Category: Free-Thoughts

Donald Trump’s proposal to slash UN funding: a threat to international peace and security

March 27, 2017

Published on 24 March 2017 at Open Democracy, here. On April first the United States assumes the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council amid widespread alarm over talk from US President Donald Trump that his government is considering drastically reducing its financial contributions and involvement in the UN. This could pose a … More Donald Trump’s proposal to slash UN funding: a threat to international peace and security

Japan Detains Movement Leader to Silence Struggle Against US Military Bases

March 27, 2017

Published on 14 March 2017 at Waging Nonviolence, here. On October 17, Hiroji Yamashiro was arrested for cutting a wire fence at a protest against a U.S. military base in Okinawa. He has been held in detention ever since. Yamashiro, the chairman of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center, has been a fixture of the nonviolent … More Japan Detains Movement Leader to Silence Struggle Against US Military Bases

Exposing falsehoods in Chinese law: Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk is no separatist

March 27, 2017

Published at Hong Kong Free Press on 27 January 2017, here. A year ago today, Tashi Wangchuk disappeared. He was recently indicted and is now awaiting trial, facing a 15-year sentence for the baseless charge of inciting separatism. His crime: advocating Tibetan language rights in an interview with the New York Times – hardly a threat … More Exposing falsehoods in Chinese law: Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk is no separatist

Time’s up: China must release imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang

December 10, 2016

Published at Hong Kong Free Press on 9 December 2016. Where is Wang Quanzhang? After over a year in secret detention it is time for China to end this tragedy. The State must release him, drop all charges, and initiate the process of compensation and reparation. Anything less is to compound the already inexcusable injustice … More Time’s up: China must release imprisoned lawyer Wang Quanzhang

The last missing bookseller: One year on, the anniversary of Gui Minhai’s abduction demands action

December 10, 2016

Published at Hong Kong Free Press on 17 October 2016. A year ago today Gui Minhai disappeared while vacationing in Thailand. A Swedish citizen, Gui is one of five Hong Kong booksellers to have been abducted by China last year but the only one who remains missing. On the anniversary of his abduction, it is … More The last missing bookseller: One year on, the anniversary of Gui Minhai’s abduction demands action

China should be proud of Wang Quanzhang – instead it persecutes him

December 10, 2016

Published at the Guardian on 23 September 2016, co-authored with Peter Dahlin. Last July, the Chinese government launched its most widespread crackdown on rule of law advocates in decades, detaining some 300 rights defenders. Some have been held incommunicado since, with lawyers and family members trying to visit them in detention being told to look … More China should be proud of Wang Quanzhang – instead it persecutes him

Stand Against Gender Discrimination in Nationality Laws

December 10, 2016

This article originally appeared at the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs on 14 August 2016. During its thirty-second session, which concluded last month, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a newresolution on women’s equal right to acquire, change, or pass on their nationality. This is a positive step for gender equality, not only for the … More Stand Against Gender Discrimination in Nationality Laws

Campaigning for a Woman UN Secretary-General: A Conversation With Shazia Rafi

May 29, 2016

I spoke with Shazia Rafi of the The Campaign to Elect a Woman UN Secretary-General, about the selection of a woman Secretary-General to take over for Ban Ki Moon. Below is the interview, originally published at the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs on 16 May. — Before joining The Campaign Rafi served as Secretary-General of Parliamentarians … More Campaigning for a Woman UN Secretary-General: A Conversation With Shazia Rafi

Eliminating Statelessness in Southeast Asia

May 27, 2016

This piece was originally published at The Diplomat on 24 May 2016. Available here. — The government of Myanmar has come under fire this month following Aung San Suu Kyi’s rebuke of U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel’s reference to the Rohingya, the estimated one million stateless Muslim inhabitants of Myanmar’s Western Rakhine State. Aung San Suu … More Eliminating Statelessness in Southeast Asia