For over two hundred years, the Central Asian Uyghur people have represented one of the earliest and most visible examples of Chinese imperialism. When the Qing dynasty conquered huge swaths of what is now considered northwestern China in the 18th century, they incorporated the traditional Uyghur homeland as the province of ‘Xinjiang’ (New Frontier). SinceContinue reading “Prisons on the Frontier: China’s Latest Human Rights Crisis”
Category Archives: Asia
The Deteriorating Freedom of the Press – Myanmar’s Warning to the World
‘Anti-intellectualism’ is hostility directed at academics and thinkers, which can be poisonous to society due to how it allows academics to be scapegoated, and regimes can subsequently avoid political dissent by silencing and purging academics from society. However, this concept is not one that belongs solely to the past: it has taken on a newContinue reading “The Deteriorating Freedom of the Press – Myanmar’s Warning to the World”
The Ethical Expense of Contemporary Smartphone Infatuation
Part of acknowledging one’s position of privilege in society is undertaking more ethical approaches to consumption. This is a complicated task under the conditions of late capitalism, but particularly in the 2010’s when considering the ubiquity of smartphone ownership. By 2020, it is projected that smartphone ownership worldwide will rise to 2.87 billion. While thereContinue reading “The Ethical Expense of Contemporary Smartphone Infatuation”
From Russia…with Love? Beneath the Surface of the 2018 World Cup
Nothing possesses quite the same ability to simultaneously polarise and unite as the momentous sporting event that is the FIFA World Cup. It is that time again, when football addicts rejoice at spending an unhealthy amount of time shouting at an inanimate screen, while those indifferent suddenly decide that they are fascinated by tennis. ObsessiveContinue reading “From Russia…with Love? Beneath the Surface of the 2018 World Cup”
How Uzbekistan Used Western Fears of Islamism and Terrorism to its Advantage
With thousands of political prisoners, endemic torture in the prison system, and extremely restricted freedom of speech, Uzbekistan is hardly a model for human rights. Yet, President Karimov, who ruled the country from 1989 until his death in 2016, successfully played on Western fears of Islamism and terrorism and used them to his advantage. HeContinue reading “How Uzbekistan Used Western Fears of Islamism and Terrorism to its Advantage”
Fast Fashion and its Fatal Consequences in Bangladesh
This coming April will mark 5 years since the garment industry’s deadliest disaster: the collapse of the eight-story Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh. The tragedy, a consequence of cheap construction and heavy equipment, was entirely avoidable, yet took the lives of over 1,100 people and injured thousands more. It regrettably took a catastrophe ofContinue reading “Fast Fashion and its Fatal Consequences in Bangladesh”
Climate Change-Related Displacement: The “refugee” label, human rights, and state responsibility
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the primary international organisation advocating for refugee rights. The UNHCR 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees constitute the fundamental international legal instrument for the protection of refugee rights. According to Article 1A(2), a refugee is defined as aContinue reading “Climate Change-Related Displacement: The “refugee” label, human rights, and state responsibility”
The Plight of Human Rights: Intimidation and Detention of Lawyers in China
The Chinese government has a longstanding history of suppressing dissident activity, as seen through surveillance, censorship, and other means. Subsequently, these efforts extend to those aiming to eradicate repression and injustice, attacking not only the network of civil and social activism that arose in post-Mao China, but also human rights lawyers. Merely being employed inContinue reading “The Plight of Human Rights: Intimidation and Detention of Lawyers in China”
Notes from the field: The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2017
“Human rights are not optional norms” stated Professor Surya Deva, the Chairperson of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations, at the opening plenary at the sixth UN Forum on Business and Human Rights. The Forum took place in November 2017 at the Palais de Nations in Geneva, theContinue reading “Notes from the field: The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights 2017”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A Landmark International Standard
December 10th marks the anniversary of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a touchstone piece of human rights work, fundamental to laying guidelines for later legislation on and treatment of human rights in the international community. The Declaration formally asserts that all human beings are free and equal, regardless of race, class, nationality, religion, genderContinue reading “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A Landmark International Standard”
Protocol Magazine 