Berta Vive!

For many years Berta Caceres - Honduran environmental defender, Indigenous community leader and co-founder of COPINH (Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras) - campaigned against the construction, without consent, of the Agua Zarca dam in Lenca territory, by private energy company DESA. In 2016 she was assassinated. Since then there has been a long struggle to bring those responsible to justice. In 2018, seven men were found guilty of planning and carrying out the assassination, but records showed they were following orders from higher up the food chain. In July 2021, DESA president David Castillo was found guilty of being a 'co-conspirator' in the assassination. Others involved, including Daniel Atala and other members of his wealthy family, are yet to be investigated. In Honduras, a culture of impunity, corruption and violence prevails, which links the state, the army, the business world and criminal networks. Although those who resist are frequently killed, the resistance continues. Within this grim picture, 'clean energy' and 'development' often act as shiny eco-covers for elites amassing profit without regard to the rights of Indigenous people. It needs to be more widely recognised that green capitalism is not a solution for the climate crisis: it is merely a form of neo-colonialism.

Narrative Strategies of Decolonisation: Autoethnography in Mamang Dai’s The Legends of Pensam

According to John Quintero, “The decolonisation agenda championed by the United Nations is not based exclusively on independence. It is the exercise of the human right of self-determination, rather than independence per se, that the United Nations has continued to push for.” Situated within ontologies of the human right of self-determination, this paper will focus on an analysis of The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai, a writer hailing from the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, to explore the strategies of decolonisation by which she revitalizes her tribe’s cultural enunciations. The project of decolonisation is predicated on the understanding that colonialism has not only displaced communities but also brought about an erasure of their epistemologies. Consequently, one of its major agenda is to recuperate displaced epistemic positions of such communities. In the context of Northeast India, the history of colonial rule and governance has had long lasting political repercussions which has resulted not only in a culture of impunity and secessionist violence but has also led to the reductive homogeneous construction of the Northeast as conflict ridden. In the contemporary context, the polyethnic, socio-cultural fabric of the Northeast borderlands foregrounds it as an evolving post-colonial geopolitical imaginary. In the light of this, the objective of this paper is to arrive at the ramifications of employing autoethnography as a narrative regime by which Mamang Dai reaffirms the Adi community’s epistemic agency and reclaims the human right towards a cultural self-determination.

Kebebasan pers dan kesenjangan gender di Filipina pada masa kepemimpinan Presiden Rodrigo Duterte

This paper tries to describe how press freedom and gender equality in the Philippines during President Rodrigo Duterte's leadership, and to answer whether the concept of the relationship of press freedom and gender equality in the Philippines also applies. This study is a literature study through the work of other researchers obtained through journals, books and the internet. The results of the study show that the concept of the relationship between freedom of the press and gender equality also applies in the Philippines. This was evidenced by a survey from the Reporters Without Boarders agency which showed press freedom in the Philippines ranked 134 out of 180 countries in 2019, down 1 place from 2018, and a survey from the World Economy Forum which showed the Philippines ranked 16th in 2019, which means it dropped to 6th rank from 2018. Freedom of the press in the Philippines is still problematic because it is hampered by the face, culture of impunity and policies of President Rodrigo Duterte. The issue of press freedom has increased gender inequality in the Philippines. Women in the media in the Philippines contribute to the field of work and content to the media.

Hostile climates are barriers to diversifying the geosciences

The geosciences are one of the least diverse disciplines in the United States, despite the field's relevance to livelihoods and local and global economies. Bias, discrimination, and harassment present serious hurdles to diversifying the field. These behaviors persist due to historical structures of exclusion, severe power imbalances, unique challenges associated with geoscientist stereotypes, and a culture of impunity that tolerates exclusionary behaviors and marginalization of scholars from underserved groups. We summarize recent research on exclusionary behaviors that create hostile climates and contribute to persistent low retention of diverse groups in the geosciences and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. We then discuss recent initiatives in the US by geoscience professional societies and organizations, including the National Science Foundation-supported ADVANCEGeo Partnership, to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion by improving workplace climate. Social networks and professional organizations can transform scientific culture through providing opportunities for mentorship and community building and counteracting professional isolation that can result from experiencing hostile behaviors, codifying ethical practice, and advocating for policy change. We conclude with a call for a reexamination of current institutional structures, processes, and practices for a transformational and equitable scientific enterprise. To be truly successful, cultural and behavioral changes need to be accompanied by reeducation about the historical political structures of academic institutions to start conversations about the real change that has to happen for a transformational and equitable scientific enterprise.

Vibrant and safe media landscape in Ghana: Reality or mirage?

Despite widespread condemnation of assaults on journalists in Ghana and elsewhere in the past, there is increasing evidence of brutality against journalists. When perpetrators of such assaults go unpunished, it fosters a culture of impunity. The article throws searchlight on incidences of assaults on journalists and the ambivalent attitude of the public and/or state agencies towards media freedom. Incidences of assaults and intimidations of journalists in Ghana were reviewed to ignite renewed discourse on the issue, and inform measures on the safety and protection and general development of media. Theoretically, the article is framed along lines of thoughts on concepts of narrative in which there is ‘struggle over narrative’. Major lines of narratives on assaults against journalists are expressed by state functionaries, citizens and the media in competing fashions. Each narrative has ‘competing truth’, which arguably carries for each entity a force of the true and rightful position on the safety of journalists. The article concludes that persistent advocacy by Ghana Journalists Association and media partners can make a difference in influencing positive steps on assaults on journalists.

Pelaksanaan Yurisdiksi Universal Terhadap Modern Piracy Jure Gentium

This study aims to analyze the relevance of the approach of universal jurisdiction in law enforcement against the crime of modern pirates. This study looks at piracy itself which changes over time and the effectiveness of universal jurisdiction in minimizing back piracy that can affect the international community. This research is normative. Universal jurisdiction has long been in law enforcement against piracy. However, turning the numbers of countries implementing universal jurisdiction raises the question of what constitutes an obstacle to implementing universal jurisdiction over the crime of piracy. In addition, several solutions have emerged that are considered more effective in enforcing the law against modern piracy in order to prevent the culture of impunity.

Pelaksanaan Yurisdiksi Universal Terhadap Modern Piracy Jure Gentium

This study aims to analyze the relevance of the approach of universal jurisdiction in law enforcement against the crime of modern pirates. This study looks at piracy itself which changes over time and the effectiveness of universal jurisdiction in minimizing back piracy that can affect the international community. This research is normative. Universal jurisdiction has long been in law enforcement against piracy. However, turning the numbers of countries implementing universal jurisdiction raises the question of what constitutes an obstacle to implementing universal jurisdiction over the crime of piracy. In addition, several solutions have emerged that are considered more effective in enforcing the law against modern piracy in order to prevent the culture of impunity.

International(ized) Constitutional Court: Kosovo’s Transfer of Judicial Sovereignty

This paper discusses the transfer of judicial sovereignty in Kosovo from a comparative perspective. In particular, it addresses the transfer of constitutional jurisdiction to the Special Court of Kosovo. This court was formed as a result of Kosovo’s commitment to address allegations made by the Council of Europe in a document known as the Dick Marty report. The report alleges that war crimes and crimes against humanity and international law were committed during and in the aftermath of the Kosovo war (1998–1999). It took several years for the Court to be formed as constitutional amendments, legal infrastructure, and other practical steps were needed to make the Court operational. These preparatory measures have been taken, but practical results are missing, and there is fear that the Court might end up like previous UN- and EU-led justice systems, which did too little and were too late to address the culture of impunity in Kosovo.

Practices of Self-Censorship Among Nepali Journalists

Although Nepal has entered a new era of democracy and press freedom since 2006, self-censorship still exists in the reporting/editing of many Nepali journalists. Nepal has more than 100 years of press history, most of it has faced pressure from the government if not censorship. Drawing upon interviews with journalists, the chapter demonstrates how self-censorship is being practised in Nepali media houses as a result of state power, the culture of impunity, commercial interests, and political inclination of journalists. While highlighting these agents, the chapter also aims to explain the difference in practices of self-censorship by gender and type of news media.

Rights enforcement in the African Human Rights Court: Restrictiveness, progressivity and resistance

Africa is characterised by, inter alia, oppressive political systems, a culture of impunity of those who govern, and the use of state sovereignty mantra in the face of gross and systematic rights violations. Yet, African states have, through the establishment of the African Human Rights Court, created an avenue for judicial scrutiny of their laws and executive action that affect human rights. While the Court holds great promise in relation to fighting impunity and the provision of effective remedies for rights violations, ensuring respect for human rights, and fostering Africa’s quest for good governance, development and regional integration, it operates amidst state resistance and other complexities, which threaten its effectiveness and existence. This article considers whether, against this background, the Court has shown restrictiveness or progressivity in its enforcement of rights.