Comments on: Human Rights Watch denounces attack on Yoani http://babalublog.com/2009/11/human-rights-watch-denounces-attack-on-yoani/ ...an island on the net without a bearded dictator Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:33:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » The beaten Cuban bloggers Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean http://babalublog.com/2009/11/human-rights-watch-denounces-attack-on-yoani/#comment-104280 Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » The beaten Cuban bloggers Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:37 +0000 http://babalublog.com/?p=29466#comment-104280 [...] Human Rights Watch denounces attack on Yoani http://babalublog.com/2009/11/29452/ Professional violence Penúltimos Días has video of the Cuban state security detail that follow Yoani Sanchez [...] [...] Human Rights Watch denounces attack on Yoani http://babalublog.com/2009/11/29452/ Professional violence Penúltimos Días has video of the Cuban state security detail that follow Yoani Sanchez [...]

]]> By: StJacques http://babalublog.com/2009/11/human-rights-watch-denounces-attack-on-yoani/#comment-104270 StJacques Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:01:59 +0000 http://babalublog.com/?p=29466#comment-104270 Oops! In my second to last sentence I wrote: "... Just do not get too excited that the HRF truly cares about human rights...." I meant to write "HRW" not "HRF." The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is the real deal. So ... "... Just do not get too excited that HRW truly cares about human rights...." Sorry everyone. I shouldn't do this so late. StJacques <a href="http://stjacquesonline.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">StJacques Online: A Freedom Blog</a>     Oops! In my second to last sentence I wrote:

"... Just do not get too excited that the HRF truly cares about human rights...."

I meant to write "HRW" not "HRF." The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is the real deal.

So ...

"... Just do not get too excited that HRW truly cares about human rights...."

Sorry everyone. I shouldn't do this so late.

StJacques
StJacques Online: A Freedom Blog
   

]]> By: StJacques http://babalublog.com/2009/11/human-rights-watch-denounces-attack-on-yoani/#comment-104269 StJacques Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:57:25 +0000 http://babalublog.com/?p=29466#comment-104269 I know that many feel that a statement from Human Rights Watch helps to raise credibility for Yoani Sanchez and her fellow Academy Bloggers among those who are not closely following what is happening in Cuba, because it does raise the profiles of these valiant protesters, and that is definitely a good thing. We all can applaud this public statement--I certainly do. But I would be very careful when presenting anything from Human Rights Watch, who have quite frankly been a useful tool of the Colombian FARC over the years. They do seem to have undergone something of a change recently when, after years of silently supporting Chavez, they finally found themselves forced to speak out, which led to the dismissal from Venezuela of their director "in country" and others. Maybe today's statement signals a growing awareness among HRW that the Latin American Left truly is still as firmly opposed to permitting civil rights as most of us know they have always been. But the record of HRW in Colombia is a most dismal one. And I know the story of the Paras quite well--I despise them too--but the villainy of the FARC outstrips that of the Paras by a magnitude many times over, which is not a perspective HRW will deliver. HRW has provided a totally unbalanced, unfair, inaccurate, and openly-partisan justification to the Obama Administration for denying the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, even as recently as June of this year, by slanting a presentation of the situation of the Paras as it exists today, completely divorced from any balanced assessment of the FARC and the dangers they represent. I do not feel they can be trusted. HRW has shown, quite frankly, that there are moments when they are true enemies of human freedom. But I repeat, it is a good thing to publicize what happened in Havana over the weekend no matter who does it. Just do not get too excited that the HRF truly cares about human rights. They have an agenda which shows they are willing to justify "sacrifices" when it suits them. I know that many feel that a statement from Human Rights Watch helps to raise credibility for Yoani Sanchez and her fellow Academy Bloggers among those who are not closely following what is happening in Cuba, because it does raise the profiles of these valiant protesters, and that is definitely a good thing. We all can applaud this public statement--I certainly do.

But I would be very careful when presenting anything from Human Rights Watch, who have quite frankly been a useful tool of the Colombian FARC over the years. They do seem to have undergone something of a change recently when, after years of silently supporting Chavez, they finally found themselves forced to speak out, which led to the dismissal from Venezuela of their director "in country" and others. Maybe today's statement signals a growing awareness among HRW that the Latin American Left truly is still as firmly opposed to permitting civil rights as most of us know they have always been.

But the record of HRW in Colombia is a most dismal one. And I know the story of the Paras quite well--I despise them too--but the villainy of the FARC outstrips that of the Paras by a magnitude many times over, which is not a perspective HRW will deliver.

HRW has provided a totally unbalanced, unfair, inaccurate, and openly-partisan justification to the Obama Administration for denying the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, even as recently as June of this year, by slanting a presentation of the situation of the Paras as it exists today, completely divorced from any balanced assessment of the FARC and the dangers they represent. I do not feel they can be trusted. HRW has shown, quite frankly, that there are moments when they are true enemies of human freedom.

But I repeat, it is a good thing to publicize what happened in Havana over the weekend no matter who does it. Just do not get too excited that the HRF truly cares about human rights. They have an agenda which shows they are willing to justify "sacrifices" when it suits them.

]]>