Why More Countries Refuse To Sign The UN's Compact On Migration

There's a new non-binding pact that the United Nations is hoping member states will sign at its meeting on December 10th and 11th in Morocco- it basically claims that migration is a universal human right. Yes, a human right. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, as it's called, encourages taking in any and all migrants and refugees wishing to move to another country for whatever reason.

4. Refugees and migrants are entitled to the same universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, which must be respected, protected and fulfilled at all times. 

Fearing that signing the agreement will remove their own sovereign right to control their own borders the following have opted to not sign the pact.

The United States, Austria, Australia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland.

This is not a definitive list, and some might actually vote on it later.

One of the other reasons for pulling out is that the agreement doesn't really distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, and refugees and economic migrants.

Gatestone Insitute has some interesting information, but is a tad dated since it was written back in early November.

And even though a commentary on Forbes explains why there is really nothing to fear since it is technically non-binding and voluntary, and just really making sure that migrants are treated humanely - i.e. don't shoot them and provide healthcare if needed- why is it 30 plus pages long?  Couldn't they have just said that?

And Lorne Gunter in the Toronto Sun explains why it's potentially dangerous.

The danger of the Global Compact for Migration, which international delegates will sign next week in Marrakesh, Morocco, is not that it will enable some clandestine international bureaucracy or judiciary to dictate immigration policy over the objections of sovereign states. It’s that it will enable “progressives” within each nation’s government to liberalize domestic refugee and immigration laws using the excuse that “the UN made us do it.”

I have no issues with legal immigration, and needy refugees, but I do have a problem with anything the U.N. is involved with. And as far as migration being a human right. No, it's not. Immigration/migration is a privilege endowed by the country you are seeking to move to. And you are bound to assimilate if you are granted that privilege, which doesn't often happen. Look at Europe and the multitude of 'no go' zones. No wonder Europe is hesitant to sign a convoluted agreement.

Death Sentence Upheld For Five Ahwazi Iranian Arab Political Prisoners

Iran is not an Arab country, but it does have Ahwazi Arabs living there. As with all minorities in that country, they are persecuted and discriminated against. Persecution and discrimination has lead to activism, and the way the Iranian government deals with dissent is by jailing and executing those they feel are causing trouble. More often than not they are arrested through trumped up charges and/or forced confessions. Ahwazi activists have been executed in the past. Five more were sentenced to death last year, and the sentence was just upheld by the Iranian courts.

In July 2012 Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported that Judge Seyed Mohammad Bagher Mousavi, from branch 2 of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court, notified lawyers and family members of the five Ahwazi Arab activists about their death sentences.

Recent reports indicate that branch 32 of the Iranian Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences.

The name of the Ahwazi Arab activists are: Mohammad Ali Amouri, Hadi Rashedi, Hashem Sha’bani, and two brothers by the names of Seyed Mokhtar Albooshooke and Seyed Jaber Albooshooke.

Mohammad Ali Amouri is a cultural activist and the editor in chief of Altaras, a student publication at the Isfahan University of Technology. Hashem Sha’bani is a teacher at numerous high schools in the city of Khalfieh. Hadi Rashedi and the two brothers (Mokhtar and Jaber) were condemned to death based on the charges of "Acting against national security" and "Moharebeh" (enmity against God).

The five political prisoners have reportedly been forced to make false confessions. Two of the men, Hadi Rashedi and Hashem Shabaninejad were featured on a program on Press TV, the Iranian authorities’ English-language satellite channel, confessing to their alleged subversive acts. Reports indicate that the confessions were extracted under severe physical and mental torture. The court sentenced the five activists to death in July 2012 based on the false confessions.

IHR strongly condemns the death sentences against the Ahwazi Arab activists. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: "We urge the international community to condemn the death sentences." He continued: "Several political prisoners are in imminent danger of execution. Strong reactions are needed from the international community to stop these executions."

With a government that loves its executions, I don't hold much hope for these five. The Iranian government couldn't care less what the international community thinks.

U.N. Allegations Of Sexual Torture and Murder Of Children In Syria

A U.N. investigation has determined that, since the beginning of November, government  troops have also targeted young children in the chaos that is Syria. According to a U.N. report, the organization has received information from credible sources that over 256 boys and girls have been murdered, including a young 2-year-old girl who was shot and killed. The alleged reason for killing the little girl was to ensure that she did not grow up "to be a demonstrator."  There have also been allegations of sexual torture.

The panel's report to the U.N. Human Rights Council says government forces have used excessive force to "shot indiscriminately at unarmed protesters" while snipers targeted others in the upper body and head.

Their report, released Monday, said Syrian security forces along with militias were given "shoot to kill" orders to crush demonstrations.

If indeed true, though unconscionable, it wouldn't be surprising since it's not unusual for children to be abused in that region of the world.  Like women, children mean nothing in Islam, and suffer greatly as a result.  Look at how children in Muslim-majority third world countries are often encouraged and groomed to become suicide bombers.

But, in the case of Syria, it's not just the children suffering under a brutal, autocratic leader who is willing to fight to the death (as did Libya's Qaddafi), if his country is invaded.  It probably has much to do with the whole idea of martyrdom that so many Muslims cherish so deeply, and the unwillingness to give up power that so many people find so incredibly intoxicating.

At least the Arab League has finally approved sanctions against the Syrian government, for whatever good that will do; but at least it's something. Of course, it's the Syrian people who will suffer, as Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem so bluntly put it.

"Let them study the history of Syria very well. Neither warnings nor sanctions will work with us."

An estimated 3,500 have been killed since the people's revolt started 8 months ago. 

But President Bashar al-Assad still has his fervent  supporters, just like Qaddafi did and just like the Iranian government still does.  I think Assad might just end up like Qaddafi did. Dead.

Other sources: New Kerala News

U.N. Report Claims Secret Executions Rampant In Iran

China and Iran are battling it out for top honors in the amount of state sponsored executions per annum.  According to Human Rights Watch in 2010 the Islamic Republic of Iran executed 388 people, Amnesty International claims it was only 252. That, of course, doesn't account for all those that no-one is aware of, and apparently there are plenty.

The United Nations just released a report about an increase in human rights abuses in Iran [like this is something new] including a huge surge in the amount of executions.  It also asserts that Iran has been executing people on the q.t. [also not a surprise.]

Highlighting a jail in Mashhad, in eastern Iran, the report said "authorities reportedly conducted more than 300 secret executions at Vakilabad prison in 2010".


"It has also been reported that at least 146 secret executions have taken place to date in 2011," it said.


"Vakilabad officials, in violation of Iranian law, allegedly carried out the executions without the knowledge or presence of the inmates' lawyers or families and without prior notification to those executed."

The 'official' count  to date (for 2011) is a mere 200.  Who knows how many more have actually been executed. And January was a busy month for them with 83 executed, 3 of whom were political prisoners.

Ahmed Shaheed, the one responsible for the UN report also said that:

four per cent of executions stipulated no charges, that 100 juveniles were on death row, and that more than 100 executions this year alone were for drug-related offences.

China might lead the world in executions (no-one knows the exact number but it's estimated to be in the thousands), but Iran wins hands down for the amount of juveniles who have been executed every year and currently waiting their turn.

With Shariah law, Iranians can receive the death penalty for everything from drug trafficking to adultery to political dissidence  to homosexuality. Oh wait, there are no homosexuals in Iran.

And Iran calls the U.S. the Great Satan.

Click for video.

"My Tehran For Sale" Actress To Be Jailed And Lashed

What happens to an actress In Iran if the ruling mullahs and other religious conservatives dislike a film you were involved with: you get flogged and jailed, of course.

Marzieh Vafamehr, Iranian actress and wife of screenwriter and director Nasser Taghvai, was sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for a film she starred in entitled "My Tehran For Sale". 

An Iranian/Australian co-production, apparently it tells the story of a young woman, also named Marzieh, who lives in Tehran under the current regime. Also an actress (and mime), she is banned from her theatre work by Iranian officials, which forces her to live a double life in order to nurture her artistic needs.  The film explores just what that secret life means in urban Tehran, something that many Iranian youth are forced to do these days.

Life imitating art and vice versa.

However, one does have to remember that this is what the Iranians wanted back in the late 1970s. 

All I have to say is: Be careful what you wish for!!

Source: TelegraphUK

Shariah Law - A Video Poem By Ex-Muslimah Nessrrinn

Shariah law, which is part and parcel of Islam and what many Muslims want for the whole world including the West, is an abomination, at best. It should never be allowed to coexist with civil/secular law in a western, democratic society. The barbaric punishments from amputations to executions by stoning, the prehistoric views about women belong back in the dark ages, not in a civilized, enlightened modern world. It has no place in the 21st century.

Unfortunately, we have no say with respect to the use of Shariah law in Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and places like Malaysia and Indonesia, but we do have a say as to whether it should be allowed in the West. It's up to us to make sure that it never takes root despite groups that actively seek to establish it in our lands. People need to be educated about what Shariah law actually entails, though most haven't a clue, hence their ignorance.

There are many fighting against creeping Shariah, infidels who happen to be non-Muslim, but there are also ex-Muslims who are fighting the good fight, and who better to enlighten us than Muslim apostates. Nessrrinn, an ex-Muslimah, waxes poetic on the abject cruelty of Islamic Shariah Law.

[Note: Nessrriinn was forced to close down her Youtube channel because of "excessive trolling". The following video is a mirror site.]

Click here for video.

Hat/Tip Blazing Cat Fur

SHARIAH LAW

she's buried chest high
her arms can't stop the stones that fly
or wipe the tears that have already dried
for a crime she so persistently denied
she's buried chest deep
the moderates asleep
no matter how hard she weeps
worth half of a man, her testimony's cheap
Allah subhana wa ta3ala has come up with such a fair rule
dictators of history couldn't be so cruel
told by mohammed sallahu 3alhe wa salam
teaching us allah's divine referendum
what becomes of those who have a sip of rum
drinks to forget or wants to be numb
or those who play the game of chance
poker buddies escaping the religious trance
allah's prescribed in his merciful script
their flesh be ripped their blood be dripped
at the tip of a muslims whip
she's buried chest high
her arms can't stop the stones that fly
or wipe the tears that have already dried
for a crime she so persistently denied
and this is allah's eternal reply
1400 years of backwards law
a tragic flaw of the primitive claw
the tribe of homosexuals
koum lot as they say
sharia is clear on how they should pay
the price for their gay display
life doesn't matter which way
abu baker got them with a tumbling wall
ali muhammad's cousin and son in law
had people burned for their sexual call
an entire village children and all
she's buried chest deep
the moderates asleep
no matter how hard she weeps
worth half of a manher testimony's cheap
apostates remember those who have bled
to speak the word Muslims leave unsaid
killed for the sake of those mislead
submit now or be left dead
allah subhana wa ta3ala has come up with such a fair rule
the devil himself couldn't be so cruel
she's buried chest high half way deep
while the moderates are still fast asleep
while the world stands silent
her testimony's cheap.
stones thrown by religious sheep.
witches were burned long ago
til the flame of freedom began to glow
and we learned to say the word 'no'
no know that your laws are unjust
not worthy of respect only disgust
beheading those with a knifes thrust
oh but in Allah we blindly trust
she's buried head high
in a heap of stones.
no more crying no more moans
all that's left is skin and bones
Allah has come up with such a fair call
the true justice of sharia law
by nessrriinn.

Female Genital Mutilation Gets Up To Life In Prison In Uganda

There's good news out of Uganda regarding female genital mutilation (FGM)- one of the most barbaric, backwards and abusive practices forced on young females in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Ugandan parliament has just passed a law banning female circumcision, a traditional right of passage performed on young girls under the age of 15, without their consent. An horrific cultural, and sometimes religious practice, which predates Islam and Christianity, the genitalia of the child is wholly or partially removed.

Sometimes the remaining flesh is stitched closed, a practice called infibulation, leaving only a tiny opening for urination and menstruation, and making intercourse and childbirth painful.

It's estimated 2 to 3 million mutilations are performed per year, and there are anywhere from 130 to 140 million women worldwide who have been tortured through female genital mutilation; at least those still living, since it's common for girls to die during the procedure or from complications, including infection. And it is torture in many instances where anesthesia is not used, and the methods can be very primitive-

“I have never been traumatised my whole life,” reported MP Margaret Muhanga as she testified to her witness of FMG. “They used a sharp stone and cut off the girl’s clitoris…Imagine your daughter being treated like that.”

“The Lord was not stupid to put it the way he did,” said Ngora MP Francis Epetait. “All those accessories had their purpose. It is very stupid for man to claim to be wiser than God.”

The sentencing structure varies depending on certain factors
- 10 years for those caught performing FGM.
-Life in prison if the child dies, contracts HIV or is eventually disabled. It seems the risk of HIV AIDS is much higher for those who have been circumcised.

The Bill passed unanimously, although stopping the practice will be very difficult. Though it has been banned in other African countries, Egypt and elsewhere, it is still far too prevalent. Old habits die hard, and unless you start a massive re-education programme the horrific practice will continue. At least this is a step in the right direction.

URGENT: Stop The Execution Of Farzad Kamangar

"On 25 February 2008, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Farzad Kamangar to death on charges of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God" (moharebe). The death penalty was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 11 July. "

A teacher, former member of a Kurdish teacher's union (until outlawed) and human right's activist, Farzad Kamangar was scheduled to be executed today! Thankfully, according to one source (International Campaign For Human Rights In Iran), he was not, although 10 others (including a woman) were, and there is still the likelihood that Kamangar will be hanged, at some point.

In a letter from prison, Kamangar describes the details of his arrest, and the torture he has endured while incarcerated:

In July of 2006 I came to Tehran to follow upon my brother's medical treatments. My brother is a Kurdish political activist. Upon my arrival in Tehran I was arrested and taken to an unknown place, it was a very small, dark basement. The cells in this place were empty, there were no blankets or rugs or sheets. They took me to a room and as they were interviewing me they asked me about my ethnicity. When I told them that I was of the Kurdish Ethnicity they lashed my entire body. They also lashed me because of the Kurdish music which I had saved on my mobile phone. They would tie my hands, make me sit on a chair and put pressure on the sensitive areas of my body. They would also strip me naked and threaten me with rape by various objects such as wood.

His trial was a farce. According to Khalil Bahramian, Farzad’s lawyer:

“Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.” He described the trial as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” {snip} the closed-door trial violated the Iranian legal requirements that such cases must be tried publicly and in the presence of a jury.

Please send an email to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requesting, at the very least, that Kamangar get a fair trial. You can email him directly at: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

or via the Education International website by clicking here, which has a pre-written letter

Being sentenced to death for being Kurdish, a human right's activist or trade union member, or all of the above, is outrageous.

Please take a moment to do this. That moment could save an innocent man's life.

China, Censorship and The Olympics

China just doesn't get it. It has clear goals of becoming a major superpower, has introduced market based economic reforms and is now considered to be the fourth largest economy in the world, and yet it still falls pitifully behind in terms of its political and social reforms. Who cares how much money you have in your pocket if you have no freedom, if you continuously fear what you say might land you in jail, if you have little access to information other than what your government deems appropriate. I'd rather be a pauper with freedom, than a rich person with none. The Chinese government would like the world to think they are evolving as a nation, but other than their economy, not a damn thing has changed.

I am still grappling with the question of why China was awarded the honour of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, given the government's continuing penchant for flagrantly violating the rights of its citizens. Sure, back when they were bidding to host the games, 7 years ago, government officials assured news organizations that they would have complete freedom to report the games, as they have during past Olympic Games. Right. Easy to pay lip service when you have no intention of complying. Did anyone truly believe those promises? I guess not because, we come to find out, the International Olympic Committee (although they deny it) secretly brokered a deal which allows China to, yes, block certain sensitive websites, even for foreign journalists, who are already complaining they've encountered blocked access to various sites. So much for promises. Then again, did people expect anything different from a government that has exercised such suffocatingly tight control over its own people, for decades. And as for all their assurances they'd improve their human rights record, as a condition for hosting the games- empty promises.

If tourists think they will have carte blanche over there, think again. It's been confirmed that they too will be subject to censorship, and who knows what else. International hotel chains have been ordered to install software that will monitor the Internet activity of their guests, and there will be punishment for those who do not comply. So not only do they subject the Chinese people to censorship, they are forcing those same restrictions on visitors to their country. How's that for a warm welcome.

What I find most appalling is that they blatantly lied to ensure they would win the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, and that the IOC and the world was stupid enough to believe them.

UPDATE: Due to international pressure, as of 8/1/08, the Chinese government has lifted the ban on some sites, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), although others continue to be banned, including any sites relating to Tibet or The Falun Gong. Some progress, but not enough!

HBO'S "China's Stolen Children": The Bad Karma Of China's One-Child Policy

"As you sow, so shall you reap". Some call it Karma, but whatever you choose to call it there are consequences for our actions, whether we like it or not. It's a law of nature, and we have no control over the results. Negative actions elicit negative re-actions. It applies not only to individuals but to nations as well, and we can witness this happening in many countries including Burma, Zimbabwe and China where the people, sadly, are often the ones to suffer the consequences of their government's actions, or inaction, in the case of Burma.

I just watched a compelling HBO documentary entitled "China's Stolen Children", which sheds light on the dark side of their one-child policy. After 3 decades of enforcing the planned birth policy, things have turned ugly, particularly for the poor in China. Instituted in 1979 by Deng Xiaoping to control the threat of a projected population explosion which would have taxed the economic resources of the communist country, the Chinese government implemented a birth control policy that effectively paved the way for forced abortions and sterilizations, and human trafficking. The latter is what the documentary focuses on.

What happens when you force couples to give birth to just one child, or face a huge fine that most can ill afford? They resort to either aborting or selling their children. According to the British Society For The Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC)

It has been calculated that between 1971 and 1985 alone there were some 100 million coercive birth-control "operations" in China, including forced sterilisations and forced abortions (Dr John Aird, Slaughter of the Innocents, AEI Press, 1991). In 1983 a massive campaign of compulsory birth control surgeries was carried out, which reportedly produced 14 million abortions, 21 million sterilisations and 18 million IUD insertions. This campaign was directed by the then minister-in-charge of the State Family Planning Commission (SFPC), Qian Xinzhong.

And what happens when the cultural preference is for male children? Although female infanticide occurred prior to the creation of the People's Republic of China, and prior to establishing the one-child policy, after almost 3 decades of selective birthing (i.e. let's abort this baby girl, because we want a boy) there is a dearth of marriageable women. And what happens when there aren't enough women to marry? You create a need, and human traffickers have now taken to kidnapping young women to be sold as brides.

"China's Stolen Children", which was filmed undercover, shares the heart-breaking stories of various people who have come face to face with what happens when a government chooses to enforce a policy that goes against nature. One young couple had their 5 year-old son Chen Jie kidnapped while in the care of his grandmother. Hiring a detective, who dedicates his time to tracking down stolen children, they have yet to find the boy, and the likelihood is very slim. We witness a daring rescue of a young kidnapped teen, by Detective Zhu, but success is rare, and Zhu talks about giving it all up. They also follow the exploits of a trafficker, who sold his own son, who brokers deals between mothers and potential buyers. One couple, who are not old enough to marry (women must be 20 and men 22), decide to sell their newborn baby girl because they do not have the money to pay the requisite fine, and children born out of wedlock have no identity or rights. And although buyers prefer male babies, there are those who will settle for a female. In some cases, they will opt for a girl to raise as a wife for their son.

Although it was only intended as a short term remedy, the Chinese government plans to continue with the one-child policy until at least 2012, and seems more intent on keeping the problem of human trafficking quiet, according to Detective Zhu, than helping to stop the illegal practice. And so more children will be stolen or aborted.

It is estimated that by the end of this decade, 40 to 60 million girls will have been abandoned or aborted.

Cuba Solidarity Day, May 21st

Although it might seem that there is change brewing in Cuba, since Fidel's brother Raul Castro has taken over the mantle of chief honcho, don't be deceived.

Like China, Raul is trying to liberalize the economy, but the oppressive political system remains the same. The political prisoners remain incarcerated, the internet still remains out of the purview of the common man, people still are not allowed to travel freely outside the country.

People still earn wages ranging from $6.00 per month for unskilled workers to $20.00 for university-trained professionals, including lawyers and doctors. So, in spite of the fact Cuba has lifted a ban on cell phones, the new leniency is totally bogus, when the cost of a cell phone ($280 for a basic phone) is more than someone makes in a year.

Cuba has no intentions of embracing democracy, and economic reform rings hollow when a citizen's basic human rights continue to be violated.

If you'd like an inside glimpse of Cuba, I posted a while back about a trip I made there in the Early 80s. I'm sure not much has changed since then.

Others blogging for Cuba Solidarity Day:

Hos Report
A Colombo-Americana's Perspective
Babalu
Plains Feeder
e the people
Brandon's Puppy
This Ain't Hell
Fausta's Blog

Bloggers Unite For Human Rights!

When I witness the many horrors perpetrated against innocents in far off lands, I am filled with a tragic sense of impotence, knowing there is absolutely nothing I can do, as an individual, to prevent such injustices.

However, there are things we can do to help. We can donate to charities, we can educate others, we can continue pressuring groups like the U.N. to make a difference, and as bloggers we can make our collective voices heard above the lazy, politically correct, apathetic fray, by bringing those injustices to light, by blogging about them.

Tomorrow, May 15th, blogcatalog is sponsoring Bloggers Unite For Human Rights. Take a moment to write something. Anything.

And May 21st is Cuba Solidarity Day.

Let us speak out for those less fortunate, who have no choice!

Blessed Be,
Democracy!!