Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
The proposed government “autonomous sanctions” legislation must be based on international law and United Nations resolutions.
New Zealand has a poor record of consistently calling out human rights abuses around the world. The galling hypocrisy in the rush to condemn Russia compared to the government deliberately looking the other way when similar human rights abuses take place in Palestine, West Papua and Western Sahara for example should be a thing of the past.
Successive Aotearoa New Zealand governments have repeatedly talked about the need for an “international rules-based system” to guide international relations and provide security and accountabilities across the world.
Using international law and United Nations resolutions as the basis for sanctions will bring this security and accountability in a consistent and transparent way. This is essential for our integrity and credibility as a small nation which claims to have an independent foreign policy.
In the current situation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is clear evidence of war crimes and breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention (the convention relating to treatment of civilians in times of war) as well as a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning its invasion. This should quite rightly trigger sanctions against Russia and allow for sanctions in similar situations in a clear and consistent manner.
The major problem with the National Party’s draft legislation on autonomous sanctions which was brought forward last year was its failure to mention international law or United Nations resolutions.
John Minto
National Chair
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
