At the outset of the arab spring, human rights were more than merely. The isis crisis and the broken politics of the middle east. Human rights watch is a 501c3 nonprofit registered in the us under ein. Tunisia tunisia stands out as the only relative success story to emerge from the arab spring, but reforms are urgently necessary to avoid a relapse into the repression of the past. Syria and the arab spring given by ellis brooks amnesty internationals syria coordinator how has the situation in syria arisen. Sep 01, 2011 arab spring fails yet to deliver on human rights arbitrary arrests, torture are growing in the middle east as despots more often than not ignore promises to end the worst abuses. His last wordshow do you expect me to make a living. Reflections on human rights understandings in light of the arab. Spring 2014 human rights and digital culture overview. The horrors of syrias prison system have grown exponentially since the arab spring of 2011. Next, graeme reid sounds a warning about countries evoking tradition and traditional values to undermine human. The notion of dignity is so central to human rights that it hadfor me at leastbecome an abstraction until the arab spring protests forced me to. The uns response to the underlying causes of the arab spring.
Reflections on human rights understandings in light of the. Inroads towards charting its own path shadi mokhtari i. For many of us, life in the digital age is all about increasing our connections. I must begin by saying that the topic of my presentation massive violations of human rights and the use of force in the context of the arab spring was not one of personal design reached after moments of prolonged deliberation but, rather, in a very good oldfashioned way, it was allocated to me by the conveners of the annual. This po l i c y br i e f attempts to analyze whether and how the arab spring might affect regional foreign and security policies in the context of con. Human rights and digital culture stanford university. The arab spring, massive violations of human rights and the use of force this article is based on a presentation given at the british institute of international and comparative law in london on 25 october 2012 on the occasion of its annual conference and its theme for this year of international law, the rule of law and constitutional change.
Human rights were invented as a tool to protect citizens from the overwhelming power of state personalist neopatrimonial regimes dont have any ideological justification. Pdf arab spring as a background of civil war in syria. Who are the risk groups in the region in regards to human rights abuses, with particular focus on. Constitutionalism, human rights, and islam after the arab spring offers a comprehensive analysis of the impact that new and draft constitutions and amendments such as those in jordan, morocco, syria, egypt, and tunisia have had on the transformative processes that drive constitutionalism in arab countries.
Arab spring and womens rights council on foreign relations. Human rights in the united arab emirates wikipedia. It began in response to oppressive regimes and a low standard of living, starting with protests in tunisia noueihed, 2011. International ngos, the arab upheaval, and human rights. Arab spring fails yet to deliver on human rights the. Arab spring unrest resulted in a violation of international law. Throughout it, readers may click on underlined text to learn much more on specific topics. On international womens day, minky worden of human rights watch discusses why women are losing in the movement for change in the arab. Egypt peaceful activists, critics of the government and many others remain in jail. Arab spring fails yet to deliver on human rights arbitrary arrests, torture are growing in the middle east as despots more often than not ignore promises to end the worst abuses. The 55,000 photographs of torture victims smuggled out of syria by a military defector codenamed caesar, authenticated by human rights watch, have given us a glimpse.
The purpose of the study is to give an analysis of the humanitarian situation and the case of human rights in syria after the events of the arab spring. The gaddafi archives libya before the arab spring view gallery an exhibition of photographs, documents and artefacts from the human rights watch archive paints a portrait of libya in the four decades prior to the arab spring. Causes of the arab spring causes of the arab spring may be described as following. Posted in history of human rights, human rights and law, human rights and the arab spring, human rights and the humanities, posts by k. The idea behind this report is to draw attention to the violation of human rights violations in those countries that traditionally represent themselves as developed democracies, to illustrate by concrete facts their failure to.
Article 20 of the universal declaration of human rights udhr, combined with article 19s. They had to search for food under continued bombardment, which sometimes hit schools and resulted in the loss of their children. The disappointing outcome for women during the five years after the arab spring has meant that it cannot be characterized as the womens spring, despite the prominent role they have played in its development. When it comes to addressing gender and human rights issues in muslim majority societies, dominant u. Watenpaugh comments off on praguecairodamascus remembering havel and his power of the powerless. Some underlying reasons of the mass revolts starting in 2010, known as the arab spring, were related to massive suppression of these rights. Mar 08, 2012 on international womens day, minky worden of human rights watch discusses why women are losing in the movement for change in the arab uprisings and how the international community can help. This 23rd annual world report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide in 2012. Constitutionalism, human rights, and islam after the arab spring. The arab spring, social media, and human rights by tina xu when mohammed bouazizi doused himself with gasoline and lit his fatal match, he ignited not only his flesh but the spirit of a revolution that would transform the face of north africa and the middle east. Country by country tunisia the only relative success story with a new constitution and some justice for past crimes. The arab spring and its impact on human rights in the mena region. State department report issued in early 2012, following the arab spring movement, described prison conditions as varied and noted that while two prisons observed in february by human rights watch had been overcrowded, the situation was expected to improve as the result of an amnesty that freed thousands of political prisoners detained.
Egypt some progress with respect to human rights appears to have been made in egypt. The human rights watch issued a report regarding the violation of the rights to freedom of expression in the united arab emirates. The objective of this student publication is to provide a platform for young scholars to investigate a variety of topics within our main research areas and to produce valuable studies of gender and human rights in the region. She previously worked as an adviser for the norwegian atlantic committee and the embassy of the islamic republic of afghanistan. People only live full lives in the light of human rights. Journal of women and human rights in the middle east. A year of change with political will and the right support, countries confronting a legacy of human rights abuses can address victims rights and mete out justice while discouraging a cycle of revenge page 6. This picture is illustrated with around thirty country situations affecting human rights organisations.
Chronicle title, march, 1988 introduction this paper offers a brief overview of human rights for collegelevel readers. A decade of hope 5 women demonstrate against the ben ali government, tunis, february 2011. The arab spring, massive violations of human rights and. A year of change home the international center for. Ntroduction 1 the stunning wave of protest and change taking shape in the middle east has had profound implications for human rights dynamics in the region. Libyathe death of dictator first protests in libya started on january 2011 but mass uprisings began in the city of benghazi on 15 february 2011. The common slogan of the protesters throughout arab spring was the people want to bring down the regime aissa, 2012. This booklet is a summary of findings for the 2015 edition of freedom on the net.
This document provides an overview of human rights developments in the countries where there were uprisings five years ago. On 15 march 2017, tayseer najjar, a jordanian journalist, was sentenced to a threeyear prison term and a fine of 500,000 uae dirhams by abu dhabi federal appeals court. A full volume with 65 a full volume with 65 country reports assessed in this years study can be found on our website at. Instead, a new arab political identity with an antidespotic, pluralis t and democracyseekin g approach is dawning.
What are the underlying political conditions in the country. The least arab women deserve is equality, human dignity, democracy, and justice. Journal of women and human rights in the middle east operation into gaza began on july 8, 2014. The arab spring, massive violations of human rights and the. Freedom of assembly and association from student occupations of universities in paris in 1968 to the arab spring of 2011, mass demonstrations have been the way people demand social change. It provides a detailed picture of this as yet little studied problem, the growing dimension of which is a worrying concern. The fact that human rights violations are an infringement to the core. Fanacks file on human human rights have attracted increasing attention over the years, starting with the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights in 1948. The omani national committee for human rights organizes a series of courses and training programmes specializing in human rights issues and attracts experts and specialists from outside the country in order to raise the awareness of society regarding the rights that guarantee a decent life for citizens, as well as special rights for some. Are the violence and the human rights violations all coming from one side. But human rights are still under attack, and reforms are urgently needed. Human rights violations in certain countries in 2012. However, we forget how this rapid and widespread access to.
Arab spring used their powers vehemently to crush the demonstrators and consequently the peaceful protesters also became violent. Before the arab spring, the unseen thaw human rights watch. The arab spring and its impact on human rights in the. This creates a context in which human rights violations of ordinary arabs and muslims within and outside the.
Human rights organisations have also criticised the regime. Over 1,031 palestinians were killed in the conflict, and another 6,000 were injured. Arab spring libya 360 libya after moammar gaddafi the washington post. Roots and causes of the arab uprisings there is a consensu s among politica l analysts regardin g the cocktai l of major factors that, when combined, created the socia l explosio n known as the 2011 arab uprisings. Yemen for their deteriorating human rights records following the arab spring. Journal of women and human rights in the middle east, a change of seasons for women in the middle east.
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