“ in are legally protected by the , and . However, there are serious issues in regard to abuses of . had a remarkably poor record during the of the 1960s, and still has many problems today. These include the use of , and by civil and military police and prison authorities. The persists against the excluded persons. The generally respected the human rights of its , however, there continued to be numerous, serious abuses, and the records of several state governments were poor. The following human rights problems were reported: unlawful killings, excessive force, beatings, abuse, and torture of detainees and inmates by police and prison security forces; inability to protect witnesses involved in criminal cases; harsh prison conditions; prolonged pretrial detention and inordinate delays of trials; reluctance to prosecute as well as inefficiency in prosecuting government officials for corruption; and against ; violence against children, including ; trafficking in persons; against and persons; failure to enforce labor laws; widespread forced labor; and in the informal sector. Human rights often enjoyed .” It is this exemption from punishment or oversight “In line with the military government's negotiated upon the return of Brazil to democracy, impunity continues to derail human rights prosecution. Police and prison violence is often covered up or ignored by authorities. Police officers who are imprisoned often serve in privileged security positions inside Brazilian prisons. Brazilian politics are also rife with impunity, continued through dismissal of overzealous officials and pointed bureaucratic oversight.” (Wikipedia, Brazil n.d.) Brazil makes no direct justification for its human rights record other than the fact that some traditions die hard, especially from a nation that is relatively new to the democratic free world. It was the opinion of the Brazilian courts that they as a sovereign nation had no obligation to adhere to the rule of American courts. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led a delegation of influential US politicians who traveled to Brazil to negotiate the return of Sean Goldman to his father. Shortly thereafter, the Brazilian Government caved to the political pressure placed upon them by the US state Department along with Congress. Finally on December 24th, 2009 the child and his father had an emotional reunion, as Sean returned to his New Jersey home to live with his father.
Few Countries have a track record as appalling as North Korea pertaining to even the most fundamental Human rights. Over the past decade North Korea has been singled out by Amnesty International as one of the most pervasive nations in the world involving human trafficking and illicit sex trade (Amnesty USA, 2009). Unlike America who has a vaunted reputation towards human rights, North Korea’s record on human rights is amongst the worst in the world. They have been accused of false imprisonment of the innocent, public execution of citizens who were said to have carried out “hostilities” towards the state along with other internationally condemnable acts. As expected the oppressive North Korean government denies most if not all of the alleged atrocities. However it was the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of two US journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee that led to one of the strongest testaments of international disapproval of a sovereign nation in recent memory. On March 17, 2009, Ling and Lee were reporting on a story involving an alleged sex trafficking ring along the Korean border with China. The two were accosted and subsequently detained by Korean Police. The two were accused of entering Korea without authorization. Many experts seriously question whether the two ever even entered North Korea, and if so was likely only haphazardly. Nonetheless, the two were quickly prosecuted and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor at a prison camp. International watch groups thought that the sentences for the journalists were especially harsh considering the insignificance of the charges. The Actions by the North Koreans were immediately condemned and even received the direct attention of newly elected president Barrack Obama. The US threatened further sanctions of North Korea; however, the threats were widely ignored by North Korean Supreme leader Kin Jong-II. President Obama turned to diplomacy as the US attempted to negotiate the release of the journalist. Many Political observers on the major networks speculated that North Korea simply intended to use the Journalist as bargaining chips to ease some of the international sanctions and reverse some of the isolationist policies imposed by the UN. In time President Obama was able to negotiate a high level sit down meeting with North Korea officials. He summons the assistance of Former President Bill Clinton to travel to Pyongyang to finalize the terms of the release of Ling and Lee. Finally on August 4, 2009 the journalist were released to Bill Clinton in an emotionally homecoming that received tremendous international media attention. Many observers believe that the detainment of the journalists was a direct response by Kim to the new sanctions placed upon the Korean regime by the UN Security Council stemming from the illegal nuclear test conducted last spring by North Korea. North Korea has become progressively belligerent towards the west as its position has been steadfast that: as a sovereign Nation, America nor anyone else in the world is in position to question or alter The Communist Republic of North Koreas selected courses of action.
As one can see, the decisions of sovereign nations, and the political ramifications of their governance has a far-reaching impact beyond the domestic borders of a country. Many of our trade policies, Military agreements and other international treaties, are as a direct result of our willingness to participate in commercial and governmental transactions primarily with those countries whom we share a common bond philosophically as it pertains to the enforcement of basic human rights with its subjects.
References
1. Goldman child Custody Case. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 27,
2010, from
2. Laura Ling. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved January 27, 2010, from
3. Amnesty International. (June, 9 2009) Official Website.
4. Govtrack.com a civic project to track congress (June, 4 2009)
5.Human Rights in Brazil.(n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 19,2010,
from .
