The Standard » human rights

NoRightTurn – Catch-22

The Standard — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:37:28 +0000

The Nats won't give employees greater access to pay information to detect gender pay disparities, saying employees suspecting gender discrimination should a labour inspector to find the evidence. When 261 workers did just that the govt said it wouldn't look for evidence of discrimination without evidence there was discrimination.

Slave fishing – NZ’s shame

Eddie — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:48:27 +0000

You won't find much praise for Talley's on this site. But, fair dues, they harvest their fish with Kiwi crews and have this to say on slave fishing: "If it is uneconomic to harvest a New Zealand resource under New Zealand labour conditions and costs then it is not a resource. Blood diamonds and Asian textile sweatshops use the same justification"

Amnesty International: Arrest Bush for war crimes

the sprout — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:30:03 +0000

Perhaps Mr Key’s staff might like to explain to him what the implications of this development, in conjunction with the recent UN Report on NZ SAS rendering prisoners in Afghanistan and the housing of CIA operations at NZDF bases, might mean for the PM. Amnesty International (London) has issued a call to Canadian authorities to arrest ...

Let the courts decide

the sprout — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:46:18 +0000

The threat of invoking defamation is a standard tactic to intimidate those who can’t afford the legals bills to shut their mouths. Such threats are sometimes known as strategic lawsuits against public participation or SLAPPS. My understanding of Lange v. Atkinson (2000) and the qualified privilege afforded to political commentary that it enshrines, suggests there is no way ...

Why an apology should be delivered to the Urewera 18

Guest post — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:25:01 +0000

Four years ago we were told tales about military style training camps, terrorism, Molotov Cocktails, firearms etc. Police laid charges and put people's lives through hell. Now, four years later, they can't prove any of it. If you or I were put through what they were put through we’d expect, and deserve, an apology. Why should it be any different for them?

Freedom and security

Anthony R0bins — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:22:09 +0000

The government is planning a crack down on "organised crime". What could possibly be wrong with that?

Blood money

The Standard — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:12:11 +0000

Nats to deport slave-fishing witnesses

Eddie — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:01:53 +0000

An Auckland University study, "Not in our waters, surely?" was released last night. It details a gruesome list of human rights abuses, crimes, and breaches of labour law being carried out abroad the slave ships contracted by our quota-holders to harvest our fish. Now, the government is moving to deport the prime witnesses before they can testify.

The refugees

The Standard — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:45:07 +0000

Nats to slash wages

Zetetic — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:38:49 +0000

Patrick Gower has revealed the Nats are poised to announce a policy to reintroduce the youth minimum wage at a rate of about $10 an hour, and potentially make it apply to people in their 20s. Outrageous and a breach of human rights. You should get paid for the work you do. Not your gender. Not your ethnicity. Not your sexuality. Not your age.

Free speech hate speech

r0b — Thu, 12 May 2011 23:08:38 +0000

The free speech / hate speech boundary is always a difficult call. I'm glad to live in a country that tries to err on the side of the former. Even so, the latest bullshit from the "Right Wing Resistance" really rankles.

Operation 8: Deep in the Forest

rocky — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:46:35 +0000

Last night walking into the film screening in Auckland I was a bit apprehensive about how it would all be put together. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and the film did justice to the complex issues involved.

Boiling the frog

r0b — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:07:27 +0000

There are many significant changes to our legal and democratic rights that are going on under this National government. Each on its own might look like a small thing, but collectively they add up to a major erosion of our freedom.

No jury of their peers

r0b — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:23:50 +0000

Given the controversy surrounding the 2007 Urewera raids, the legal system should be bending over backwards to conduct a process that is above reproach. Instead, they are doing the exact opposite.

Welfare Working Group promotes eugenics

Marty G — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:55:49 +0000

The Welfare Working Group wants to get poor women to breed less by giving them free long-term contraception. Sure, this is all an 'Overton window' exercise but eugenics? Seriously? Trying to stop one 'undesirable' strata of society from breeding is one step from forced sterilisations. Has the Right reverted 80 years?