Washington and Jerusalem must expand their counterattack together with other democracies whose sovereignty is being threatened by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
This level of pollution is common in Dhaka. Many elderly people with breathing problems have, in recent years, been forced to leave the city in search of fresher air elsewhere. AFP
THE recent verdict by a French court stopping the deportation of an unnamed Bangladeshi on the grounds of deadly air pollution in Dhaka has raised eyebrows around the world. In some Bangladesh newspapers and portals, an undertone of ridicule and aspersion against the assumed lack of patriotism in him was evident.
Environmentalists, however, celebrated it as a landmark ruling because governments will now have to take tackling air pollution as a matter of urgency to prevent mass migration. For the last few decades, we have heard a lot about climate refugees, mostly as a result of forced displacements following extreme natural events or disasters caused by climate change. However, this person is probably the first legally recognised “pollution” refugee in the world.
Welcome recognition of Bangladeshi as first-ever ‘pollution’ refugee
French court’s landmark decision is a new milestone in fighting environmental disasters
A child walks along a dusty road in Dhaka. Photo: AFP
The recent verdict by a French court stopping the deportation of an unnamed Bangladeshi on the grounds of deadly air pollution in Dhaka has raised eyebrows among many of us. In some of our newspapers and portals, an undertone of ridicule and aspersion against the assumed lack of patriotism in him was evident. Environmentalists, however, celebrated it as a landmark ruling as governments will now have to take tackling air pollution as a matter of urgency to prevent mass migration. For the last few decades, we have heard a lot about climate refugees, mostly as a result of forced displacements following extreme natural events or disasters caused by climate change. However, the person in question is probably the first legally recognised pollution refugee of the world.
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
(Lanka-e-News- 17.Jan.2021, 9.AM) A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found S. V. R. P. P. A. R. L. S. Alphonsu, known also as Ranjan Ramanayake, as guilty of having committed the offence of contempt of court and sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment. The accused is presently a Member of Parliament, formerly a deputy minister, and is also a well-known actor.
The reason for the charge and the conviction was an interview that was broadcast in 2017 with some words to the effect that the “‘Majority in Sri Lanka are corrupted judges, corrupted lawyers. They work for money’”.
UN rejects call to end investigation into Australia’s extradition bail law
By Tony Zhang|13 January 2021
The United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has rejected an appeal from Australia to dismiss a petition into the country’s systematic refusal of bail in extradition cases.
Forging ahead with its investigation into what some legal commentators have described as one of our nation’s most unjust laws, the UNHRC has renewed calls for Australia to respond to the merits of a petition lodged by human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson AO QC.
The petition details how Australia’s harsh extradition bail law breaches international human rights by making it virtually impossible for our citizens to obtain bail in their own country when sought for extradition.