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Home >> Analysis >> Blog

A bi-weekly audio series and podcast service, hosted by Committee on Conscience Project Director Bridget Conley-Zilkic, that brings you the voices of human rights defenders, experts, advocates, and government officials. Vital voices addressing one of humanity's most vital issues. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not necessarily represent those of the Museum.

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End of an Era
Earlier this year, the United Nations established a new Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission. Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the Council's creation by proclaiming "a new era in the human rights work of the United Nations." He talked about "outstanding leadership" and "transformation" and "a historic achievement." He even "venture[d] to hope" that within five years the Council would be so respected for its work protecting human rights that there would be a general will to amend the UN Charter to make the Council a principal organ of the UN -- on a par with the General Assembly and the Security Council. Unfortunately, it hasn't taken the new Council long to disgrace itself, and today the new era effectively died aborning when the Council rejected an attempt to hold the Sudanese government responsible for halting atrocities in Darfur. Instead, it adopted a resolution that tepidly called on all parties to stop abuses. It even praised Khartoum and urged the government "to continue and intensify its cooperation with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms." Even before today's burlesque, Human Rights Watch's Peggy Hicks marveled that the Council "already has garnered a level of condemnation that its predecessor took decades to achieve." The Council meets in Geneva, but it might as well be in cloud cuckoo land for all the good it's doing to protect the human rights of civilians in Darfur. (Photo © The Urban Spaceman.)

Who Will Lead the Way?
Interview: Smith College English Professor and widely read Sudan analyst, Eric Reeves, returns to the program to discuss the deterioration of the genocide in Darfur and its spillover into Chad. With new reports of cross-border attacks, more humanitarian aid groups pulling out, and the situation rapidly worsening, Eric reports that the new agreement on a hybrid force is even more disheartening. With no concrete numbers in place and an unclear command structure, it seems that Khartoum has once again succeeded in using diplomacy to achieve its goals.
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Courageous Conference
We have held three student conferences on Darfur at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Save Darfur Coalition has also held numerous meetings and conferences. STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Constituency is holding regional conferences this year. With each successful gathering, we pat ourselves on the back and thank the attendees for traveling long distances and dedicating their time to such an important and difficult issue.

Two weeks ago, a similar such event was held in Khartoum. A United States-based Initiative for Inclusive Security, a program to involve women in peace processes around the world, convened a Conference in Khartoum to facilitate women taking the lead on bringing peace to Darfur and Southern Sudan. The attendees in Sudan traveled long distances and gave of their time, but they also risked their lives. Samia Ahmed Nihar, a lecturer at Khartoum University said:
We were frightened all the time. We were scared that we could be arrested or even our families would have problems, because of what we were doing… People were giving their lives in the struggle, so it seems a small sacrifice [for me to risk being] arrested.”
The Christian Science Monitor reported that the conference resulted in a published agenda for the women’s groups of Sudan “urging them to advocate that 30 percent of positions in all levels of government are filled by women, with an eventual target of 50 percent. The agenda also includes scrutinizing legislation of its impact on women and pushing for a fair share of donor and government money.”

The courage and strength of these women to stand up for peace in such a dangerous place should inspire us all to do our part.

Our Walls Bear Witness
Interview: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will project wall-sized images of the genocide in Darfur onto its facade every night during Thanksgiving week, marking the first time the national memorial's exterior will be used to highlight contemporary genocide. The photographs are drawn from the work of some of the world's premier photojournalists, including VoGP guest, Ron Haviv. Ron discusses the challenges he faces as a crisis photographer, what brought him to Darfur and his work in the Balkans.
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Eastern Chad: A Spillover of Violence from Darfur
Interview: Human Rights Watch researcher, Leslie Lefkow, discusses the escalating violence in Eastern Chad and its direct connection with the fighting in Darfur. The Sudanese government's support of the Chadian rebels and the Chadian government's support of the Darfur rebels have led to cross border attacks, and once again, it is the civilian population that suffers.
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Election Aftermath in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Interview: Anneke Van Woudenberg, a Senior Researcher for Human Rights Watch, discusses the runoff elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the effect they have had on the human rights situation in the region. She reports that the DRC's democratic future remains ominous and the international community must stay engaged.
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Three Regions Critical to Sudan’s Peace and Stability
Interview: Jerry Fowler speaks with Jason Matus, a development expert who first started working in Sudan in 1994. Focusing on the 2005 peace agreement signed between the Sudanese government and the Southern rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, Jason explores the significance and progress of three regions--Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile--in implementing the agreement.
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Run for Congo Women
Interview: After learning about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and realizing how little others knew about it, Lisa Shannon had to take action. Lisa teamed up with Women for Women International and created Run for Congo Women, a simple and concrete way citizens around the world can raise awareness and funds for women living in war-torn Congo. Last year, she did a lone, thirty mile run, raising $28,000; this year she has organized runs across the world raising thousands of dollars for women in the Congo.
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Can there be justice in Bosnia or Iraq ?
Interview: Michael Scharf, Professor of Law and Director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western University Law School in Cleveland, discusses the possiblity for justice in the recent verdict in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for the case of Momčilo Krajišnik. Having just returned from the Netherlands where he was advising on how to handle a defendant such as Saddam Hussein, he also speaks about Saddam's second trial that is currently taking place in Baghdad.
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An Insider’s View on the Situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Interview: Freelance journalist and Congo native, Mvemba Dizolele talks with Jerry Fowler about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on the meaning of the recent elections. He addresses many of the complications undermining the election such as it's size, the various warring militia groups, its mineral riches, and the committment of the international community. To learn more, visit Mvemba's blog.
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Defending Human Rights and Rebuilding with Dignity
Interview: Jane Alao, a psychosocial counselor at the Amel Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in Nyala, South Darfur discusses the objectives of the Centre--to provide treatment, rehabilitation, direct assistance, awareness and legal aid to victims of torture and rape. She focuses on the story of three cousins who were raped on their way to school in Nyala and the legal proceedings of their case.
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