Human Rights Violated in Zimbabwe

As Americans, we have special unalienable rights given to us at birth. Today, they allow us to live free lives, and are said to never be taken away. If a form of government ever tried to violate them, the people have the right to abolish it, and therefore create a new government. So why haven’t the people in Zimbabwe done this? Violations of personal freedom and integrity are frequent there. Most government supporters are responsible for these violations, which include assaults, torture, death threats, kidnappings, and unlawful arrests.

During the time when most violations were happening, there was a huge controversy between President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. Both believed in different things, which therefore created chaos. In March 2007, there was a rally lead by Morgan Tsvangirai called the Movement for Democratic change (MDC). Many (close to 50) opposition activists were arrested and severely beaten by police officers. Tsvangirai was arrested by the police for trying to lead the rally. After his release, he told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BCC) that he suffered head injuries, blows to the arms, knees, and back, and that he lost a significant amount of blood. In the weeks following, violence continued to grow bloodier.


Law enforcement agencies, such as police officers, are the major source of human rights abusers in Zimbabwe. It makes you wonder if we can even trust our own officers. The Human Rights Watch stated that there have been growing numbers of cases in which the police have assaulted and tortured the people of Zimbabwe. Opposition gatherings, where there are many people, are where most brutal attacks take place. Many citizens have claimed to have been in a situation where they, themselves were tortured. One case was the arrest of a student activist leader, Promise Mkwanazi, on May 29, 2006. He was held custody in Bindura for 5 days without charge. During the time at the police station, he was repeatedly stripped, shackled, and beaten with batons. Doesn’t exactly seem fair, does it? Another man, named Edward Chikombo, took photos which showed the assaults that occurred on the streets of Zimbabwe. He eventually got abducted and murdered for supposedly sending the pictures to foreign media. There was no proof that he actually did send out the pictures, but they killed him anyway.

In July 2007, the United States Department of State made an announcement stating that the situation in Zimbabwe wasn’t getting any better. In fact, even today it continues to deteriorate. There has been recent government price fixing on all consumer goods which have led to major shortages in basic necessities. Many desperate citizens became violent in order to get the food and supplies they needed. The law enforcement agencies continued to enforce the restrictions “by any means necessary” in order to keep everyone in line. This included lethal force.

At the end of the day we should think of ourselves as lucky. As you can see, hardly any of these punishments are fair. People are being tortured in ways we can’t even imagine.


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East Berlin: A City or a Prison?

During the time when Germany was being divided into four zones so that the Soviets, Americans, British and French could each control a part of the land, Germany’s capital, Berlin, was completely within the Soviet Zone. The city would also have to be split between the countries. The Soviets ended up controlling East Berlin while the Americans, British, and French took control of the West. This meant half of the city split into a communist government, and the other half became democratic. Citizens who lived in East Berlin at the time, started to feel trapped under a dictatorship. Before the Berlin wall was built, the border between East Germany and West Germany was closed. This meant that there was nothing to stop East Germans from entering West Berlin and fleeing from communist rule. West Germany wasn't happy to see this number of people leaving the East. Not only did it create an incredible economic strain, it increased tensions between East and West to an unbearable level. The Soviets, or East Germany, were also loosing many well-educated people, such as doctors, intellectuals and engineers. Since they were loosing so many of their people, they decided to fix the problem at hand.

On the night of Aug. 12 in 1961, the borders between East and West Berlin were closed, along with all the rail stations. Thousands of East German soldiers guarded the border while workers began constructing barbed wire fences. Residents were stunned and outraged once the Berlin wall was built, strong and mighty. They didn’t like being overpowered, and under the Soviets control. The wall separated families, cut off people from their jobs, and left East Germans to live in drab apartments. Economy was horrible, and citizens couldn’t afford most luxuries. Some people were so desperate to escape the communist control that they tried to climb the wall or tunnel beneath it. It wasn’t an easy task trying to escape, though. Guards marched and kept watch, while military vehicles drove up and down concrete roads in the “death strip.” They were able to respond quickly to any escape attempts. At night, bright and powerful search lights swept over the entire area. And even if a citizen could get past the wall, there was a huge gap, which stretched 30 to 100 yards. “The total number of civilians killed trying to get across the wall is in dispute. Some sources claim 86, while some claim 239 or more [source: Grant, Burgan]. The number is almost certainly more than 100. Even pregnant women were shot to death trying to escape.” Seem like a prison? Most would say so.

The Soviets didn’t care much for the people. There motives were purely political, Communism vs. Capitalism. They were so willing not to loose their people that they would lock everything down, and therefore, let no one escape. They “closed the door to the West,” and reduced the problem of East German citizens fleeing to West Berlin. These people were trapped in a place where they didn’t want to be. They sought after a better life, but instead, were kept in a city by force. Citizens became innocents in jail, who were guilty of nothing. They did no crime, and yet they were kept in a prison-like environment.

Still not convinced?

http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1966-08-12-08-006&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1966-08-12-08

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/232/berlin-after-the-wall-decades-after-its-fall-history-still-haunts

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Camera Becomes a Weapon Against World War II

"Never before in history was photography such an integral part of the military machine as it was during World War II."

During the time when Hitler was rebuilding the country’s once-powerful military, he also ordered the photographers to prepare. It was a very important time, and in order for Hitler to conquer the land he wanted, he needed men to join his military force. One way that he could gain the trust and interest of the men in his country, was to use photography as propaganda. Most of the photographers hired were volunteers who were afraid they might instead become a soldier on the front lines of battle. Because of this, they weren’t experienced at all, which meant many photos were just snapshots. They were able to capture amateur photos; usually of other soldiers in their unit, landscapes, or citizens in the city where they were stationed. These photographs were harmless, and often not worried about. So, how exactly could a camera be used as a weapon against World War II? A picture is just a picture after all, which seems pretty harmless right?

As propaganda photographers, they had many rules in which they had to follow. Cameras were classified as weapons, in the same category as guns, bombs and ammunition. Hitler had priorities, and he did not need a photographer taking photos of his own dead or wounded soldiers. If a man was having ideas about joining the army, he would not want to look at a picture of a soldier suffering after just being shot. He also wouldn’t want to know that, if he did join, he had very low chances of living through the war. The thought of becoming a member of the army most likely wouldn’t even cross his mind if he knew such information. No one wants to leave their families, knowing they might never make it back. Hitler knew this, so he came up with a plan. He made sure the volunteer photographers were under complete surveillance at all times. The Nazis weren’t able to control all photographs, though.

Many soldiers would carry field packs, in which they were able to hide small cameras. Soldiers began to feel very drawn to the horrors during this time. One of the main events that were secretly photographed was the war of extermination in the Soviet Union. Pictures taken demonstrated the major shootings of Jews, the hanging of citizens, and even dead or wounded men. Most photos were taken, hidden, and then kept until after the war was over. The photographs showed what really happened in war, and even what was going on behind the scenes. Many people knew about the hatred of Jews, or anti-Semitism, but didn’t realize how horrible they were actually being treated. A secret snapshot illustrates members of the German police aiming at Jews who had just finished digging their own grave. Another photograph shows a wounded comrade whose arm had been ripped off during war. Around him, other German soldiers attend him. When war came to mind, suffering was the last thing people considered.

During World War II, photo’s either taken, or found, by soldiers were kept. The photographs became a weapon toward the German government. Instead of developing into propaganda, photos after the world war commenced to become evidence of how horrible wars could be. The pictures could also provide powerful documentation of crimes during the Nazi era. A photo can be kept forever, and it always shows truth. Also, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words...

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Also, please check out some sites I put up so show the many photos that were taken during World War II. The links are located under "About Me."

Pablo Picasso's Blue Period

Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period refers to the many paintings in which the color blue dominated his work. Most paintings were created between 1901 and 1904. The blue period contributes to the transition of Picasso’s style from classicism to abstract art. In his early twenty’s he began to tint his paintings a pale blue color, which also had a certain sadness to them. For three years he paints like this, as if he was viewing the world through a cold blue lens, but why? What is the reason for painting with so much blue?

Was it because society was depressed after the war, or was it something personal in his own life?

Well, most people know that society after World War I had to endure many disasters. Not disasters such as an earthquake or a hurricane, but severe stock market collapse and economic problems. This harsh time period became known as the Great Depression. During the decade of the 1930’s, many people lived in poverty. They were unable find job’s, and therefore could not earn money needed for food, water, and shelter. At the same time Picasso started painting in blue, society began to tremble and cave in on itself.

But was this why he painted the sullen works of art? No, because Pablo Picasso was also struggling, personally, during the great depression.

When Picasso moved to Paris in 1900, he had the company of his good friend Carlos Casagemas, who he had known for about a year. His days in Paris were characterized by poverty, which would have contributed to the melancholy of his blue paintings. Many people who saw the paintings (and who could have been potential buyers) often saw the sadness and would shy away from them. Due to the leading depression from the war, many people would not buy his paintings. This lead to poverty in his own life. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, his very close friend Casagemas ends up committing suicide in 1901, because of a broken heart after losing the one he loved. Most days after the tragic event in Paris were spent visiting the galleries of Louvre. He couldn’t afford comfortable living arrangements, so the museum’s shelter from the cold, damp weather symbolized his sad images in which he painted. The Blue Room (1901) was one of his first works of art painted during the blue period. It represents his tiny shared room. He also painted Evocation or The Burial of Casagemas after the suicide of his dear friend. The paintings haunted him for months.

Life for Picasso was basically defined by his art. He first saw everything as a picture in which all his emotions could later be discovered. When you look at the paintings from the blue period you can almost feel what he was feeling at the time. The blue tint to all of his paintings adds a very unhappy mood. So even though society was going through a tough time, Picasso painted for himself. And he, himself, felt poverty, hunger, and lack of emotion, just like the rest of the world.