The United Nations reports human rights violations in both government and separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine continue with impunity. The report, which was examined by the U.N. human rights council this week also documents violations perpetrated by the Russian occupiers of Crimea.
While critical of the overall situation in eastern Ukraine, the report injects a note of optimism that the new government, headed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shows promising signs of the country turning a corner.
It notes the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine largely continue to respect a cease-fire and have disengaged forces. In addition, it says the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has begun operating.
The report urges the newly-appointed prosecutor general and chief military prosecutor to promptly investigate conflict-related and other grave human rights violations on both sides of the contact line, the patch of land that divides the government and separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine.
U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore says accountability for past and present human rights violations on both sides of the line have to be addressed. She accused the authorities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics of denying U.N. monitors access to their territories and detention facilities despite repeated requests.
“We nevertheless continue to document human rights concerns in those areas; breaches of human rights through such as arbitrary and incommunicado arrests and the absence of space for people to exercise fundamental freedoms, symptoms of the persistent climate of fear that prevails in those parts of Ukraine’s territory,” she said.
Gilmore also condemned violations perpetrated by the Russian Federation as the occupying power in the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in March 2014. Abuses documented in the report include deportations of protected persons, forced conscriptions, restrictions on freedom of expression and an increasing number of house searches and raids, mainly against Crimean Tatars.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya blasted Russia’s occupation of Crimea and blamed Moscow for the suffering of Ukraine’s citizens who are in the sixth year of war that was instigated by Russia.
“Russia, which blatantly disrespects human rights of its own citizens, perpetrates human rights abuses at home and abroad, in essence, commits a moral turpitude amid its desire to infiltrate the body, which has been created to prevent human rights violations and go after perpetrators,” Kyslytsya said.
Russia is running for a seat on the 47-member Human Rights Council. The Ukrainian minister said it would be a travesty of justice to elect Russia to the U.N. body, which is the foremost protector and promoter of human rights.
At least 44 people were killed and thousands moved to relief camps because of flooding caused by torrential rains in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, officials told AFP Saturday.
Densely populated regions on the banks of two main rivers in the state, which are overflowing because of incessant rainfall in the last 24-48 hours, are among the worst hit.
“We had confirmed 44 deaths till late yesterday night. The authorities are focusing on rescue and relief work in the affected regions,” Ravindra Pratap Sahi, vice chairman of the state disaster management authority, told AFP.
“We have moved thousands to relief shelters as there is forecast of heavy rains in the next 48 hours in most of the affected districts of the state,” Sahi said.
Officials and local media reports said most people lost their lives for a variety of reasons including wall collapses, drowning, lightning and snake bites.
Flash floods after heavy rains killed at least 17 people in western India’s Maharashtra state earlier this week.
Monsoon rains are crucial to replenishing water supplies in drought-stricken India, but they kill hundreds of people across the country every year.
Prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong announced plans Saturday to contest local elections and warned that any attempt to disqualify him will only spur more support for monthslong pro-democracy protests.
His announcement came ahead of a major rally later Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Umbrella protests, where he first shot to fame as a youth leader. During the Umbrella Movement, protesters occupied key thoroughfares in the city for 79 days to demand for free elections for the city’s leaders but failed to win any concession.
Wong, 22, said he will run in district council elections in November and that the vote is crucial to send a message to Beijing that the people are more determined than ever to win the battle for more rights.
“Five years ago, we claimed that we will be back and now we are back with even stronger determination,” he told a news conference. “The battle ahead is the battle for our home and our homeland.”
FILE – Pro-democracy protesters walk with umbrellas in the rain in Hong Kong, Aug. 31, 2019. The crowd alternated between singing hymns and chanting slogans of the pro-democracy movement.
Risk of being disqualified
Wong, who has been arrested and jailed repeatedly, said he is aware that he could be disqualified. Members of the Demosisto party that he co-founded in 2016 have in the past been disqualified from serving and running for office because they advocated self-determination.
He said the political censorship by Beijing showed an erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy under the “one country, two systems” framework when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1996.
“If they disqualify me, it will just generate more and more momentum … they will pay the price,” he said.
Lennon Walls
On Saturday, protesters were rebuilding Lennon Walls of anti-government graffiti as they marked the Umbrella anniversary.
Some Lennon Walls were torn down by pro-Beijing activists last weekend. The large mosaics of Post-it notes calling for democracy have cropped up in underpasses, outside shopping centers, at bus stops and universities.
A child stands on a Lennon Wall placed on the ground in the Admiralty district of Hong Kong, Sept. 28, 2019
“Lennon Walls carry the spirit of civil disobedience from the Umbrella movement,” said pro-democracy protester Kelvin Law, 24. “I am not sure when this protest will end. Either we win or we lose. But as long as we are united and fight, generation after generation, we can achieve democracy.”
Apart from Saturday’s rally in the city center, protesters are also planning global “anti-totalitarianism” rallies Sunday in Hong Kong and more than 60 cities worldwide to denounce what they called “Chinese tyranny.”
Fears for Tuesday
But the biggest worry for the government is Tuesday. Protesters plan a major march downtown, sparking fears of a bloody showdown that could embarrass China’s ruling Communist Party as it marks its 70th year in power with grand festivities in Beijing. Pro-Beijing groups have also vowed to come out, adding to the tension.
Police have banned the march but protesters have in the past turned up anyway. Hong Kong’s government has toned down National Day celebrations, canceling an annual firework display and moving a reception indoor.
Separately, U.S. Rep. James McGovern and Sen. Marco Rubio, who are spearheading efforts to push through a law to support Hong Kong’s democracy, said in a joint statement there was an “accelerated erosion” of Hong Kong’s human rights and freedom since the 2014 Umbrella Movement.
They urged Carrie Lam’s government to make universal suffrage a priority and acquiesce to demands for an independent inquiry on alleged police brutality against protesters.
“We continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong … we also stand committed to swiftly passing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in the U.S. Congress,” they said.
China has slammed the bill, which proposes economic sanctions and penalties on Chinese and Hong Kong officials found to have suppressed democracy in the city as interference in its affairs.
VOA White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — After more than two years of political and legal strife, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be prevailing in revamping immigration policy and building portions of a wall to limit migration across the southern U.S. border.
Trump views boosting border security as a “promise kept” to the American people, one he will tout to voters in his re-election bid next year.
“[W]e’re doing it. We get it done,” the president said this past week. “The [border] wall is being built.”
Senate Deals Wall Setback, but Trump May Still Win on Border video player.
WATCH: Senate Deals Wall Setback, but Trump May Still Win on Border
Migrant apprehensions down
The administration reports nearly 100 kilometers of new border wall construction since 2017 and aims to extend barriers by more than 600 kilometers by the end of next year. Meanwhile, apprehensions of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border fell from 144,255 in May to 64,006 in August, a 56% decline.
Migrants from Central America and Cuba line up outside the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance to apply for asylum and refugee status in Tapachula, Mexico, Sept. 13, 2019.
While migrants continue to arrive at the border, far fewer have been held on U.S. soil since the administration reached an accord with Mexico under which asylum-seekers are returned to Mexico to await their immigration court hearings. Separate pacts with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, designed to deter U.S.-bound migration, establish them as asylum destinations where claimants must seek protection before pursuing a case in the United States.
While many of Trump’s migration and border security initiatives face a myriad of legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month temporarily greenlighted the administration’s policy of denying asylum to non-Mexicans who had not sought protection in a third country they transited.
“The president’s doing a lot of good things right now in the immigration space,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acting director Ken Cuccinelli said at a Washington news event Thursday. “There’s no one big thing. It really makes more sense to look at it as a lot of little things that together form the administration’s forward-marching policies.”
FILE – Central American migrants wait for food in a pen erected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to process a surge of migrant families and unaccompanied minors in El Paso, Texas, March 27, 2019.
Critics see calculated brutality
Opponents see a dogged and brutal campaign waged for domestic political purposes.
“Since taking office, the president has systematically worked to politicize the U.S. immigration system and polarize Americans on this issue,” the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, recently said. “I believe the president is engaged in a calculated attempt to aggravate regional migration dynamics for domestic political gain at the expense of our national security.”
Trump pulled out a surprising victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, in part by promising to stem the tide of migration and to build a “big, beautiful wall” along the southern border.
Gallup polling since the start of his administration has found public approval of Trump’s handling of immigration hovering between 38% and 42%, with disapproval ranging from 57% to 61%. The net-negative ratings point to policies that are far more popular with the president’s supporters than the nation as a whole.
“I think the core Trump supporter has to be happy with what the president has delivered on immigration,” Washington-based Republican strategist John Feehery said. “He [Trump] is not going to get everything he wanted. He’s not going to get all the wall built, he’s not going to cut off all illegal immigration. But people know that he’s trying hard to keep faith with his campaign promises.”
Feehery added, “On the other side, the Democrats are not happy with what the president has delivered and they think that he is still a racist.”
One glaring 2016 campaign promise Trump has not kept is getting Mexico to pay for border wall construction. Faced with Mexico’s flat refusal, and Congress’ denial of substantial wall funding, Trump in February declared a national emergency at the border in order to redirect billions of dollars from the Pentagon to wall construction.
The Senate twice has voted to rescind the emergency declaration, but it fell short of veto-proof majorities each time.
Potential pitfalls could loom for Trump’s message that he is getting results on immigration and border security. For instance, the recent drop in migrant apprehensions came during the hottest months of the year, when migrant arrivals at the border typically wane. At present, it is too soon to know whether they will pick up again as temperatures moderate.
“[W]e still need to see what happens with the southwest border apprehension numbers,” said Bipartisan Policy Center senior analyst Cristobal Ramon. “If the number of people who are arriving spike up in this coming fiscal year, it’s going to be a question of whether or not he [Trump] can actually legitimately say he’s winning [on immigration].”
Fewer migrants held on U.S. soil may alleviate sharp criticism the administration has faced over overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and child separations at detention facilities. Already, however, immigrant rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers are accusing the White House of placing asylum-seekers at the mercy of gangs and cartels by forcing them to stay in Mexico.
Human rights groups, meanwhile, decry the administration’s asylum pacts with Central American countries with staggeringly high murder and poverty rates — the very nations from which a large proportion of migrants have departed.
FILE – Acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, Aug. 12, 2019.
Even so, conventional wisdom holds that concern for the fate of migrants is more likely to animate Democratic voters and some moderate Republicans than Trump’s core supporters.
“What the numbers show is that when the president stands up for working class Americans with better trade deals and stronger borders, that he appeals to Americans who are trying to find work,” Feehery said. “Moderate Republicans are never going to like this president, and probably are never going to vote for him.”
“Presidents have lots of opportunities to broaden their base [of supporters], Trump hasn’t really even tried,” University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato said. “They [Trump’s re-election team] are depending on that intense base, not just to turn out, but to bring 10 friends [to the polls].”
With the 2020 presidential contest looming and an impeachment inquiry underway in the House of Representatives, the man some see as Trump’s “immigration czar” has signaled an awareness that the president’s time in office may end before he implements all he desires on border security and immigration.
“Time is our opponent here,” Cuccinelli said. “We know that we have to, you know, get things done by the latter part of 2020. You can’t assume anything going forward. We have a work window that we have to operate within.”
