South Ossetia is a small yet beautiful mountainous territory located between Georgia and North Ossetia. North Ossetia is located along the southern part of the border of Russia, and is an official territory of Russia. South Ossetia used to be an official territory of Georgia. However, this would all change in 1990 when South Ossetia would declare its independence from Georgia; calling themselves the Republic of South Ossetia. Georgia would try and take back control by using military force. This would end up leading to the war in 1991-1992 and conflicts again in 2004 and 2008 (King). The 2008 conflict between Georgia and South Ossetia led to the Russia-Georgia War. During this time, the Russian forces backed the Ossetians. Together, the two countries gained full control of the territory, finally giving South Ossetia actual independence from Georgia. Even though defeated, Georgia still does not recognize South Ossetia as a nation. Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Tuvalu remain the only countries today that have recognized the independence of South Ossetia (South Ossetia Profile). Due to the limited recognition, South Ossetia is not represented or cannot participate in international affairs such as the United Nations (U.N.), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union (Mchedlishvili). The Russia-Georgia war led to many violations of human rights. Three of the major human rights violated in South Ossetia are unlawful detention of civilians, indiscriminate attacks, and torture.
Civilians are detained unlawfully in South Ossetia. The Human Rights Watch report states that “Detainees were held in conditions that amounted to degrading treatment,” (Kupunia). These degrading treatments included beatings, burni...
... middle of paper ...
...Amnestyusa.org. Amnesty International, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.
King, Charles. "The Five Day War." Georgetown/Foreign Affairs, Nov.-Dec. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Kupunia, Mzia. "Human Rights Watch Slams Georgia and Russia for Human Rights Violations in South Ossetia." Messenger.com. The Messenger, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Mchedlishvili, Niko. "Georgian Rebel Region to Vote on Independence." Reuters, 11 Sept. 2006. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
"South Ossetia: Activist Brutally Assaulted: Human Rights Watch." Hrw.org. Human Rights Watch, 26 July 26. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
"South Ossetia Profile." Bbc.co.uk. BBC News, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.
"Up in Flames." Hrw.org. Human Rights Watch, Jan. 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
Vaneyev, Georgiy. "South Ossetia MIA: 40 Russian Citizens Subjected to Torture in the Georgian MSS." Caucasian Knot. Caucasian Knot, 29 May 2006. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Tucker, Robert C. "The Mortal Danger". Course Reader for World Culture: Russia Since 1917. New York University, Spring 2001.
"United Human Rights Council." United Human Rights Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. .
The Human Rights Act of 1998 came into power in October 2000, and it represent an honourable epitome of ethical and moral ideologies. As for any idealistic expectations, one must query the effectiveness of the Human Rights Act of 1998 at meeting all its aims in the context of aiding, safeguarding and supporting those in need of assistances from the Social Services in the UK.
There have been many humanitarians that strive to help countries suffering with human rights abuses. People think that the help from IGOs and NGOs will be enough to stop human rights violations. However, it hasn’t been effective. Every day, more and more human rights violations happen. The problem is escalating.
Schattuck, John. “Overview of Human Right Practices, 1995,” Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. March 1996: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Oct 2013.
Political prisoners and criminals alike were subject to brutal conditions in the Soviet gulags at Kolyma in the 20th century. In Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales, the stories of many different prisoners are told and much is revealed about how humans react under these pressures, both naturally and socially. Being in an extreme environment not only takes a toll on one’s physical well-being, but on one’s mental and emotional state as well. The stories show that humans can be reduced to a fragile, animalistic state while in the Kolyma work camps because the extreme conditions force many men to focus solely on self-preservation.
The acts of violence that were performed by rebels in Africa were horrific. Adults and children were murdered, mutilated, tortured, and raped. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone performed despicable acts of cutting off a people's body parts with machetes to instill fear in the community. If you were working in the diamond mines and not performing up to the standards of the rebels you would lose a body part as punishment. Rebels would continue to do this from one village to another in order “to take control of the mines in the area” (Hoyt). It is estimated that in Sierra Leone that over 20,000 people suffered mutilation. The acts that the rebels performed to these innocent victims was clearly a violation to their human rights. The RUF collected 125 million a year to fund their war on the government and the people of Sierra Leone.
“External- Focused Tactics Used by Business.” New Tactics in Human Rights Project of The Center for Victims of Torture [Web site]. Undated. Accessed: 19 March 2003. http://www.cvt.org/new_tactics/tools/businesssection/external-3.htm
Thousands of foreigners are smuggled across national borders as forced labour in factories, farms, and brothels. Many are forced to become victims of human trafficking through force or the false promise of the American dream. The threat of human trafficking presently is that it deprives people of their human rights, it is a global health risk, and fuels the growth of organized crimes, such as sex crimes. Within this paper I will discuss my research on human trafficking and the victims’ deprivation of human rights. In order to so, I will synthesize three relevant sources on this topic, discuss additional questions that should be addressed when further researching this issue from a peace studies perspective, and outline a specific proposal for future research.
Brown, A. Widney., and LaShawn R. Jefferson. "VI. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES." Afghanistan, Humanity Denied: Systematic Denial of Women's Rights in Afghanistan. New York, NY.: Human Rights Watch, 2001. 16+. Print
“Men forced to undress and becomes in a rank. Some former prisoners report that beat them on genitals and a groin, forced to have oral sex and to suck off, beat the stun gun in erogenous places, stubs from cigarettes thrust into anuses. To detainees repeatedly threatened that they will be raped in the face of relatives, wives and daughters, and also their families threatened that, including and children too will be raped. Some men declared that proctal forced them bludgeons, and that they saw as governmental armies forced also children. One person declared that he saw rape of the boy in the face of the father. 40-year-old man saw as three officers of security service force the child.” [6]
Around the world and around the clock, human rights violations seem to never cease. In particular, torture violations are still rampant all over the world. One regime, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, establishes a strong elaboration of norms against torture. Despite its efforts, many countries still outright reject its policies against torture while other countries openly accept them, but surreptitiously still violate them. The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia all have failed to end torture despite accepting the provisions of the Convention.
...the task of the US and their European allies to bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights; the charge, a violation of its international treaty rights. Russia should also be required to conduct peace negotiations with the Chechens under the guidance of the various European Groups with a vested interest in the preservation of the borders of the surrounding countries. Threats of this can be conveyed to Russia, but this action, and anything that may come of it will not necessarily by abided by Russia. Russia has already shown that it will do what it wants concerning this issue. The US and its European allies are in apposition where threatening Russia with action is the only thing that they can do. Russia will not respond to these threats and will best only give them lip service. That this conflict be resolved in a manner favourable to Russia is essential. Russia cannot permit the secession of any part of its territory because it will lead to actions by other regions and the access to Caucasus oil fields cannot be lost. Any other action taken by a third party will only result in destabilization of Russia and termination of diplomatic relations between Russia and the west.
The country of Azerbaijan is recovering from decades of Soviet control, reforming the country and culture that fought oppression for many years. Since the fall of the Russian Empire and Azerbaijan’s declaration of independence in 1991, the country has been stabilizing its cultural significance. Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its status in the world theater.