How Many More Children?

There has always been a stigma when it comes to church and sexual abuse. France has gone and exceeded the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church. A report released this past Tuesday indicated that in the last seven decades more than 216,000 minors have been sexually abused by clergy members in the Roman Catholic Church. The 2,500 page document also detailed that 3,200 male clergy members were behind the majority of the abuse. First of all meaning, each targeted an absurd amount of victims, and lastly, this means there is likely irrefutable evidence of a cover-up. 

                           

    Candles line the floor of a Catholic Church in Central Paris 

Although France is indeed a first-world country with economic and political stability, issues regarding religion tend to slide under the radar. The problems are known but never addressed. Religion has always been a huge part of French culture, cathedrals line the streets making them a popular tourist attraction. 

2018 was when it all resurfaced again as Jean-Baptiste Sebe was accused of sexual assault, later committing suicide. Another priest, Pierre-Yves Fumery, hung himself after allegations of him sexually assaulting a child who was under the age of 15. Both incidents occurred within a month, and neither of the priests were charged by the police. Orleans Bishop Jacques Blaquart responded to the incident by saying it was a “moment of suffering and a tragic ordeal.” Blaquart also said how members of Yves’ parish came forward with concerns of “inappropriate behavior towards children aged 13,14, and 15 including a girl that he took in his arms and drove home several times.”

Glen Perspiratory where Yves served and died   Pierre-Yves Fumery and Bishop Jacques Blaquart

The majority of the abuse occurred in areas with a low level of religious practice which is extremely concerning. This shows that the clergy in these regions can get away with so much more. The spotlight is not on them as much as bigger regions. The main pattern to emerge from this report was the similarity in victims. The majority being pre-adolescent boys deriving from all different social backgrounds.

Commission president Jean-Marc Sauve handing copies of the report to Catholic Bishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF).

France’s problem with sexual abuse is gaining attention is due to a commission that was formed to find all transgressions in the Catholic Church. This, also, explains why the report was only filed on Tuesday, October 5th. The commission spent two and a half years listening to victims through an open hotline. 

It’s happening in other countries too. In South Africa, 35 cases of clergy abuse towards minors have been reported, but only 7 have been investigated by police since 2003. In the Philippines, no priest has ever been convicted of child abuse until a the family of a victim, who was only 4 years old, pressed charges to Rv. Aron Buenacosa. “It’s a culture of cover-up, a culture of silence, a culture of self-protection,” said the Rev. Shay Cullen, an Irish priest who has spent decades in the Philippines and works with victims of child sexual abuse. (AmericaMagazine) 

The 4 year old girl who is pressing charges against Rv. Aron Buenacosa 

In Ireland, although thousands of children have been molested, only 100 priests have been convicted. The bishops, here, work to protest the priests instead of the victims. In Germany, a third of altar boys get sexually abused. Also, a report concluded that 3,667 people were abused by clergy members from 1946-2014. The report was drawn up in 2018. The United States has no official report for the number of victims but in 2019 there were 13,000 allegations (Center for Applied Research in Apostolate). According to CBS News 2,600 priests molested and abused children in the United States. Although, France has the highest number of victims revealed in reports and investigations worldwide. So far programs for compensation have been created in Germany, the USA, and France. 

These first-world countries may appear mighty but they have major domestic problems that get overlooked. Now that sexual abuse has gained media attention, there can only be hope for change in the Catholic Church system and a way to protect the youth. The problem is universal and has to be taken more seriously. Allegations should be immediately followed through and the justice system needs to be on top of it. These children deserve peace after the cruel acts placed upon them. The world is failing children. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45938880 

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/384281-french-priest-commits-suicide-after-abuse-claims 

https://www.ciase.fr/rapport-final/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/world/europe/france-catholic-church-abuse.html 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/05/europe/france-catholic-church-abuse-report-intl/index.html 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/03/europe/france-catholic-church-pedophilia-abuse-intl/index.html 

https://apnews.com/article/europe-france-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-sexual-abuse-religion-ee99d7921e5a1b8c45c770bf5af7ba38 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/major-report-to-expose-sex-abuse-in-frances-catholic-church/2021/10/05/a5f6fd02-2591-11ec-8739-5cb6aba30a30_story.html 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/06/23/philippines-child-alleges-abuse-by-catholic-priest-tests-vatican-promise-global-reckoning/ 

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/09/09/history-sex-abuse-allegations-reveals-culture-cover-philippine-church 

Opening Pandora's Box: How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money

Early in the morning on October 3rd, 11.9 million documents composing of 2.1 terabytes of data were leaked by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which is a joint collaboration between BBC Panorama, the Guardian, and other media partners. This is the latest in a string of leaks these news companies have released over the past seven years including Offshore Leaks (2013), Panama Papers (2016), and the Paradise Papers (2017).









The Pandora Papers expose over 30 former and current world leaders and over 100 more powerful people from around the world. These people include Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, one of Putin’s ex-lovers, King of Jordan, and former prime minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair. "Many of the power players who could help bring an end to the offshore system instead benefit from it — stashing assets in covert companies and trusts while their governments do little to slow a global stream of illicit money that enriches criminals and impoverishes nations," the ICIJ said in there introduction to the paper. Throughout the paper, there is a strong theme of not only using smaller countries to hide money but also using smaller regions within powerful countries. Now in Pandora’s Papers, it shows the extent of the U.S.’s involvement within the shady underbelly of tax evasion specifically through some very liberal laws in places like Alaska, South Dakota, Nevada, and Delaware have become go-to tax havens for global clients setting up multibillion-dollar trust companies in rural towns of midwestern states.

Tony Blair


In Tony Blair's case, the documents show why the stamp duty, the tax governments place on legal documents, usually in the transfer of assets or property, was not payable when the couple bought a £6.45m property. Using a Tax loophole the ex-prime minister bought the offshore parent company to the building. Although not directly illegal to do this in the United Kingdom it is an extremely bad look for the old prime minister especially because of his previous hypercritical viewpoints on using these special tax loopholes to avoid paying huge amounts to the government when buying larger purchases.



Countries Responses

-The United States has released a statement saying the state department is currently reviewing the findings within the Pandora papers and investigating the claims made against United States business within the document. They have declined to comment any further however because the investigation is still ongoing.

-The United Kingdom released a statement saying it is “cracking down on money laundering with tougher laws and enforcement, and that it will introduce a register of offshore companies owning UK property when parliamentary time allows.” although it is unknown how quickly they will move to prevent the rich elite from laundering and tax-evading in the UK.

-Jordan is yet another country whose monarch was named within the paper showing how the King of Jordan secretly amassed a property empire in the UK and the U.S. worth more than $100m. The royal palace said “king's property ownership was not unusual nor improper" and Abdullah himself told tribal leaders “the cost of the properties and related expenditures had been personally funded by himself, not by the state budget or treasury.” Although it is too early to tell how the people and tribal leaders of the country will side.








Sources
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58780465
https://www.reuters.com/business/state-department-says-us-is-reviewing-findings-pandora-papers-2021-10-04/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/media/pandora-papers-five-takeaways/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2021/pandora-papers-offshore-finance/
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/E6DB/production/_120799095_pp_how_big_v3_2x640-nc.png
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtMKezDN8iM
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/4/pandora-papers-ukraine-leader-seeks-to-justify-offshore-accounts

Australia Won’t Let Tourists In Until 2022

 On Tuesday, October 5, Australia’s Prime Minister announced foreign tourists will not be allowed until 2022. Australia’s travel restrictions were said to be “one of the toughest and longest COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by a democracy” (AP news). Australia lagged behind in the vaccine rollout initially due to low circulation of the virus since they had such heavy travel restrictions early on. On Tuesday October 5, Australia reached their goal of 80% of the population receiving the first dose of the vaccine. With the 80% goal reached, Australia now focuses on allowing skilled migrants and students to return to the country, but there has been no specifics on when those groups will actually be allowed back in. The severe travel restrictions have hurt Australian universities who depend on international students. Many businesses are getting hit hard, and there are frustrations over how there are no details on how travel will start up again. Even though it might not be a priority now, many Australians want to know when tourism will be part of the plan. Additionally, about 30% of the population of Australia was born overseas so this has proposed an “emotional burden” on them. The delta variant has hit Australia hard, and they are now shutting down some of their biggest cities.Victoria state reported a record 1,763 new infections (AP News). 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morriso

Coronavirus in the Past

Back in May, Australia was seen as a Covid success story with lower infection rates due to their border policies. Back in March 2020, Australia closed its borders, only allowing Australian citizens, immediate family members, and permanent residents to travel to Australia. Once they arrive from another country, they are put in a 14 day isolation. Their border policies have caused a divide between Australia and other countries. Australia’s conservative government hasn’t particularly welcomed immigration in the past 8 years. Back in May, Australia announced that anyone coming to Australia from India could spend up to five years in prison- the first time Australians faced criminalization for returning to their country (BBC). They have faced racial accusations due to the inconsistency in travel bans between India and the U.S or European countries. They were more stirct with travel from India than somewhere like the UK. This was also a human rights concern as international laws state citizens shouldn't be abruptly banned from returning to their country. 

US vs Australia

Australia's measures were among the strictest, but surprisingly polls report “75-80% approval ratings for keeping the door shut.” It is very doubtful that approval ratings that high would be seen in the U.S for such strict measures. I think that the attitudes over vaccination and travel restrictions in Australia versus the U.S tells a lot about the political differences in each country. 80% of the population received the first dose in Australia, and 57% of the population over 16 is fully vaccinated, compared with the U.S on October 5 with 65% receiving the first dose and 56% being fully vaccinated. Australia has a two party system like the U.S, however the vaccination rates show that the divide between political parties may be stronger in the U.S versus Australia. Australia lagged behind in vaccine rollout but reached 80% for the first dose, while the U.S is slowing down at 65%, and they have similar fully vaccinated percentages. 

Works Cited

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-business-scott-morrison-travel-0e0dea481cefe0952e19f6315b6955ee

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57224635

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56967520

Australia Vaccine Statistics

U.S Vaccine Statistics

Picture: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3151213/coronavirus-no-international-tourists-australia-until-2022?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3151213

The Missing Persons Phenomena of Mexico

 According to Mexico’s National Search Commission, headed by Karla Quintana Osuna, a Harvard-trained lawyer, almost 100,000 people have been reported disappeared or missing in Mexico since 1964. In a society where 30,000 murders occur per year, death feels pervasive and nearly common. Disappearance is almost worse because there is no consolation, and the names and faces of missing loved ones are plastered everywhere. Clothing and human remains are rarely found, and when they are, they are incredibly difficult to identify because of the weathering and time that has passed. According to the attorney general of Chihuahua, Cesar Peniche Espejel, improved forensic technology and search equipment have assisted in helping to find bodies. Still, until authorities can fully take down organized crime groups, Espejel says these efforts “will remain a drop in a bloody tide that add thousands to the list every year” (Lopez 2021). 

Mothers searching for their lost children. Photo courtesy of Fred Ramos. 

In 2014, forty-three students from a rural teachers’ college from the town of Ayotzinapa disappeared. An investigation was opened under the president at the time, Enrique Pena Nieto, but the blame was placed on a local drug cartel and the municipal police. This explanation, however, has been widely condemned by international scholars, including the United Nations, who argue the process had been impaired by “torture and cover-ups.” Not only does this speak to a prevalence of organized crime throughout Mexico, but also that the government is involved in said violence. 

Town squares plastered with the names and faces of missing loved ones. Photo courtesy of Fred Ramos.

However, under current President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, authorities are attempting to help families find answers. President Obrador reopened the investigation pertaining to the forty-three missing students and has given his full support to the Mexican National Search Commission. When Quintana first started her work with the MNSC,  only around 40,000 missing persons were accounted for because state prosecutors were not reporting correctly. She was able to conclude that this number is, in fact, lacking by around 60,000. In a society where a fraction of the crimes are solved, the task of finding justice for those missing seems hopeless. “As long as there is no justice, a clear message is being sent that this can continue to happen,” Ms. Quintana states (Lopez 2021). Between September 2020 and the end of July 2021, only ten months, 6,453 people have been reported missing or disappeared. Families are left to search for their loved ones in the hope that they may still be alive and may be reunited or find some sense of peace and closure in this horrible circumstance. 

Clothing remains of a missing person. Photo courtesy of Fred Ramos. 

Lopez, Oscar. 2021. “In Mexico, Nearly 100,000 People Are Missing.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/10/03/world/americas/mexico-missing-people.html (October 5, 2021). 

“I will not drink the water you touch”

What does equality mean to you? To many who live in the United States, the first thing that comes to mind is racial or gender equality. To many living in Southeast Asia, this will question not just their culture and traditions but also their religion. To many, this system comes from a religious background according to which Hindus are divided into groups based on their karma(work) and dharma(duty) from the past life. Depending on your good deeds and sin from your past life, you will be sent to a higher or lower caste family when you reincarnate. Although the caste system is often associated with India, countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka also partake in this.






The most practiced caste system has five levels. At the top of the system are the Brahmins. They represent the head of the Hindu god Bharma and are very knowledgeable which is why many of them are priests and teachers. In many of the Hindu texts, they play an essential role in teaching the rulers and princes. The ancient Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, and royal advisor Chanakya is an example of a Brahmin. In the second level are the Kshatriyas, who represent the arm of Bharma. They come from rulers and warriors. An example of these rulers and warriors are the Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata. The Vaishyas come from the thighs of Bharma. They come from farmers, traders, and merchants. Many Vaishyas during old times worked for the rulers and help them run their land through cultivation and trade. The Shudras are the fourth level of the system and they come from the feet of Bharama. They are the working class. They repressed people who used to cook for the ruler’s family, take care of their children, and help build palaces. The Dalits are known as the outcastes and are separated from the other four castes. They are said to come from people who do the “dirty” jobs in the community. The water they touch becomes “unpure” for many of the other castes. They are not only separated but also looked down on by many Hindus that follow the caste system.









Rohith Vemula was a 26-year-old Ph.D. student at Hyderabad Central University in India. He was an advocate for Dalit rights and belonged to the Ambedkar students’ Association. The college he went to had many caste-related incidents in the past. This created hostile situations for students that went there. Rohith and his four friends faced an allegation that they were behind the attack on a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad Party (student party of the BJP- party that the current prime minister Modi is backed by). They were cleared of all charges in the first inquiry but then the decision was reversed in December of 2015. They started protesting against their expulsion from their college housing facility. This led to Rohith and his friends gaining national attention and support from other Dalit students who for years were discriminated against because of their caste. Many protests were held for the Dailt students' rights. During these times the slogan “Jai Bheem” became the chant for their fight against the biased decision. Rohith dreamed of creating change and he was smart enough to do so yet his dreams were compromised just because he was from a lower caste. On 17 January 2016, Rohith committed suicide. A young mind who fought for the rights of many Dalit students no longer had fight left in him.





Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-07/indias-untouchables-how-caste-system-affects-politics/10900280
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35349790
Rohith’s Letter:
https://thewire.in/caste/rohith-vemula-letter-a-powerful-indictment-of-social-prejudices

First Massive Protest Across Cuba In 62-Years.

For the first time in over 62 years the People of Cuba took the streets across the island on July 11th of 2021. The protest first started in a Town called San Antonio de Los Banos, in the province of Artemisa (and through the use of social media rapidly expanded across the entire country. The Communist Regime responded by cutting internet access and with strong military oppressive action. The people of Cuba screamed “Libertad '', Their cries were those of “liberty, freedom and change after 63 years of one-party rule” (BBC). This was a historic landfall in Cuba's fight for freedom as the last major uprising took place in the 1990’s.

(Los Angeles Time)

Cuba has been under a Communist Authoritarian Regime Since January 1st, 1959. This was after Fidel Castro and his revolutionary army Overthrew Fulgencio Batista. At first Castro promised that he wasn't planning on implementing a Communist agenda (NBC). But soon Castro placed Cuba under Soviet wings and proclaimed Cuba as a Communist state in 1961. In 1962, John F. Kennedy strengthened the 1960 embargo against Cuba, as a response. As a result Cuba's International trade has heavily limited the island's foreign trade, costing the regime about $130 billion(NBC). The Cuban regime has heavily rationated goods on the island for a typical Cuban, even the private businesses. These strong government restrictions among others have left the Cuban people heavily dependent on a failed state, with extremely low capacity. There is no food, no medication, and the response of the government to Covid 19 all leading to the tipping point for the Cuban people. The Embargo placed against Cuba by JFK has been the fuel of the anti imperialist and anti American propaganda. As they blame their low capasity on the American Embargo. This has been backed up by radicals in the U.S. like the BLM organization where in a statement they said: “The people of Cuba are being punished by the U.S. government because the country has maintained its commitment to sovereignty and self-determination,”(NBC News). Essentially blaming the American Embargo for Cubas dehumanizing conditions.


In addition there have been violent forms of oppression towards anyone who dares to think differently, leading Cubans to migrate (NBC). The political instability of the island has led to civil unrest. The protest soon led to international demonstrations (NBC). In the U.S the Cuban American population manifested in cities like Miami where they demanded American Military intervention. The call for military intervention came as a result of the regime's strong military response to the manifestors in the Island. The regime sent to the frontline of the manifestation special operation forces called ​​"Black Berets" (BBC). Hundreds of Cubans were arrested, some even being underage (BBC). In a country where the government controls all aspects of life it's to no surprise that protests have been arrested and criminally prosecuted. Many families informed the BBC that they “were given summary trials and that many were sentenced without a defence lawyer present.” This emphasies the level of auhtoritasnism expreinced in Cuba, where the government is able to sentence their citizens to prison without even due process of the law. 

                                                                (Altonna Mirror)

The massive protest in Cuba serves to emphasize the power of the authoritarian regime. The government was able to quickly mobilize to oppress the protestors and cut access to the internet. Shortly after the manifestations the current “president” in power was showcased on national television, as he called for the revolutionaries to combat the protestors (TheNewYorker). Essentially calling for an unfair and bloody civil war, as the Cuban people were defending against the military forces with anything they could find in the streets sticks and rock, while the military had weapons of mass destruction. The protests in Cuba demonstrate the importance of internet access in today’s modern world. With the usage of social plataforma the demonstrations were able to disperse around the island, encouraging others to join the fight for liberation. This also emphasizes the state of low capacity of the Cuban regime, as they are incapable of delivering basic necessities like food and medicine. It’s important to note what this uprising could mean for other authoritarian regimes in the world like in Venezuela, where the seed of “socialism” was planted with the help of the Castro's brothers themselves. And what would it mean if Cubas authoritarian regime falls? Will it be the end of other governments like in Venezuela or Nicaragua since they work to serve each other. Cuba is also facing a challenge of lack of legitimacy as there is not legitimate Cuban head of state (NBC). Fidel Castro, enjoyed nearly 60 years of charismatic legitimacy, always seen as a true hero and father figure of the Cuba of today, but his brother Raul wasn’t that charismatic, and the current “president”, Miguel Diaz- Canel is facing stronger opposition than the other two commander in chief since the start of the Revolution. Its important to emphasize how the idea of charismatic legitimacy can be applied to other country around the world like NorthKorea and China.

                                                                        (BBC)


What can be appreciated from all of this is the start of the end. July 11th of 2021, will go on in the Cuban history books, as a day where fear was lost and the Cuban people started to claim their natural right to life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The “socialist” revolution sold to the Cuban people over six decades ago has turned into an authoritarian nightmare, where those in power feed off those in the bottom.


#VivaCubaLibre


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu7Se4pczA4


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-58255555


https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/08/13/cuba-protests-freedom-communism-socialism-july-inflation-food/8099165002/


https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2021/08/13/cuba-protests-freedom-communism-socialism-july-inflation-food/8099165002/

Coup doomed for failure

On September 5, 2021, President of Guinea Alpha Condé was captured by the country's armed forces in a coup d'état after gunfire in the capital, Conakry. Condé, 83, took office 11 years ago in the country’s first democratic election since independence from France in 1958. A lot of disapproval and  deadly riots sparked last fall after Condé sought a third term which is against Guinea’s democratic constitution. This coup d'état was led by special arms forces commander Mamady Doumbouya contending that people’s basic human needs and rights weren’t being met. The Junta live streamed on national television announcing the arrest of Conde and the dissolvement of the government”.

Who is Doumbouya?

41 year old Doumbouya is a successful commander of Guinea’s elite special forces group with training from the U.S, French, and Isreal military. On October 1, 2021 he was sworn in as interim president of Guinea. He promises to oversee a transition that would include the drafting of a new constitution, fighting corruption, electoral reform and the organization of free and transparent elections.The junta has said its members will be barred from standing in the next elections.

What does this mean for Guinea now?

It's the fourth attempted coup in West Africa in just over a year. There have been two military takeovers in Mali and a failed attempt in Niger since August 2020. This successful coup may lead to more instability for guinea in addition to making the region more vulnerable to attacks by Islamic Militant. The country is one of the largest suppliers of bauxite, a key source of aluminium. And this violent disruption may severely impact commodity prices. 

How did international leaders respond?

 UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and the African Union have condemned the apparent coup and demanded the immediate release of President Condé. The Economic Community of West African States, a regional bloc, has frozen assets and imposed travel bans on the junta, hoping to encourage a swift return to democracy. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department also issued a statement denouncing the military takeover, saying, "violence and extra-constitutional measures will erode Guinea's prospects for peace, stability, and prosperity."

The new coup/ government is destined for failure?

 With no-one to hold them to account, there's no guarantee they'll deliver on their promises. The incoming transitional government will be ill-equipped to respond to civil grievances and lacks sufficient accountability measures to ensure good governance. Ultimately, it is the Guinean people who will pay the price of this democratic setback.These power grabs threaten a reversal of the democratization process Africa has undergone in the past two decades and a return to the era of coups as the norm.This increasing probability of coups will make Africa in general less predictable and stable, a negative for investors that could end up worsening the economic situation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2021/09/06/guinea-coup-explained/

guinea coup 2021

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58461971

https://www.csis.org/analysis/guinea-causes-and-consequences-west-africas-latest-coup

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58453778

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

https://theowp.org/mamady-overthrows-the-alpha-the-impact-of-guineas-coup/

96-Year-Old Nazi Skips Her Court Date After Being Arrested by German Police

Irmgard Furchner is a 96-year-old former secretary in a concentration camp, and she is now facing more than 11,000 counts of accessory to murder. Her court date was set for last Thursday, September 30th, and she failed to appear in front of the judge in Germany. Furchner has previously informed various journalists and the judge that she did not want any part of this trial, but she was contacted but the police after the court reported her for missing her trial date. There have been decisions made by the court that she would not have to sit in for an extended trial because of her age, so they were already planning to have much shorter court appearances in this trial. Even under these circumstances, it was assessed that Furchnder is healthy/ "physically fit" enough to stand and appear before the judge, and if she does not do so at her new court date October 19th, she will be facing even further legal troubles. Efraim Zuroff, a head Nazi hunter working in one of their main offices in Jerusalem, told the press that he feels, "if she is healthy enough to flee, she is healthy enough to be incarcerated" (NPR).

Irmgard Furchner is just one example of the many people that the Germans have arrested recently in regards to war crimes during World War 2. Furchner was indicted in February of 2021 after an extensive investigation into the work she was doing as a secretary to the commander at the Stutthof concentration camp which was located in Poland between June 1943 and April of 1945. At this camp in particular, there were more than 60,000 people killed by being given lethal injections of things like gasoline, or by being shot or starved to death. This was mainly targeted of course at Jewish people, but there were also many other groups such as anyone suspected to be involved in “homosexual activity”, political prisoners, accused criminals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Regarding Furchners' case, “the court said in a statement before the trial that the defendant allegedly ‘aided and abetted those in charge of the camp in the systematic killing of those imprisoned there between June 1943 and April 1945 in her function as a stenographer and typist in the camp commandant's office'’” (NPR). This particular indictment was part of the attempts that German prosecutors are currently making (which has been going on for around ten years) to hold the less prominent figures of the Holocaust accountable for their highly illegal actions. These prosecutors also have to deal with the challenge of working quickly, because these people are all extremely old at this point. Last year there was another conviction of a 93-year-old guard from the same concentration camp who had over 5,000 counts of being an accessory to murder. 

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/world/europe/irmgard-furchner-germany-nazi.html

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041821397/nazi-concentration-camp-secretary-flees-trial-irmgard-furchner

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-01/former-nazi-camp-secretary-caught-after-skipping-trial/100505870

Guantanamo Bay: A Violation of Human Rights & International Law

Guantanamo Bay: A Violation of Human Rights & International Law

Background Pt I: What is Guantanamo Bay? 

Guantanamo Bay is a highly militarized detention center in Cuba, described by the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) as a “symbol of injustice, abuse, and disregard for the rule of law” both “at home and around the world” and Amnesty International as a “symbol of a government’s failure to respect its international human rights obligations” (USA: Right the Wrong, 2). The prison was established in 2002 by the Bush administration as part of the war on terror in response to the 9/11 attacks and is known for its use of both psychological and physical torture along with coerced confessions. It is also known for escaping the law and denying detainees of their basic human rights. In The International and Comparative Law Quarterly, attorney Johan Steyn states that “the purpose of holding the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was and is to put them beyond the rule of law, beyond the protection of any courts, and at the mercy of the victors. The procedural rules do not prohibit the use of force to coerce prisoners to confess” (8). The lack of justice Steyn refers to at Guantanamo Bay represents a human rights crisis and has received significant international attention as a result. It has also raised questions as to what a democracy really means.

• Background Pt II: What is the war on terror?

• According to Brown University’s Costs of War project, the war on terror has cost the United States around eight-trillion-dollars and over 900,000 people. One of its main objectives was to minimize the threat of terrorism in the Middle East and all around the world. It has been emphasized in the news in the past few months because of the United States withdraw of troops from Afghanistan and the takeover of the Taliban.

Putting it in Perspective Part I: An Individual's Story (from the New York Times)

Mohamedou Ould Slahi

Mohamedou Ould Slahi was tortured in Guantanamo Bay in the year of 2003. He faced isolation, abuse from both guards and attack dogs, sleep deprivation, and threats from interrogators. He is now fifty-years-old and free in his homeland of Mauritania after spending almost fifteen years as a detainee. He explains that during his time in the prison he was “very naïve” and “did not understand how America works.” He now has a successful memoir and stated “I wholeheartedly forgive everyone who wronged me during my detention. I forgive because forgiveness is my inexhaustible resource.” Despite the seemingly hopeful aspect to his story and his survival, he may never recover from what he endured at Guantanamo, as he exhibits multiple signs of PTSD.

Putting it in Perspective Part II: International Obligations & the Law

United Nations: The United Nations has made it clear they do not support the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, as it violates both human rights and international law. Below are some key quotes from their experts.

• "We welcome the goal of closing the detention facility, consistent with our previous calls to end impunity for the human rights and humanitarian law violations committed during the war on terror.”

• “Democracies can and should do better, and the United States must clearly put this dark chapter in its history behind it and demonstrate that it is not only prepared to close the prison facilities but ensure that such practices cannot be used again, and that the crimes committed there will not remain unpunished."

• "Many of the individuals currently and previously held at Guantanamo Bay have spent the bulk of their lives in a Kafkaesque situation where the rule of the law was meaningless."

Amnesty International: Amnesty International has published a 52-page report about the wrongdoings and injustices that have been occurring at Guantanamo Bay. Below are some key quotes from the report.

• “Those still held in Guantánamo today were originally detained by authorities in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Kenya, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. As far as Amnesty International is aware, none had access to any judicial oversight before being handed over to US custody."

• “After a period in the USA in which many pressing social, environmental and justice issues have been set back, the Biden administration’s plate will undoubtedly be full. But not so full as to be unable to prioritize and resource closure of Guantánamo, to promptly begin to work for a lawful resolution of each detainee case, and to commit to a new and full respect by the USA for international human rights law.”

• “While not all differential treatment between citizens and non-citizens violates international law, it does if it comes, as here, at the expense of rights reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other international instruments binding on the USA.”

Conclusion: A Human Rights Crisis  

The treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is a breach of international human rights law and represents a broader human rights crisis. The use of torture at Guantanamo is unacceptable, and demonstrates an incredibly flawed system of justice, in which justice is not truly served. Change needs to occur. International along with domestic pressure to end Guantanamo Bay has been present for years, and while past United States presidents have failed in terminating Guantanamo, it will be notable to see what will happen in the current era, and how Guantanamo will make history. In their report, Amnesty International lists a series of suggestions to the Biden administration with reference to international law:

“Commit to an assessment of the USA’s relationship to international law, and to accepting all outstanding recommendations made to it by the independent expert monitoring bodies established under human rights treaties” (48).

Will the Biden administration finally end Guantanamo Bay, and what will this mean in terms of the real-world significance of democracy?

Works Cited 

Brown University. “Costs of War.” Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/.

Rosenberg, Carol. “The Legacy of America's Post-9/11 Turn to Torture.” The New York Times. The New York Times, September 12, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/12/us/politics/torture-post-9-11.html?searchResultPosition=8.

Steyn, Johan. “Guantanamo Bay: The Legal Black Hole.” The International and Comparative

Law Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2004): 1–15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3663134.

“UN Rights Experts Call for Us to Address Ongoing Violations at 'Kafkaesque' Guantánamo Military Prison | | UN News.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed October 5, 2021. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085492.

“USA: Right the Wrong: Decision Time on Guantánamo.” Amnesty International, June 6, 2021. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/3474/2021/en/.