HUMAN RIGHTS SOS

WE MUST CREATE NETWORKS OF SUPPORT, AS ARTISTS WE CREATE CULTURE, WE MAKE VISIBLE THE INVISIBLE, WE MUST CLAIM FOR OUR HUMAN RIGHTS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

It is necessary to take a moment to reflect in depth about the human rights crisis that we are experiencing this year 2021. The ideology of fear has permeated every corner of the world and politicians take advantage of these times to sell their speeches by relying on it, going over of our rights, rights that since the pandemic are no longer the same. We have been losing our freedoms, changing our way of relating, isolating ourselves until we get used to it, and get used to losing rights is very dangerous. Politics and the economy have been crumbling, showing the rotten skeleton of a system that is unable to sustain itself without oppressors and oppressed. The cards have been left on the table, what can we do now?

Undoubtedly it is the time to create international alliances, to seek intercultural connections, to put humanity and love first, and we cannot let the messages of hatred and fear prevail in society. There are many conflicts that are taking places at this time all over the world simultaneously, where human rights are being directly violated: In Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.

Now, we are going to expose some cases such as the coup d’état in Myanmar (Asia), where on 1st of February, after the democratic elections won by Aung San Suu Kyi, a military coup took place to seize power, followed by daily protests in the cities by the people, since then at least 800 people have been killed at the hands of the military forces. Myanmar residents are seeking refugee mainly in India, which is hosting them. Cases of both civilians and police and military are known to flee Myanmar by refusing to carry out orders that put political interests above human rights. Militias are currently being organized to fight the current ruling military alliance and the elected government is also trying to find a way to fight it, which would trigger a Civil War.

Moving across the continent to India, we find a very tough situation. The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting there severely, there is not enough oxygen and meanwhile, the government prohibits the dissemination of this information, defending that there is enough oxygen, in addition to the proliferation of hidden markets in which this precius property is trafficked.

Right now the limit has already been exceeded, there is no longer enough space to burn people’s bodies, the bodies are thrown into the river, which is increasingly polluted, the situation is very dangerous. People can suffer illnesses due to the pollution of the streets, in addition to the unimaginable pain that must be walking through death day after day.

Taiwan, still called (Republic of China), had to resign itself to obtaining total independence from the government of China, who agreed to cede some autonomy to Taiwan in exchange for them being accountable to their own government. The Chinese government continues sending ships and air forces through the waters and skies of Taiwan and it seems that lately they have increased their presence, this fact is very intimidating for the inhabitants and the government there. But beyond the relations between China and Taiwan, it seems that the US is intervening in the conflict for its own benefit, polarizing Taiwanese society and threatening China.

Latin America, with Colombia on the spotlight, is showing us these months the strength of the people’s protests and how a genocidal government allows itself to massacre its people just to stay in power. The Colombian people began to protest due to the tax and health reform that the government of Iván Duque wants to impose, a puppet of former President Uribe (accused of genocide and corruption). This reform affected the staple food, therefore it was decided to kill the lower classes of hunger.

After the beginning of the protests, the government unleashes all military force on the people, they attack civilians even with tanks, a persecution begins that today is counted in 2,400 cases of police brutality, 43 murdered, 22 victims of sexual abuse and more than 400 disappeared who begin to appear tortured in gutters. The government has censored the media and social networks, the president has even threatened to close Facebook, censoring the voices of his people so that the massive violation of human rights that they are carrying out does not reach the international community.

At this point, it is necessary to talk about the Middle East and the situation in Palestine. The dispute between Israel and Palestine for the Holy Land of Jerusalem began more than 100 years ago, when a movement of Judaism decided to create a Jewish state. From 1881 to 1939 450,000 Jews moved to Palestine. Later, after the Second World War, Europe intervenes in the conflict, with the intention of compensating the Jews and for this it divides the territory in two, Palestine and Israel, going over again the Arab-Palestinian people who do not accept have his land taken away from him. Then a war began that ended with the victory of the State of Israel and since then we are witnessing internationally what seems to be the extermination of the ArabPalestinian people, they bombard civilians, innocent children, they seem to be determined not to stop their violence until they end with them.

Organizations like WOMENWAGEPEACE, women of Israel and Palestine united for peace, have made numerous marches and peaceful actions to demonstrate that peace is possible.

Finally, it is necessary to put the spotlight on Europe and how the political forces are acting with the migrants and refugees arriving from Syria, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Kongo, the Central African Republic and other countries that have suffered armed conflicts or continued crimes against human rights. Some examples are the war in Iraq, the Arab springs, the civil war in Syria, the second civil war in Libya or the war against the Islamic State.

People from these places risk their lives and those of their families to fight for a better life, they are often victims of mafias and human trafficking that make children and women their targets for exploitation. Some families bet everything they have to give their children a better future, sending them to Europe alone so they can study and make their own way. All the hopes that these people place in this opportunity are shattered when they enter Europe, when they manage to arrive, since we will never know how many die at the sea or in the desert before embarking.

Europe has created refugee camps in which these people can spend years in subhuman conditions, sleeping without a roof to protect them, by the sea, without blankets to deal with the cold, some children and babies lose their lives, girls and Women are abused, and trapped, with no option to leave and without knowing their situation as to whether or not they have the chance to stay in the country they are in, perhaps after all they have no choice but to return to their countries of origin , but this time, having lost everything.

In addition, they are currently carrying out “hot returns”, something that is totally against human rights, people are returned to their countries of origin, without even asking them about their situation.

They have also built CIES, they are headquarters where they hold immigrants who are in a ilegal situation, where the police forces can hold them for as long as they decide. These centers are like prisons, but where people live in worse conditions, because there is no regulatory law for these places, a few months ago a boy committed suicide in Spain in one of them.

All this represents a great humanitarian crisis and it is our duty to make ourselves heard, make our voices sound, fill the world with messages against hatred, for the rights of every human being to a dignified life and freedom.

The worldwide situation is asking the artists and activists to be compromised with our international reality and work to create networks of support and to share information, fighting against censure and isolation.

By: Mireia Pérez Rodríguez

Valencia, Spain. 30/05/2021