Tag: Human Rights

‘If I lose my freedom’: How China’s human rights defenders are preemptively resisting forced confessions

May 27, 2017

Published on 16 May 2017 at Hong Kong Free Press, here. On May 3, police in Yunnan abducted human rights lawyer Chen Jiangang. He was forced to drive with security over 3,000 kilometres back to Beijing. He remained in their custody for over 80 hours, coincidentally missing the trial of his client, Xie Yang, whose … More ‘If I lose my freedom’: How China’s human rights defenders are preemptively resisting forced confessions

To strengthen digital security for human rights defenders, behavior matters

May 27, 2017

Published 9 May 2017 as part of the Data and Human Rights discussion at Open Global Rights, here. Most conversation about digital security for human rights defenders (HRDs) tends to focus on privacy and data protection. This is necessary, but what good is a strong passphrase or Virtual Private Network (VPN) when you are at risk … More To strengthen digital security for human rights defenders, behavior matters

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

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

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

Myanmar: Prisoner Amnesty Highlights the Need for Penal Code Reform

May 6, 2016

This article was originally published at The Diplomat on 5 May 2016. Available here. A week after having released 199 political prisoners, on April 17 the Government of Myanmar released 83 additional prisoners. Among those released were student activists involved in peaceful protests against the National Education Law and Naw Ohn Hla, a land rights activist … More Myanmar: Prisoner Amnesty Highlights the Need for Penal Code Reform

Taiwan: Can Tsai Ing-Wen Change the Politics of Death?

April 23, 2016

This article was originally published at the Diplomat on February 10, 2016. Following Tsai Ing-wen’s electoral victory last month, KMT lawmakers have been challenging Ms. Ing-wen, who will be inaugurated as Taiwan’s first female president on 20 May, and her Democratic Peoples Party on several issues. Among them, Ms. Ing-wen has been demanded to reveal … More Taiwan: Can Tsai Ing-Wen Change the Politics of Death?

Nonviolent activism around the Olympic Games: History and lessons learned

November 25, 2015

This article was originally published at openDemocracy.net on 24 November 2015 and is available here. Whereas countless public figures have insisted that the Olympics be kept “apolitical” for decades, nonviolent action and civil society together have succeeded in revealing the hollowness of such a notion. A Tiananmen Square-themed Olympic logo. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.Bringing … More Nonviolent activism around the Olympic Games: History and lessons learned

The Truth About Myanmar’s New Discriminatory Laws

November 8, 2015

This article was originally published 26 August 2015 at The Diplomat. Available here. Last Thursday, Myanmar’s parliament approved the remaining two of four “Protection of Race and Religion” bills. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights Chairperson Charles Santiago prefers to call them the “Race and Religion Discrimination bills.” Their passage—which would allow local governments to impose … More The Truth About Myanmar’s New Discriminatory Laws