News from the World - June 2024 🌞

LGBTQ+ Rights 

Namibia's Supreme Court declares law criminalizing homosexuality unconstitutional 🏳️‍🌈⚖️

On Friday, the Namibian Supreme Court declared two colonial-era laws criminalizing sexual relations between men to be unconstitutional. This landmark ruling is a significant victory for the LGBTQ+ community, especially during Pride Month. The case was brought forward by Namibian activist Friedel Dausab with the support of the British non-governmental organization, Human Dignity Trust.

According to activists, while the laws on “sodomy“ and “unnatural sexual offenses“ rarely led to convictions in Namibia, they still perpetuated discrimination and forced gay men to live in fear. Namibia inherited these laws from South Africa upon gaining independence in 1990. However, South Africa has since decriminalized same-sex relations and is the only country on the African continent that allows LGBTQ+ couples to adopt children and marry. Omar van Reenen, co-founder of the Namibian Equal Rights Movement, stated that the LGBTQ+ community in Namibia can finally feel equal. [1]

Authoritarian Regimes

China, intent on undermining Xinjiang's autonomy, has changed the names of Uyghur towns and villages, according to a report by Human Rights Watch 🚩

The People's Republic of China has renamed hundreds of villages in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. According to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), this move by the Chinese government is a clear attempt to erase Uyghur Muslim culture. The report states that between 2009 and 2023, village names in China that were linked to Uyghur religion, history, or culture were replaced. Terms such as “sultan“ and “shrine“ are disappearing from local names and are being replaced with words like “harmony“ and “happiness“. The Chinese embassy in London has denied these allegations.

According to HRW, this renaming is part of a broader effort by Chinese authorities to assimilate the Uyghur minority into Chinese culture. About one-fifth of the name changes in villages or towns in this area have removed references to Uyghur religion, culture, or history. The renaming of villages and towns, particularly between 2017 and 2019, is linked to escalating hostility towards Uyghurs in Xinjiang, according to HRW. The research also follows a report from last year in which HRW accused the Chinese state of closing and demolishing mosques to limit the practice of Islam in China. [2]

Roma Minority 

Case of eviction of Roma people in Vsetín goes before the European Court of Human Rights 

One of the oldest and most well-known cases concerning the segregation of Roma people in the Czech Republic, specifically their relocation from the center of Vsetín to container “houses“ on the outskirts of the city - such as next to a wastewater treatment plant - will have the opportunity to be reviewed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The town's mayor, Jiří Čunek, believes that in the dispute in which the relocated residents primarily sought compensation for psychological harm, and which resurfaced in public attention following an April decision by the Constitutional Court, the town's right to a fair trial was violated. Another complaint by the town in this matter is still pending before the Constitutional Court, while in another part of the case, the Supreme Court issued a decision this February.

However, Čunek has not specified precisely how the town's rights were violated or on what grounds he intends to base the complaint. He only stated that the decisions of the Czech courts were influenced by “a clear effort to find a solution to the case from the perspective of today's social climate of political correctness and multicultural theses“. [3] [4]

Remaining Category, or What You Shouldn't Miss Either

Far-right parties did not do as well as expected in the June European Parliament elections 🇪🇺🫢

From June 6 to 9, 2024, nearly 400 million people in the European Union voted for their new Members of the European Parliament. The results showed that while far-right parties made gains, they were not as significant as anticipated. However, the trend at both the EU level and within individual member states indicates growing support for populist, nationalist, and, in most cases, Eurosceptic parties. For example, in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, and Croatia, the far right is part of the ruling coalitions. In Portugal and Slovakia, these parties have significantly increased their share of votes in recent national parliamentary elections.

Regarding the European Parliament elections, while notable gains for the far right were observed in Italy, France, and Germany, the situation in other EU member states is more complex. The far right only won in five countries and often finished in second or third place, frequently at the expense of liberal and green parties. Their actual ability to influence policy in the Parliament will depend on their unity, which is not fully aligned on key issues, such as support for Ukraine or EU fiscal responsibility. [5]

UN High Commissioner calls for peace in Ethiopia 🇪🇹🕊️

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called for concrete measures to stop human rights violations that continue to threaten peace in Ethiopia. Türk urged all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and resolve disputes through peaceful means. He emphasized the necessity for authorities to take all possible steps to protect civilians, prevent further rights violations, and ensure thorough investigations to bring those responsible to justice.

An updated report from the UN Human Rights Office, analyzing the situation in Ethiopia from January 2023 to January 2024, reveals serious human rights violations, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, where at least 1,351 civilians were killed in 2023. The report also states that state actors are responsible for approximately 70 % of human rights violations in the country. [6]

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[1] NYAUNGWA, Nyasha. Namibian court declares laws banning gay sex unconstitutional. Online. Reuters. 2024. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/namibian-court-declares-laws-banning-gay-sex-unconstitutional-2024-06-21/. [cit. 2024-07-07].

[2] LAMCHE, Anna. China changed village names 'to erase Uyghur culture'. Online. BBC News. 2024. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxrrkl6ve39o. [cit. 2024-07-07].

[3] Vsetín podá v kauze vystěhování Romů stížnost k evropskému soudu ve Štrasburku, advokátka romských rodin neví, v čem by měla být porušena práva města. Online. Romea. 2024. Available at: Https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/vsetin-poda-v-kauze-vystehovani-romu-stiznost-k-evropskemu-soudu-ve-strasburku-advokatka-romskych-rodin-nevi-v-cem-by-mela-byt-porusena-prava-mesta. [cit. 2024-07-07].

[4] FUKSA, Aleš. Čunek napadne Česko ve Štrasburku, nelíbí se mu multikulturní rozhodování soudů. Online. Novinky.cz. 2024. Available at: https://www.novinky.cz/clanek/domaci-cunek-napadne-cesko-ve-strasburku-nelibi-se-mu-multikulturni-rozhodovani-soudu-40476850. [cit. 2024-07-07].

[5] How will gains by the far right affect the European Parliament and EU? Online. Chatham House. 2024. Available at: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/06/how-will-gains-far-right-affect-european-parliament-and-eu. [cit. 2024-07-07].

[6] Ethiopia: UN Human Rights Chief calls for sustained efforts to halt violations and abuses. Online. United Nations. 2024. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/06/ethiopia-un-human-rights-chief-calls-sustained-efforts-halt-violations-and. [cit. 2024-07-07].