scholarly journals GRIPES OR GRIEVANCES? What the Independent Complaints Directorate statistics tell us (or not)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Police Brutality ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Public

When it was created, the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) was seen primarily as a mechanism for investigating and deterring human rights abuses by members of the SAPS. It was motivated by evidence of high levels of police brutality, including unjustified killings and the use of torture. However, according to ICD statistics, most complaints received by the ICD are not from victims of police brutality, but from members of the public dissatisfied with the quality of policing service provided to them. ICD statistics cannot therefore be used as indicators of overall levels of police brutality.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
pp. 225-230
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Public Housing ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
American Exceptionalism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Recognition ◽  
The 1960S

The conclusion highlights Gloria Richardson’s increasing public recognition for her human rights activism in Cambridge, Maryland, during the 1960s and her place in civil rights and Black Power histories. Also discussed are her views on some current social issues, including the Cambridge city government’s privatization of the public housing units she and other activists fought to get built. Richardson sees this as an example of government’s abrogation of its responsibility to serve and protect residents and politicians’ use of their power to undermine communities’ quality of life. She also shares her concerns about President Donald J. Trump. Although he presents himself as an authoritarian politician, his supporters either cannot or will not acknowledge this because they believe in the myth of American exceptionalism. Richardson argues that today’s activists must use creative tactics—including the strategic use of the vote—to resist the countless ways governments at all levels try to limit and restrict people’s freedoms and liberties.

scholarly journals Konstytucyjne aspekty procesu karnego w działalności Rzecznika Praw Obywatelskich

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-211
Author(s):  
Stanisław Trociuk
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Criminal Procedure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
Public Prosecution ◽  
The Public ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
The Individual

The changes in the broadly conceived criminal procedure which were introduced in recent years refer to the problems which are crucial from the perspective of the protection of human rights, such as the scope of the authority of the services due to operational control which is conducted secretly, the model of the functioning of the public prosecution service or the unlawful acquiring of evidence in a criminal procedure. The evaluation of these changes, conducted by the Ombudsman from the point of view of the constitutional standards of the protection of the rights of the individual is not positive. The new regulations reduce the quality of these standards and they do not contain sufficient guarantees of protection against the arbitrariness of the activities engaged in these terms by the organs of public authority. This phenomenon imposes a particular duty on the courts – which hear criminal cases – to see that the final decision in a criminal case respects the universal standards of the protection of human rights.

HISTORY AND REFORMS OF THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-197
Author(s):  
Adilet Merkanov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
The State ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Kyrgyz Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Transformations ◽  
Democratic Rule

Nowadays in Kyrgyz Republic take a place huge reforms of prosecutors. The implementation of national projects requires a new quality of prosecutorial oversight so thatthe human rights and law enforcement potential of the prosecutor’s office really contributes to the development of a democratic rule of law. The prosecutor's office as one of the state legal institutions plays an extremely important role in the public and state life of the Kyrgyz Republic. As you know, the successful implementation of socio-economic and socio-political transformations in the state largely depends on existing laws, the observance of which the prosecutor's office is called upon to monitor.

scholarly journals Media ownership transparency in Europe: Closing the gap between European aspiration and domestic reality

2021 ◽  
pp. 026732312199952
Author(s):  
Rachael Craufurd Smith ◽  
Beata Klimkiewicz ◽  
Alina Ostling
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Media Ownership ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Pluralism ◽  
The Media ◽  
Closing The Gap ◽  
Public Bodies

This article examines media ownership transparency through the lens of European human rights policy and evaluates media ownership transparency in over 30 European countries based on data returned to the Media Pluralism Monitor. Using these data, we examine the existence and quality of two types of disclosure, ‘upwards’, to public bodies and ‘downwards’, directly to the public, enabling both the monitory and informational functions of ownership transparency to be fulfilled. We conclude that regulation is patchy and variable across Europe and that a coordinated, multi-actor approach is necessary to give effect to internationally recognized standards in the field.

The Accountability Regime for Contractors during the Global War on Terrorism

2019 ◽  
pp. 118-160
Author(s):  
Damien Van Puyvelde
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
War On Terrorism ◽  
Conflicts Of Interests ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Global War On Terrorism ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Law ◽  
Global War ◽  
Shed Light

The post-9/11 trend toward intelligence outsourcing was accompanied by the emergence of a series of accountability problems. This chapter evaluates the accountability regime for contractors in the early 2000s and finds that this regime was imperfect but not inexistent. Six major cases of accountability failure shed light on three types of accountability problems involving contractors: inefficiencies, human rights abuses, and conflicts of interests. Intelligence contractors have not always been efficient, effective, or respected the law but they do not bear sole responsibility for the accountability problems in which they have been involved. These problems were caused by inadequate standards and deficient management on both sides of the public-private divide. While outsourcing can limit intelligence accountability, government accountability shortfalls also affect the outsourcing of intelligence. The chapter concludes that outsourcing and accountability are mutually interdependent.

COVID-19 will embolden autocrats

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Quality Of Democracy ◽  
Checks And Balances ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

Subject Democracy and COVID-19 Significance A growing number of leaders are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to curtail the activities of opposition parties and to expand their powers. In some cases, such as Malawi, unpopular presidents are using a declaration of emergency to prohibit opposition rallies and protests. In others, such as Hungary, emergency laws have been introduced that effectively undermine democratic checks and balances. The need for lockdown and quarantine to contain the virus has also led to a militarisation of the healthcare response -- with significant human rights abuses already reported in Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. Impacts Further power grabs are likely as the crisis's impact is increasingly felt in Sub-Saharan Africa. Human rights violations will increase as stretched security forces enforce lockdowns on populations that have limited trust in government. The quality of democracy in many parts of the world will continue to decline.

scholarly journals A Sense of Hopelessness? Portuguese Oppositionists Abroad in the Final Years of the Estado Novo, 1968–1974

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEDRO AIRES OLIVEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
The Political ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
East West ◽  
Western Democracies

The article examines the role played by the Portuguese oppositionist diaspora in the final years of the Estado Novo dictatorship (c. 1968–c.1974). It advances an explanation for the apparent lack of success met by several exile groups when trying to persuade the Western democracies to withdraw (or at least reduce) their support for Lisbon's authoritarian regime during a period in which the public was increasingly aware of human rights abuses. The choice of this particular juncture is justified for several reasons. Firstly, it was a time of renewed expectations regarding a possible liberalisation of the regime in the aftermath of the replacement of the incapacitated Oliveira Salazar by the younger Marcelo Caetano (September 1968), an event that confronted the different sections of the Portuguese opposition with a number of dilemmas, both at home and abroad, and exposed rifts that would take some time to repair. Secondly, this was also an epoch of momentous social and cultural change in Europe, with obvious ramifications for the political orientations and attitudes of those who, for different reasons, had decided to leave Portugal in the 1960s. Finally, the vicissitudes of the East–West détente are seen here as equally important for understanding the opportunities and limitations of the anti-Estado Novo opposition abroad.

scholarly journals Is There a Case for Quarantine? Perspectives from SARS to Ebola

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 547-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Barbisch ◽  
Kristi L Koenig ◽  
Fuh-Yuan Shih
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Care Worker

AbstractQuarantine has been used for centuries in an effort to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases. While backed by legal authority, the public and even the health care worker community’s understanding of the term is murky at best and scientific evidence to support the use of quarantine is frequently lacking. The multiple interpretations and references to quarantine, the inconsistent application of public health quarantine laws across jurisdictional boundaries, and reports of ineffectiveness are further complicated by associated infringement of civil liberties and human rights abuses. Given the need to balance public safety with human rights, we must be more precise about the meaning of quarantine and consider the efficacy and negative secondary effects resulting from its implementation. This article explains quarantine terminology and then uses a case study from Taiwan during the 2002–2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak to illustrate the key principles associated with quarantine measures taken during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the potential hazards that can arise from quarantines. Finally, we provide a quarantine and isolation decision tree to assist policy makers and public health officials in applying medically defensible, outcomes-based data and legal authorities to optimize management of emerging infectious diseases. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:547–553)

scholarly journals Coronavirus containment depends on human rights: freedom of expression and press are needed to fight pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellery Altshuler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Free Expression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Press

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe restrictions on freedoms of expression and press that have arisen during the coronavirus pandemic and to show the public health impact of these restrictions. Design/methodology/approach General PubMed and Google searches were used to review human rights violations both historically and during the current coronavirus pandemic. Special attention was paid to publications produced by groups dedicated to monitoring human rights abuses. Findings During the coronavirus pandemic, many governments have used the guise of controlling the virus to silence critics and stifle the press. Though these restrictions were supposedly orchestrated to fight the virus, they have done just the opposite: suppression of expression and press has hindered public health efforts and exacerbated the spread of the virus. By reducing case reporting, allowing for the spread of misinformation and blocking productive debate, violations of human rights to free expression and press have worsened the coronavirus outbreak. Originality/value This study shows the ways in which human rights are both threatened and particularly important in crises.

Memory sites: Visiting experiences in Santiago de Chile

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Piper-Shafir ◽  
Marisela Montenegro ◽  
Roberto Fernández ◽  
Mauricio Sepúlveda
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Santiago De Chile ◽  
Abstract Knowledge ◽  
Social Discourses ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
The Relationship

Studies on Chilean memory sites have focused on the spaces created to remember the human rights abuses carried out during the dictatorship. However, the ways in which people experience and appropriate these readings of the past have received scarce attention. In this article, we explore how individuals who were not victims of human rights abuses experience two memory sites in Santiago, Chile: Villa Grimaldi and Londres 38. Following the premise that memory emerges as a product of semiotic and material assembling materialized in the interaction between sites and visitors, we analyze the relationship between the memory sites’ suggested readings of the past and the experiences of the public. We argue that this experience allows visitors to connect past atrocities with broader social discourses circulating in Chile in the form of abstract knowledge. This requires visitors to assume a position in relation to different historical accounts, allowing specific reconfigurations of collective memory to emerge.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document