Atrocity | Jotup

Kosovo: consolidating its statehood remains an uphill struggle 16 years after independence

Retrieved on:

星期四, 二月 15, 2024

Interpol, Genocide, Ethnic cleansing, UNESCO, Rape, Hope, Government, Frustration, Atrocity, European Parliament, Kosovo Serbs, Attitude, Drug

The country is now recognised internationally by more than 100 states and has become a member of some international organisations.

Key Points:

The country is now recognised internationally by more than 100 states and has become a member of some international organisations.
Kosovo has also established itself as one of the most functional and vibrant democracies in the Balkans.
But neighbouring Serbia doesn’t recognise Kosovo’s independence and ethnic Serbs living in the country’s north have largely rejected Kosovo’s state authority.

Accommodating Serbia

The breakdown in cooperation has been exploited by Serbia to undermine Kosovo’s standing as a sovereign state.
Concerned about Serbia’s potential to destabilise the Balkans, Brussels and Washington have adopted a lenient posture towards Vučić, aiming to pull Serbia away from Russia’s influence.
Russia’s war in Ukraine and its potential security implications for the Balkans (where Serbia is considered Moscow’s proxy) has, contrary to any reasonable expectation, amplified this approach.
However, there still hasn’t been any official public assessment of the attack, nor have any sanctions been imposed on Serbia.

Other priorities

Vučić is perceived as someone with enough popular legitimacy to sell Serbs a final settlement with Kosovo.
Kosovo’s concerns about the current approach to the dialogue between the two countries are legitimate having seen Serbia’s actions in the past.
In fact, Israel is the only country to establish diplomatic ties with Kosovo in the last six years.

An uphill struggle

The current US and EU administrations are likely to push Kosovo to bend to their demands and give Vučić something that he would be happy to live with.
Whichever way Kosovo chooses, the consolidation of its statehood will remain an uphill struggle.

Altin Gjeta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenian heritage aim to erase an entire culture

Retrieved on:

星期三, 二月 7, 2024

Though based on scant evidence and flimsy rhetoric, this document also states the right of Azerbaijanis to return to these lands.

Key Points:

Though based on scant evidence and flimsy rhetoric, this document also states the right of Azerbaijanis to return to these lands.
Further aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenia can therefore not be ruled out, despite steps towards a possible truce in recent months.

A city divided

There, Armenian historical heritage is respected and visited by people of all faiths, and is even promoted to tourists.
In the Northern Iranian city of Jolfa, Armenian culture is treated with pride.

However, this is only half the story, as today the city is divided into two halves by the Iran-Azerbaijan border, which runs through it.
Until the 19th century the two halves formed a single urban unit, but after Persia’s defeat in the war with Russia between 1826 and 1828, the northern side of the city passed into Russian hands.

Erasing Nagorno Karabakh

After Armenia’s defeat in Nagorno Karabakh in September 2023, and the subsequent exit of both international journalists and NGOs – meaning the progressive withdrawal of media attention and humanitarian aid – it is not difficult to imagine that here too, efforts are already underway to wipe any traces of Armenian heritage off the map.
In Nagorno Karabakh there are around 500 historical sites, home to approximately 6,000 Armenian monuments that are now under the control of Azerbaijani armed forces.
During the first Nagorno Karabakh war in the 1990s, Azerbaijani authorities decided to eliminate all Armenian presence in the country, be it human or cultural, in what was known as the Baku pogrom.

The destruction is reminiscent of the fate of the Armenian architectural heritage across Turkey during the 20th century, where very little was done to preserve, recover or restore it. The few exceptions were the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at Lake Van, and the historic city of Ani, capital of the kingdom of Bagratid Armenia. The latter of these was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.

The international community’s muted response

Until only recently, this had been met with silence from most of the international community, and even UNESCO’s response was lacklustre, as pointed out by the University of Cornell.
In doing so, it is calling for international mobilisation and condemnation of Baku’s actions, though with little impact to date.
Local Armenian resistance has stalled the project by occupying work sites, but not without violent repercussions.

Fernando Camacho Padilla no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.

Using AI to monitor the internet for terror content is inescapable – but also fraught with pitfalls

Retrieved on:

星期三, 二月 7, 2024

Internet, Nature, Entremet, Language, Natural language processing, Terror, Atrocity, Machine learning, Private sector, Classification, Terrorism, Artificial intelligence, Database, Meta, Data, Algorithm, Violence

On average, Facebook users share 694,000 stories, X (formerly Twitter) users post 360,000 posts, Snapchat users send 2.7 million snaps and YouTube users upload more than 500 hours of video.

Key Points:

On average, Facebook users share 694,000 stories, X (formerly Twitter) users post 360,000 posts, Snapchat users send 2.7 million snaps and YouTube users upload more than 500 hours of video.
This vast ocean of online material needs to be constantly monitored for harmful or illegal content, like promoting terrorism and violence.
This includes the EU’s terrorist content online regulation, which requires hosting service providers to remove terrorist content from their platform within one hour of receiving a removal order from a competent national authority.

Behaviour and content-based tools

In broad terms, there are two types of tools used to root out terrorist content.
The first looks at certain account and message behaviour.
This includes how old the account is, the use of trending or unrelated hashtags and abnormal posting volume.
So, to combat this, matching-based tools generally use perceptual hashing rather than cryptographic hashing.

It uses machine learning and other forms of AI, such as natural language processing.
To achieve this, the AI needs a lot of examples like texts labelled as terrorist content or not by human content moderators.
By analysing these examples, the AI learns which features distinguish different types of content, allowing it to categorise new content on its own.
Once trained, the algorithms are then able to predict whether a new item of content belongs to one of the specified categories.

We still need human moderators

To address this, we recommend the development of a set of minimum standards for those employing content moderators, including mental health provision.
There is also potential to develop AI tools to safeguard the wellbeing of moderators.
This would work, for example, by blurring out areas of images so that moderators can reach a decision without viewing disturbing content directly.
They may rely disproportionately on automated tools, with insufficient human input and a lack of transparency regarding the datasets used to train their algorithms.

Stuart Macdonald receives funding from the EU Internal Security Fund for the project Tech Against Terrorism Europe (ISF-2021-AG-TCO-101080101). Ashley A. Mattheis receives funding from the EU Internal Security Fund for the project Tech Against Terrorism Europe (ISF-2021-AG-TCO-101080101). David Wells receives funding from the Council of Europe to conduct an analysis of emerging patterns of misuse of technology by terrorist actors (ongoing)

UK and US may recognise state of Palestine after Gaza war – what this important step would mean

Retrieved on:

星期二, 二月 6, 2024

The US and UK governments have indicated they are considering recognising Palestine as a state after the current conflict ends.

Key Points:

The US and UK governments have indicated they are considering recognising Palestine as a state after the current conflict ends.
US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, meanwhile told US media site Axios that he had commissioned the State Department to review potential options for US and international recognition of a Palestinian state.
Previously, US policy towards Palestinian statehood had been that this was a matter for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
International recognition would usher in a new phase for the realisation of Palestinian statehood.

Getting recognised

There is a detailed and complex process by which new states are recognised under international law, established in 1933 by the Montevideo convention on the rights and duties of states.
It abstained in the UN general assembly vote in 2012 that granted the non-member observer status at the UN.
It would change the situation to an international armed conflict which involves one or more states taking up arms against another.

Establishing accountability

In 2021, the ICC prosecutor initiated investigations into the “situation in the state of Palestine”.
In respect to the territorial scope of this jurisdiction and investigation, it extends to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Palestine’s obligations

Recognition as a state would involve certain obligations on the part of Palestine, both in terms of international law and human rights.
States have concrete obligations and duties under international law in relation to how they deal with armed conflicts.
They are also obliged to act according to international law in recognising and protecting human rights in the territory under their jurisdiction.

Tonny Raymond Kirabira does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The uncertain fate of patients needing life-saving dialysis treatment in Gaza

Retrieved on:

星期二, 二月 6, 2024

The WHO says that, as of Jan. 5, there have been more than 600 attacks on health-care facilities, with 26 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza severely damaged and 79 ambulances targeted.

Key Points:

The WHO says that, as of Jan. 5, there have been more than 600 attacks on health-care facilities, with 26 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza severely damaged and 79 ambulances targeted.
Over 300 health-care workers have been killed and over 200 have been detained by Israeli forces.
This leaves patients with chronic life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, heart failure and end-stage kidney disease, with severely limited access to the ongoing medical care they need to survive.

Patients unable to access care for chronic conditions

As nephrologists and internal medicine physicians, we are gravely concerned about patients in Gaza with chronic diseases who are unable to access care.
There are more than 1,100 dialysis patients, including 38 children, in Gaza.
Without adequate dialysis, fluid and toxins accumulate and patients typically die within days to weeks from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.
But in a health-care system under assault, patients are fortunate to receive any dialysis at all.

Patients needing life-saving treatment

She then attempted to access dialysis at Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, but both facilities had insufficient capacity to treat him.
This is a tremendous challenge for dialysis patients who are faced with the uncertainty of when, where or if they will access their life-saving therapy.
Anssam, age 12, was displaced from Jabaliya in northern Gaza to seek treatment in Deir El Balah in central Gaza.
She had gone 15 days without dialysis and had to leave with her mother to receive life-saving medical treatment.

Loss of medical personnel

Beyond the destruction of health-care facilities and a critical shortage of supplies, the loss of medical personnel may have the most devastating and longest-lasting impact on the health-care system in Gaza.
He had hopes to expand dialysis care in Gaza and build a nephrology educational training program.
His loss resonated far beyond his family, patients and colleagues in Gaza.
We join the UN, the WHO, MSF and the British Medical Association, along with millions around the world, who call for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Message from the Governor General on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Retrieved on:

星期六, 一月 27, 2024

Atrocity, Hatred, Violence, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, The Holocaust, Drug

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 27, 2024 /CNW/ - On International Holocaust Remembrance Day we remember the victims of the Holocaust and of the campaign of anti-Semitism and racist doctrines that were at the root of this horrific period in the world's history.

Key Points:

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 27, 2024 /CNW/ - On International Holocaust Remembrance Day we remember the victims of the Holocaust and of the campaign of anti-Semitism and racist doctrines that were at the root of this horrific period in the world's history.
As we remember the atrocities committed during this time, let us reaffirm our collective responsibility to actively promote tolerance, understanding, respect and acceptance.
Let us also reaffirm our national commitment to combating anti-Semitism, as well as hate, discrimination and violence of every kind.
The recent and rapid rise of anti-Semitism in communities across Canada and around the world is concerning.

Scott "Scooter" Braun Shares Personal Story of Grandmother's Holocaust Survival For Nonprofit If You Heard What I Heard

Retrieved on:

星期五, 一月 26, 2024

IYH, IPhone, Atrocity, Multimedia, Family, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Survival, Interview, Scooter, Television

Braun's interview is one of 47 interviews in total since launching in April 2021 (1 of 7 launching in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day) and shares the personal story of his paternal grandmother, Eva Wohlberg Braun.

Key Points:

Braun's interview is one of 47 interviews in total since launching in April 2021 (1 of 7 launching in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day) and shares the personal story of his paternal grandmother, Eva Wohlberg Braun.
"The person behind the camera, she [Siegel] is also a grandchild of Holocaust survivors.
Having him be a part of If You Heard What I Heard and share his grandmother's story with us is incredibly meaningful.
If you heard what Scott heard, you would never forget.

Descendant Filmmaker Honored by Blacks In Government

Retrieved on:

星期四, 一月 25, 2024

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Langco + Partners is proud to announce that filmmaker, professor, and folklorist Dr. Kern Jackson was honored by the Port City Chapter of Blacks In Government (BIG) with its "Community Service Award" at the organization's 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast on January 15th, for his work as co-writer and co-producer of the award-winning film Descendant.

Key Points:

The film was released by Netflix and Higher Ground, the Obamas' production company.
"I'm so humbled to receive this honor from Blacks In Government, an organization that celebrates Black achievement and culture and gives a voice to the voiceless," said Dr. Jackson.
"This year's theme is a guidepost for my work on Descendant and in all that I do – to help carry Dr. King's legacy of equality forward."
"We're so delighted to recognize Dr. Jackson who has been a pillar in the community and a bridge to Black history in this country," said Dr. Reginald A. Crenshaw, Sr., President, Port City Chapter of Blacks In Government.

RAW TRAVEL'S "MY SUMMER IN UKRAINE" SERIES TO PREMIERE IN APRIL

Retrieved on:

星期四, 一月 18, 2024

AIM, Farm, Learning, Orphanage, Social media, Friends, Survival, Freedom, Atrocity, Host, Travel, Morality, Tourism

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AIM Tell-A-Vision® Group (AIM TV), producers of the nation's most-watched travel show, Raw Travel, announced plans to premiere a four-part docuseries entitled "My Summer in Ukraine" beginning April 27 for four weeks through May 19, 2024, on broadcast syndication. Later, a film version will tour a film festival circuit.

Key Points:

Based on Raw Travel Producer and Host Robert G. Rose's travels in Ukraine in the summer of 2023, the film explores what it's like to travel in a war zone as Rose profiles various humanitarians, filmmakers, soldiers, and inspirational Ukrainians.
Rose traveled to several hotspots such as Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and a harrowing trip to Kherson City, where he and his cohorts came under mortar fire from Russian munitions.
The site will also be a portal for booking media interviews or engagements of vetted experts with unique stories to share.
I'll never abandon them, and we will help them with their fight for victory and rebuilding for as long as it takes.

Australia is still reckoning with a shameful legacy: the resettlement of suspected war criminals after WWII

Retrieved on:

星期四, 一月 4, 2024

It turned out Hunka had fought against the Allies as a voluntary member of the Nazi German Waffen-SS Galizien division.

Key Points:

It turned out Hunka had fought against the Allies as a voluntary member of the Nazi German Waffen-SS Galizien division.
As I discuss in my new book, Fascists in Exile, Canada isn’t the only country where former Nazis fled after the second world war.

Last year, however, his secret history was revealed: he was found to be a member of Nazi intelligence in occupied Lithuania during the second world war.
He was almost certainly involved in the persecution and murders of Jews.

Denial, then investigations

This group included soldiers who had fought in German military units, as well as civilian collaborators.
But their resettlement in any country that would take them was a matter of political expediency in the fraught post-war and early Cold War period.

The then immigration minister, Arthur Calwell, dismissed their claims as a “farrago of nonsense”.
The migrants were used as labourers under a two-year indentured labour scheme and transformed into what the government called “New Australians”.
Australia received at least eight extradition requests between 1950 and the mid-1960s for individuals suspected of WWII-era crimes from Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.
As a result, there would be no further official discussions about any alleged perpetrators residing in Australia.

Family histories unearthed

Many alleged perpetrators of crimes never appeared on any official, or unofficial, list, either before or after the Australian investigation.
My own research, for example, has resulted in the compiling of hundreds of such names by painstakingly piecing together various archival fragments.
For example, a colleague and I were alerted to some suspicious phrasing when the family of Hungarian migrant Ferenc Molnar, now deceased, placed a commemorative biography on the website Immigration Place Australia.
The SBS television show Every Family Has a Secret has been approached by at least four people who have suspected a deceased family member was a Holocaust perpetrator or collaborator.

Dr Jayne Persian receives funding from the Australian Research Council.