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Something in Common
Topic Started: Jul 20 2013, 01:20 PM (510 Views)
Pasta
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Two stories with seemingly not much in common.

First is Venezuela saying it is suspending all efforts to re-establish normalized relations with the US due to disparaging remarks by Samantha Power.

The second is about a woman sentenced to 16 months in prison in Dubai for having extra marital sex. She was raped at a party. She reported the rape and police confiscated her passport and all her money and charged her with extramarital sex.

There are some countries that seem to be more vocal at criticizing other nations respecting human rights. We know who they are and I see no point in rubbing their membership in the collective noses of those not from The US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, France, Scandinavian countries and Hong Kong.

I can see these countries being very annoying to others. And it would be correct to say that none of these countries is perfect respecting human rights, animal rights, prejudice and an unbiased and error free legal system.

I do not see that as being hypocritical, however in that all these nations seem to take criticism better than others.

Further it seems the nations with the biggest problems are typically those that follow this party line of "not interfering in our internal affairs".

That means really they know they are bad and just can't take criticism.

How does this relate to the Dubai issue?

Simple. This is exactly the time you want nations of conscience and some muscle coming to the fore to fight absolutely archaic and obvious abuses of a human being's rights. In this case a woman's rights and no surprise it is in an Arab/Islamic nation.

Quote:
 
My aside:

And by the way, did you notice the guy who committed the rape got a shorter sentence than the victim?  I despise this Sharia law nonsense.  Dark ages stuff.


Whenever people in the world need help, they do not call on Venezuela, China, Russia, India, Japan, Spain, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan and so forth. Hell the Chinese just use such situations as an opportunity to secure more natural resources at rock bottom prices.

The truth is the world needs to get a bit of a thicker skin and accept the external criticisms. Change is gonna come and it is not harmful interference.


Excerpts from BBC article on Venezuela:

Quote:
 
Venezuela says it has "ended" steps towards restoring diplomatic ties with the US, after comments by the woman nominated as the next envoy to the UN.

Samantha Power said this week she would seek to combat what she called the "crackdown on civil society" in countries including Venezuela.

She was speaking at a US Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

The remarks prompted an angry response from Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela hereby ends the process... of finally normalising our diplomatic relations," said Venezuela's foreign ministry in a statement.

It objected to Ms Power's "interventionist agenda", noting that her "disrespectful opinions" were later endorsed by the state department, "contradicting in tone and in content" earlier statements by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Relations between the US and Venezuela have been strained in recent years. They last had ambassadors in each other's capitals in 2010.

Washington angered Caracas by backing the Venezuelan opposition's demand for a full recount of the presidential election in April to replace Hugo Chavez, who died in March.

Mr Jaua said at the time that for Venezuela it was important to build a relationship based on the principles of mutual respect and no interference in internal affairs.


Excerpts from BBC article on woman jailed in Dubai:

Quote:
 
A Norwegian woman has spoken out about the 16-month prison sentence she received in Dubai after reporting a rape incident to police.

Interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv was on a business trip in Dubai when she says she was raped.

The 24-year-old reported the March attack to the police but found herself charged with having extramarital sex, drinking alcohol, and perjury.

Convicted earlier this week, she says she is appealing against the verdict.

The appeal hearing is scheduled for early September.

Describing the sentence as "very harsh", she told the AFP news agency: "I am very nervous and tense. But I hope for the best and I take one day at a time. I just have to get through this."

The case has angered rights groups and the authorities in Norway.

Ms Dalelv says she had been on a night out with colleagues on 6 March when the rape took place.

She reported it to the police, who proceeded to confiscate her passport and seize her money. She was charged four days later on three counts, including having sex outside marriage.

Her alleged attacker, she said, received a 13-month sentence for extra-marital sex and alcohol consumption.
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Pasta
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By the way, I didn't intend this to be a Venezuela bashing exercise but I do note that Venezuela has for a long time now done everything in its power to piss on the US, insult the US, go out of its way to nationalize (basically steal) western interests, and all the while suspend any sense of a rule of law respecting a democracy or form of constitution.

Those not agreeing with the Chavez regime (including his appointed successor as part of that regime) are persecuted.

The criticisms leveled at Venezuela are fair for the most part. Beyond that, this nonsense about mutual respect rings incredibly hollow.

Venezuela shovels so much anti American sh it and thinks that is fine, but when an American diplomat says something critical Venezuela messes its diapers, tamps her little feet and cries foul.

Ms. Powers comment was ill thought out in modern diplomatic norms, but nothing warranting Venezuela's response, and in particular the content of its response.
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