cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4856698
A senior official from a Moscow based global satellite organisation has flown to Australia to discuss the “threat and use of force” in space, angering the local Ukrainian community which is demanding to know why she was granted a visa.
Elina Morozova, executive director of Intersputnik, is among several Russian Federation representatives to attend this week’s International Astronautical Congress being held in Sydney.
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In 2021 Australia joined other nations in condemning Russia for conducting a “provocative and dangerous” anti-satellite weapon test that produced over 1500 pieces of debris that threatened other satellites and the International Space Station.
Numerous recent reports including a study published by the RAND Corporation in the United States in May have highlighted how “space-based services and the disruption of these services have played an unprecedented role in the ongoing war in Ukraine”.
The Nightly understands several other Russian delegates who had been scheduled to participate at this week’s astronautical congress were denied entry into Australia because of possible links to military programs as the war in Ukraine continues.
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“Frankly, as a community, we are appalled that delegates from Russian science and research institutions have been allowed to enter Australia,” says Kateryna Argyrou, the Chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations.
“These are not neutral academics — their research underpins Russia’s weapons systems, which are killing Ukrainians every day.”
“It is a double standard for the Government to claim it ‘stands with Ukraine’ while offering a platform for information exchange and legitimacy to enablers of Russian war crimes,” Ms Argyrou told The Nightly.
“We must not forget that every representative of the Russian Federation is a representative of a genocidal regime.”
Removed by mod
In general there should be harsh sanctions in place, however, if they come to tell more about their weapon systems, why not make an exemption? /s
The fuck is this racist comment?
There’s nothing racist about preventing citizens of a murderous regime from enjoying travelling the world as tourists whilst the leader they support continues his illegal war.
Please tell the Olympics they are racist for blocking Russia competing in it you weirdo
It’s completely different stopping a country having a representation in some international contest than to strip away people from the right to move because the were born in a specific place.
You both are pieces of shit.
Freedom of movement is a human right, true, but exerting pressure on people so they exert pressure on their governments is a tried and true strategy of effecting change. Doubly so when it’s something like travel, which mainly affects wealthy people more like to have clout and influence.
Many war crimes are also very effective strategies. So you are okay with them?
They aren’t though? No war crime has ever helped win a war.
Nuclear, chemical and biological weapons? Starvation? Taking hostages? If they weren’t effective why would countries use them?
Nuclear has only been used once, before it was known to the world and taboo, and there are plenty of strong arguments that the war was already over by the time the bombs dropped.
Chemical and biological weapons are hilariously imprecise and always back fire to some degree and are largely ineffectual (Look up mustard gas in the world wars for examples of how they were useless at actually taking ground or removing opposition)
And starvation like strategic bomb doesn’t really effect the war fighting capacity of a country and typically increases civilian support for the army to spite the ones inflicting them.
Countries use these weapons (aside from the first) because they are the epitome of “this is scary therefore it will work” but that’s an emotional argument not a factual one.
War crimes cause long lasting damage to their victims but don’t achieve military gains. Because if they worked they wouldn’t be war crimes they would just be war. when we created the list of war crimes scholars and generals worked together to make a list of strategies that the scholars wanted removed for humanitarian reasons and generals wanted removed for being ineffectual.
Right to move? How is that arranged or made legal?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_movement
The whole system of travel between countries being a privilege rather than a right is insanely authoritarian and is the basis of a lot of oppression worldwide (see: the whole concept of an illegal immigrant). Now that doesn’t mean exceptions can’t exist (like the person in the OP), but they should be that: exceptions.
It’s a human right. To be a democracy you need to already have all human rights codified in your legislation.
People have the right to leave the country they are in, or return to the country they’re a citizen of. No other country has to let you in.
According to UN yes, but that’s a pretty low standard. I’m talking about real democratic values.
Also how are you going to leave your country if every other country is blocking you off?
You don’t get to make up definitions to suit your needs.
This is absolutely not true. And furthermore countries are not required to allow anyone to enter. Nice ideal maybe but not reality, nor practical.
This whole thing loops back to Russia hmmmm
Required by whom? I don’t care about practicality. Slavery is much more practical than having everyone be free, so I guess that’s okay too.