Essay on Articles About Government and Rights

China Sentences Vulgar Butcher Rights Activist to Eight Years in Prison by The Associated Press

The article by Associated Press documents Chinas sentencing of a prominent human rights activist, Wu Gan, commonly referred to as the Ultra Vulgar Butcher. Wu was sentenced to eight years for committing subversion, which is the harshest sentence handed down on right campaigners (Associated Press par. 1). The conviction culminated from Wus continuous pressure against government officials. Wu had become a popular character for his attention-grabbing campaigns that caught the eye of government officials. The court that offered the sentencing claimed that Wu was guilty of subverting state power.

Human rights authorities were against the detention and sentencing of Wu claiming that it is ironic for the government to sentence Wu for fighting for human rights. The Chinese government had set up a crackdown on lawyers and activists that posed a threat to the nation. Lawyers from the law firm where Wu used to work were also arrested and later freed. Wus detention came after traveling to the Southeastern City of Nanchang to put pressure on a judge because the defense lawyers had been denied access to files regarding a particular case of murder. Wu and Xies cases who was arrested in a separate incident were handled the day after Christmas.

From the article, it is evident that the Chinese government is doing all it can to frustrate the efforts of activists of human rights from criticizing government activities. After the arrest of Wu and Xie, their cases were handled the day after Christmas when journalists and diplomats are less likely to respond; this was according to Patrick Poon (Associated Press par. 20). Conducting case proceedings on such a day can be seen as governments way of avoiding public opinion regarding the case of Wu and Xie. Moreover, a quire behavior from the Chinese government is evident during the August secretive one day trial of Wu after being detained for two years (Associated Press par. 6).

Court proceedings should be held in a public manner since the matter involved a human right activist and the state. The act of conducting the trial in a secretive manner is an indication of the Chinese government way of frustrating and hiding the truth from the public. Irony is evident from the sense that a person like Wu can be arrested and sentenced for fighting for human rights. Moreover, even after the release of Xie, his wife stated that security agents followed him everywhere he went (Associated Press par. 16).

The human rights groups acknowledge this is as an ironical method employed by the authorities to frustrate individuals. The article provides significant instances that portray the Chinese government as oppressive and one that will do anything to avoid public scrutiny, and they have begun their harsh tactics by sentencing Wu to eight years of prison for subversion.

Nigerian Migrants Get a Welcome Home. Jobs Are Another Story by Siobhan OGrady.

In this article, OGrady narrates the story of a 32-year-old Desmond Isaac who had made plans to travel to Italy to seek greener pastures. Isaac felt his dreams were coming true until a Libyan Coast Guard Vessel captured and sent them back to Nigeria. The Nigerian government has embarked on a mission to return home all immigrants from Libya. However, the returnees seem not to appreciate the move by the government because they view it as a step backward to their problems. Isaac displays anger for returning to Nigeria, a jobless country.

The poor city of Benin is characterized by poor roads and unfinished projects; however, there are expensive houses that are hidden behind gates. The lavish dwellings belong to migrants who went abroad and made it. The article narrates how migrants are willing to undergo all the trials and tribulations in Libya for the sake of securing a job in Europe. Although the government is working tirelessly to return the migrants home and offer monthly stipends and help in setting up small businesses, the migrants do not like the move because these small incentives cannot produce enough to feed their families.

The article by OGrady is a powerful piece of writing that precisely portrays the state of poverty in Nigeria. The author explains the city of Benin as one that is characterized by poor roads and unfinished projects (OGrady par. 15). The youths engage in small businesses just to survive. From the situation, it is evident that there is a lack of support from the government to bring economic development in the City such as the creation of jobs and construction of proper infrastructure. The availability of expensive houses and success stories around the City of individuals who migrated from Nigeria and succeeded in finding jobs abroad, motivate the migrants such as Isaac to embark on the journey to Europe. Witnesses interviewed by the author narrate of the inhumane experiences in Libya and other abroad countries such as Italy. Some migrants are forced to engage in prostitution and hard labor; however, despite these conditions, the migrants persevere to achieve future success.

Violation of human rights is evident in the article. Some migrants through interviews narrated how in the Libyan camps they were forced to dismember Libyan corpses and remove the bones. Others were coerced to unpack containers full of ammunition while some migrants were sexually abused and denied basic needs such as food (OGrady par.8). Benin City is one of the starting points for migration, and it serves as the hub of human trafficking. From the article, human trafficking is a real ordeal that is affecting the state despite efforts by the government to rescue the migrants from the hands of the oppressors.

Equally important, poverty is a real issue in Nigeria and causes citizens to seek out other ventures such as traveling abroad through Libya to secure a better future. Nigeria is one of the largest economies in Africa, but the nation faces various challenges such as substandard education system, corruption, and a vast wealth gap (OGrady par. 13). The devastating state of the country is the reason why Isaac and other colleagues embarked on the journey to Europe. Isaac is angry for being brought back to the nation because the state is not offering much help to alleviate them from poverty. Therefore, the Nigerian government is faced with the challenge of reintegrating the migrants back to the society and providing them sustainable foundations to better their lives. Although some individuals are enjoying the reintegration strategies offered by the government, a significant number of them view the tailoring and clothing courses that are offered by the government as below their living standards since they cannot afford to survive on such jobs.

3,700 Iranian Protesters Have Been Arrested by the Government, Lawmaker Says by Amir Vahdat and Jon Gambrell.

3,700 people were arrested in Tehran, Iran because of protesting against the high increase of unemployment, increased cases of corruption, and the deteriorating economy of the nation. The protests by the citizens have resulted in the death of 21 individuals. Some of the protestors seek the current government to be overthrown. Different security forces were involved in the protests making it difficult to ascertain the number of detained individuals. About seventy arrested individuals were released on bail. However, the Tehran prosecutor claimed that the release of the instigators of the riots would not happen and they will be dealt with severely (Vahdat and Gambrell par. 6).

The Iranian government introduced some new interventions to minimize the spread of the protests in other cities in Iran. The Iranian government blocked the messaging app Telegram, which the citizens used to share images and organize rallies (Vahdat and Gambrell par. 8). The lack of access to current information has made it difficult for journalists to deliver news since Iran is a vast country to penetrate. Besides, the Iranian government blames the U.S. and Israel as instigators of the protests. The Supreme leader accused the two nations of financing the rally through the politics of the Persian Gulf (Vahdat and Gambrell par. 13).

From the article, it is essential for one to notice that public protests are motive-driven. The people of Iran are protesting against increased rates of unemployment and official corruption by the Iranian government. The Iranian regime seems to operate under unethical practices such as blocking access to Telegram and banning journalists from traveling in the country. Such methods of utilizing oppression to control the masses are not acceptable in modern day society. The author of the article does a commendable job by highlighting the Iranian government attempt to oppress the people in the name of protest waning.

The article highlights that there is a problem on how public policies are formulated in the Iranian government; otherwise, the nation would have been peaceful if all systems were implemented accordingly. The government must control various sectors such as employment, increase industries, and promote entrepreneurship to minimize instances of unemployment. In the case of Iran, one can note that the government is failing its citizens significantly. Although the Supreme leader urges anyone with legitimate complaints about the economy of Iran to be heard, the protest alone can tell that the government is failing the nation.

The accusations of the citizens have attracted other countries such as the U.S. and Israel who are in support of the protests. These two powerful states support of the protest is an indicator to the Iranian government to stop arresting, releasing protesters on bail but to encourage talks with the citizens and offer sustainable strategies that will be laid out to ensure unemployment, and corruption is rooted out in the government. The government of Iran is pointing fingers against the U.S. and Israel claiming they have fueled the protests. The blame game is just a cloak that the government is utilizing to hide under its problems.

President Trump Is Developing a Missile That Would Break a Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russia by Hennigan.

Hennigan narrates attempts by the American government to develop an American missile as a response to Russias perceived violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The U.S. government claims that Russia has begun the deployment of the treaty-busting missile. The U.S. government has set $25 million to cater for the development of a road-mobile ground-launched cruise missile. Trump and his advisors claim that the nuclear move is necessary to show the world that America is serious (Hennigan par. 3).

Arms control experts worry about the consequences of undermining a treaty that was signed for eliminating an entire class of nuclear weapons. European allies and NATO have shown interest on the matter and call on both the U.S. and Russia to address those concerns accordingly. However, Russia claims that America is making false allegations and there has been no such violation. Russia continues to hold that it has strictly adhered to the treaty since it was formulated. Russia further responds to the United States by sending a colorful graphic accusing the U.S. of violating ten non-proliferation agreements. From the article, Congress is pushing Pentagon to develop a missile that will break the deal that was set between Russia and the United States. Republican lawmakers are in support of the program and urge that talks will not deny Russia from continuing to violate the treaty.

The article by Hennigan portrays the battle for superiority between Russia and the USA. Although Russia claims to have not violated the treaty and America respond by stating that their development of a new missile is a message to the world that America is serious, both nations are playing...