Today’s podcast guest is Jane Olson, a noted humanitarian who has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She has chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, from 2004 to 2010, and chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network.
In this episode, we discuss the current rise in human rights abuses globally, what roles international organizations have played in combatting human rights abuses, and the importance of educating people about their basic universal human rights, including starting in schools.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Jane Olson has worked many decades as a volunteer promoting international peace and justice and humanitarian work. She chaired the International Board of Trustees of Human Rights Watch, the largest US-based international human rights organization, from 2004 to 2010, having worked on behalf of HRW since 1988. She also chaired the board of Survivor Corps for 12 years since its founding as Landmine Survivors Network. LSN and HRW were among the five organizations to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997for the International Landmine Ban Treaty.
Jane is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science and a board member of both the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Direct Relief, based in Santa Barbara, CA. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Pacific Council on International Policy. She served as co-chair of the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York and continues to support the WRC as a commissioner.
Jane has received numerous awards, including the 2010 inaugural Alison Des Forges Award from Human Rights Watch, and the inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Award from Feminist Majority in 2005. California Senator Barbara Boxer presented the “Women Making History” Award to Jane in 2010. She received Public Counsel’s Community Achievement Award and the Silver Achievement Award from the Los Angeles YWCA.
Trump is cornered on multiple fronts, and the pressure is intensifying. The Iran war has become a grinding stalemate. War driven energy shocks are intensifying inflation. His approval ratings have sunk. Inside the Republican Party, restive lawmakers and donors increasingly doubt his judgment. Taken together, these trends sharply narrow Trump’s political options and suggest that his second term is entering a dangerous, potentially irreversible downward spiral.
In my latest podcast episode, I spoke with former Principal Deputy Director in the Secretary of State`s Office of Global Women`s Issues, Katrina (Kat) Fotovat about the backsliding on women`s rights between the first and second Trump adminstrations. Kat noted the shift in priorities between administrations, and the national security implications of such cuts to women`s issues.
Listen to the full episode via the link in bio; episodes also available on all major podcasting apps
A new Human Rights Watch report shows how Trump’s immigration policies are hurting some of the most vulnerable people, especially undocumented survivors of serious crimes. The US was once the place where people fleeing violence came to feel safe. Under Trump, that promise has been willfully abandoned.
#Immigration #UnitedStates #Migration #HumanRights
Trump is cornered on multiple fronts, and the pressure is intensifying. The Iran war has become a grinding stalemate. War driven energy shocks are intensifying inflation. His approval ratings have sunk. Inside the Republican Party, restive lawmakers and donors increasingly doubt his judgment. Taken together, these trends sharply narrow Trump’s political options and suggest that his second term is entering a dangerous, potentially irreversible downward spiral.
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Trump’s warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” was more than bluster—it was a reckless invocation of nuclear destruction that shattered diplomatic norms and reignited questions about his fitness to command American power
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How QAnon Extremists Use the U.S. Military’s Image to Spread Conspiracies
QAnon extremists are increasingly exploiting the credibility and public trust associated with the U.S. military to spread conspiracy theories, recruit supporters, and undermine democratic institutions. A new report published by Human Rights First warns that military veterans have become central figures in amplifying QAnon propaganda following the January 6 insurrection. The report highlights how conspiratorial movements weaponize patriotism, disinformation, and military symbolism to legitimize anti-democratic narratives and deepen political extremism in the United States. As disinformation networks continue expanding online, experts warn that extremist movements targeting veterans, service members, and vulnerable communities pose growing risks to democratic stability, public trust, and national security.
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Rwandan academic and outspoken government critic Aimable Karasira died in custody on the very day he was expected to be released from prison, raising serious questions about repression and the treatment of dissenting voices in Rwanda. Authorities claimed he died from a medication overdose, but Human Rights Watch is calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Akrasia had endured years of threats, harassment, imprisonment, and allegations of torture after criticizing the government and speaking publicly about abuses linked to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. His death adds to growing concerns over suspicious deaths, intimidation, and the silencing of critics in Rwanda, where many activists and opposition voices continue to face fear and persecution.
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