Seriously, Australia?: Daily Brief

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December 2, 2022
By Andrew Stroehlein
Contact me at DailyBriefTeam@hrw.org and Twitter @astroehlein.

In today's Daily Brief:

Absurd Sentence for Peaceful Protest
Who’s NOT a “Foreign Agent” in Russia Now?
The Price of Justice
Take Note
Listen Again
Quote of the Day: Colombia
Send Us Your Thoughts: Human Rights Day!

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Seriously, Australia?

A 15-month prison sentence for a peaceful protest that blocked a bit of traffic for 25 minutes?

Where? Must be in some repressive dictatorship with thousands of political prisoners and zero respect for human rights, yes?

Nope. Australia.

Sydney’s Downing Centre local court this morning sentenced climate activist Violet Coco to 15 months in prison, with no opportunity of parole for eight months, for her part in a climate protest earlier this year.

Here’s what she did…

On April 13, Coco climbed on the roof of a parked truck that stopped traffic in one lane of the five-lane, in-bound side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. She stood there holding a lit emergency flare, and after about 25 minutes, the police forcibly removed her and other protesters from the road.

Look, Coco freely admits she committed a crime.

“I understand that I broke the law, and I'm willing to accept the consequences of my actions,” Coco told HRW back in June.

But the seven charges thrown at her were ridiculously excessive. They included a charge under explosives regulations for holding the emergency flare, and an incitement offense for “encouraging the commission of a crime” by livestreaming the protest on Facebook.

And now, the sentence is even more absurd - 15 months for a 25-minute peaceful protest?

I mean… seriously?

Yes, seriously. And unfortunately, this is not the only such case in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW).

In March, the NSW government established a new police unit known as the Strike Force Guard, designed to “prevent, investigate and disrupt unauthorised protests across the state.” Also, the state parliament has introduced new laws and penalties specifically targeting protests that block roads and ports.

We’ve reported how Australian authorities have been subjecting climate protesters to vindictive legal action, with magistrates imposing harsh penalties and bail conditions on climate protesters in particular.

As my colleague in Australia, Sophie McNeill, says, “It’s clear climate protesters are being targeted for disproportionate punishment.”

On the night before the infamous “foreign agents” law came into force back in 2012, unknown individuals sprayed graffiti reading, “Foreign Agent! ♥ USA” on the buildings hosting the offices of three prominent NGOs in Moscow, including Memorial. © 2012 Yulia Klimova/Memorial

Who’s NOT a “Foreign Agent” in Russia Now?

For more than a decade, Russian authorities have used a particular set of laws to smear and punish independent voices with the label “foreign agents” – which in Russia is tantamount to calling someone a “spy” or “traitor.”

Yesterday, a new law entered into force expanding the country’s “foreign agent” legislation, broadening the Kremlin’s attack on free expression and legitimate civic activism.

When the first foreign agent law was adopted in 2012, only registered organizations could be designated “foreign agents.” With successive amendments, the list grew to include media and others.

Now, the legal definition of a “foreign agent” is pretty much any person or entity, regardless of nationality or location, who engages in activism or even expresses an opinion about government policies or officials’ conduct.

All it takes is for the authorities to claim you are under "foreign influence," and boom, you’re a “foreign agent” and must comply with all requirements, old and new.

You can’t join the civil service, can’t participate in electoral commissions, and can’t provide input into draft laws, or even things like environmental impact assessments.

You’re not allowed to donate to political campaigns or parties.

You’re banned from teaching children or even producing teaching materials for them.

The list goes on…

The whole thing is so draconian and clearly aimed at shutting down even the slightest criticism of the regime.

The Price of Justice

(written by Alice Autin)

Member countries of the International Criminal Court will gather Monday for their annual meeting – and with everything that has been going on this year, it promises to be interesting.

A delegation from HRW staff will be there to ensure governments are keeping up with their commitments to justice worldwide.

So, what does that mean? What should those governments do?

They should start by expressing support for the court, its missions, and everyone working to advance its mandate worldwide. This would include, for example, Palestinian human rights defenders, at risk because they support the ICC’s work.

Second, states should give the court the money it needs to do its job.

The budget that will be voted on should reflect the increasing amount of work on court’s docket – not only for its work in Ukraine, which has strong support right now, but for all situations.

It’s time the budget finally matches the ambitions for the court and guarantees victims’ equal access to justice.

Quote of the Day: Colombia

“

It’s clear that gender-based violence was a tool of repression that the national police used to punish those who dared to speak out and protest.”

—

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, about Colombian police using torture and sexual harassment against women and LGBTQ+ people as they cracked down on protests in 2021.