The Covid19 pandemic has Intensify The spread of an equally deadly virus: hatred. We are witnessing a rapid comeback of racism and xenophobia around the world. Minorities around the world——Jewish, East Asians, LGBT people-Being criticized as the source of the virus, the accusation turned into harassment and bodily harm.
Of course, this hatred pandemic predates the public health pandemic. COVID-19 did not invent it, but exposed and expanded it. In addition, in some countries, it comes from the government itself.Nationally recognized global phenomenon Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim hatred Prejudice against blacks and indigenous peoples is coming to us, for example, the constitution Discrimination And the government incited opposition Ahmadiyah in Pakistan with Apartheid Unfair imprisonment and deprivation Bahai in Iran.
Maintaining the status quo of decades of cruel persecution can best be described as complicity. The fact is that combating this kind of hatred is not only a moral and ethical issue, but also a top priority for public policy. Hatred tears through the crevices of society, is a catalyst for crises and conflicts, and is a natural process of mass atrocities. The Holocaust and the ensuing genocide were not just because of the death machine, but because of the ideology of hatred. The Millers-Collins radio dehumanizing Tutsi people into cockroaches planted the seeds for the killing fields in Rwanda, just as Goebbels’ anti-Semitism propaganda paved the way for Auschwitz’s gas chambers.
But there is a solution in the international French concentration aimed at combating this hatred.The international community withdrew in the face of the horror of the Holocaust, and the document embodied its commitment to our common humanity, such as Declaration of Human Rights, And things like Genocide Convention, Or many about eliminating Racial discrimination with Discrimination against women,as well as International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Then there is Targeted sanctions Frame like Magnitsky Law, Has become a paradigm program Human rights discourse and development. These laws recognize and respect the need to fight hatred and incitement, as well as the need to prevent and punish their manifestations to prevent their proliferation.
However, they have never been used to explicitly combat incitement to violence and discrimination. This is a missed opportunity.Such sanctions are a powerful afterthought tool, adding substance The statement condemns discriminatory acts of violence against vulnerable groups and targets individuals most responsible for these crimes, all of which have applicable due process guarantees.The Magnitsky Act was used to condemn HusseUnfair detention and rape of women involved in politics, and Chechen leaders Torture and murder of LGBT people and Armed forcesof Brutality Oppose the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
Although commendable, these sanctions are aimed at criminals. result Hatred, not their cause.
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Targeted sanctions could have prevented the occurrence of such crimes in the first place, rather than providing post-mortem remedies.If implemented quickly in response to incitement to hatred and discrimination-the initial Early warning signal Often used as a prelude and prelude to major crimes-such sanctions will sound the alarm, draw international attention to the situation, name and humiliate individual perpetrators, and provide protection to victims.
In addition, measures to sanction these instigators, which usually include targeted measures such as visa bans and asset seizures, may act as a deterrent, as these people may change their behavior, seek delisting and restore their assets and flows Sex. Even if the listed individuals do not reform and correct their behavior, targeted sanctions will specifically reduce their resources, thereby reducing their resonance.
Restricting the global flow of these prejudice spreaders will reduce the viral spread of their hatred; in our globalized world, where financial markets and ideological markets are so closely intertwined outside the borders, targeted sanctions can limit support Hate the flow of funds and people in the ecosystem.
Sanctions are not only an important expression of solidarity and support for overseas victims, but they can also protect the sovereignty of the enforcing country and prevent the influx of foreign assets and individuals from the corrosive effects that contribute to divisive and often fatal discrimination.
In short, government leaders violated internationally recognized obligations by promoting hatred and should not enjoy the freedom they deprived of minorities at home. Protecting freedom of speech does not contradict the accountability of those who incite violence and discrimination; in fact, ending impunity for inciting hatred will expand the scope of freedom of speech for all, especially those minorities whose voices are suppressed by rampant hate speech In terms of.
In these difficult and dangerous times, the common desire for a peaceful and harmonious future, the celebration of our differentiated dignity and human unity, can be a source of inspiration and a catalyst for global cooperation. In order to achieve it, we must stand up against the dangers of hatred, which will ultimately harm us all.
The distinguished Professor Irwin Cotler is the former Minister of Justice and Minister of Justice of Canada, a long-term member of Parliament, and Canada’s special envoy for the protection of the Holocaust Memorial and the fight against anti-Semitism.
Dr. Ahmed Shahid is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Deputy Director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Essex, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.
Brandon Silver is an international human rights lawyer, the policy and program director of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, and the head of the global Magnitsky sanctions program.
The views in this article are those of the author.
