Perspectivas / Perspectives

United Nations, Apr.30.– On April 26, 2023, women leaders from Afghanistan sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General expressing their concern regarding the statement made by the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on April 17, 2023. Ms. Mohammed announced that the UN would convene a conference of Special Envoys for Afghanistan in Doha on May 1 and 2 to provide an opportunity to “find baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition” of the Taliban.

The undersigned women leaders, human rights defenders, peacebuilders, and civil society representatives restated that Afghan women have unequivocally advised against granting formal recognition or legitimacy to the Taliban since August 2021. In the letter, Afghan women leaders urged the UN Secretary-General to ensure that all UN leadership and staff are clear and consistent with their messaging that human rights, including women’s rights and gender equality, must be front and center in all efforts to engender peace and security in Afghanistan.

The letter was sent five days in advance of the 1-2 May meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan in Doha.

Jimmy Lai is in prison in Hong Kong awaiting trial in September. While the outcome of the trial may be a foregone conclusion, Jimmy’s commitment to the cause of freedom and democracy for Hong Kong is an inspiration to all and reminds us that the fight for human freedom is always worth fighting.

Jimmy Lai personifies Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial spirit, and this spirit, coupled with an embrace of freedom, unleashed economic prosperity for Hong Kongers. Jimmy’s native China enjoyed similar prosperity after undertaking an experiment with personal and economic freedoms, lifting an astounding 800 million Chinese out of poverty. Today, however, it’s a different story—and the stakes couldn’t be higher for Jimmy Lai, the citizens of Hong Kong, the people of China, and everyone seeking to be free around the world.

Because of China’s illegal occupation, the people of Tibet have lost the right to determine their own destiny. But forced into exile, the Dalai Lama has become a compassionate leader for the world and a source of endless inspiration to resolve the Tibet-China conflict.

When Xi Jinping took over as China’s top leader in 2012, there were hopes that his reputation as a moderate and his father’s relationship with the Dalai Lama would lead to a softening of policies. Instead, Xi has proven to be a hardliner whose indefinite rule began this past month, unforeseen a decade ago.

By controlling Tibet’s environment, China controls life not just for Tibetans—but for the nearly 2 billion people across Asia that depend on Tibet’s water, land, and other resources. China is constructing massive dams on Tibetan rivers at an unprecedented pace. This weaponization of water and pollution from construction threatens nearly two billion people across Asia who depend on Tibet’s water.

At least 50 Tibetans have been persecuted for defending their environment, with four known deaths—one peaceful protestor was shot and killed by Chinese forces and three more died in prison. To make way for highways, mining projects, and sprawling development, tens of thousands of Tibetan nomads have been pushed off their lands.

• Border agents will take them into custody as part of a limited experiment that will grant them access to legal advice on the asylum claim.
  

Washington, DC, Apr.16.– Starting Friday, April 14, a small number of migrants trying to enter the country illegally will be able to count on legal advice as part of a border control experiment announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

This experiment has begun since the norm created by the previous pandemic, which facilitated the asylum-application procedures for the great majority of migrants, is coming to an end. The DHS has since this past Friday hired a provider of legal services to represent the applicants and counsel them on how to handle the assessment of their case during the so-called "founded fear interviews."

For this purpose, large temporary facilities of the Customs and Border Protection Office (CBP) have been built where migrants will be detained for a maximum of 72 hours to wait for the evaluation interview.