EMA Human Rights Blog

By Milena Österreicher Here we are now: Ali, Amal, Mohamad, Fatima, Ahmed, the other students and I, sitting around one table in the classroom. The sun is shining brightly—it’s one of those beautiful summer’s-end days. Falafel, tabouleh, boulani, mamoul and other delicious food piles up on the table. My pupils from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Chechnya try to convince me, a vegetarian, to try at least one bite of the meat dish they have devotedly cooked. We are having our farewell dinner on the last day of our four-month German course and finally it pops up, the one question I am by now afraid to be asked: “What comes next?”

By Jacquelyn O'Keefe The Right to Vote is the bedrock of democracy. Yet within the United States of America, there are existing barriers that circumvent, limit, and prevent citizens from accessing the political system and exercising their right to vote. Entrenched political interests stagnate the system, aggravate pre-existing limitations, and impede positive change. 

By Lauryane Leneveu The history of freedom of expression corresponds to the history of democracy in Europe. Hence, both the affirmation and the considerable importance of this freedom were emphasised following large European social strains such as the Holocaust or the fall of the Berlin Wall. Rapidly, freedom of expression has been recognised as being an indispensable component for the full development of individuals and European communities by guaranteeing open and free pluralistic democratic societies.

By Bronagh Kieran Threats to the rule of law in Hungary and Poland have been subject to a flurry of media attention over the past year. In Poland, the government has been systematically replacing judges, while in Hungary, the president has advocated for illiberal democracy and undermined the judiciary. In light of these challenges, the EU has triggered Article 7, the "nuclear option" for non-compliant member states.

By Kirsten Noben In early September, the 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro went up in flames, together with millions of natural-historical artifacts of inestimable value. Videos of the burning building went viral on Facebook and the link to current politics did not escape most of my Brazilian friends.

By Federica Russo Periods of serious financial crisis always bring about political upheaval. Therefore, is not so surprising that the global crisis saw huge and rapid changes within both national and international political order. We have gone from "go Europe!" and "more and more internationality!" to lifting walls and closing ports at an incredible rate.

By Myriam Erquicia Leon The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is one of the longest-running conflicts in the history of the world. The Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs have been disputing a territory that both peoples have considered their own for decades. In 1948, after the proclamation of independence of Israel, thousands of Palestinians fled and were expelled from Palestine by the Israeli troops, who today do not recognise their right of return. Thus, these people became refugees in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. As an attempt to solve the situation, the UN created an ad hoc agency: the UN agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA. Currently, and due to the continuation of the conflict, UNRWA continues to provide services to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees: both those who fled Palestine in 1948, and their descendants.

By Liesbet Debecker Donald Trump has a history of demeaning women who speak out against sexual assault. But the effects of what he is doing are not minor. What does it mean when the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world is actively, although maybe not consciously, contributing to rape culture?

By Tarek Bashour They were just innocent eight-year-old children who every day, just like any other child in this world, went to school and then played together, far from the ugliness of the real world. George and Mohammed were their names. They grew up together in a peaceful neighbourhood. They shared not just their food

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