Mr Scott Morrison
The Honourable Prime Minister of Australia
PO Box 1306
Cronulla, NSW, 2230
Dear Mr Morrison,
I hope this letter finds you well, my name is Elliot Dolan-Evans and I am a voter in Footscray, Melbourne. I am currently completing a PhD at Monash University in political economy and feminist studies, I am a registered medical practitioner, and a law graduate awaiting admittance to the Supreme Court of Victoria.
I write this open letter to politely request the reasons of Australia’s voting choices at the recent United Nations Human Rights Council (40th session).
Australia was the only country to vote ‘NO’ in all the following resolutions (Denmark and the United Kingdom voted ‘NO’ in four of these), discussed in the HRC meeting on 21 February 2019:
- L.4 – Human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan;
- L.25 – Ensuring accountability and justice for all violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem;
- L.26 – Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination;
- L.27 – Human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; and
- L.28 – Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.
As an Australian citizen and tax-payer, I want to know the reasons as to why Australia has opposed these resolutions in my name, and in the names of every Australian. With these votes, Australia has systematically opposed the will of the international community and international law, including in:
1 The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (12 August 1949);
2 Charter of the United Nations;
a. in particular the provisions of Articles 1 and 55 thereof, which affirm the right of peoples to self-determination
3 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
4 The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
5 The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
a. In particular the provisions of Article 1, which affirm that all peoples have the right to self-determination.
6 The Convention on the Rights of the Child;
7 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
8 The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
9 The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
10 The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights;
a. in particular Part I, paragraphs 2 and 3, relating to the right of self-determination of all peoples and especially those subject to foreign occupation;
11 The statement of 15 July 1999 and the declarations adopted on 5 December 2001 and 17 December 2014 at the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem;
a. at which the High Contracting Parties reaffirmed, inter alia, their commitment to uphold their obligation to ensure respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
12 UNHRC resolutions S-9/1 of 12 January 2009, 19/17 of 22 March 2012, S-21/1 of 23 July 2014 and S-28/1 of 18 May 2018;
13 UN Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973, 497 (1981) of 17 December 1981, 1397 (2002) of 12 March 2002 and 1402 (2002) of 30 March 2002;
14 UN General Assembly Resolutions 73/23 of 30 November 2018 and 73/100 of 7
December 2018;
a. In which the Assembly declared that Israel had failed to comply with Security Council resolution 497 (1981) and demanded that it withdraw from all the occupied Syrian Golan.
15 UN General Assembly Resolutions 181 A and B (II) of 29 November 1947, 194 (III) of 11 December 1948, ES-10/15 of 20 July 2004, ES10/17 of 15 December 2006, 67/19 of 29 November 2012, 72/86 of 7 December 2017 and 73/98 of 7 December 2018;
16 The advisory opinion rendered on 9 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory;
17 Recent reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 (A/73/447 and A/HRC/40/73); and,
18 The results of the 2018 independent international commission of inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
I look forward to your comprehensive reply,
Kind Regards,
Elliot Dolan-Evans
MBBS, LLB (Hons), BAppSci (Hons)
[textblock style=”7″]
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
[/textblock]
