Artists, academics defend LGBT rights in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Dozens of authors, artists and scholars — including writer Margaret Atwood and film directors Pedro Almodóvar and Mike Leigh— have expressed outrage at the hostility being directed toward LGBT people in Poland by the country’s president and other politicians.

In what they called a letter of “solidarity and protest,” they wrote to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, calling on the European Union to defend human rights values “being blatantly violated in Poland.”

“Homophobic aggression in Poland is growing because it is condoned by the ruling party, which has chosen sexual minorities as a scapegoat with no regard for the safety and well-being of citizens,” the letter said.

The letter, dated Monday, comes amid a bitter cultural clash in Poland, where calls for greater rights for LGBT people have been met with a furious backlash from the powerful Roman Catholic church and the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice.

President Andrzej Duda, a party ally, won a tight reelection in July after a campaign vowing to defend the country’s traditional Catholic identity. He called the LGBT rights movement move dangerous than communism.

In the letter, also signed by Poland’s Nobel laureate for literature Olga Tokarczuk, came to the defense of activists who have been detained this month for protesting the anti-LGBT rhetoric.

“We speak out in solidarity with activists and their allies, who are being detained, brutalized, and intimidated,” the letter said. “We voice our grave concern about the future of democracy in Poland, a country with an admirable history of resistance to totalitarianism and struggle for freedom.”

Recently the EU did react by rejecting small amounts of funding to six communities that had declared themselves to be “free of LGBT ideology,”

On Tuesday, the Polish justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, said that one of those communities, Tuchów, had become the victim of “ideological persecution” by the EU and that his ministry was earmarking 250,000 zlotys ($68,000 or 57,000 euros) to support it from a special fund.

He praised the town for what he said was the support of “well-functioning family” life.

Associated Press

Trudeau does not back down on rights defense in Saudi spat

OTTAWA, Canada — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday refused to apologize for calling out Saudi Arabia on its human rights record, after Riyadh said it was considering further punitive measures against Ottawa over its criticisms of the kingdom.

Tensions have been high between the two countries since Monday, when Riyadh expelled Canada's ambassador, recalled its own envoy and froze all new trade and investments.

Riyadh also said it will relocate thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada to other countries, while state airline Saudia announced it was suspending flights to Toronto.

The kingdom was angry at Ottawa for openly denouncing a crackdown on rights activists in Saudi Arabia.

But on Wednesday, Trudeau stood firm.


"Canada will always speak strongly and clearly in private and in public on questions of human rights," he said.

"We do not wish to have poor relations with Saudi Arabia," he added, saying Ottawa recognizes that Riyadh "has made progress when it comes to human rights."

Trudeau noted that his foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, had "a long conversation" on Tuesday with her counterpart Adel al-Jubeir to try to resolve the dispute.

"Diplomatic talks continue," he said.

On Wednesday, Saudi state media said the kingdom has nevertheless also stopped all medical treatment programs in Canada and was working on transferring all Saudi patients there to other countries.

Further straining ties, the Saudi central bank has instructed its overseas asset managers to dispose of their Canadian equities, bonds and cash holdings "no matter the cost," the Financial Times reported.

But in an apparent effort to safeguard its economic interests, Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih said the dispute will not affect state oil giant Aramco's clients in Canada.

Saudi oil supplies are independent of political considerations, Falih was quoted as saying by state media.

'Matter of national security'
Last week, Canada sparked fury in Riyadh by calling for the "immediate release" of rights campaigners, including award-winning women's rights activist Samar Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi.

That arrest came after more than a dozen women's rights campaigners were detained and accused of undermining national security and collaborating with enemies of the state.

When asked about the jailed activists, Jubeir on Wednesday reiterated the government's stance that they had been in contact with foreign entities, but did not specify the charges against them.

"The matter is not about human rights, it is a matter of national security," Jubeir told reporters.

"Saudi Arabia does not interfere in the affairs of Canada in any way. Therefore, Canada must correct its actions towards the kingdom."

Jubeir ruled out mediation as a way to put an end to the row.

"There is nothing to mediate," he said.

"Canada made a big mistake... and a mistake should be corrected."

Jubeir added that Saudi Arabia was "considering additional measures" against Canada, without elaborating.

Experts have said the Saudi move illustrates how the oil-rich kingdom is increasingly seeking to use its economic and diplomatic muscle to quell foreign criticism under its young de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In Canada, there was disappointment that major Western powers including the United States — a key ally of Saudi Arabia — have not publicly come out in support of Canada, though it is not the first country to be targeted for speaking up.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Stockholm over criticism by the Swedish foreign minister of Riyadh's human rights record.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported that Saudi Arabia was scaling back its dealings with some German companies amid a diplomatic spat with Berlin.

The move came after Germany's foreign minister last November remarked that Lebanon was a "pawn" of Saudi Arabia after the surprise resignation of its Prime Minister Saad Hariri while in Riyadh.

source: philstar.com

Some US migrant children shelters accused of violations: report

CHICAGO, United States — More than a dozen shelters where the US government sent migrant children have a history of allegations of misconduct and violations of care standards, according to a report published Wednesday.

The joint investigation by the Texas Tribune news website and The Center for Investigative Reporting came on the same day that US President Donald Trump reversed a tough policy and ordered an end to separation of migrant children from their parents on the US border.

His backtracking followed domestic and international outrage at the policy.

The new report cited government and other reports for accusations of physical and sexual abuse, and violations of standards for children's safety and care.


The alleged breaches occurred at privately-run shelters where migrant children receive long-term housing.

Texas state inspectors cited violations including a lack of medical attention to injuries and illness, and mistakes in administering medication, the report says.

More than 70 private entities—mostly religious and nonprofit groups—are contracted with the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to take care of migrant children, according to the report.

These are children who arrived in the US without parents, or who were separated from parents by immigration authorities.

Since 2014, 13 shelter operators have faced serious complaints, according to the Tribune report, but only two have lost their contracts with ORR.

The accusations of violations and misconduct dated as far back as two decades—before the ORR contracted with the shelters—and as recently as last month.

Among the offender companies identified was Southwest Key Programs of Texas. 
It operates the converted Walmart supermarket, called Casa Padre, which has been featured by much of the US media in the last few days as holding about 1,500 immigrant children under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.

The report says Texas inspectors found 246 violations at the company's other facilities, including shampoo dispensers filled with hand sanitizer.

In a statement, the company said deficiencies were found in less than one percent of the standards for which it is evaluated.

"We take each of the deficiencies seriously by self-reporting to invite external investigations, as well as performing our own internal investigations," the company said.

"When called for, staff have been terminated or retrained as we continue to strive for excellence in the services we provide to the children entrusted to our care."

Another Texas-based company, International Educational Services, was one of the two shelter operators whose ORR contracts were not renewed.

It had been cited with more than 100 deficiencies at nine facilities, including "inappropriate sexual contact between staff and children, harsh punishment and lapses in medical care," the report said.

The ORR did not respond to a request for comment.

source: philstar.com

George Clooney's fiancee to bring ex-President Gloria Arroyo's case to UN - Star columnist Pedrosa

MANILA – International human rights lawyer and Hollywood star George Clooney’s fiancée Amal Alamuddin has “committed to help former President (Gloria) Arroyo by advising her on her rights under international law” over her continued detention despite her deteriorating health, Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa said in her column that came out Sunday.

“This was not about power politics but about human rights and every individual was entitled to it,” Pedrosa said, quoting Alamuddin.

According to Pedrosa, Alamuddin’s mother, Al-Hayat foreign editor Baria Alamuddin, is her long-time friend she met in London while the columnist was in exile during the Marcos dictatorship.

She said the Lebanese-born British lawyer made this commitment during a recent visit to Pedrosa’s home in Manila after a speaking engagement in Singapore.

The 67-year-old Arroyo, a representative of Pampanga’s second district, is under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City facing non-bailable charges of plunder.

Who is Alamuddin?

Before she gained international fame over the recent announcement of her engagement to Clooney, the Lebanese-born British lawyer has been a reputable international human rights lawyer.

In the past, she has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in a human rights claim before the European Court of Human Rights in Sweden; Cambodia against Thailand in the territorial dispute over the Temple of Preah Vihear; Abdallah Al Senussi, former Libyan intelligence chief, in the case of alleged crimes against humanity before the International Court of Justice; and Yulia Tymoshenko, former Ukrainian prime minister, in the case against Ukraine.

Clooney has also taken up advocacies for peace in Sudan and Syria, which was what brought the couple together in the first place, Pedrosa said.

 “Amal will bring in the interest and the push needed in the world for human rights violations with George Clooney of Hollywood by her side,” the columnist said.

source: interaksyon.com

7,000 same-sex couples tied the knot in France last year

PARIS  - About 7,000 same-sex couples tied the knot in France last year after gay marriage was legalised in May, the national statistics agency said Tuesday.

France legalised same-sex marriage after months of intense and sometimes violent protests, in keeping with an election pledge by Socialist President Francois Hollande, who faced a huge backlash from the opposition right and the powerful Catholic Church.




Same-sex unions made up around three percent of the total number of 238,000 marriages registered in France in 2013, the Insee statistics agency said.

Three out of every five gay marriages involved male couples, it said.

The average age at which male gay men got married was 50, while it was 43 for women. The corresponding average age for heterosexual couples was 37 and 34.

The first gay marriage in France was held on May 29 in the southern city of Montpellier, which has a gay-friendly reputation.

But many die-hard conservatives have continued to oppose the measure. Some mayors argue that the lack of an option not to perform gay marriages violates the French constitution, which stipulates that freedom of conscience is a fundamental human right.

Several have refused to conduct gay marriages on the grounds it goes against their beliefs, but the Constitutional Council, France's top court, has ruled they cannot do this.

source: interaksyon.com

Australian court agrees, we're not all male or female

SYDNEY - A landmark ruling won by an Australian gender trailblazer which finds that sex does not just mean male or female could have broader implications as society becomes more accepting of diversity, experts say.

Norrie, who does not identify as either male or female, last month won a bid to have a new gender category on the register of births, deaths, and marriages in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.

"I'm very happy that I have been told in no uncertain terms that what sex you are is not just male or female necessarily," Norrie, who uses only a first name, told AFP.

Born as a male, Norrie underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1989 to become a woman. However, the surgery failed to resolve Scotland-born Norrie's ambiguity about sexual identity.

The sexual equality campaigner made global headlines in February 2010 when an application to New South Wales' department of Births, Deaths, and Marriages accepted that "sex non-specific" could be accepted for Norrie's records.

But soon afterwards, the office revoked its decision, saying the certificate was invalid and had been issued in error. At the time, Norrie said the decision left her feeling "socially assassinated."

"There was a lot of support for fighting for it," the 52-year-old recalled.

So began a series of appeals, ending with a decision last month in the New South Wales Court of Appeal which ruled that sex should not be limited to male or female, though it stopped short of defining other categories.

"There are a few people, not many, who are like Norrie and don't want male or female on their birth certificate," said Norrie's lawyer Emily Christie.

"She feels that every time she has to sign a form, every time she has got to fill something out, and it says 'What's your sex?' and it only has male or female, she feels that she is being forced to live a lie."

Christie said that while Norrie's passport has had an 'X' instead of male or female, this only goes so far, as a birth certificate creates a person's identity under a range of different laws.

"If Births, Deaths, and Marriages recognizes that you can be something other than male and female, then she can be something other than male and female potentially under other legislation," Christie explained.

"This is the first time that we have actually had a court case say that just the ordinary meaning of sex, in this legislation, in our current day and age given our understanding of diversity in the community and how people want to be identified, can mean more than just male and female and so should recognize Norrie."

The case has now been sent back to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to determine what the description for Norrie will be, and whether a term such as "non-specific" is acceptable.

But it comes at a time when the Australian government has released new guidelines which state that individuals should be given the option of selecting "male," "female," or "indeterminate/ intersex or unspecified" on their personal documents.

Anna Brown, the director of advocacy and strategic litigation at the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Center, said while Norrie's case had an unusual set of facts, it was important the law "recognize that sex and gender are more complex and nuanced than a simple binary of 'M' and 'F.'"

"Law, policy, and practice should reflect the reality of sex and gender diversity in our community, and new anti-discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of 'gender identity' and 'intersex status' and the availability of passports with an 'X' marker are all significant strides in the right direction," she said.

"Sadly, in many respects intersex, transgender, and gender diverse people, such as Norrie, remain invisible. We need to ensure their stories are told in order to build greater understanding and ultimately reduce the stigma, discrimination, and harassment they face, often on a daily basis."

Norrie, who believes officials have been sympathetic to her case all along, is "enormously pleased" and confident of further progress.

"I've had X on my passport for two years now, and I've been putting my sex down as non-specific since I was first granted a certificate back in 2010. People seem to be able to accommodate the truth."

source: interaksyon.com

Ateneo HR Center 'disappointed' with 'insensitive' govt handling of Sabah row

MANILA, Philippines -- The human rights center of President Benigno Aquino III’s alma mater on Saturday voiced its “disappointment” over what it said was the “insensitivity” and “impaired knowledge” with which the government has handled the continuing problem in Sabah.

At the same time, the Ateneo Human Rights Center urged Aquino, in a statement, to “take the appropriate actions to achieve an amicable settlement on the issues surrounding the turmoil in Sabah.”

“From its public demeanor and dismissive statements, it (government) has exhibited an insensitivity to the root cause of the incident and an impaired knowledge of the historical, cultural, political and personal dimensions of the aspirations of our Tausug brothers and sisters in relation to Sabah,” the AHRC said.

It cited Aquino’s call for Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to order his followers who had occupied a village in Lahad Datu, Sabah to leave and abandon their “hopeless cause” and his threat to use the “full force of the law” if they ignored him.

The AHRC also hinted that Aquino may have been ill advised on handling the Sabah issue, urging him “to get the best possible counsel in relation to this recent tragedy” and adding that, “the threats made by our own Department of Justice towards the Sultan and the members of the Sultanate of Sulu do not solve the problem.”

On Friday, the weeks-long standoff in Lahad Datu between Kiram’s followers, led by his brother Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, and Malaysian security forces erupted in violence.

Malaysia has placed the death toll at 12 Filipinos and two Malaysian police commandos dead. But the sultan’s brother said 10 of his party died, four were wounded and another 10 had been captured.

The AHRC said that, even while disapproving the manner the sultanate had chosen to pursue its claim to Sabah, the government “should have, in the same breath, sympathized and expressed its solidarity with the noble cause and territorial objectives of our Muslim countrymen/women.”

“Indeed,” it said, “the government may have unduly alienated citizens who have hitherto exhibited loyalty to the Philippines.”

Following is the full text of the AHRC statement:

In recent weeks, the Sultanate of Sulu, headed by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and a group of Tausugs forming part of the Royal Army of Sulu, went to the town of Lahad Datu in Sabah. They asked that the Sultanate receive royalties commensurate to Sabah’s economic growth and that they be allowed to peacefully settle there, which they consider their homeland.

However, in a press conference held on February 26, 2013, President Benigno Aquino III appealed to Sultan Kiram and his supporters to withdraw from Sabah, and peacefully end their standoff. He, unfortunately, referred to their cause as a “hopeless cause.” Further, the President threatened them with prosecution by issuing a stern warning that if they choose not to cooperate, they will face the “full force of the law.”

The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) expresses its deep concern on what transpired in Lahad Datu, Sabah which escalated into violence resulting in the death of a number of our Muslim countrymen/women. The AHRC likewise expresses its disappointment on the government’s treatment of the problem. From its public demeanor and dismissive statements, it has exhibited an insensitivity to the root cause of the incident and an impaired knowledge of the historical, cultural, political and personal dimensions of the aspirations of our Tausug brothers and sisters in relation to Sabah.

While the Government may have expressed its non-conformity to the manner by which the claim was pursued, it should have, in the same breath, sympathized and expressed its solidarity with the noble cause and territorial objectives of our Muslim countrymen/women. Indeed, the Government may have unduly alienated citizens who have hitherto exhibited loyalty to the Philippines.

While not condoning any form of violence, the Philippine Government should demonstrate that the interests of our Filipino Muslim brothers and sisters involved are its paramount concern; and it has not derogated from its responsibility to protect their human rights.

Therefore, we call on President Benigno Aquino III to take the appropriate actions to achieve an amicable settlement on the issues surrounding the turmoil in Sabah. Also, we urge the government to extend all the possible assistance to our brother/sister Muslims involved in this tragic event. Moreover, we implore the President to get the best possible counsel in relation to this recent tragedy. The threats made by our own Department of Justice towards the Sultan and the members of the Sultanate of Sulu do not solve the problem. President Aquino should assure them that the Government will take the matter seriously in order to arrive at a peaceful solution. The Philippine Government should also guarantee the Sultanate of Sulu that it continues to honor the claim over Sabah, a place which our Tausug brothers and sisters rightfully claim and assert as our own.

source: interaksyon.com

On Int'l Day of the Disappeared, Facebook users urged to remove profile pics

MANILA, Philippines -- Human rights activists are urging Facebook users to take down their profile pictures on Thursday, August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared, to show solidarity with the families and friends of victims of enforced disappearances.

On Tuesday, Karapatan posted this appeal on its Facebook page: “Please take down your profile picture on August 30, Thursday, in solidarity with the friends and family of the missing, from the Martial Law days up to the present, who continue to seek justice.”

This online action also serves as a rallying cry for the swift passage of the Anti-Enforced Disappearance Bill.

As the nation commemorates the 40th year since former President Ferdinand Marcos imposed Martial Law on the Philippines, Karapatan said it hopes the Filipino people “take stock of the continuing need to remember the open tyrannical rule and the grave human rights violations during the Marcos years; reflect and study the prevailing climate of impunity and the pervasive rights abuses under the Oplan Bayanihan of the current Aquino administration; and resist all forms of curtailment of human rights and pursue justice for the victims and their kin.”

On Thursday, families of those who disappeared during the years following Martial Law will gather at Plaza Miranda to call on President Benigno Aquino III to “stop enforced disappearances and to demand justice for all those who disappeared” over four decades.

Last year, Facebook users also took their profile pictures down to protest continuing enforced disappearances and human rights violations.

In an article on last year’s campaign, InterAksyon noted that the International Day of the Disappeared was initiated by the Federación Latinoamericana de Asociaciones de Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos, “a nongovernment organization established in Costa Rica in 1981, which works to help those affected by forced disappearances in Latin America.”

source: interaksyon.com

Care centers deny elderly the right to sex - paper

PARIS - Care facilities often deny elderly people the basic right, and one of their few remaining pleasures, to continue having sex, according to a paper published on Tuesday.

Many older people, including those with early stage dementia, enjoy sex while they live at home, but this changes once they move into residential care, said the Australian authors of a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

They blame a lack of privacy, age discrimination, and fears about the legal implications should a patient be found mentally incompetent to give consent.

"The formation of relationships, physical intimacy, and the expression of sexuality are a basic human right and a normal and healthy part of ageing," wrote the authors from the Australian Centre for Evidence-Based Aged Care.

Yet most facilities do not have formal policy guidelines or staff training aimed at allowing residents to continue being sexually active.

"Privacy remains a problem, with residents often not able to lock their doors and most rooms equipped only with single beds," said the paper.

"For residents with dementia, sexuality is viewed with even greater anxiety, either being labelled 'inappropriate' or a 'challenging' behavior or as a risk to the resident."

The team acknowledged the difficulties in determining the legal threshold for informed consent in elderly patients with dementia, but argued this should not be an excuse for denying them their rights.

"It is important to remember that dementia is defined in stages, with early or mild dementia manifesting as mild forgetfulness or confusion that is often mistaken for a normal part of ageing," they wrote.

"Clearly there is a significant difference between the capabilities of a person with mild dementia and one with advanced or final-stage dementia and, therefore, a single approach to sexuality and 'people with dementia' is inappropriate."

source: interaksyon.com