India travel ban: citizenship comes a distant second place
On April 15 this year, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Committee ruled on the case of two petitioners of FreeAndOpenAustralia.org (formerly StrandedAussies.org) that the Morrison government had to ‘facilitate and ensure their prompt return to Australia.’
The petitioners had been represented by foremost defender of human rights Geoffrey Robertson QC. The central argument to the UNHRC: that Australia was in breach of Articles 12(4) and 2(3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 12(4) enumerates the principle that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country; the second provides for ‘effective’ remedies to be granted to those whose rights and freedoms have breached under the ICCPR. The petitioners also freely admitted that they had no issue with quarantining for 14 days on returning to Australia.
10 May 2021
Felix Corley, Forum 18
All 16 known jailed conscientious objectors were freed under amnesty on 8 May. The 16 – all Jehovah s Witnesses – were serving terms of one to four years. However, no Muslims jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief are known to have been amnestied. Nor has the regime given any indication that it will heed repeated UN calls to introduce a civilian alternative to compulsory military service, though Jehovah s Witnesses say no new criminal cases against conscientious objectors have been handed to prosecutors. Forum 18 was unable to reach any officials.
In a surprise move, the regime freed from prison on 8 May all 16 of Turkmenistan s known jailed conscientious objectors in a prisoner amnesty. The 16 – all of them Jehovah s Witnesses – were serving jail terms of between one and four years. They are among the very few prisoners of conscience - including political prisoners - ever to be freed in the regular prisoner amnesties. No Mus
Although there are still fewer crossings than there were at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, the issue is back in the spotlight.
Lampedusa’s migrant housing centre, which had been empty until Sunday, has filled up, according to media reports. Lampedusa is a 20-square-kilometre (about 8-square mile) island, closer to northern Africa than the Italian mainland.
Tunisia and Libya are two of the main departure points for people making the perilous Mediterranean crossing. As well as those who disembarked on Lampedusa, the Libyan coast guard returned 600 migrants – many of whom were women and children – to Tripoli and Zawiya on Sunday, according to UNHCR.
ECUADOR VIOLATED THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ROBERTO AND WILLAM ISAIAS AND THE UNITED NATIONS ORDERS FULL REPARATION Friday, May 7, 2021 12:49 AM UTC
The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations at its 116th session held from 7 to 31 March 2016 in Communication No. 2244/2013, established a historic precedent for the protection of human rights and due process with the opinion declaring that the State of Ecuador violated the rights of Ecuadorian citizens Roberto Isaías Dassum and William Isaiah Dassum under article 14(1) of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to a process with due guarantees .
The Committee s Decision also determined that under article 2 paragraph 3(a) of the Covenant, the State party has an obligation to provide those affected with an effective remedy and that In compliance with this obligation the State of Ecuador must give full reparation to persons whose rights recognized by the Covenant
As India is being devastated by COVID-19 cases that have now passed a daily rate of 400,000, affluent and callous Australia has taken the decision to suspend all flights coming into the country till mid-month. The decision was reached by the Morrison government with the blessing of the State Premiers and the Labor opposition.
Not happy with banning flights from India, the Morrison government promises to be savage in punishing returnees who find ways to circumvent the ban (for instance, by travelling via a third country). Citizens who breach the travel ban can face up to five years’ imprisonment and fines up to AU$66,000. “We have taken drastic action to keep Australians safe,” explained he Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The situation in India was “serious”; the decision had only been reached after considering the medical advice.