Declarations: The Human Rights Podcast

“If you are doing political art, you can say goodbye to safety. Art is not about safety.”

Pussy Riot activist Maria Alyokhina discusses how she’s used art to protest against authoritarianism in Russia, for which she spent nearly two years in prison. In this episode, she speaks out against the human rights abuses against LGBT citizens in Chechnya.

After Scott's interview with Maria, former Moscow Times reporter Joanna Kozlowska and regular panelist Max Curtis explore the history of Russian feminist protests, from 1917 to today.

We sit down with world-renowned economist Dr Ha-Joon Chang, author of "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism", to explore economic rights, the welfare state, and neoliberalism in the age of Trump and Brexit. Does the state have an obligation to provide certain goods and services? Can we afford the welfare state? And does the free market even exist?

What is the status of LGBT+ rights in the world today? Who is best placed to lead and advance these movements?

From questioning whether countries of the Global North should intervene in countries where LGBT+ rights are threatened, to assessing the legacies of colonialism on cultures of tolerance, we deconstruct the concept of ‘allyship’ in the fight for LGBT+ rights today.

This week, we’re joined by Masters student Sahil Shah as well our regular panelists Eva Milne, Scott Novak and Matt Mahmoudi

Is there a right to die, and if so, who has this right? A few countries, such as Switzerland, have legalized forms of assisted dying, but others, like the UK, have banned such practices. With the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court, this topic has also sprung up again in America, as the only book Gorsuch has published makes an argument against assisted dying.

This week's guest is Stevie Martin, a PhD student in Cambridge's Law faculty, who is researching whether the UK's ban on assisted dying conflicts with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The International Criminal Court (ICC)was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals for committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. However, only Africans have been prosecuted by the court thus far, leading some African states to criticize the court for a perceived bias against Africans.

This week, we're joined by Cambridge lecturer Dr Adam Branch, as well as Masters students Georgiana Epure and Surer Mohamed. Why is the ICC accused of bias, and is this accusation accurate? What are the power dynamics that shape the court? And what is the future of international justice in Africa?

Are human rights the best way to view reproductive healthcare? From thousands of Polish women protesting over restrictive abortion laws, to President Trump’s reinstating of the "global gag rule" banning NGOs from offering advice about abortion, we unpack the link between reproduction, rights, and the real people affected.

Joining us this week are three guests from Cambridge University’s Reproductive Sociology Research Group: Dr Katie Dow, Dr Mwenza Blell, and Dr Robert Pralat.

Governments use database technology to both deliver social services and surveil populations. However, with this power comes crucial questions. Is arbitrarily violating people's privacy necessary for national security? Who controls how surveillance technology is used?

Research officer Claire Lauterbach from Privacy International joins Declarations to discuss these complex issues surrounding privacy. In this episode, we explore Claire's research on different surveillance programs throughout the world and why the "collect-it-all" paradigm of certain intelligence agencies is so problematic.

President Trump's so-called "Muslim ban" has upended thousands of lives, leaving immigrants and refugees wondering if they can enter the United States. This week, we sit down with immigration lawyer Ben Gharagozli and Canadian-Somali researcher Surer Mohamed to unpack the complexities of the issue.

In this episode, Ben analyzes the profound legal problems with this contested immigration executive order, and Surer explores the ban's moral problems, as well as the anxieties it has exacerbated among its targets.

NOTE: We recorded on Friday, February 4th. Since then, a U.S. appeals court has temporarily halted Trump's ban, but the fear and uncertainty it has caused still remains.

This week, we sent Matt Mahmoudi to London to interview Dr. Thomas MacManus about the persecution of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority population in Myanmar that has faced increasing violence from the Myanmar government in recent months. Thousands have fled their homes, and the government has banned access for journalists and aid organizations. Is this the beginning of genocide?

As one of the few researchers to be granted access close to where the Rohingya live, Dr. MacManus provides an ideal introduction to the situation. And after the interview, our regular CGHR panel convenes to analyze the deeper roots of the conflict in Myanmar. Why has renowned leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained silent, and what power do states really have to prevent genocide?

Dr. Thomas MacManus teaches at Queen Mary University of London. Learn more about his International State Crime Initiative at www.statecrime.org.

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In the aftermath of the Syrian Civil War, disarray over the current refugee crisis has created enormous political anxieties in Europe. But to what extent is this a European "crisis"? Are the almost 5 million refugees in Syria's neighbouring countries able to access socio-economic provisions, particularly in Lebanon? Is this an unprecedented situation, or a new chapter in an ongoing story of refugee rights and state responsibilities?

This week's guests are Dima Krayem (PhD student in Development Studies) and Stefan Theil (Students of Cambridge Refugee Scholarship).