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	Modern technology impacts our human rights by Martha Davis, Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo, Sushma Raman Carr Center for Human Rights, agencies   Modern technology impacts our human rights. (Extract from Human Rights Issues of 2022: Year in Review, Carr Center for Human Rights)   Martha Davis: Protecting individual privacy and autonomy are real concerns as modern technology continues to be exploited in the service of capitalist interests—but technology can also be a mechanism that brings about greater rights realization for the people.   An increase in participatory governance at the local level is achievable and effective because of the technology that allows a greater number of voices to be heard on more issues. Because of that, technology can facilitate the involvement in policy development of those most affected, and it can increase the transparency of local government decisions.   These benefits of technology can also be utilized to help ensure that rights are protected, but that will only happen if rights holders themselves remain vigilant and demand that local government take a human rights-based approach to the use and regulation of technology.   The rapid embrace of the Smart City paradigm, without adequate concern for the rights impacts of increased networking and surveillance, demonstrates the peril of viewing technology as a neutral force. At the local level, a clear understanding of human rights norms must inform decision-making concerning technology, just as human rights should be integrated into other local government processes. Given the relative accessibility of local government, civil society can play a strong role in ensuring that rights are protected even as technology expands.   Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo: One of the understated ways in which the evolution of modern technology impacts our human rights is the exacerbation of racial discrimination through the design of technologies. Digital technologies are not blind to human color, and we continue to see how people of certain races or ethnicities are treated with bias and discrimination with respect to digital technologies.   The continued evolution of modern technology forces a reconsideration of our conceptualization of the obligations of diverse actors toward the protection and promotion of human rights. We need more dialogue about normative and regulated obligations for the private (tech) sector in ensuring human rights standards. Voluntary measures may no longer suffice.   The need to promote “human rights by design” with an approach that gives utter regard to race, color, and people must be a prioritized agenda on international and national forums that focus on business and human rights discourses. We must intently push for a human rights based approach to the designing of digital technologies.   Sushma Raman: Trust in democracy, science, and the institutions of government and civil society is in decline, with “distrust now societyʼs default emotion.” The dissemination of false and misleading information, through social media and platforms, has negative implications for human rights.   Disinformation affects the right to free and fair elections, the right to health, and the right to non-discrimination, among others. Legislative proposals to counter this disinformation often restrict freedoms of assembly, association, and expression— and governments sometimes use disinformation as a pretext to crack down on journalists, human rights activists, and opposition leaders.   Online hate speech disproportionately targets members of racial and ethnic minority groups, particularly women. And with 40% of people worldwide still underrepresented in the digital age, efforts to bring communities and societies online must be complemented by efforts to protect and promote rights and freedoms in the technological sphere.   A flourishing information ecosystem—or ecosystems—requires us to strengthen community and public media, promote pluralistic public spheres, uphold racial and gender equity and inclusion, and invest in civil society voices and leadership.   http://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/publications/human-rights-issues-2022 http://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/podcasts http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/08/inspiring-stories-human-rights-day-2022 http://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/digital-threats/were-going-to-kill-you-all-facebook-fails-to-detect-death-threats-against-election-workers-in-the-us-while-youtube-and-tiktok-succeed/ http://www.transparency.org/en/news/international-anti-corruption-day-2022-stop-kleptocrats-protect-common-good http://www.icij.org/investigations/ericsson-list/as-us-style-corporate-leniency-deals-for-bribery-and-corruption-go-global-repeat-offenders-are-on-the-rise http://humanrightsfirst.org/events/magnitsky-month-2022/   http://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/human-rights-principles-to-revitalize-the-struggle-by-gareth-evans-2022-12 http://www.globalr2p.org/ http://news.un.org/en/story/2017/09/564422 http://forum.cartercenter.org/roundtables http://forum.cartercenter.org/media/auditing-economic-policy-human-rights-guide-activists-and-advocates http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2022/11/november-gcspf-78-e-news/ http://usp2030.org/ http://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/publications/social-security-human-rights-briefs/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc4736-global-fund-social-protection-international-solidarity-service   http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/eu-amnesty-international-warns-of-glaring-human-rights-loopholes-in-corporate-sustainability-due-diligence-directive/ http://www.etuc.org/en/document/end-cost-living-crisis-increase-wages-tax-profits http://www.lighthousereports.nl/investigation/pension-funds-gambling-with-savings-and-fuelling-hunger/ http://inequality.org/great-divide/the-fight-against-inflation-doesnt-have-to-be-rich-people-friendly/ http://www.epi.org/publication/inequality-2021-ssa-data/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/11/15/social-audits-no-cure-retail-supply-chain-labor-abuse http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/the-illusion-of-abundance-human-rights-defenders-urge-states-to-advance-the-international-treaty-on-corporate-accountability/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/big-issues/binding-treaty/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/11/human-rights-experts-support-call-un-tax-treaty http://taxjustice.net/press/un-adopts-historic-decision-to-take-on-new-tax-leadership/   http://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/concerns-grow-over-the-increasing-ties-between-christianity-and-right-wing-nationalism http://www.france24.com/en/americas/20221013-alex-jones-ordered-to-pay-sandy-hook-families-nearly-1-billion-for-false-claims http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/india-upr-of-worlds-largest-democracy-highlights-growing-pressure-shrinking-space-for-independent-civil-society/ http://euobserver.com/opinion/156531 http://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-republican-led-states-are-targeting-wall-street-with-anti-woke-laws-2022-07-06/ http://www.ips-journal.eu/topics/economy-and-ecology/grappling-with-power-imbalances-6299/ http://www.sei.org/featured/currents2023/ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/met-police-illegally-filmed-children-as-young-as-10-at-climate-protest http://www.article19.org/campaigns/freetoprotest-2/ http://tomdispatch.com/an-obituary-for-our-world/ http://priceofoil.org/2022/11/16/investing-in-disaster/
	Families demand justice two years on from devastating Beirut port blast by OHCHR, HRW, agencies Lebanon   Jan. 2023   Lebanon: Victims’ Families Despair as Blast Suspects Freed. (HRW, Amnesty, agencies)   Lebanon’s general prosecutor on January 25, 2023, ordered the release of all suspects detained in connection with the catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The unprecedented move amid rampant political interference bypasses the ongoing criminal investigation into the explosion.   To help secure a path toward truth and justice for the victims, the United Nations Human Rights Council should urgently pass a resolution to create an impartial fact-finding mission into the Beirut port explosion.   “Lebanon may be leaderless, but that doesn’t mean other countries cannot step up to lead on human rights for people in Lebanon,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The gross failure to provide justice to the victims of the Beirut port explosion will only further undermine stability and the rule of law at this critical juncture in Lebanon’s history.”   Nearly two-and-a-half years on, the domestic investigation has stagnated with no progress in sight due to multiple legal challenges from the politicians charged in the case aiming to replace the lead investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar.   On January 23, Judge Bitar took steps to overcome the stalled investigation. Relying on a legal analysis, he said that the rules governing the dismissal of judges outlined under article 357 of Law 328 did not apply to his role and that attempts to dismiss him amounted to a breach of the constitutional principle of separation of powers.   In resuming his work, he ordered the release of five suspects detained between August 2020 and September 2021 and charged others. He summoned Ghassan Oweidat, the general prosecutor; Abbas Ibrahim, director general of general security; Tony Saliba, director general of state security; Jean Kahwaji, the former army chief; Jawdat Oweidat and Kamil Daher, former intelligence officers; Asaad Tufayli, head of the Higher Customs Council; Gracia Al-Azzi, a Higher Customs Council member; and judges Ghassan Khoury, Carla Shawah, and Jad Maalouf for interrogation.   In response, Judge Oweidat, whom Judge Bitar had charged, indicated that law enforcement agencies would not execute Bitar’s orders, considering them “null.” The justice minister sent Judge Bitar’s legal analysis to the Higher Judicial Council for review, alleging it may impact the “secrecy of the investigation.”   Judge Oweidat then ordered the release of all of the detainees in the Beirut blast case, noting that the investigation has been stalled for over a year, and citing the right to a speedy trial under international law. Bitar told local Lebanese media that “security forces’ enforcement of the state prosecutor’s order to release the detainees will be a coup against the law.” Hours after the general prosecutor’s order, security forces began releasing the 17 detainees held in connection to the blast.   The General Prosecutor also charged Judge Bitar with several crimes, including “usurping power,” imposed a travel ban on him, and summoned him for questioning on January 26.   The Lebanese authorities have repeatedly obstructed the domestic investigation into the explosion by shielding politicians and officials implicated in the explosion from questioning, prosecution, and arrest.   Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Legal Action Worldwide, Legal Agenda, and the International Commission of Jurists have documented a range of procedural and systemic flaws in the domestic investigation, including flagrant political interference, immunity for high-level political officials, lack of respect for the fair trial standards, and due process violations.   The politicians suspected in the case have filed over 25 requests to dismiss Judge Bitar, and other judges involved in the case, causing the inquiry to be repeatedly suspended while the cases are adjudicated. The latest series of legal challenges filed against Judge Bitar resulted in the suspension of the investigation on December 23, 2021.   The Human Rights Council should pass a resolution that would establish and dispatch, without delay, an independent and impartial fact-finding mission for the Beirut explosion. The mission should establish the facts and circumstances, including the root causes, of the explosion, with a view to establishing state and individual responsibility and supporting justice and reparations for the victims.   The explosion at Beirut’s port was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in global history. The explosion sent shock waves through the city, killing at least 220 people, wounding over 7,000, and causing extensive property damage. An in-depth investigation by Human Rights Watch points to the potential involvement of foreign-owned companies, as well as senior political and security officials in Lebanon.   The Beirut explosion was a tragedy of historic proportions, arising from the failure to protect the fundamental right to life.   “We are in shock,” Mireille Khoury, mother of Elias Khoury, who was killed by the explosion at the age of 15, told the organizations. “In what state are we living? All this proves that the international investigation is our only hope and that the HRC [Human Rights Council] is our main route. When will the leaders of the world open their eyes to this horrendous injustice against us?”   It is now clearer than ever that the domestic investigation will not be allowed to progress and cannot deliver justice, making the establishment of an international fact-finding mission mandated by the UN Human Rights Council all the more urgent, the organizations said.   The survivors of the explosion and the families of the victims have previously sent two letters to the member and observer states of the Human Rights Council urging them to support a resolution establishing an international investigation. They sent another letter to the high commissioner for human rights in March 2022.   More than 162 Lebanese and international rights groups, survivors, and families of the victims have called on the Human Rights Council members to put forward such a resolution. Dozens of Lebanese parliament members and three political parties have supported calls from victims’ families and civil society for an investigation.   “The Lebanese authorities have run roughshod over the law, shamelessly bypassing an ongoing criminal investigation and retaliating against a judge who was just doing his job,” said Aya Majzoub, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Amnesty International. “It is patently clear that the Lebanese authorities are determined to obstruct justice. Since the explosion, they have repeatedly blocked the domestic investigation, shielding themselves from accountability at the expense of the victims’ rights to truth, justice, and redress.”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/15/un-expert-raises-alarm-over-ineffective-beirut-blast-investigation http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/04/lebanon-un-expert-concerned-interference-beirut-blast-probe http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/07/lebanon-38-countries-condemn-interference-beirut-blast-probe http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/03/lebanon-un-human-rights-council-joint-statement-urges-accountability-for-beirut-blast/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2023/01/25/lebanon-victims-families-despair-blast-suspects-freed http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/12/lebanon-rising-poverty-hunger-amid-economic-crisis http://www.icj.org/lebanon-undue-interference-in-the-beirut-port-blast-investigation-is-leaving-the-legal-system-on-the-brink-of-collapse/ http://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20230124-beirut-explosion-investigator-charges-former-pm-top-prosecutor http://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-blast-investigator-charges-former-pm-top-prosecutor/a-64502198   4 Aug. 2022   Beirut, Lebanon – Thousands of people gathered in remembrance of the Beirut Port explosion that devastated the capital two years ago and killed more than 200 people with demonstrators calling for those responsible to be held accountable.   Following a fire that broke out in one of the port warehouses, 2,750 crates of poorly stored ammonium nitrate exploded on August 4, 2020, injuring at least 7,000 and displacing more than 300,000 people.   Two years on, families are still fighting for justice as a local investigation into the explosion has been stalled by Lebanese politicians who have been charged or called in for questioning.   The evidence that has already emerged from investigations by rights groups, journalists, and Lebanese judges strongly suggests that high-ranking officials in government and the security forces knew about the risk from the ammonium nitrate stockpile and tacitly accepted it.   Families are demanding the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) send a fact-finding mission to Lebanon.   A group of families under the name August 4 Collective marched to the French embassy calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to support a United Nations fact-finding mission to Lebanon.   Mireille Bazergy Khoury – the mother of Elias Khoury, who was only 15 when the walls of his bedroom came crashing down on him after the explosion told the Al Jazeera news agency:   “We are stressing that we need now an international intervention … History will not be merciful with anyone who will not look into this violation; it will record those who did not do anything,” Khoury said.   “It wasn’t just Lebanese people who were killed… Therefore, it is not just a Lebanese issue, it’s an international issue and it’s about time they stand to their responsibilities … considering the HRC mandate is to look into the violation of human rights.”   Aug. 2022   UN rights experts call for international investigation into 2020 Beirut explosion   UN experts have called on the Human Rights Council to launch an international investigation into the massive explosion in Beirut two years ago that killed more than 200 people and decimated a vast swath of the Lebanese capital city, saying victims must have justice and accountability.   The powerful blast – in which a stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a port warehouse exploded on 4 August 2020 – destroyed 77,000 apartments, wounded 7,000 people, displaced over 300,000 more and left at least 80,000 children homeless.   “This tragedy marked one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in recent memory, yet the world has done nothing to find out why it happened," the experts said. "On the second anniversary of the blast, we are disheartened that people in Lebanon still await justice, and we call for an international investigation to be initiated without delay."   Shortly after the explosion, 37 UN human rights experts issued a joint statement calling on the Government and the international community to respond effectively to calls for justice and restitution.   Instead, the national investigation process has been blocked several times. Families of the victims have therefore appealed to the international community to establish an independent investigation under the Human Rights Council, hoping that an inquiry mandated through this multilateral system would give them the answers the Lebanese authorities have failed to provide.   The explosion and its aftermath have brought into focus systemic problems of negligent governance and widespread corruption, the experts said. Human rights experts who recently visited Lebanon found that responsibility for the explosion has yet to be established, affected areas remain in ruins and reconstruction funds from the international community have barely begun to reach beneficiaries.   Access to food is under serious threat. Lebanon imports up to 80 percent of its food, and the explosion damaged the nation's main entry point and grain silo, which partially collapsed a few days ago after catching fire earlier in July.   The tragedy has unfolded as the country descends into what the World Bank has described as a prolonged and "deliberate depression" caused by authorities themselves. People in Lebanon are struggling to access fuel, electricity, medicine and clean water; the currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its value over the past two years and the average inflation rate in June was about 210 per cent.   Some countries have promised to assist people in Lebanon after the blast but have not done enough to deliver justice and initiate an international investigation, the experts said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/un-experts-call-international-investigation-2020-beirut-explosion http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/04/the-pain-gets-worse-lebanese-mark-second-anniversary-of-beirut-port-explosion http://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20220804-victims-continue-to-fight-for-justice-two-years-after-deadly-beirut-port-blast http://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20211104-beirut-port-blast-investigator-forced-to-suspend-probe-for-third-time http://www.hrw.org/video-photos/interactive/2021/08/02/lebanon-evidence-implicates-officials-beirut-blast-targeted   * Report of UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter following his country visit to Lebanon: http://bit.ly/3P2uMVB   * Lebanon: Impact of crisis on children (May 2022): http://www.acap.org/country/lebanon/special-reports#container-1761 Visit the related web page
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