Armenian Genocide

Azerbaijan broke their truce with Armenia on July 12th when they attacked various regions across the country. The region, Tavush, was most affected by the attacks on civilians. During the peak of Coronavirus, Azerbaijan violated their ceasefire agreement. Through the course of two days, Armenian homes and properties were destroyed as tensions begin to rise once again. However, Armenia can not face another genocide at the hands of its neighboring countries.

This is not the first time Armenia has been attacked, the now recognized Armenian Genocide happened 1914-1918. As the Ottoman Empire fell, Armenians were massacred as a result of ethnic cleansing. Turkey and Germany were on one side and attacked Russia. Shortly after, the Ottoman Central Committee decides to wipe out Armenia and its entirety. Thousands of Armenians were separated from their families and never returned home. Meanwhile, families back home faced the burning down of their villages, murder, rape, and torture. By the end of the Ottoman Central Committee's plan, an estimated 1 million Armenian lives are lost.

Towards the end of 1918, the Ottoman Empire dismantles and Armenia was not able to fully recover from such a devastating genocide. It did not help that the Armenian Genocide was not recognized around the globe, humanity failed them time and time again. Please advocate for Armenia and sign petitions to reach 100,000 signatures so that the White House has to respond.

Anti-Terror Bill: Philippines

In 2016 President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign was centered around the war on drugs alongside a zero-tolerance crime policy. Since his inauguration, over 12,000 people have died because of his campaign focus. Many of the individuals were killed and continue to be under the mere doubt of drug possession. Hence why Duterte considers himself the "Filipino Hitler" because of his policies and steadfast, extremist views.

Mayors opposing Duterte's orders were assassinated and were labeled "liberals". All of this is necessary to understand the fundamentals of his platform which include a history of abuse and suppression. This feeds into the Anti-Terror Bill and why the Junk Terror Bill is a movement fighting against the already passed legislation.

The Anti-Terror Bill was passed on July 3rd, 2020, and takes the Philippines' anti-terror approach to a whole new level. Individuals suspected of conspiring against the government will be arrested without warrants, interrogated through an abusive approach, and can be killed while detained. If an individual is proven to be innocent, he or she will have to file a lawsuit under a wrongful conviction for the very unlikely possibility of receiving money. Despite the exoneration ("the action of officially absolving someone from blame; vindication."), these individuals will face surveillance for life.

The Junk Terror Bill aims to turn around what the Anti-Terror Bill stands for. Unfortunately, despite the petitions, this cause has not received enough media attention and worldwide recognition. However, the fight will continue.

McAllen, Texas

Immigration has always been a hot topic. How a politician chooses to address border control can win voters. However, since Trump's presidency, the number of disputes has been rising. In Texas, there are children as young as 12 months being illegally detained at a hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites. Trump's administration is using the Corona pandemic as a reason for keeping asylum seekers, refugees, and even legal migrants from Mexico out of America. But whether Trump approved the hostile environment produced by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is currently unknown.

Children that are detained have no access to attorneys, contact with outsiders, and are being held by "unknown" government officials. ICE has been at the forefront at raiding areas known to have migrants, a high concentration of minorities, and along the U.S.- Mexico border. Hence, why the involvement of ICE is extremely likely in this situation. The mysterious workers that are in essence kidnapping minors in unmarked vehicles have not had background checks, so at the moment there are no updates on what part of the government is involved.

This is not the first time scenarios like these are happening in the U.S. but reports on McAllen, Texas is confirming what many Americans believe to be true. The reality is that immigration is a heated issue for sure, however, will these random kidnappings stop and restart elsewhere along the border? The answer is yes, ICE has a history of doing exactly this.