human rights

CODEPINK’s 10 Points for Peace

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

In an ideal world, there is no need for the phrase, “In an ideal world.”

We do not reside in an ideal world. We reside in a world in which business and political interests, often using social and political structures, demand the individual to stand down and obey. Wars are fought and the reasons or causes are often left unclear, lest we the many individuals find the reasons or causes suspect or lest we suspect that the reasons or causes are not in our interests.

I have been using this website to shine a light on human rights stories, and in doing so, I try to always remember that any one individual’s story that I may take the time to write about is one of many similar (sometimes, identical) stories in that person’s country. Raif Badawi, the blogger who is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for his writing and who was flogged as part of his punishment on January 9, 2015, is one of an estimated 30,000 political prisoners in his nation. And Saudi Arabia is but one nation, one nation with business, political, and also religious interests that demand that one can only celebrate a “freedom of expression” by freely expressing that one ought not be free to express oneself.
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Fighting for Her Brother’s Freedom

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Nous cherchons désespérément de l’aide pour soutenir notre frère à défendre sa cause et sauver sa vie.—a request for help by Zeinab Abu Al-Khair

“Désespérément.” Translation: We are desperately looking for help to save our brother’s life. Zeinab Abu Al-Khair wrote that today in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Zeinab lives in Canada). She is appealing to the world community for help in rescuing her brother from an unjust death sentence.

Her brother’s story first appeared here in November, in a column titled, “A Bloodthirsty System.” Thanks to Zeinab, who contacted me on Facebook last fall, I was the first columnist to report Hussein Abu Al-Khair’s arrest, trial, imprisonment, and death sentence. His story is similar to dozens in Saudi Arabia, after all, so how else could one man’s plight attract attention?

Thanks to her tireless efforts, many more people have become aware of his story via Twitter and websites like Movements.org. The artist George Riad Krohn volunteered his time and work and created the charcoal drawing seen at the top.
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Help #SaveThe3

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

If the United States government truly stands for freedom and democracy, it must stop Saudi Arabia from carrying out this egregious violation of basic human rights. It must pressure King Salman to release all political prisoners, including Ali Mohamed al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon, and Abdullah al-Zaher, who were all minors at the time of their arrest.—a petition, “Ban Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Until They End Juvenile Executions”

An online friend of this website, Esha P., started a petition today to demand the United States to “Ban Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Until They End Juvenile Executions” via the activist website MoveOn.org. (Full disclosure: mine is the third signature on it.) I urge readers to sign it, too.
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