Angelina Jolie, a humanitarian and Hollywood actress, expressed her disapproval of the practice of seeking justice for some groups of people but not for others, claiming that this practice exists “even in the UN.”
Stressing that human rights are not equally spread around the world, she said “human rights (are) sometimes for these (some) people … (but) never for these (other) people.” The reality is that the world operates based on “business interests,” said Jolie, a former UN goodwill ambassador and later special envoy until last year, calling this an “ugly state” of affairs.
She said that she found this “disheartening” and “upsetting,” especially “as someone who has witnessed war crimes firsthand.”
Governments, politicians, and decision-makers make promises and declarations, but these often lead to “nothing changed and nothing different,” she said.
She noted that though people were often raised with the idea that “colonialism ended,” the control and abuse of developing countries still persists.
Last month, Jolie condemned Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza and urged action against the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians. Posting a picture of the damage in Gaza online, she wrote: “This is the deliberate bombing of a trapped population who have nowhere to flee. Gaza has been an open-air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave.”
“40% of those killed are innocent children. Whole families are being murdered. While the world watches and with the active support of many governments, millions of Palestinian civilians – children, women, families – are being collectively punished and dehumanized, all while being deprived food, medicine and humanitarian aid against international law,” she said.
