www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Opinion
Home / Opinion / Chinese Perspectives

Shadows under the lighthouse: Observations on human rights practices in the West

By Xin Ping | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-05-14 16:25
Share
Share - WeChat
Song Chen | China Daily

The United States, alongside its Western allies, often prides itself on being a beacon of freedom and justice and a promoter of human rights across the globe. However, beneath the surface, shadows loom large. During the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, an increasing number of developing countries raised the problem of human rights abuses within the borders of Western countries. This article further elaborates on what the West has done under the pretext of human rights "protection".

I. Police violence never ends

Police brutality has long been an issue in many Western countries. During the general debate of Item 4, Western countries continued to point fingers at China, Venezuela, Russia and other developing countries over issues of police violence. However, a careful examination of the record of the accusers shows that Western countries are far from the paragon of virtue they claim to be. In the US, for example, the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police have sparked global protests and highlighted the country's systemic racial biases. Across the Atlantic, the death of Adama Traoré in police custody ignited protests against police brutality and racial injustice in 2016.

These tragedies are mainly caused by two factors: police militarization and widening social divide. In the 1990s, the US Department of Defense started to allow the transfer of surplus military equipment to police departments, prioritizing anti-drug and anti-terrorism efforts. After the end of US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, dual-purpose weaponry suitable for both urban warfare and municipal law enforcement made by arms manufacturers were redirected elsewhere. Since the mid-2000s, the amount of military gear transferred to local law enforcement agencies has surged rapidly. In other words, the weapons produced by the West to defend their so-called democracy have ended up hurting their own citizens. At the same time, racial disparity is tearing the country apart. The average net worth of a White family is about 10 times that of an African American family. African Americans are more likely low-wage workers with lower level education of attainment compared with their White counterparts. These are part of the reason why intergenerational poverty persists in the US.

II. Refugee rights never secured

As of September 2023, among the over 32 million refugees worldwide, 72 percent were from countries that have experienced extensive Western military interventions. And natural disasters often made things worse. For example, the number of refugees in Syria soared to 7 million after the 2023 earthquake. However, during the OHCHR general debate, Western countries chose to ignore the impact of natural disasters and blamed Syria for allowing refugees to cross into Europe. These refugees were counting on Western "saviors" for a helping hand. Yet reality tells a different story.

One of the key pillars of international refugee law is the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the forced return of refugees to countries or territories in which their lives or freedom may be threatened due to their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. This means no rejection at the border, no extradition, no expulsion, and no mass refoulement. However, Western countries have blatantly violated this principle with practices such as offshore interceptions and refugee swaps.

As early as the 1980s, the US intercepted over a hundred thousand Central American refugees at sea. In the following years, Australia and the EU quickly followed suit in turning down refugees. During the Trump administration, the US implemented the harmful "Remain in Mexico" policy that forced asylum seekers from Central and South America back to Mexico. There was also the infamous "Muslim Ban," which blatantly infringed on the rights of refugees from countries such as Syria, Yemen and Sudan. The Biden administration has continued to expel immigrants and refugees from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, leading to tragedies of family separation and child deaths.

III. Judicial system: A casino for the rich

Judicial systems are essential for the effective prevention of crimes and the protection of the lives and properties of citizens. While the West keeps pointing fingers at the judicial systems of developing countries in the Human Rights Council, their own systems are flawed with problems that are much more severe.

"Money makes the mare go." This best describes judicial systems in the West. Money can buy suspects out of pretrial detention, privileging the rich over the poor. Moreover, court verdicts sometimes have little to do with fairness or justice and are more like a "gamble"—betting that the other party has less money to tip the "scales of justice."

The entire US legal system operates like a massive marketplace where judges, police, prosecutors and lawyers do deals with one another. Money changes hands among the powerful, covering up bullying, violence, and even murder in the name of justice, while the poor had to face various exorbitant charges. No wonder Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, reported to the UN Human Rights Council after investigating several US states in 2017 that the US justice system was being used to generate revenue rather than promote justice—a national and pervasive issue.
As the 20th-century French writer Anatole France aptly said, "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." Yet in the West, the crisis of human rights still exists. When the halo of freedom and democracy fades, all that remains is the blood and tears of the impoverished.

Western human rights—what a joke.

The author is a commentator on internationals affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc. He can be reached at xinping604@gmail.com.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产成人综合手机在线播放 | 国产精品国产亚洲精品看不卡 | 99热在线免费 | 精品日韩二区三区精品视频 | 日本aaaa级毛片在线看 | 亚洲一区二区在线视频 | 直接在线观看的三级网址 | 色噜噜国产精品视频一区二区 | 日韩精品一级毛片 | 欧美午夜不卡在线观看最新 | 一区二区三区免费视频网站 | 国产精品美女久久福利网站 | 毛片视频在线免费观看 | 欧美在线一区二区三区不卡 | 在线观看久草视频 | 成人国产在线观看 | 中文字幕在线看视频一区二区三区 | 亚洲精品一区国产二区 | 欧美三级做爰在线 | 亚洲综合国产一区在线 | 99国内精品久久久久久久 | 91大神大战丝袜美女在线观看 | 欧美一级毛片欧美一级成人毛片 | 成人美女网 | 目韩一区二区三区系列片丶 | 一级毛片免费看 | 日本免费一区二区三区看片 | 国产三级毛片视频 | 免费一级欧美片在线观看 | 日本三级网站 | 国产亚洲欧美精品久久久 | 99热只有精品一区二区 | 国产码一区二区三区 | 免费一级a毛片在线播放视 免费一级α片在线观看 | 成人区视频爽爽爽爽爽 | 久久999视频 | 看全黄男人和女人视频 | 黄毛片一级毛片 | 91亚洲欧美 | 国产免费一级精品视频 | 成熟性xxxxx 成网站在线观看人免费 |