Human Rights
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Balancing diplomacy and direct action in ‘Magnitsky Act’ sanctions
Sponsored by a Labor senator and finessed by DFAT, a bill for a “Magnitsky Act” to sanction human rights abuses is poised to be tabled in Parliament. Continue reading »
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With campaigns against pandemic mandates the need for a human rights act has never been greater
After a pandemic response that required incursions on some human rights, the threat of governments expanding these powers further is high. Continue reading »
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Accusations of anti-Semitism should not shield Israel from criticism
In his adjournment speech, NSW Upper House Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane explains why an anti-Palestinianism statement is needed. Continue reading »
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Singapore hanging would be ‘tantamount to executing a child’
An intellectually disabled man on death row in Singapore has won another short reprieve, but the global campaign to save him is growing. Continue reading »
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Singapore to execute intellectually disabled and mentally ill man
If Singapore pushes ahead with a death sentence given to an intellectually disabled man on drug offences, it will be in breach of international law. Continue reading »
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In the shameful persecution of Julian Assange, justice for one is justice for us all
The High Court ruling on Assange’s extradition will determine whether the British judiciary has trashed the last vestiges of its vaunted reputation. Continue reading »
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Why Australia should be helping the least vaccinated nations like PNG
While Australia embarks on third booster shots, the vaccination rate in PNG is less than 2 per cent. What does that say about being a good neighbour? Continue reading »
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The US’s assurances on Assange are worthless
Despite the pledge by US lawyers that the WikiLeaks founder could serve his sentence here, Julian Assange could still languish for years in a US prison. Continue reading »
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Four Corners v Julian Assange: your ABC, their sneers
Who could imagine that a revered current affairs program could stoop to peddling slanderous allegations against an award-winning Australian journalist? Continue reading »
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US continues pursuit of Assange, and Canberra neglects its moral obligation to protect him
Surely the Australian government should leverage the AUKUS pact to save Julian Assange from the US government. Continue reading »
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Israel labels Palestinian civil society groups terrorists.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz last week signed an order declaring six civil society groups in the West Bank as terrorist organisations. Continue reading »
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It’s time to test political candidates on Israel and Palestine
Australians must ask themselves if, given the Coalition and Labor’s support of Israel, they can vote for either of the major parties in good conscience. Continue reading »
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EU, UK under fire for opposing a vaccine patent waiver due to Big Pharma lobbying
Rich nations’ refusal to take on the pharmaceutical industry could ‘prolong the pandemic indefinitely’, warned one campaigner. Continue reading »
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Australian media fails to challenge Israel lobby: Review of Dateline Jerusalem
The Australian mainstream media have been bullied into submission by the Israel lobby, considered at home to be the most effective in the world. Continue reading »
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Labor’s British and Australian leaders are out of step with progressive opinion on Israel
Keir Starmer and Anthony Albanese express support for Israel while leading parties whose wider membership support the Palestinian cause. It is time for these leaders to back the party rank-and-file. Continue reading »
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Britain’s ‘enduring stranglehold’ on Australia
Australia is still tied to British legal decisions from 1786. It should come as no surprise that the Uluru Statement of the Heart directly challenges Australia’s entrenched legal doctrine. Continue reading »
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Nobel Peace Prize recipients Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov have some lessons for Australia
Australian journalists should try imitating the extreme courage of Nobel Peace Price winners Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov — justice needs to be done on many issues. Continue reading »
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Maria Kalesnikova: Amazing courage for Belarus and beyond
In democracies, there are few risks in challenging abusive policies, though courage to do so is often missing. Yet in a brutal, dangerous country, young Belarusian leader Maria Kalesnikova is displaying that indispensable quality. Continue reading »
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The Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is establishing an apartheid state
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has no intention of allowed the establishment of a Palestinian state. He has chosen apartheid. Continue reading »
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Does the Taliban’s Kabul takeover mean back to the future for Pakistan?
The Pakistan government has responded to the return of the Taliban in Kabul with a mixture of caution and support. It will need to balance its domestic security with being a responsible international citizen. Continue reading »
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Bob Carr: Israel lobby’s overreach far exceeded any other diaspora community
For casting light on the savage lobbying the Australian media — and politicians — receive from the Israel lobby, John Lyons should be congratulated. Continue reading »
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A year and 3.5 million deaths later, ‘greed is triumphing over human life’ in vaccine fight
‘How many more people must die needlessly before countries do the right thing and support the lifting of patent restrictions, so COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments can be produced worldwide?’ Continue reading »
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Adoption of anti-Semitism definition is absurd and abusive
Anti-Semitism is racist, bigoted and should never be tolerated. Yet in arguing for the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, Australian politicians’ rationale has been thoughtless, often absurd and usually abusive of the rights of Palestinians. Continue reading »
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The plot to murder Julian Assange is being ignored by the mainstream media
The US government reportedly planned to kidnap and murder Julian Assange. And yet the Australian commentariat and media are silent. Why? Continue reading »
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Asylum seeker scam continues to drive down migrant workers’ rights
After sitting on the August 2021 report on asylum seekers for around a fortnight, Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke at last allowed the report to be made public at the end of September. Continue reading »
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How the Australian public is short-changed on Israel and Gaza
This book is the story of why many editors and journalists in Australia are in fear of upsetting the pro-Israel lobby and therefore — in my view — self-censoring. Continue reading »
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When a forest becomes a means of destruction: The Jewish National Fund, Greenwashing and COP26
In 1901, in Basel, Switzerland, a small group of Jewish men established an organisation which they named, portentously, the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Continue reading »
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Crossword clues and bullying: the almighty power of the Australian pro-Israel lobby
The influence of Colin Rubenstein and his lobby group does not just limit what mainstream media outlets dare publish, it forces self-censorship on editors and journalists alike, writes John Lyons in his latest book. Continue reading »
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Don’t undermine the moral clarity of the fight against antisemitism
Giving the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition a special status it was never intended to have undermines the moral clarity of the fight against antisemitism. Continue reading »
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Prospects for Palestinian recovery
Large and unprecedented protests in support of the Palestinian cause this year have led to developments which should enable Palestinians to expand their freedoms. Continue reading »
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