Angelina Jolie Reflects on 23rd Anniversary of Bosnian Genocide: 'Time Cannot Diminish the Pain'

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Published on Thursday, 12 July 2018 05:45

Written by People

         Angelina Jolie is remembering the victims of the Bosnian genocide in 1995 that killed over 8,000 Muslim men and boys.The actress, who centered her 2011 directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey around the Bosnian war that led to genocide, commemorated the 23rd anniversary with a powerful statement about the hardships the European country and its citizens still face today.“The passage of time cannot diminish the pain felt by survivors of the war in Bosnia or the horror of the Srebrenica genocide,” Jolie said in a statement. “I have never met more brave, dignified and resilient women than the Mothers of Srebrenica, many still searching for their lost sons and husbands 23 years after the genocide. My thoughts and my heart are with them, and with all survivors in Bosnia today.” She continues, “Srebrenica stands as an indelible warning of the consequences when we fail to take sides when innocent civilians are threatened with aggression. It is also a reminder that the international community can act together, as NATO eventually did in Bosnia, to end the conflict and protect civilian life.”
        Jolie serves as Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and uses her role to work in support of refugees around the world. In her statement, the activist hopes the anniversary reminds nations around the world to take steps in preventing another genocide as millions of refugees are displaced.“On this the 23rd anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, I hope we will be inspired to renew our sense of responsibility towards others, and our confidence in our ability to act collectively to prevent genocide and war crimes and defend international law,” Jolie said. “It is in our hands, and would be the best way of honoring the memory of those who died in Srebrenica.”Jolie made similar statements at a press conference in Bosnia in February 2012 when she returned to the country to screen her film. The director discussed her film and the long controversial history it has in the Balkan country, saying she hoped the film would serve as a “wake-up call for the international community.”“I’m satisfied with what we made, I feel very strongly about it and I believe that its core issue – which is the need for intervention and need for the world to care about atrocities when they are happening – is very, very timely and especially with things that are happening in Syria today,” Jolie told journalists from the Associated Foreign Press in 2012.

 source : People  

Angelina Jolie visits children and families in Iraqi camp for 33,000 refugees fleeing war in Syria

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Published on Sunday, 17 June 2018 16:38

Written by Daily mail

           A day after walking bombed out streets of war-torn Mosul, Angelina Jolie toured a refugee camp holding 33,000 refugees as a result of seven-year conflict in Syria.The Hollywood star called the scene of destruction in Iraq as 'the worst' she's ever seen during her 17-year humanitarian work with United Nations.'This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything,' Jolie said in a statement.She also highlighted a lack of medical aid for inhabitants of the Domiz camp, a site she has visited three times in the past six years.
         'They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services.' 'I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilising the whole of the city,' she said.'I call on the international community not to forget Mosul.' The actress spent the morning visiting families in the Domiz, a UN official said.Her statement comes a day after she was greeted by fans in parts of Mosul where many of the buildings had been reduced to rubble.Normality has returned to parts of the northern Iraqi city as it rebuilds, but getting displaced residents back home has been slow. Islamic Satte militants had occupied Mosul for three years and turned it into a stronghold of a 'caliphate' in a campaign that saw 900,000 residents flee.Two years after it was retaken from ISIS, more than 70 per cent of the city remains damaged or destroyed, according to the provincial council.In 2017, a Kurdish intelligence chief told the Independent that some 40,000 lives had been claimed in a devastating battle to retake Mosul from ISIS.Residents of the besieged city were killed by Iraqi ground forces attempting to force out militants - while airstrikes razed buildings with hundreds of souls inside according to Kurdish intelligence services. Jolie has worked for UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This is her fifth visit to Iraq. 

 source : Daily mail  

Angelina Jolie and Senator John McCain Call On Americans and the U.S. Government to Help Save the Rohingya Muslims

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Published on Saturday, 10 March 2018 17:07

Written by People

            On International Women’s Day, Angelina Jolie and Senator John McCain are appealing to Americans to come together to defend human rights and American leadership in the world — specifically with regard to the recent increase in violence and atrocities being committed against the Rohingya Muslims.In a co-written op-ed for the New York Times, Jolie and McCain outline the human rights issue at hand and urge Americans and the U.S. government to take action.“Around the world, there is profound concern that America is giving up the mantle of global leadership,” they write. “Our steady retreat over the past decade has contributed to a wide array of complex global challenges — a dangerous erosion of the rule of law, gross human rights violations and the decline of the rules-based international order that was designed in the aftermath of two world wars to prevent conflict and deter mass atrocities.”Jolie, 42, and McCain, 81, cite a lack of diplomacy in Myanmar, formerly Burma, that has led to 680,000 Rohingya Muslims being forced to flee  “a systematic military campaign of killings, arson, rape and other mass atrocities amounting to ethnic cleansing.”They add: “According to recent reports, many survivors are still not getting proper assistance because of a lack of funding for gender-based-violence programs. Addressing these shortfalls and taking steps to protect Rohingya refugee women and girls from further sexual violence should be a priority for the United States and like-minded countries. We must also take urgent steps to get medical care and assistance to Rohingya families in desperate need in Rakhine State in Myanmar.”Jolie and McCain urge the passing of the Burma Human Rights and Freedom Act, a bill sponsored by Senator McCain, which would impose sanctions on Burmese military and security forces responsible for the violence and also support efforts to properly investigate human rights violations.“While politics have left Americans deeply divided, we can all unite around the belief that a commitment to freedom, justice and human rights has distinguished the United States as a great nation,” they write. “Our failure to hold accountable those who commit mass atrocities and human rights abuses will lead to more violence and instability.”

 source : People  

Angelina Jolie criticises Donald Trump's 'zero-tolerance' immigration policy, urges support for refugees

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Published on Monday, 25 June 2018 10:42

Written by First post

           Actor-activist Angelina Jolie has urged the world community to unite to fight against the global refugee crisis that has rendered millions of people homeless and vulnerable.The 43-year-old actor, who serves as Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in a special essay for The Economist, wrote that the humanitarian support for refugees is chronically underfunded."The number of refugees worldwide has climbed for six consecutive years. Some 68 million people are now displaced by violence and persecution-equal to a fifth of the population of America, nearly half that of Russia, and more than the entire population of the United Kingdom," Jolie wrote on the World Refugee Day on Wednesday.The "Maleficent" star condemned nations fighting back against helping the millions of refugees around the world amid the criticism of US President Donald Trump's new "zero-tolerance policy" against illegal immigrants that has resulted in the separation of over 2,500 children from their parents at the US border to Mexico, since its implementation in April.Trump rolled back the policy on Wednesday after major backlash from around the world.Jolie said there was a need for people and nations to work together to prevent and resolve conflicts."It is not surprising that there is deep public concern, not because people are heartless, but because this is not a sustainable situation. But the answer is not countries adopting harsh unilateral measures that target refugees, and run counter to our values and our responsibilities. That will only inflame the problem,"said Jolie.She further added,"Instead, we must find ways to lower the number of displaced people worldwide, by preventing and solving the conflicts that drive them from their homes. We must try to rally people and nations to act together based on common interests and universal aspirations for security, dignity and equality: understanding that this does not come at the expense of our safety and economic well-being at home, but is an essential requirement when facing problems of international dimensions."The actor-director said refugees are at their most vulnerable and they deserve protection."We live in divisive times. But history also shows our ability to unite, overcome a global crisis, and renew our sense of purpose and community with other nations. That is the greatest strength of an open society. We should not leave the debate to those who would exploit public anxiety for political advantage. We are being tested today and our response will be the measure of our humanity." "A refugee is a man, woman or child at their most vulnerable: forced from their home, living without the protection of their state, and in many cases without the bare means of survival. It is the human condition that tests our belief that all human beings have equal rights and deserve protection," she wrote.

 source : First post  

Angelina Jolie visits Mosul: A-lister meets families in city where up to 40,000 civilians died in bloody battle with ISIS

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Published on Sunday, 17 June 2018 16:35

Written by Daily mail

         Oscar winning actress Angelina Jolie has traded the bright lights of LA for war torn Mosul to meet with the victims of Iraq's recent bloody conflicts which have claimed the lives of thousands and displaced millions of innocent people.The Hollywood star, known for her impressive humanitarian credentials, is a United Nations special envoy and met up with starstruck youngsters and parents as part of her role.Victims of the bloody battles to retake the Iraqi city from ISIS flocked to meet the megastar who flashed her trademark megawatt smile at adoring children. In a city condemned by gunfire and shelling, the enormity of the rebuild cannot be under-estimated. Two years after it was retaken from ISIS, more than 70 per cent of the city remains damaged or destroyed, according to the provincial council.In 2017, a Kurdish intelligence chief told the Independent that some 40,000 lives had been claimed in a devastating battle to retake Mosul from ISIS.
         Residents of the besieged city were killed by Iraqi ground forces attempting to force out militants - while airstrikes razed buildings with hundreds of souls inside according to Kurdish intelligence services.A senior minister in Bagdad said that many bodies 'are still buried under the rubble' and that the  'level of human suffering is immense.''Kurdish intelligence believes that over 40,000 civilians have been killed as a result of massive firepower used against them, especially by the federal police, air strikes and Isis itself,' Mr Zebari added.Nearly 8,300 homes - almost a third of the houses in the city - were destroyed or suffered major damage, according to UN Habitat. All five of Ramadi's bridges over the Euphrates River were damaged; only three are currently under repair. Three-quarters of the schools remain out of commission.   But funding is far lower than what Iraq says it needs. So far, stabilization has received some $392 million in contributions. The United States has given the lion's share, some $115 million. Germany is the second biggest donor at $64 million. The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have also contributed, but no other Gulf nations are among the list of donors.Overall, Washington has contributed $265 million to reconstruction since 2014, on top of $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance in Iraq. But it is a fraction of the $14.3 billion that the U.S. spent in fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.  But Douglas Silliman, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, blamed the destruction of Iraqi cities squarely on IS fighters.'Had they not been here, had they not conducted a completely brutal and inhumane campaign against the Iraqi people, this destruction would not have happened,' he said.

 source : Daily mail  

UN aid agency backed by Angelina Jolie is the latest to be embroiled in sex scandal as 19 allegations of abuse are made against staff

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Published on Sunday, 04 March 2018 10:30

Written by Daily Mail

         The United Nations aid agency backed by Angelina Jolie has been hit by 19 allegations of sex abuse by staff in the past year alone, it can be revealed, with three of the alleged victims being under 18.The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which received almost £100 million from British taxpayers in 2017, said misconduct complaints had been made against workers in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.On the eve of a crisis meeting to be held by Department for International Development (DFID) chiefs, this newspaper has also discovered that:

• DFID contractor Adam Smith International has admitted it has had ‘historic cases of sexual misconduct’;
• Human-rights group Amnesty International said it had dealt with three cases of sexual harassment;
• Prince Charles’s young people’s charity, The Prince’s Trust, said three workers had been disciplined for inappropriate behaviour.

         Tomorrow, International Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt hosts a ‘safeguarding summit’ with the Charity Commission to work on solutions to the abuse crisis. She has asked charities which receive money from the UK’s £13 billion aid budget to tell her what they have done about historic abuse allegations, and has had 161 responses so far. This newspaper can reveal some of the figures that have been provided by some of the biggest names in overseas aid. UNHCR, whose ‘special envoy’ is Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, said it had one substantiated case of abuse in 2016, for which a member of staff had been dismissed. It had 19 complaints of sexual exploitation or abuse in 2017, of which six are still being assessed. One alleged victim was 17. Details of two other cases involving under-18s are unknown. Ms Jolie declined to comment but a source close to the actress said she will find the allegations ‘upsetting’ and ‘inexcusable’ and has raised the matter with the agency.
         Meanwhile, Adam Smith International – which had its government work frozen after The Mail on Sunday revealed alleged ‘dirty tricks’ to win contracts – said it was still preparing its response to DFID’s request for information and a spokesman said it was conducting ‘an internal review to determine the extent and nature of historic cases of sexual misconduct and how they were managed’.The Prince’s Trust, which received £14 million in public-sector funding last year, said: ‘Three staff have been disciplined for insensitive or inappropriate behaviour in relation to young people, not constituting sexual abuse.’ One was dismissed.Amnesty International, which does not receive public funding, said it had had three alleged cases of sexual harassment in the past ten years, resulting in a volunteer being dismissed. All cases were in the UK.Another DFID contractor, VSO, said last night that staff had made eight allegations of sexual misconduct by employees in the past three years. Six led to staff having their ‘contracts terminated’. All the wrongdoing occurred overseas.

 source : Daily mail