Tony Judt, the true definition of an independent and critical intellectual, free of political constraints and party politics. We need far more of them.
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Hearing the millions of stolen women
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn argue in their new book, Half the Sky, that the industry in women globally is equivalent to the 19th century slave trade and “in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality in the developing world.”
Australia does not have a refugee “issue”
Remember these figures the next time an Australian politician talks about the asylum seeker “problem”: Immigration authorities have deported 156 failed asylum-seekers in two years. That figure is just 2 per cent of the 7000 boatpeople who have arrived in the present wave of boats. The revelation came after The Australian reported yesterday that more…
We are all refugees and will always be
A sobering reminder of attitudes towards refugees in two major Western nations. The fear and unease with asylum seekers is fanned by politicians and commentators who want people to believe the world is orderly and queues should be formed when fleeing from persecution: An election”campaign survey commissioned by the US Studies Centre in conjunction with…
Will the real please Hoder please stand up?
I’ve long followed the case of famous Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan – even meeting him at a conference in Budapest in 2008 – but this latest news adds yet more layers of mystery to a man with a confused past, tough present and uncertain future: Hossein Derakhshan, the Iranian Canadian who helped launch a blogging…
Amnesty releases statement on Australia refugees
Let the pressure mount: Human rights groups say the Australian Government cannot continue to ignore a group of asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking stand-off who remain in detention limbo. The Australian Customs boat picked up 78 Tamil asylum seekers last year who then refused to disembark the ship in Indonesia for a month until…
Australia’s desire to shame Tamils refugees
Two young journalists have produced a remarkable ABC radio documentary about the Australian government’s behaviour towards Tamil asylum seekers in the last 12 months: In October 2009 a boatload of asylum seekers were rescued by an Australian customs vessel the Oceanic Viking. The 78 were brought to Indonesia to be sent to Tanjung Pinang detention…
Lying to Australians about asylum seekers
The issue of refugees is central to the Australian election campaign. Usually most politicians are finding ways to demonise asylum seekers. It’s not a pretty sight. Today, new revelations that deserve wide coverage: Asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking stand-off claim a “deal” to resettle all the people on board has been broken. Twenty-five asylum…
Green new world?
The following article is co-written with Lee Rhiannon, New South Wales Greens Senate candidate in the forthcoming collection and appears in Online Opinion: The bottom line for big business is return on investment for shareholders. However, the way a business is perceived as environmentally friendly or destructive seriously affects their profits. This is why corporations…
Israel aims for humanity during Ramadan but fails
The fact that this is even a story shows the apartheid-like conditions in Palestine. Shameful: Israel’s military will allow Palestinian and Israeli relatives to meet during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and soldiers have been briefed on how to show respect during the fast. The fast of Ramadan began Wednesday. Civil Administration officials met…