“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”
Nelson Mandela
The passage on Friday of the pushback law with the support of the Social Democrats, demonstrates that we have entered uncharted waters. We should not be naive to think that the shelving of human rights, undermining our constitution, and turning our backs on international agreements will be a one-off matter.
Even if Human Rights form part of our Constitution, one may ask why so little regard for such rights. One reason is that Finland saw Human Rights as subversive during the Cold War since it undermined relations with the former Soviet Union.
In Argentina, my country of birth, we used human rights as an ever-growing rallying cry against one of the most sanguinary military regimes in our history. The matter was sounded by groups like the Mother of Plaza de Mayo whose loved ones had disappeared.
At first, they were called the “Crazy” Mothers of Plaza de Mayo because no one dared to stand up against the military régime.
The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo still demonstrate on Thursdays at the Plaza de Mayo right in front of the presidential palace. Their first march took place in April 1977, the month I started my conscription in the army. The Mother of Plaza de Mayo was one factor why the military regime could not murder with impunity. People like me are eternally grateful for their bravery and example.
The fact that Human Rights took a big blow in Finland thanks to the pushback law, it’s clear that we cannot rely on the government or the Social Democrats to defend these rights. We therefore need a social movement that raises awareness of Human Rights.
In Argentina, Human Rights violations were one factor that brought the military regime down. We must do the same to vote out this terrible government that wipes its rear end with Human Rights.
Some may ask why do I make such a fuss about Human Rights.
The answer is simple: I lived in a country where Human Rights were shelved that was followed by Illegal detentions, torture, and death.