HRW: increase in human rights abuses by governments outside their nations’ borders News
music4life / Pixabay
HRW: increase in human rights abuses by governments outside their nations’ borders

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report Thursday detailing an increase in countries sanctioning human rights abuses outside their borders.

Normally this would take the form of a former citizen of the nation who had either been exiled or forced to flee being harassed or worse by their nation of origin. These breaches have occurred all over the world from Cambodia to Belarus and Rwanda. The report found that over the last 15 years, there have been over 70 examples where a potential breach of human rights beyond borders has taken place. This can be anything from an invasion of privacy to forced abductions or threats made to a person. The report also claimed that some nations abuse the use of Interpol, a criminal police unit that operates internationally, to target persons who are outside of their jurisdiction.

The report mainly focused on the types of transnational oppression that have occurred over the years. Some examples include the threat of hacking a computer to the abduction of a person or their family. This also extends to murder sanctioned by a government that has taken place overseas. One of the main contributors to the increase in statistics that was found was the increased use of Internet surveillance and other online measures that can be used to breach human rights, largely because by nature the Internet is not confined to country borders.

Several countries that appeared frequently within the document included China, which in particular was singled out for its treatment of Uyghurs. Saudi Arabia also made many appearances due to both its treatment of journalists within and beyond its borders as well as the government’s policies related to women’s rights. The most prolific abuser according to the report was Rwanda, with the nation appearing in almost every section of the report at one stage or another. Also of note was the apparent lack of discretion shown by the Rwandan government when confronted about these issues, with the president of the nation even seeming to make light of assassinations at some stages. Overall the report concluded that while the changes it has seen are a major issue, there is still hope for future reform. The report recommended a raft of changes that all nations should adopt in the future to help reduce the number of incidents that may occur in the future, including ending the “misuse” of Interpol and calling on the UN to add transnational repression to its list of human rights abuses.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Bakke affirmative action case argued

On October 12, 1977, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the "reverse discrimination" case of Allan Bakke, a white student denied admission to University of California Davis Medical School. The court ruled the following year that that the Davis affirmative action plan was unconstitutional; Bakke was admitted to UC Davis Medical School and eventually graduated from there with his MD. Listen to the oral arguments and the reading of opinions by Chief Justice Burger, Justice Powell and others on Oyez.

Bakke affirmative action case argued

On October 12, 1977, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the "reverse discrimination" case of Allan Bakke, a white student denied admission to University of California Davis Medical School.

The Court ruled the following year that that the Davis affirmative action plan was unconstitutional; Bakke was admitted to UC Davis Medical School and eventually graduated from there with his MD. Listen to the oral arguments and the reading of opinions by Chief Justice Burger, Justice Powell and others on Oyez, the Supreme Court multimedia site at Northwestern University.