Alain Babineau LLM candidat JD/BCL BA LAWS BA CRIM GDCR.’s Post

CURE Steering Committee's letter to the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Alain Berset, on the occasion of the start of his tenure, raises five main points: 1) the CoE should do its utmost to protect human rights in the complete territory of any of its member states, even if subject to violent conquest; 2) outright contempt for the standards defined by the European Convention on Human Rights should be countered vigorously; expanded use of the inquiry facility of the SG under art. 52 of the Convention is one option; 3) CoE mechanisms and processes that allow for early reaction to processes of autocratization should be strengthened; 4) the organisation needs an independent and well-resourced programme that provides information, expertise and assistance to both international and national NGOs on how to pursue greater implementation of CoE standards; 5) engagement is important with people and their groups in and from non-member states on the European continent – Belarus and Russia – who support the vision of a human rights oriented and democratic society. See the full text of the letter attached.

FSWC welcomes the just-released report of the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, which puts forward a series of recommendations to combat antisemitism and address pressing concerns within Canada's Jewish community. Key recommendations include measures to ensure safe campus environments for Jewish students, faculty and staff; support for antisemitism education within the government, in schools and at post-secondary institutions; support for the further adoption and implementation of the IHRA definition of antisemitism across the country; actions that help improve the policing, prosecution and prevention of hate crimes; a ban on the display of terror symbols; and more. The report cites FSWC's Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Jaime Kirzner-Roberts. With antisemitism at an all-time high, the Canadian government must take immediate and decisive action to implement these recommendations. The time to act is now.

🚨𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁! 💭𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀? The VicTory project looks at the concerning reality that polarisation, hate and intolerance have been rising in Europe. However, the fact is that the handling of these issues is often focused on the criminal prosecution, leaving the victims’ perspective out of the picture.  Consequently, often, the victims of hate and extremism-related incidents tend to underreport, due to several reasons, such as distrust in the system or lack of information.  👉𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴? ✔Building a victim-centred approach, building upon best legislative practices, to cases of hate and (violent) extremism cases, that brings together justice professionals with those working on the civil society to support victims. 👉𝗛𝗼𝘄? ✔Analysis of best practices and development of informative platforms   ✔Promotion of multi-sectoral cooperation and development of framework for cooperation  ✔Development and piloting of innovative and comprehensive training approaches and materials  ✔Implementation of a restorative-led programme and development of guidelines    📍Stay tuned to learn more!

Identity is integral to Indigenous people and when they are stripped of it they lose a big part of who they are. Reconciliation is the process of addressing the harms inflicted on Indigenous communities and taking action towards meaningful change. CBABC’S Advancing Reconciliation series offers resources for lawyers to understand Indigenous culture more deeply and integrate reconciliation to their practice. Register today: cbabc.org/AR2024

Today marks the 100-day countdown to #PeaceDay. The theme this year is “Cultivating a culture of peace”. In a world mired by conflict, inequalities and discrimination, we recognize that education is one of the principal means to build this culture of peace, and that we must strive ever harder to promote dialogue, empathy and human rights for all. Learn more about Peace Day: https://lnkd.in/d37trb3

Only with dialogue can we solve conflicts. The world needs peace for humanity.

Such an honour to spend time today with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples José Francisco Calí Tzay at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka. Jose was here to meet with descendants of the Nelson Tenths and learn more about the case. It was a privilege to sit alongside Meg Matthews, Horiana Irwin-Easthope, and Kerensa Johnston for a kōrero on what it means for our region and our country. If you're following my posts here, you'll know that I've been outspoken on this issue and drawing attention to what is happening. That is very deliberate and I will continue to do so until the whānau get a resolution to their prolonged battle. The failure to uphold the Nelson Tenths agreement is the greatest tragedy in the story of our region. It continues to be a struggle for those descendants, despite years of trying to resolve it and the Supreme Court ruling in their favour in 2017. Their story is not my story to tell. But that doesn't mean that our community gets to be bystanders on this issue. It's not just a historical issue; it's a present-day failure that continues to affect us all. Every day that goes by without a resolution is another day of missed opportunity for the region and one that perpetuates the harm of the disconnection from lands and the denial of justice. Understanding and rectifying this failure will bring enormous benefits to our region — culturally, socially, and economically. It will help us understand ourselves better, create a greater sense of belonging, and stimulate economic growth and investment in the region. We all stand to benefit from a resolution. Making the Tenths whole means making our community whole. There is no excuse to continue to delay justice. There is nothing to fear from resolution. Te Here-ā-Nuku | Making the Tenths Whole

On this UN’s International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we celebrate the transformative work being led by Indigenous organizations across the province. Today, we’re featuring the BC First Nations Justice Council. They work with BC First Nations leadership to restore balance, promote well-being, and create a justice system that upholds self-determination and reclaims Indigenous legal traditions. Learn more about BC First Nations Justice Council: https://bcfnjc.com #IndigenousPeoplesDay #LegalAid #JusticeStrategy #IndigenousLegalResources

My abiding memory of 2024 will be the schism between the Global North vs the Global South regarding the value of human life. What’s abundantly clear is that White Western politicians (my Irish kin aside) believe that Black and Brown people do not hold the same value as White people. The hypocrisy evident in the language and actions used to describe Russian aggression in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions vs their flip-flopping over Israel’s crimes against humanity and their lassiez faire attitude to Netanyahu’s and his rightwing cabinet colleagues calls for and implementation of genocidal actions in Gaza, is surely the most daming and shameful act of Western governments since they turned a blind eye to Nazi programs in the 30’s and 40’s. The other, and unsurprising, development in 2024 has been the speed and scale of the collective row back by corporations and governments on DEI initiatives. Further evidence of the deep rooted racism and biases that remain fermenting and bubbling up in all sections of society. I have never, ever, felt truly free in this world. My teenage years were overshadowed by Apartheid in South Africa. And my adulthood by the oppression and killing of Brown people across the Middle East and Palestine and the casual killing of Black Americans by an increasingly fascistic police forces filled with White supremacists. It’s a sad, sad world. A more upbeat Xmas message will be programmed for later…