Today, as you all know, we visited the Court of Human Rights which was way more interesting than I expected. Despite the fact that there was an extensive description of the court as well as a question and answer period, I left with many questions that had no real black of white answer. For example, why it would take such a massive form of genocide, such as the holocaust, to make people decide to protect human rights on an international level? Maybe it's because I am an American and believe in freedom but I feel like this should always have existed. Additionally, I find it interesting that the United States of America would not be allowed into the Court of Human Rights not only because of geography but also because of its policies towards, for example, capital punishment.
I believe that the CHR is a very balanced and rational system that shows no bias toward any person or country (even though the lawyers may sometimes laugh at the strange letters sent to them). I think it's great that they do not cater to the wealthy or take the popular stance. For example, in the video, when they showed the 2 ten year old boys who killed the toddler, they worked to give them a fair trial. It is easy to let emotions overtake rationality and the CHR seems to do a great job of being rational.
-Rachel Cooper
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased to read this as our first student contribution to the blog. It is exactly the sort of engaged reflection on travel experience that I was hoping to find. It will serve us all well.
Cheers,
Gregory