Category: Media
Destroying Boats is Not the Answer for Libya’s Refugees and Migrants
Today I spoke with Meghna Chakrabarti of NPR and WBUR’s “Here and Now” on why European proposals to destroy boats won’t help refugees and migrants who are escaping #Libya:
Listen: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/05/11/military-crackdown-migrant-traffickers
Sexual Violence: Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia.
What can be done to stop sexual violence against women in Iraq and Syria?
This morning, I had the privilege of joining experts on a panel hosted by the American Red Cross, Physicians for Human Rights, and other key groups.
We focused on Iraq and Syria, and I also got into issues affecting women in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and North Africa.
Repressive U.S. allies in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the battle against “Islamic State”
On Thursday, I spoke with CCTV America about Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other repressive governments reported to be supporting U.S. actions against the armed group calling itself “Islamic State.” Click to watch.
On Thursday, I spoke with CCTV America about Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other repressive governments reported to be supporting U.S. actions against the armed group calling itself “Islamic State.”
What Nicholas Kristof Didn’t Mention
Nicholas Kristof criticizes both leaders of Israel and Hamas in his latest column for The New York Times. If you decide to read it, keep in mind the following two oversights and errors.
First, there’s one word he doesn’t use: occupation. Since 1967, *every* Israeli government has taken Palestinian land and built settlements. This isn’t just an action by conservative or “right wing” Israeli governments. Israeli settlement construction — and the brutality towards Palestinians involved — has been supported by both Labor and Likud parties.
Second, Mr. Kristof ignores the history of nonviolent campaigns by Palestinians that Israeli security forces have brutally repressed in the occupied West Bank. Get this: Under Israeli Military Order 101, it is illegal for Palestinians to peacefully protest the Israeli military occupation without an Israeli military commander’s permission.
The many indiscriminate rockets fired by Hamas into Israel are war crimes. The same is likely to be true for many Israeli attacks in Gaza. Gaza civilians are now reeling under the latest Israeli invasion and the seven years of an ongoing Israeli blockade. But American readers of The New York Times need to know that over the decades of US-armed Israeli occupation, there are other details to this sad story that should have been mentioned in Kristof’s latest piece.
CCTV Interview: Israel, Hamas, and Gaza
I spoke with CCTV News Anchor Susan Roberts about Israel, Hamas, and Gaza yesterday evening. CCTV is a global Chinese network.
You can watch the full interview here.
WSJ Live: Egypt Convicts Three Al Jazeera Journalists
Iraq’s Crisis: 3 Quick Points for U.S. Policymakers
As the latest crisis in Iraq unfolds, here are three basic points for U.S. policymakers to keep in mind:
- The protection of civilians must be a top priority in Mosul and in every Iraqi community facing armed conflict.
- The Iraqi central government has an abysmal human rights record that has left communities scarred. Government human rights violations have widely been seen as a significant factor in widespread popular discontent.
- The U.S. government must push the Iraqi central government to make significant human rights reforms in order to address long-term public discontent and instability.
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- Protection of civilians must be a top priority in Mosul and in every Iraqi community facing armed conflict.
500,000 civilians are reported to have fled Mosul following its takeover by one or more armed groups that include those belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). This follows the reported displacement of close to half a million Iraqis in Fallujah since January, following ISIS’ expulsion of Iraqi security forces there.
ISIS armed groups, Iraqi security forces, and other potential armed groups must avoid repeating the violence against civilians that took place in Fallujah. Iraqi government forces have used indiscriminate shelling in Fallujah in the past six months, including on hospitals and in residential areas. There have been over 5,000 civilian deaths.
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- The Iraqi central government has an abysmal human rights record that has left communities scarred. Government human rights violations have widely been seen as a significant factor in widespread popular discontent.
Thousands of detainees languish in prison without charge. Many of those who are brought to trial are sentenced to long prison terms or to death after unfair proceedings. In many cases, convictions are based on “confessions” extracted under torture.
Iraq remains one of the world’s most prolific executioners with at least 169 executed in 2013. As with prison terms, death sentences can also follow “confessions” extracted under torture. In many cases, such “confessions” are televised nationally.
Torture and other ill-treatment inside prisons and detention centers is rife and routinely goes unpunished.
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- To ensure stability in Iraq, the U.S. government must address popular discontent by pushing the Iraqi central government to make significant human rights reforms.
Iraq’s long-term human rights crisis can no longer be viewed by the U.S. and other external governments as “Iraq’s problem” or an internal matter. To ensure security and safety in Iraq, widespread popular discontent must be addressed by pushing the Iraqi central government to end its terrible human rights record.
Interview: The Pope’s Call for Action on Refugees and Migrants
Thousands are fleeing economic hardship, repression, and violence via boats from North Africa in a desperate attempt to reach Europe’s shores.
Today I joined a panel on Huffington Post Live to talk about Pope Francis’ recent call for action on refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers attempting to enter Europe.
Interview: “Even Under Rouhani, Iran’s Schools Have Little (If Any) Freedom”
The Iranian authorities have waged a ruthless campaign of repression over the past three decades against students and academics because of their peaceful activism, views or beliefs.
I spoke with Alyona Minkovski at Huffington Post Live about Amnesty International’s latest report on repression in Iran’s higher education system: “Silenced, Expelled, Imprisoned: Repression of Students and Academics in Iran.”
Sunjeev Bery 