One of the highlights of the 8th Annual Humanitarian Law Dialogs is the laying of the brick in honor of Nicholas Koumjian, Chief prosecutor of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) which was held at the Robert H.Jackson Center on Aug. 24, 2014. For further information see www.roberthjackson.org
By Hojin Choi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
HONG KONG, China – College students in Hong Kong will boycott classes for a week. This strike seeks to push Beijing to meet demands for democracy in Hong Kong.
According to the Hong Kong Federation of Students, college students in Hong Kong decided to boycott their classes for a week beginning September 22nd. This was planned in reaction to the Chinese government’s decision regarding the Hong Kong election next year. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) ruled out the open nomination for the election of a Chief Executive in Hong Kong. This position is largely considered to be the actual leader of Hong Kong’s administration. Instead, it will allow only 1-2 candidates who are pro-Beijing and no other pro-democracy figures.
Besides the college students, other citizen-wide protests have already been implemented. Some Pro-democracy organizations have planned an “Occupy Central” campaign as a way of protesting Beijing’s decision. The organizers of Occupy Central announced that they would mobilize 10,000 activists to paralyze the center of Hong Kong’s financial district.
“If the NPC makes such a drastic decision at this stage, there is no point for further dialogue. Why wait, then,” said one of the organizers of the campaign.
Reportedly, at least 11 higher education institutions pledged to join the boycott, including government-funded institutions such as Hong Kong University, Shue Yan University, Chu Hai College, and Hang Seng Management College. The Federation of Students is seeking other citizens’ participation including, younger students.
For example, another students’ group called “Scholarism” is planning to strike too. Scholarism formed three years ago to petition for more nationalistic curriculum in schools. The core members of the group consisted of high school students in Hong Kong. In addition to the class boycott, Scholarism holds “Citizen Classrooms” at a church where they lecture about political reform and civil obedience issues to high school students.
“Hong Kong people should fight for our own universal suffrage and democracy. Our candidates should not be decided by Beijing. We must have equal rights to vote and to be elected. Beijing’s decision does not meet this requirement,” said Chen, a 17-year-old student.
The students seem to be experiencing pressure at home regarding their activities. Lu, another 17-year-old student, said “Although I joined the civil disobedience, my family and friends have got a lot of pressure. Personally, I hope my family can understand my decision.”
Another student, Zhang, reported that his parents allowed him to join the protest, on condition that he avoid activities that disrupt his studies or could be deemed illegal. “I want to fight for democracy . . . If we don’t fight for it now, our future generations may not have the chance to enjoy a truly fair and democratic universal suffrage,” Zhang said.
Hong Kong was a British colony, but returned to China in 1997. The Chinese communist government announced that the political independency of Hong Kong would be guided by the principle of “one country, two systems.” However, some activists in Hong Kong criticize that the Chinese government is trying to extend its power over Hong Kong by affecting the territory’s democracy.
The Chinese government warned against any foreign interference with this issue. The government considers the people in Hong Kong to be in collusion with outside forces. Bejing said it will not tolerate the use of Hong Kong “as a bridgehead to subvert and infiltrate the mainland” of China.
For more information, please see:
Aljazeera – China rebukes ‘foreign meddling’ in Hong Kong – 30 August 2014
BBC – China rules out open Hong Kong chief executive poll – 31 August 2014
South China Morning Post – Thousands of students plan week-long classroom boycott in push for democracy – 1 September 2014
The Standard – Student chiefs on move for mass class boycotts – 2 September 2014
Voice of America – Hong Kong Students Discuss Class Boycott – 4 September 2014
The Wall Street Journal – Hong Kong Students to Boycott Classes If Democracy Demands Aren’t Met – 21 August 2014
By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – Barbara Webb, a 33-year-old, former chemistry teacher at an all-girls Catholic high school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan claims that she was recently fired after announcing her nontraditional pregnancy. Webb has been with her partner, Kristen Lasecki, for five years, and learned of her pregnancy in June. She notified her employer in July, and was subsequently fired mid-August.
Webb worked for Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills for nine years. She was an active staff member and went beyond her duties as a chemistry teacher by becoming the school’s volleyball and softball coach, and student-government moderator. On 27 August, Webb took to Facebook to announce her termination. She says that she believed the visible nature of her pregnancy led to her firing. After learning of her termination, hundreds of supporters gathered at the school on Sunday afternoon to support Webb. Among them were students, parents, and alumni.
Webb told the media that after hearing of her pregnancy the school’s administration gave her a choice between resigning, being fired, or continuing the semester without discussing what happened. The school’s president, Sister Lenore Pochelshi, was contacted for a comment regarding Webb’s termination, and she confirmed that Webb’s employment at the school ended on 19 August, but declined to comment any further. Webb announced that her last conversation with administrators made it clear that the school had growing concern over the morality of Webb’s lifestyle choices.
Webb states that she felt compelled to let people know the truth behind her termination, which is why she took the issue to Facebook. Webb posted, “My job can’t be saved, but the torment that the poor LGBT students at Marian must be feeling, the other LGBT staff, and those that are silenced by fear can be helped.” Webb feels that her termination goes beyond just a mere differing of opinions regarding her lifestyle choices, and says that this is a human-rights issue.
Last year the United States Supreme Court stuck down parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act Since that time, approximately 30 state and federal courts have ruled against bans on same-sex marriage. Currently, a United States Court of Appeals is due to rule on same-sex marriage bans in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
For more information, please see the following:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Lesbian Teacher Says Fired By Detroit Catholic School Over Pregnancy – 7 Sept. 2014.
DETROIT FREE PRESS – Gay Teacher At Marian High School Says Pregnancy Got Her Fired – 3 Sept. 2014.
LGBTQNATION – Lesbian Teacher Says Pregnancy Got Her Fired From Catholic School – 3 Sept. 2014.
REUTERS – Lesbian Teacher Says Fired By Detroit Catholic School Over Pregnancy – 7 Sept. 2014.
By Hojin Choi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
GENEVA, Switzerland – One person commits suicide every 40 seconds in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Report. Among regions, Asian countries have the top suicide rate compared to others. The U.S. remained as the average level. The report is based on the statistical information gathered in 2012.
The WHO estimated that at least 800,000 people kill themselves each year. The most suicide-prone countries were Guyana (44.2 per 100,000) followed by North Korea (38.5), South Korea (28.9), and Sri Lanka (28.8). These countries’ rates were nearly 40 times higher than the countries with the lowest rate. The average rate of the 174 WHO member countries was 11.4. The suicide rate also seems to be affected by the wealth of the countries. Nearly 75.5 percent of the total suicides were committed by low and middle income countries.
The South China Morning Post reported that the Korean peninsula is “one of the most suicidal regions in the world.” The article explains that South Korea’s suicide rate began climbing after the economic crisis of the 1990s. South Korea’s suicide problem is well documented; it has kept the highest rate for the last 10 years among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). A main factor is the extreme stress on the public caused by high competition spread over the society. Statistics Korea, a government branch, reported that the leading cause of death of Korea’s youngest generations, groups ranging from 10s, 20s, and 30s, was suicide rather than traffic accidents and diseases.
The WHO supposed that the main cause of the high suicide rate in North Korea is poverty and stress of living in a restrictive environment. Sandra Fahy, professor of Sophia University in Tokyo, reported that North Korea’s penal system also likely intensifies the suicide problem. In North Korea, criminals’ punishment can be extended to three generations of their family, and it often happens that entire families kill themselves to avoid the collective punishment.
Japan’s suicide rate was 18th in the world, but 4th among the high income countries following South Korea, Lithuania, and Russia. Japan had 29,442 suicides in 2012. India has the highest rate in south east asian countries. India’s rate was 21.1 per 100,000, meaning approximately 258,075 people killed themselves in 2012 alone.
The WHO called for government action to address the suicide issue. Even though the number of suicides in the world has slightly fallen from 883,000 in 2000, the recent report warns, “For each adult who died of suicide, there were likely to be more than 20 others who made one or more suicide attempts.” In other words, the Report’s statistics show the number of people who ‘succeeded’ to suicide, not including those who attempted but failed. Moreover, the Report emphasized that each suicide has a continuing ripple effect. One suicide can induce others to commit suicide or economically affect the lives of surviving families.
For more information, please see:
South China Morning Post – Two Koreas top of global suicide charts, for different reasons – 6 September 2014
The Guardian – North Korea’s suicide rate among worst in world, says WHO report – 4 September 2014
Daily Mail – The suicide map of the world – 4 September 2014
The Guardian – Suicide kills one person worldwide every 40 seconds, WHO report finds – 4 September 2014
The Japan News – Japan suicide rate ranked 4th among high-income countries, WHO report says – 5 September 2014
Bernama – India Tops Suicide Rate In Southern, Eastern Asia In 2012: WHO – 5 September 2014