We are witnessing an unprecedented human rights crisis, where governments treat their own citizens, including vulnerable groups such as children, women, and the elderly, as adversaries. This results in horrific abuses, including torture, criminalization, sexual assault, systematic displacement, and murder. Perpetrators act with impunity, knowing they are shielded from legal consequences.
To truly live in peace, security, and dignity, we must turn our rights into a tangible reality that is immune to infringement. This can only be achieved by abolishing sovereign immunity. The question we face is whether we have the power to make this change now.
Here are actionable steps that individuals and groups can take to put an end to this archaic legal precedent:
- Global Protests and Petitions: People worldwide should engage in protests and sign petitions to exert pressure on leaders to relinquish their immunity.
- Informed Voting: Individuals must refrain from voting for politicians who are unwilling to voluntarily waive their immunity before elections, demonstrating good faith.
- Media Responsibility: News sites should prioritize the exposure of human rights violations, serving the people rather than governments and repressive regimes. Websites that refuse to publish impactful facts should be exposed and boycotted.
- Legal Advocacy: Human rights-conscious lawyers should collaborate to form an international organization dedicated to aiding victims and challenging illegal government practices.
- Persistence in Justice Demands: Parents and relatives of abused or missing children must persistently demand justice from their governments, regardless of the immunity of the perpetrators.
- Civil Society Activism: Civil society organizations must be established to expose human rights violations and advocate for an end to these illegal practices.
- EU Day Against Impunity: On May 23, the European Union Day Against Impunity, citizens across Europe should demonstrate in front of parliaments and the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Strasbourg to push for the abolition of sovereign immunity.
- Demands for Human Rights Protection: European citizens should demand the establishment of effective human rights protection mechanisms for those exposed to violations when their state fails to achieve justice.
- Economic Boycotts: People should call for economic boycotts of countries that persistently violate human rights.
- Youth Activism: Young people should persistently demand the abolition of sovereign immunity, recognizing that this change is essential and long overdue, especially considering that 42% of the world’s population is under the age of 25, and their future is at stake.
Remember that “immunity from prosecution is a doctrine of international law that allows an accused to avoid prosecution for criminal offenses.” Immunities can be functional or personal, granted based on specific functions performed or the office held by certain officials. Source: Wikipedia
The hypocrisy of the Dutch government
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