World Politics Review
BURMA LEADER MARKS 13 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT -- The first lady of Burmese politics, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, marked 13 years under house arrest on Oct. 25, as supporters around the world continued their calls for her release. Australia's The Age called the date a prominent illustration of the "bitter tyranny" existing in Burma, noting that "the Lady's unjust imprisonment is a powerful reminder of a brief moment of freedom realized by Burma's people and the dream that remains unfulfilled." The anniversary happened to coincide this year with the seventh Asia-Europe summit meeting, a major gathering of government representatives from over 40 countries, who used the occasion to issue a united call for the release of Suu Kyi as well as hundreds of other political prisoners in Burma. "This is a significant breakthrough," said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign U.K., in a press release. "It is the first time we have had Europe and Asia come together in this way to demand real political progress in Burma." The international community has been increasingly vocal towards Burma in recent weeks, as frustration over a lack of progress combines with the possibility of a December visit to to the country by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban's envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, has made repeated trips to Burma in a bid to convince the ruling military junta to improve rights protections and to restore some measures of democracy. The release of Suu Kyi is viewed by many as the single most powerful statement the junta could make to prove its willingness to reform. Despite a few instances of lip service (see Brian McCartan's WPR briefing) and a much-maligned "system overhaul," the junta has shown little inclination to address the world community's concerns. While Suu Kyi's long struggle to return democracy to Burma has won her admirers around the world and resulted in her selection for the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, there has been persistent grumbling among younger Burmese that non-violent engagement has achieved little -- especially after the ruling junta's brutal crackdown on monk-led protests last year. It is a dilemma the Dalai Lama has also had to contend with in recent years as younger Tibetans increasingly consider negotiating with China futile. But whereas the Dalai Lama can directly engage and encourage his supporters to follow the path of non-violence, Suu Kyi is all but cut off from the world. EUROPE HONORS CHINESE DISSIDENT -- Imprisoned Chinese human rights and democracy activist Hu Jia won this year's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on Oct. 23 in an obvious rebuke by European parliamentarians of China's rights record. The Sakharov prize is awarded by the European Parliament in honor of Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet physicist, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Past winners include former Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova, Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan (along with the U.N. staff) and Nigerian human rights lawyer Hauwa Igrahim. "Hu Jia is one of the real defenders of human rights in the People's Republic of China. The European Parliament is sending out a signal of clear support to all those who support human rights in China," Hans-Gert Pottering, president of the European Parliament, said of the decision. Virtually unknown only a couple years ago, Hu Jia has since emerged as an internationally recognized rights advocate and become a significant thorn in Beijing's side as a result. Chinese authorities had Hu in their sights for some time, placing him under house arrest (along with his wife and infant daughter) throughout 2007, before arresting him in December 2007, one month after he'd highlighted connections between China's worsening rights situation and the Beijing Olympics in a video presentation to the European Parliament. In April 2008, Chinese courts sentenced Hu to three-and-a-half years in prison for "inciting to subvert state power," setting off persistent international calls for his release. Hu was repeatedly named as a likely winner of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize but lost out to former Finnish president and career peacemaker, Martti Ahtisaari, disappointing many in the human rights community who were looking to the Nobel committee to send a strong message to Beijing. ADVOCATES SEEK GREATER ATTENTION FOR MIGRANT WORKERS -- International human rights groups and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for greater attention to migrant workers' rights last week, as reports of migrant worker-related incidents multiplied around the globe. On Oct. 29, a migrant worker died at the hands of a half dozen assailants on a train in Mumbai, the latest in a string of deadly outbreaks of violence in India's northeast in recent weeks. Tensions between urban and rural dwellers have been steadily rising in recent years, as impoverished Bangladeshis from across the border and Indian villagers leave rural areas in droves hoping to cash in on the country's growth. Urbanites accuse the newcomers of taking away jobs, and radical Hindu politicians have been widely blamed for stoking the flames of violence. Meanwhile in Jordan, Amnesty International called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would more strictly define employment terms for domestic migrant workers, setting standards for working hours, rest time and treatment of those facing abuse. Tens of thousands of migrant women -- many from East and Southeast Asia -- work in Jordan, with the majority facing some sort of emotional or physical abuse. East and Southeast Asian governments also found themselves facing reprimands over their failure to protect migrant workers, a group particularly vulnerable to abuse, in a report released jointly (.pdf) on Oct. 23 by 16 United Nations and aid agencies. "Governments in the region are trying to manage the supply of and demand for migrant workers in a way that meets market needs and minimizes irregular migration. While progress is being made in this regard, opportunities for regular migration remain limited, and employer and migrants react by working outside the existing legal framework," the report said. One of the greatest sources of potential abuse lies in the system of commercial trade in migrant workers, in which job hunters pay agencies to secure employment and provide transit. In many cases, workers are transported illegally or trapped into debt bondage with little recourse for help. The report also noted a rise in the number of female migrants in the area and urged countries to take additional steps to increase gender-sensitive protections. NIGER CONVICTED IN SLAVERY CASE -- Anti-slavery activists the world round cheered last week's verdict by the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice finding Niger guilty of failing to protect a young girl from being sold into slavery. Hadijatou Mani was sold into slavery at age 12 in 1996, after which she regularly suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Her main tasks were related to housework, but Mani was also used as a "wahiya" (sex slave), producing three children for her master. Mani, the child of a slave, faced the threat of stigma and discrimination for publicly challenging the system but considered it a risk worth taking to secure her family's future. "It was very difficult to challenge my former master and to speak out when people see you as nothing more than a slave. But I knew that this was the only way to protect my child from suffering the same fate as myself," she said. Slavery remains a serious problem in many parts of Africa -- including Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and the Sudan -- despite legislation prohibiting the practice, with tens of thousands of people languishing in circumstances beyond their control, doomed to watch their children's lives follow the same path. In Niger alone, rights activists believe that as many as 45,000 people are currently living as slaves with no rights and little protection, despite a 2003 law aimed at dismantling the tradition. Activists hailed last week's ruling as a major victory for anti-slavery efforts, and expressed hope that the court's decision will set a precedent adopted by other judicial institutions. Juliette Terzieff is a journalist who specializes in human rights. Her regular WPR column, Rights & Wrongs, appears every other Monday. |
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