Peace & Justice

Photo: Kem Sokha, who most recently served as the President of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arrested and imprisoned at a detention centre in Tbong Khmum Province on 3 September 2017 under allegations of treason. He was released from house arrest on 11 November 2019. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

“All Time Low” for Democracy in Cambodia

Viewpoint by Rhona Smith*

NEWCASTLE (IDN) – If you are simply going on the number of political trials in Cambodia at the moment, the country would seem to be politically unstable – a hotbed of unrest.

Hundreds of people are on trial for incitement, conspiracy, and violence endangering the nation. But the prime minister, Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985, regularly insists that his tenure has been characterised by peace, stability and development – despite internal and external threats. He is the world’s longest-serving head of government.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 November 2020

Photo: Bedouin boys living in Jabal al-Baba in the remains of their family’s home which was demolished in 2017. (file photo) Credit: UNRWA/Lara Jonasdottir

United Nations Panel Calls for End of Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territory

By Abdus Sattar Ghazali *

FREMONT, California (IDN) – The United Nations has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for Palestinian self-determination and end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory since 1967.

The resolution was approved on November 19 by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee — the committee that deals with human rights and humanitarian affairs. It was passed 163 to 5, with 10 abstentions. Those who voted against were: the United States, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Nauru also voted against the resolution.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Middle East; 28 November 2020

Photo: Mekelle palace of Emperor Yohannes IV (emperor of the whole Ethiopian Empire). Credit: Alexander Savin, Wikimedia Commons.

German Foreign Minister Asks Ethiopian Counterpart to Stop the Fighting

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – "Ethiopia needs a ceasefire," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, at a meeting at the Foreign Office in Berlin on November 27. The talks focused on the conflict in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray.

According to the German Foreign Office, Ethiopia and Germany are partners with longstanding relations. Ethiopia is a priority country of German development cooperation. Germany is one of the biggest buyers of Ethiopian goods, primarily coffee and textiles. The main German exports to Ethiopia are finished products such as machinery, engines, motor vehicles, chemicals and medicines.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 28 November 2020

Photo: The police shoots Uganda protesters. Credit: Africa Global Village.

Uganda Rocked by Worst Unrest in A Decade Ahead of Presidential Elections

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Elections are a deadly game in Uganda. That was the message issued twice by Security Minister General Elly Tumwine as political rallies heat up and a national election to elect the President and the Parliament scheduled for January 14, 2021 draws near.

"Police have a right to shoot you and kill you if you reach a certain level of violence," Gen. Tumwine declared. "Can I repeat? Police have a right to shoot you and you die for nothing.... do it at your own risk."

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 27 November 2020

Photo: European Parliament Brussels. Credit: The Brussels Times.

European Parliament in A Joint Resolution Urges Ethiopia to Tread the Path of Peace and Dialogue

By L. Storchi

BRUSSELS (IDN | EEPA) – On November 26, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) held a plenary debate on the current situation in Ethiopia and the conflict in the Horn of Africa region. The speakers called for de-escalation and a resumption of the dialogue for peace between the Ethiopian federal government and representatives of the Tigray region. The discussion followed a draft Joint Motion for a Resolution on November 25, supported by several parliamentarians from different political parties. The motion was adopted by the European Parliament. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced plans to visit Sudan to speak to refugees.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 27 November 2020

Photo: A woman receives health services at a transit point in Hamdayet. Credit: UNFPA Sudan/Sufian Abdul-Mouty.

Civilians Under Threat in Warring Ethiopia

By Sean Buchanan

LONDON (IDN) – With Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed having ordered federal armed forces to launch a “final offensive” on the country’s Tigray region after a 72-hour ultimatum that dissident local leaders surrender expired, there are fears that those most likely to suffer will be innocent civilians.

In an attempt to counter such fears, Abiy Ahmed released a statement November 26 on his Twitter page saying that care would be to protect innocent civilians from harm.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 26 November 2020

Morocco's Multiculturalism Fosters Sustainable Development

Viewpoint by Dr Yossef Ben-Meir

The writer is President of the High Atlas Foundation in Marrakech, Morocco.

MARRAKECH (IDN) – One ought not to doubt the Kingdom of Morocco’s abiding sincerity in its commitment to the principles of multiculturalism and to the diverse identities that constitute this Islamic nation. This embracing on the part of the government and the general public is a real, constant, and codified one, even synonymous with what it means today to be a Moroccan. However, the lived pluralistic experiences of the people must take new forms with every generation, and its translation into advancing development is now the nation’s foresighted call.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 26 November 2020

Image: The ethno-religious composition of Syria. Credit: Institute for the Study of War. Public Domain.

Joe Biden's Dilemma on Syria

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – If you like confusion in foreign policy take a new look at Syria, the country that has the worst civil war since the one that raged in Angola in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Syria is now a near-total wreck. Four of its historically important Christian cities are in ruins. More than half a million civilians are dead and many more wounded. Millions are without jobs. This legacy that happened on the watch of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump now lands in Joe Biden’s in-tray.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 24 November 2020

Photo: Abdel Razek was arrested with two other officials of the civil rights organization after the met with European ambassadors. Courtesy Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights

Egypt Bashed for Arrest of Prominent Rights Defenders

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – “Meeting with foreign diplomats is not a crime. Nor is peacefully advocating for human rights.” Those were the first words of Antony Blinken as he steps up to the plate and assumes the position of foreign policy adviser to President-elect Joe Biden.

Blinken joins prominent leaders in the human rights community coming to the defence of three domestic rights activists who met with Western diplomats for a briefing on November 3.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 23 November 2020

Photo: Two Australian soldiers during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in Afghanistan. CC BY 2.0

Allegations of War Crimes by Australian Forces in Afghanistan Shock the Nation

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) – The release of a report into a landmark four-year investigation into the behaviour of Australians special forces known as the SAS (Special Air Service) in Afghanistan, seem to have shocked the nation, judging from newspaper headlines on November 20. Yet, for many who opposed Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan war, this is not surprising and such a report came too late. A whistle blower who leaked information to the media in 2018 of these atrocities is facing criminal charges for stealing state secrets.