time), Meng Wanzhou arrived in Shenzhen Baoshan International airport after more than 1000 days of house arrest with a heroic welcome by Chinese government and people.

Meng Wanzhou (At the gangway)

The Meng Wanzhou incident began on December 1, 2018. The Canadian police arrested Meng Wanzhou, the vice chairman and chief financial officer of Huawei, who was transiting in Vancouver at the request of the U.S. government for mutual legal assistance. On December 1, 2018, Meng Wanzhou arrived at Vancouver International Airport, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Meng Wanzhou in accordance with the U.S. provisional extradition request on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The Chinese government strongly opposed Canada's action. Chinese ambassador to Canada, the spokeperson of Foreign Office and the Government of Shenzhen both address their oppose and urge the Canadian government to release Meng Wanzhou. Amid the time of China-United States Trade War, the Chinese government see the arrestment as a kind of suppression to China high-tech company.

 Kang Mingkai (Michael Kovrig) and Michael Spaffer

On December 10, 2018, the Chinese government arrested two Canadians, Kang Mingkai (Michael Kovrig) and Michael Spaffer. The Canadian government accused the incident as a retaliation by the government of the People’s Republic of China on the Meng Wanzhou incident.

At 10:32 PDT on December 7, 2018, Meng Wanzhou's bail hearing was held in the British Columbia High Court in Vancouver. The prosecutors accused Meng Wanzhou of "fraud" and violation of US "sanctions." The Canadian Department of Justice prosecution lawyer John Gibb-Carsley stated during the hearing that “From 2009 to 2014, Huawei used the Hong Kong-registered SkyCom Tech Co. to sell high-tech products from the United States. Resale to Iranian companies, in violation of US sanctions against Iran. On May 27, 2020, the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver ruled that Meng Wanzhou’s case met the “dual criminality” standard for extradition, and that Meng Wanzhou’s actions involved in the lawsuit were both crimes in the United States and Canada. The extradition process will continue. 

On September 24, 2021, Meng Wanzhou participated in a hearing in the Brooklyn Federal Court of the United States from Vancouver, via video call. Although Meng Wanzhou didn't dispute the charge towards herself, but admit Huawei's action that misleading the international finintial institution when deading with Iran. Then, Meng Wanzhou and the U.S Deparment of Justice reached an agreement to suspend the prosecution.

Meng Wanzhou (the middle figure)

As soon as Meng Wanzhou received the suspend of prosecution and in her way return to China, Kang Mingkai and Michael Spaffer fly back to Canada with the acompany of Canda ambassador to China. The People's Daily said that these two people were expelled from China and released on bail.

For the whole trial process, the major medias' cover are different via China, US and Canada. For China, whether the Foreign Office, ambassedors in Canada or newspaper companies have same opinion that is strongly opposed and see it as the suppression of China high-tech company like Huawei. Even when Meng Wanzhou returns to China, the media see her as "National Hero" that compete with the "imperialism" of U.S. For Canada and Unites States, they see China's action as "hostage diplomacy" that use two Canadians to threat the Candian authority to release Meng. 

Reference:

Wikipedia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meng_Wanzhou

New York Times:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/25/world/asia/meng-wanzhou-china.html?searchResultPosition=7

BBC:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58682998

People's Daily:  http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/0926/c90000-9901205.html

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China:  https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2535_665405/t1909814.shtml

Department of Justice (Deferred Prosecution Agreement):  https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1436211/download

Mexico's Reckoning with Haitian Immigrants

The migration of Haitian immigrants to the United States in the past weeks has garnered lots of news coverage, but not much has been discussed how Mexico has been dealing with the surge of immigrants. Though Haitian migrants have their eyes set on the United States, they must travel through Mexico, in order to reach the U.S border. In the past, Mexico has set up camps for refugees as they process their papers, but this week, the Mexican government took a strong stance and announced they would be removing Haitian refugees to Haiti, "by 'air and ground'" (Washington Post), a very similar stance to the one the United States took recently. This is a new and conservative position compared to their dealings with immigrants in the past. Many migrants end up in Tapachula, where the government decided to set up a 'humanitarian camp,' now known as Little Haiti (Washington Post). Although smart in theory, the process took almost a year, which left many of the refugees displaced and on the streets. The duration of the processing and the lack of stability left many vulnerable. 

Photo by Felix Marquez/AP

Despite Mexico's statement of returning migrants to Haiti, many of them have not been in Haiti for many years. Many began their trips to the border years ago, making their way through multiple South American countries. They travel to Mexico in hopes of obtaining refugee status and then using it when they arrive at the U.S border. This is an issue Haitian immigrants who made it to the United States also face. The International Organization for Migration, a UN group, has asked Brazil to accept Haitians that have Brazilian children or had previously lived there, while on their journey (Reuters). Despite this plea for help, Brazil also faces its own turmoil with COVID and other things, which can be disheartening for hopeful refugees.

These new announcements from the United States and Mexico are surely worrisome for those who have spent many of the last years migrating in hopes of creating a life in the U.S. If they are returned to Haiti, the place they once knew will most likely barely resemble itself. Most migrants have been away for over five years, and more devastatingly, Haiti has come into more turmoil recently than when they left. Just recently, the President's assassination and major earthquakes, have left their homes and the families they left behind worse off. 

Image of one migrant's route fleeing Haiti, from BBC

Andrés Alfonso Ramírez Silva, Mexico's refugee agency head, said that most Haitians will not be considered refugees, "according to Mexican law and international law" (Washington Post). In reality, Haitians do not want to be considered refugees by Mexico, as the United States is their ultimate destination. For Haitian refugees, Mexico is equivalent to their home country. Mexico lacks stability, good job opportunities, and is more violent than the United States. Many Haitians have family members or at least some community waiting for them in the United States. For many, they need opportunities to not just give themselves a better life, but also their family members who were unable to flee. They have the responsibility of sending back money, but without job opportunities or stability, this is nearly impossible.

Mexico recently has become more conservative with its immigration policies, mostly at the call of the United States to help control the influx of refugees coming through the U.S-Mexico border. Recently, the Mexican government has been rounding up Haitian immigrants from hotels and other areas. Immigration groups believe that at least 80% of refugees have been targeted and victimized in some capacity (BBC). One refugee describes being robbed, as well as fearing for his wife and child's safety, as many women are raped by gangs (BBC). He describes seeing bodies of Haitian and Cuban migrants on his journey (BBC). 

Just last week, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on the United States for their promised money to Mexico and Central America for development, which would hopefully deter migration through an increase of jobs. Despite President AMLO's anger at the United States, Mexico's united stance for the removal of Haitian immigrants may be a way to show its loyalty to the U.S, in hopes of obtaining the promised development funds. 

Sources: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/23/mexico-haitians-border-deportation/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-58673578

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/exclusive-un-migration-body-asks-brazil-receive-haitians-us-mexico-border-2021-09-24/

Former Iranian Official is Prosecuted for War Crimes of 1988 by Swedish Government

The Iran-Iraq conflict occurred from 1980 to 1988 as a military dispute. During the Iran-Iraq conflict, the People’s Mujahedin of Iran was a political organization that supported and worked towards the downfall of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government in favor of the establishment of their own. At the time, Ayatollah Khomeini, the Iranian supreme leader, had all prisoners who supported the organization and their beliefs executed, according to the Swedish prosecutors. The exact number of people executed between August and July of 1988 is unknown but Amnesty International predicts that the number was in the thousands and alternative sources go up to thirty thousand deaths. 

No one had been prosecuted over these executions and the torture of the political prisoners, prior to Hamid Nouri. The former Iranian prosecutor, Hamid Nouri, is suspected of contributing to the mass executions and has been held in Swedish custody since his arrival to the country in 2019. Police had been informed that Nouri was on board a flight from Iran and awaited his arrival in Sweden, unknown to Nouri. It is believed that Nouri worked as “an assistant to the deputy prosecutor in the Gohardasht prison”, a prison near Tehran. Nouri and his attorney deny his involvement in the war crimes. As of July, Swedish public prosecutors have charged Nouri. Prosecutors argue that Nouri engaged in the mass executions as well as the torture of these political prisoners. Swedish prosecutors invoke universal jurisdiction to claim criminal jurisdiction over Nouri as war crimes fall under both Swedish and international obligations. 

Why is universal jurisdiction important? Universal jurisdiction is a tool used by human rights lawyers, and others, that allows for the prosecution of offenses regardless of where they occurred, by a national court.  Examples of the use of universal jurisdiction include using it to prosecute people for their involvement in the Holocaust. 

On August 10th of this year, Nouri’s trial began where Iraj Mesdaghi testified. Mesdaghi survived the 1988 executions and has been working to bring justice ever since. Additionally, he was responsible for the original arrest of Nouri in 2019. Other witnesses also testified in court. 

A depiction of the trial held in August in Stockholm.

Nouri and his lawyers claim that Nouri “has been confused with someone else” and that the testimonies are unreliable as so long has passed since the events. 

The trial will end in 2022. At this time, the judges will come to a conclusion.

Why is the prosecution of Nouri significant? Many believe that the atrocities that took place during this time have not yet been fully addressed. Prosecuting Nouri is seen as a step towards justice for those affected by these events. Shahin Gobadi, a spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran referred to the trial as “a landmark case.” He stated, “We think the world will eventually understand the extent of the atrocity in Iran and I think this is the beginning of a process that will continue until the Iranian regime leaders, including (Ayatollah) Khomeini and (Ebrahim) Raisi will be brought to justice,”. There are many human rights activists and organizations who have worked tirelessly for justice over these executions and who are finally able to see results due to the use of universal jurisdiction. 

Above is a photo taken from a protest in 2019 that was held to commemorate the victims of the 1988 execution. 

​​“This is such an incredibly important event for us: all the mothers, fathers, families and other relatives of people who have fallen victim to the Iranian regime,” Iraj Mesdaghi, a key witness in the trial, told the Swedish news agency TT. ” These crimes have never been tried before, I'm very grateful that it is finally happening.” 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58421630 

https://www.euronews.com/2021/07/27/sweden-prosecutes-former-iranian-official-for-1988-mass-executions 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58165166 

https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-iran-crime-trials-17b3746b50bf382cda39dee37e43edde 

After 5 Elections, 15 Arrests, and Over 100 Days in Prison, Zambia’s New President Begins the Tough Work of Repairing His Country

 

On August 16th, 2021, former Zambian President Edgar Lungu conceded the election to the leader of the opposition, Hakainde Hichilema (known affectionately as HH.) Lungu’s tenure as President of Zambia was fraught with controversies including extreme corruption, human rights violations, general ineptitude, and abuses of power such as those inflicted on Hichilema. In 2017, Hichilema was arrested under treason charges and spent months in prison before international condemnation from the United States and others, finally resulted in his release. This was only one of the fifteen different times Hichilema has been arrested under various pretenses; demonstrating his unwavering desire to see a better Zambia. This is Hichilema’s fifth election and only concrete victory, although previous elections have been marred by allegations of corruption and vote rigging. In 2016, Hichilema officially lost to Lungu by a very small fraction of the votes, however Hichilema's opposition party along with international voting rights organizations have disputed these results due to various inconsistencies. In 2021 however, the results were so overwhelmingly in favor of Hichilema (he won by over a million votes) thanks to approximately four million young voters, that Lungu had no other option but to concede. 

                          Zambian citizens dance and cheer after hearing of Hichilema's victory (cnn)

                          Zambian citizens remove posters of Former Pres. Lungu (cnn)

Internationally as well as domestically, his victory has been very well received due to his commitment to pay back Zambia’s debts, rid the government of institutionalized corruption, and fix the economy through environmentally friendly initiatives. On September 23rd, 2021, Hichilema visited the White House and met with Vice-President Kamala Harris, a feat which has not occurred since 1992. VP Harris embraced Hichilema’s victory, calling it “democracy in action,” and hoping for his success in facing the many problems currently plaguing Zambia. During his visit to the United States, he also met with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in order to begin negotiations on a financial bailout. Zambia, the first African country to default on its debt during the pandemic, is facing a major financial crisis that has yet to improve. Despite Zambia’s many challenges, Hichilema has an unwavering desire to turn his country into a “beacon of hope for democracy in Africa,” and he has already begun. When travelling to the United States, he flew on a commercial aircraft with only two ministers instead of a private jet and massive entourage like his predecessor, marking a sharp contrast in how he plans to govern. 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/25/africa/zambia-president-hichilema-unga-intl/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/16/africa/zambia-election-president-hichilema/index.html