He says it is particularly relevant during #COVID19, when so many peaceful gatherings have moved online https://t.co/K9Hj6rh2Aw pic.twitter.com/nkI7iYEoF5. Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees. Police violence has also been a defining feature of this year. Local governments should finally do what it takes to end the structural racism and systemic police abuse that people in Mott Haven and communities like it have long experienced., Digital Targeting and Its Offline Consequences for LGBT People in the Middle East and North Africa, UK and US Forced Displacement of the Chagossians and Ongoing Colonial Crimes, Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in close to 100 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice. To continue the momentum, we must demandthat COVID-19 vaccines are available to everyone regardless of where they live, who they are, or what they can afford. Huge demonstrations kept roiling politics in places as diverse as Chile, Hong Kong, and Lebanon, and new, shorter protestslike those over the downing of an airliner in Iranerupted regularly. Belarus court sentences Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski to 10 A look back at some of the most consequential moments of the year. Thunberg's strike in Sweden, for instance, was adapted to meet the country's limitation of gatherings of over 50 people. The harsh punishment of . The year 2020 highlighted the resilience of protests around the globe. The provision of safe water isan importantmeasure to combat Covid-19. As the chart below shows, the rapid proliferation of new protests continued for the rest of the year. The crackdown, led by the departments highest-ranking uniformed officer, was among the most aggressive police responses to protests across the United States following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and could cost New York City taxpayers several million dollars in misconduct complaints and lawsuits. Share on Facebook (opens in a new window), Share on Flipboard (opens in a new window). Kureya, apopular Zimbabwean comedian and government criticwasabducted,severely beaten,and forced to drink raw sewageby six masked gunmen in August 2019. Thousands of people in Istanbulproceeded despite the ban, and riot police fired on them with tear gas(Opens in a new tab). The rate at which Black trans women are killed in the U.S. has been dubbed an "epidemic"(Opens in a new tab) by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Throughout the election and afterward, Trump routinely claimed that the election was seeped with fraud, despite election officials finding no evidence to back his claims. Dr. Magombeti wasthen-leader ofthe Zimbabwe HospitalDoctorsAssociation(ZADHR)whohadorganizeda series of protests to demand better salaries forpublichealth workers. People taking part in peaceful demonstrations across the United States, and journalists covering these protests, should not be subjected to disproportionate use of force or other violations, the UN human rights office said on Friday. This is the us vs them style of leadership that hasalsoled toviolence againstMuslims in Delhi, and the continued persecution ofUighurs in China. The small gatherings were notable, though, for the lack of police response. Welcome March with discounts on gadgets for your home. On every continent, civic space is being crushed and dissent ruthlessly silenced. Released after four days,hefled the countrya weekafter his release. "The first authorised protest since the emergence of Covid-19 three years ago is a significant moment for Hong Kong, but Sunday's planned march will take place as the Government intensifies its wider crackdown on human rights in the city. Spontaneous celebrations for the Biden and Harris win weren't the only gatherings spurred by the election results. The Committees advice also notes that Governments could not prohibit protests by making generalised references to public order or public safety, or an unspecified risk of potential violence. More in During mass opposition protests in 1996, he co-founded the Viasna human rights organisation with the aim of providing financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families. Over2millionpeople in the capital, Harare,and the greater metropolitan area incorporating Chitungwiza, Epworth, Ruwa and Norton have no access to safe drinking water or adequate waste and wastewater disposal services. As Nov. 3 loomed, the country held its breath for the results of the 2020 presidential election and then had to keep holding its breath for days. Are disabled people fairly represented in International Human Rights Law? Credit: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP via Getty Images. By August 1941, American president Franklin Roosevelt and British prime minister Winston Churchill had drafted the Atlantic Charter to define goals for the post-war world. Or alternatively hold down the Ctrl key and scroll up or down with the mouse. Join our movement today. 15 protests that defined 2020 | Mashable Activism, Black Lives Matter, Social Good. The Turkish government, for instance, banned gathering for the holiday. Unlike the massive crowds that gathered in September 2019, 2020's strikes met social distancing requirements to curb the spread of the virus. 24 July 2020 Human Rights. Whilereceiving treatment for theirinjuries, thetriowere arrestedatthe hospitalandcharged with making false reportsabout their abduction. Bialiatski and three other top. Everything you need to know about human rights in Chile - Amnesty Some fervent Trump supporters disputed the election results with baseless fraud allegations, and protested in opposition to the results. Share this via Reddit However, the rapid globalization of the coronavirus in February and March drastically reduced the number and size of protests. The security agents allegedlytorturedMuchehiwa. Driving the news: Three other prominent. Mauritius In Crisis As Militarized Police Deployed Against - Forbes In early 2020, when little was known about the virus and it seemed like a localized problem, the protest surge that had marked the second half of 2019 continued. The January 1 protest carried the movement into 2020. Though underpinned by years of organizing, the momentous wave of Black Lives Matter protests seen in 2020 started in Minneapolis. Many of these new protests centered around the core issues that have driven the global protest wave of recent years, such as corruption, electoral manipulation, and police brutality. Somewhere in the process of being cuffed, I had a knee on my neck.. Share this via Facebook Share this via Printer, As More Climate Chaos Looms, Slashing Fossil Fuels Is Key. This stood in stark contrast to the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by Floyd's killing, in which police aggression and violence gravely(Opens in a new tab) endangered (and in some cases permanently harmed(Opens in a new tab)) many unarmed protesters. All of these are human rights issues. World Report 2021: Zimbabwe | Human Rights Watch In fact, 2020has brought human rights to the fore of public debate. Belarusian human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Minsk court on Friday. Protests break out in Hong Kong as first arrest made under new security law . In July 2020, police arrested prominent journalist Hopewell Chinono and Transform Zimbabwe Party leader Jacob Ngarivhume after they called for nationwide anti-corruption protests. Algeria: Reverse decision to dissolve leading human rights group, Peru: Lethal state repression is yet another example of contempt for the Indigenous and campesino population, Eswatini: Investigation into Thulani Masekos killing must be independent and transparent, Philippines: Six years on, arbitrary detention of former Senator Leila de Lima continues, Italy: Deaths at sea must spur action to ensure safe, legal routes to Europe, thousands of patients untested from hospitals into care homes, Belarus: Sentencing of human rights defenders a blatant retaliation for their work, Israel/OPT: Impunity reigns for perpetrators of settler violence. RT @eevahele: 2020 protests for HumanRights in Helsinki Finland: Finnish Police did arrest hundreds of Protest Marchers violently. like many not-for-profit organisations, our fundraising has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In Washington, D.C., protesters gathered at iconic American landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial, Freedom Plaza, and the White House. There can be no doubt about the agendas of the governments who launched these attacks, even as theydress up their repression in nationalist rhetoric. Thetortureresultedin serious injuries,includingextensive bruisesand anacute kidney injury. About 10 minutes before an 8 p.m. curfew imposed after looting elsewhere in the city scores of police officers surrounded and trapped the protesters a tactic known as kettling as they marched peacefully through Mott Haven. Future historians, too, will toil over the twists that emerged on what felt like a daily basis throughout the coronavirus pandemic. The NYPDs highest-ranking uniformed officer, Chief of Department Terence Monahan, was present during the action, along with at least 24 other uniformed supervisory officers chiefs, lieutenants, captains, or inspectors in white shirts. The four officers involved in Floyd's death were not charged until days later, after video of the killing was released and the protests began. Thanks for signing up. The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association,hailed the newinterpretation that the right to peaceful assembly also extends to digital activities. Registered office 17-25 New Inn Yard London EC2A 3EA. (POMA), a law that gave police excessive powers to prohibit public gatherings and protests, to disperse opposition rallies in a selective and partisan manner. The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Share this via Telegram On Feb. 23, Arbery, who was Black, was stalked and fatally shot by white men in a truckwhile on a run in Georgia. Hong Kong police arrested about 400 people in New Year's Day protests after what started as a peaceful pro-democracy march of tens of thousands spiraled into chaotic scenes with police firing tear gas to disperse the crowds. According to Human Rights Watch, the police did not inform the protesters of the basis for their detention, nor did they provide them with access to lawyers. New York state and city officials should make structural changes to reduce the police role in addressing societal problems, including through significant decreases to the police force size and budget, Human Rights Watch said. On June 30, the national security law took effect(Opens in a new tab). Read 10 famous protests that shook the UK. A Belarusian court has sentenced Ales Bialiatski, Belarus' top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, to 10 years in prison. In Nigeria, a police unit called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was formed in 1984 to fight crimes like robberies and carjacking. On September 3, the Bronx District Attorney filed to dismiss the summonses, and on September 25 the Bronx District Attorneys office informed Human Rights Watch that the desk appearance tickets will also be dismissed. Though difficult to replicate online,GLSEN(Opens in a new tab), the LGBTQ advocacy organization that has organized the demonstration since the 1990s, encouraged supporters to post on social media using graphics and templates that outline statistics about LGBTQ erasure in schools, in order to continue to raise awareness even while socially distant. . Human Rights Watch said the NYPD's violent conduct during the June 4, 2020, protest in the Bronx amounted to "serious violations of international human rights law." Clarissa-Jan Lim. Commenting on the Public Order Bill, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty UK's Chief Executive Director said: These new attempts to reduce protest rights are in breach of international human rights law. United Nations - Wikipedia As Chantel Johnson made her way through her South Bronx neighborhood to meet up with protesters, one thought kept nagging her: Why the heavy police presence? Data from Carnegies Global Protest Tracker show that already in April, the number of new protests rose to a high level: approximately one new significant anti-government protest every four days. Bialiatski, a pro-democracy activist and founder of the Viasna human rights group which provided legal and financial help to protesters during a 2020 wave . Belarus jails Nobel laureate Bialiatski for 10 years; EU, US protest You'll likely tell your grandkids about the protests you attended in 2020. Yet protests continued on, and reports of people being shot at protests led to curfews enacted throughout Nigeria. 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW In June, UN human rights experts called on Zimbabwe to immediately end a reported pattern ofenforceddisappearances and torture that appear aimed at suppressing protests and dissent. The movement in Hong Kong was initially spurred by a (now-withdrawn) bill proposed in mid-2019 that would have allowed Hong Kong to extradite criminal suspects to China for trial. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (03139939) and a charity registered in England and Wales (1051681) and Scotland (SC039534). Human rights defenders say it appears the government is using. Bialiatski and three other top . From the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, to the End SARS protest in Nigeria, and protests in France over a police security bill, ending police abuse and systemic discriminationissues that have fueled protests in many countries for yearsbecame a more transnational cause. In late April and early May, after cities across the U.S. adopted social distancing measures, small protests emerged in Wisconsin(Opens in a new tab), Minnesota(Opens in a new tab), Virginia(Opens in a new tab), and Michigan(Opens in a new tab). According to reports from the protest(Opens in a new tab), riot police fired tear gas into crowds after some protesters threw objects at officers who had arrested people for alleged vandalization, according to the Guardian(Opens in a new tab). After Hong KongactivistJoshua Wong was sentenced to jail last week, he shouted we will hang in there! This is a message for our times at the end of an extraordinary painful year, it is more important than ever to stand firm and defend the principles of human rights.