World News Flash
UNITED STATES
On Oct. 6, President Biden made good on one of his campaign initiatives, granting scores of Americans relief in the process.
In keeping with his philosophy that “no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” the President used his pardon power to exonerate those who had federal conviction for just that.
“Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit. Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” said Biden upon granting the pardons. “And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.
“Today, I am announcing three steps that I am taking to end this failed approach.
“First, I am announcing a pardon of all prior Federal offenses of simple possession of marijuana. I have directed the Attorney General to develop an administrative process for the issuance of certificates of pardon to eligible individuals. There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.
“Second, I am urging all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses. Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.
“Third, I am asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances. This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic.
“Finally, even as federal and state regulation of marijuana changes, important limitations on trafficking, marketing, and under-age sales should stay in place.
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
EUROPE
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AWARDED
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 to one individual and two organizations.
The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy.
This year’s Peace Prize is awarded to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties.
Ales Bialiatski was one of the initiators of the democracy movement that emerged in Belarus in the mid-1980s. He has devoted his life to promoting democracy and peaceful development in his home country. Among other things, he founded the organization Viasna (Spring) in 1996 in response to the controversial constitutional amendments that gave the president dictatorial powers and that triggered widespread demonstrations. Viasna provided support for the jailed demonstrators and their families. In the years that followed, Viasna evolved into a broad-based human rights organization that documented and protested against the authorities’ use of torture against political prisoners.
Government authorities have repeatedly sought to silence Ales Bialiatski. He was imprisoned from 2011 to 2014. Following large-scale demonstrations against the regime in 2020, he was again arrested. He is still detained without trial. Despite tremendous personal hardship, Mr. Bialiatski has not yielded an inch in his fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus.
The human rights organization Memorial was established in 1987 by human rights activists in the former Soviet Union who wanted to ensure that the victims of the communist regime’s oppression would never be forgotten. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov and human rights advocate Svetlana Gannushkina were among the founders. Memorial is based on the notion that confronting past crimes is essential in preventing new ones.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Memorial grew to become the largest human rights organization in Russia. In addition to establishing a center of documentation on victims of the Stalinist era, Memorial compiled and systematized information on political oppression and human rights violations in Russia. Memorial became the most authoritative source of information on political prisoners in Russian detention facilities. The organization has also been standing at the forefront of efforts to combat militarism and promote human rights and government based on rule of law.
When civil society must give way to autocracy and dictatorship, peace is often the next victim. During the Chechen wars, Memorial gathered and verified information on abuses and war crimes perpetrated on the civilian population by Russian and pro-Russian forces. In 2009, the head of Memorial’s branch in Chechnya, Natalia Estemirova, was killed because of this work.
Civil society actors in Russia have been subjected to threats, imprisonment, disappearance, and murder for many years. As part of the government’s harassment of Memorial, the organization was stamped early on as a “foreign agent.” In December 2021, the authorities decided that Memorial was to be forcibly liquidated and the documentation center was to be closed permanently. The closures became effective in the following months, but the people behind Memorial refuse to be shut down. In a comment on the forced dissolution, chairman Yan Rachinsky stated, “Nobody plans to give up.”
The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in Kyiv (Kiev) in 2007 for the purpose of advancing human rights and democracy in Ukraine. The center has taken a stand to strengthen Ukrainian civil society and pressure the authorities to make Ukraine a full-fledged democracy. To develop Ukraine into a state governed by rule of law, Center for Civil Liberties has actively advocated that Ukraine become affiliated with the International Criminal Court.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Center for Civil Liberties has engaged in efforts to identify and document Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian civilian population. In collaboration with international partners, the center is playing a pioneering role with a view to holding the guilty parties accountable for their crimes.
By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 to Ales Bialiatski, Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful co-existence in the neighbor countries Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Through their consistent efforts in favor of humanist values, anti-militarism and principles of law, this year’s laureates have revitalized and honored Alfred Nobel’s vision of peace and fraternity between nations – a vision most needed in the world today.
WORLD
RUSSIA LASHES OUT AT UKRAINE
UN chief António Guterres said that large-scale strikes by the Russian military on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv (sometimes known as Kiev) and other locations on Oct. 10, were deeply shocking and represented “another unacceptable escalation” of the war.
The strikes which have reportedly caused widespread damage to civilian areas and led to dozens of deaths and injuries, showed that “as always,” civilians were paying the highest price for Russia’s invasion of Feb. 24, the statement released by the UN Spokesperson added.
Speaking earlier in the day in Geneva, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi reported that Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Odesa were among those hit in the latest uptick in violence, which he described as “horrifying strikes.”
This was “another day of anguish” for Ukrainian people, the High Commissioner for Refugees said.
Mr. Grandi also noted that that the situation across the war-torn country remains deeply concerning. “At least 6.2 million people are internally displaced and many more need humanitarian support,” he told UNHCR’s annual Executive Committee meeting.
With winter fast approaching and “millions of Ukrainians, especially the aged and disabled…counting on all of us,” the UN refugee agency head cautioned that there were limits to what humanitarians can do.
“We must be realistic in our expectations,” he said. “This requires an ‘all hands on deck’ approach and I appeal to those with expertise and resources to redouble efforts in support of the Government’s winterization plans.”
Outside Ukraine, the UNHCR chief noted that people continue to flee their homes because of the war, crossing the border into neighboring countries.
The European Union deserved praise for deciding to issue temporary protection permits to enable “millions of Ukrainians to find safety immediately and go where they had support networks, without putting pressure on asylum systems,” he maintained.
In one fell swoop, this single EU policy decision had “debunked so many myths” about the supposed dangers of opening countries’ borders to people in need of international protection, Mr. Grandi insisted.
