Pakistan: Activists sound alarm over hate crimes, blasphemy claims

Activists and members of minority communities say Pakistan's culture of impunity, along with state inaction, is fueling the rise of hate crimes and blasphemy accusations.

Accusations of blasphemy can spark deadly mob attacks in Pakistan

A handicapped man was set ablaze in Ghotki, Pakistan on October 1, 2022. When the victim jumped into a nearby pond to extinguish fire, the attacker, apparently a student of a religious seminary, followed him, strangling him to death. The reason, according to media reports, were accusations of blasphemy. The video of the killing went viral online.

The killing sent shockwaves across Pakistani society, especially among minority communities in the deeply religious country where most people identify as Sunni Muslims.

Just a few days later, Shiite scholar Naveed Ashiq was killed in the eastern Punjab province.

In a separate incident, a radical Sunni cleric in the same province called for the killing of pregnant women from the Ahmadi religious sect. The Ahmadi are not recognized as Muslim under Pakistani law.

Claims of blasphemy can be especially dangerous in Pakistan. Human rights groups believe most accusers use these claims to settle personal scores and property disputes as well as other minor issues.

Records show that 1,415 people were accused of blasphemy between 1947 and 2021. According to the Center for Research and Security Studies, a Pakistani think thank, 81 of the accused were killed — 71 men and 10 women.

Hate crimes on rise

Disturbingly, the number of incidents which involve accusations of blasphemy and hate crimes against minorities appears to be rising.

In December 2021, a Sri Lankan man was lynched in Sialkot city of Punjab while this February a man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran was beaten to death by a mob in the Punjabi town of Khanewal.

Recently, a school in the city of Attock, in the same eastern province, expelled four Ahmadi children. The reason provided by the school was merely that they were Ahmadi, said Amir Mahmood, Punjab spokesperson for Jamaat-e-Ahmadi, an Ahmadi organization.

The Ahmadi representative told DW that social media was awash in hate literature against his community, complete with anti-Ahmadi banners and posters. This has, in some cases, led to blasphemy allegations, Mahmood said.

No action from the state

Recently, a gathering of a Sunni extremist outfit in Islamabad openly chanted slogans against Shiite Muslims. Several politicians and even one of Pakistan's top judges have also openly denigrated minorities in recent years.

Activists and minority communities point to the culture of impunity as one of the reasons behind the attacks on minorities and blasphemy accusations which can also target Muslims

Even high-ranking politicians are not immune against extremist attacks. Pakistan's current planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal, was shot and wounded in 2018 by an Islamist hardliner. Iqbal served as the country's interior minister at the time.

Asad Butt, co-chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, also believes that the number of hate crimes and blasphemy claims is on the rise. He slammed the Pakistani government for ignoring the problem.

"Instead of taking action, the government is talking to the Taliban who killed Christians, Ahmadis and many Muslims and extremist groups that spread hate against minorities," he told DW.

This attitude encourages extremists to peddle hate against minorities and encourage lynchings against those accused of blasphemy, Butt said.

Element of fear

Activist Sadia from Okara in Punjab believes that the extremist groups wield immense influence in Pakistani society. This influence is enough to deter people from questioning the claims of those accusing others of blasphemy, she said, adding that if a person is accused of blasphemy, people simply start gathering outside their residence without subjecting the claims to any scrutiny.

"In such matters the sense of fear is so profound that you can't dare to ask those who accuse anyone of blasphemy," Sadia told DW.

This element of fear encourages extremists in their lynchings and hate campaigns, and neither politicians nor ordinary people are ready to break this fear-based framework, she said.

Some activists believe that unregulated growth of religious seminaries has fed the increase in hate crimes and claims of blasphemy. The killer of handicapped man in Ghotki is said to be a student of a religious seminary.

Political activist Naghma Iqtidar points out that religious seminaries can now be found in every part of the Pakistani province of Sindh, marking a significant change compared to two decades ago.

"Hate crimes and accusations of blasphemy have also risen during the same period," she told DW.

TLP gaining strength

Pakistan has witnessed an immense popularity of a religious group called Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) during the last 14 years. The far-right group fiercely opposes any amendments to the country's blasphemy laws. In 2017, it paralyzed the capital Islamabad by staging a massive sit-in and demanding the resignation of Zahid Hamid, who was the justice minister at the time. Hamid eventually stepped down.

LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER THE TALIBAN
New but old dress code
Although it is not yet mandatory for women to wear a burqa, many do so out of fear of reprisals. This Afghan woman is visiting a local market with her children. There is a large supply of second-hand clothes as many refugees have left their clothes behind.
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Last year, TLP supporters clashed with the police, leading to several deaths. The unrest started after their leader was arrested for giving the Pakistani government an ultimatum and insisting they expel the French ambassador over a blasphemy dispute. TLP leader, Saad Rizvi, was eventually released in November 2021 and a short-lived ban on the party was lifted.

A follower of the group is believed to be responsible for the killing of an Ahmadi man in Chiniot in late September 2022.

Many critics claim that the organization not only carries out vitriolic attacks on minorities but also on anyone daring to challenge them.

Punjabi activist Sadia believes the TLP is more powerful than any other religious group in Pakistan today. Naghma Iqtidar from Sindh claims their rise has created more intolerance in society, leading to more accusations of blasphemy.

Human rights commission chair Butt notes that the group has tens of thousands of voters across Pakistan and has even managed to win two seats in the province of Sindh.

Government's stance

Critics believe a vast number of hate crimes go unreported. Anis Haroon, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, says no institution in Pakistan records such incidents.

But Muhammad Jalal-ud-din, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party (the Party of Islamic Scholars), which is part of the ruling coalition, rejects claims that hate crimes are on the rise.

He told DW that minorities in Pakistan are awarded all rights under the country's constitution. The politician insisted that the government was not lenient towards anyone preaching hatred. Jalal-ud-din also rejected the alleged link between religion-fueled violence and talks with the Taliban, saying that the talks were a completely separate issue.

"Anyone breaking the law would be brought to justice, including those attempting to stir hatred," he said. 

Edited by: Darko Janjevic 

 Governments doing little to fight rising inequality post-COVID, says report

While Norway and Germany were top performing countries in terms of tackling inequality between 2020 and 2022, poorer countries with fewer resources have had a much tougher time.

Bottom performers were all lower-income countries affected by internal conflict and political instability

Most countries have failed to grapple with inequality that worsened because of the pandemic, a new report by the nonprofit groups Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI) found on Tuesday.

The report, called the 2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality, ranks countries between 2020 and 2022 on three pillars key to reducing inequality.

The three pillars are spendings on social protections, tax and labor policies which show researchers how countries fared in terms of closing the gap between the rich and poor.

Researchers tracked 161 countries for the report and found that half of low and lower middle income countries cut health spending during the pandemic, while half the countries cut social protection spending.

More than 90% countries didn't increase taxes on rich people, in spite of being strained on finances, the report said.

The report was released as delegates from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepare to gather for their annual meetings in Washington on Tuesday.

Norway and Germany are top performers

Norway was the top performing country, assessed by their overall performance on policies on social protection, tax and labor, followed by Germany.

Australia, Belgium and Canada came next, according to the findings. 

All countries in the top 10 were members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), an agency that represents the world's top economies.

On the other hand, the bottom performers were all lower-income countries, with Nigeria and South Sudan among the worst-performing countries.

South Korea and Senegal were among the countries that made significant improvement to fight inequality by improving spending in public services and spending more on social protections.

A report by the World Bank also found earlier this month that developing economies with fewer resources have borne the brunt of the global COVID-19 pandemic because they are not able to spend more to aid with economic recovery.

The World Bank said that 2020 saw the biggest setback to global poverty in decades.

Public spending cuts criticized

The Oxfam report said that economic inequality and poverty in poor countries were exacerbated by the IMF's insistence on new austerity measures to reduce debts and budget deficits.

"The debate has catastrophically shifted from how we deal with the economic fallout of COVID-19 to how we reduce debt through brutal public spending cuts,  and pay freezes," Matthew Martin, the director of FDI, said.

"Inequality is a policy choice, governments must stop putting the richest first, and ordinary people last," Martin added.

Edited by: Amanda Rivkin

Mental health issues like depression and anxiety on the rise globally

Across the world, people need mental health support now more than ever. Global and community-led initiatives are starting to make a difference. But is it enough? On World Mental Health Day, DW takes a look.

Access to mental health support is difficult in many countries

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a World Health Organization (WHO) event to "raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health."

Mental health advocates, including the WHO, have been pushing hard to reform mental health care for decades. This year, they stress that a perfect storm of events — from the coronavirus pandemic to economic downturns — has had a major impact on mental health around the world.

According to the WHO World Mental Health report published earlier this year, depression and anxiety rose 25% in the first year of the pandemic, bringing the total number of people living with a mental disorder to nearly 1 billion people.

"What's more, mental health services have been severely disrupted in recent years, and the treatment gap for mental health conditions has widened," a WHO spokesperson told DW.

Special initiative for mental health

So what's being done about it? In 2020, the WHO established the Special Initiative for Mental Health. It is among the WHO's most ambitious mental health programs so far, aiming to increase access to mental health services for 100 million people across 12 nations including Ukraine, Jordan, and Zimbabwe.

"Many countries have very outdated mental health service mandates," Alison Schafer, a technical advisor in the WHO's mental health department, told DW. "We're working with countries to change their approaches so more people have access to support."

Since the initiative began in January 2020, 5 million more people have gained access to mental health and psychosocial support, according to the WHO. Psychosocial support involves building networks around people in need, often through family and local structures.

Schafer said it took two-and-a-half years to set up the initiatives. "But now we expect more and more progress to be made towards expanding mental health services so that more people will be able to access support."

One of the biggest successes so far has been providing mental health and psychosocial support during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and for people affected by conflict in Ukraine and the Philippines.

"We're having the most immediate impact on people here," Schafer said, calling crisis support "key."

Schafer also cited early successes in countries like Paraguay that have enabled consultations with psychiatrists via video calls. During the coronavirus pandemic, video consultations were particularly effective in sustaining community support.

"It sounds quite simple to achieve, but what was missing was the infrastructure," she added.

Big-picture approach to mental health

Schafer said the uniqueness of the WHO's mental health initiative is based on its big-picture approach.

"There is no one way to approach mental health services and support. It requires a bigger perspective than what's been looked at before — not just focusing on singular interventions or groups — but at a whole system of mental and related health care services, which may be offered in health care but also in schools, community organizations, religious groups and businesses," she said.

One goal of the initiative is to focus on providing support to at-risk groups. At-risk groups include, among others, people who experience discrimination or human rights violations, including people who identity as LGBTQ.

"We're already seeing early successes; for example, helping people understand that that sexual attraction between people of the same sex is not a mental disorder, but rather they might be at higher risk of mental health conditions because of social stigma and discrimination, and in need of support," Schafer said.

According to Schafer, the success comes from basing mental health support on scientific evidence, on decades of learning, and enhanced rights of people living with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities. But the initiative has not been without its challenges.

"Some countries are further ahead in their progress," Schafer said. "The WHO's Special Initiative for Mental Health is working toward facilitating such changes so that expansion of mental health services can be sustained and enhanced even further."

Community-led programs offer lasting mental health support

While the WHO initiative is seeing early successes, the project will end in 2023. What happens with the new mental health support networks after that is not clear.

Renée Eloundou, an anti-discrimination consultant at Berlin-based counseling organization Sources-d'Espoir (sources of hope), is critical of mental health initiatives that have fixed durations.

"The help people need doesn't have an end point. The mental instability people find themselves in is very difficult to deal with. It takes time for people to open up and talk. It takes time to establish support networks," Eloundou told DW.

Sources-d'Espoir provides counseling and support for migrant communities in Germany, particularly Black communities.

The link between mental health issues and discrimination, Eloundou said, is striking.

"People [who] experience discrimination often feel ashamed or part of the problem. They feel alienated by government-led structures, which makes them isolated and prone to mental health challenges," she said.

Community support is among the most effective ways to provide psychosocial care

Some 98% of the organization's team is made of Black women who came to Germany as adults. Eloundou emphasized how important it is that psychosocial care gets led by people from the same communities as those they are trying to help.

"Community action is a must. Our team has similar experiences of discrimination, so can easily relate with someone and analyze the signals of mental health difficulties. It helps to build trust around mental health," Eloundou said.

"If you wish to target mental health issues, you need to collaborate with communities and collaborate with experts who have the skills," she added.

"Then you can make a lasting change."

Edited by Carla Bleiker

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World Cup 2023 playoffs: NWSL scandal hangs over Iceland's biggest game

A World Cup berth has so far eluded Iceland. But Midfielder Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir believes the team can grasp their playoff chance and spoke of her relief that the NWSL scandal is in the open.

Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir has been playing for Iceland for more than a decade 

but is on the verge of a first World Cup

As Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir prepares to represent Iceland in what she calls "the most important game" in her career, the football scandal rocking the United States, where Jonsdottir spent a chunk of her childhood and now plays, still hangs heavy.

The Iceland midfielder, commonly known as 'Gunny', spoke to DW from the Portugese city of Porto ahead of her team's Women's World Cup 2023 playoff against Portugal on Tuesday.

If they win, Iceland make it into their first World Cup (though they've made the last four Euros).

Any outcome other than that, and a complex playoff system leaves things up in the air.

"This is the biggest game in Icelandic women's football history. So we know that, and we know what we need to prepare for," she said. "Iceland, on the women's side, has never qualified for the World Cup. So this is huge. If we go to the World Cup, I think we'll be writing history for the women's game."

Iceland fans charter plane

That phrase has become commonplace in European women's football in 2022, with Iceland part of a Euros that set multiple records, mostly regarding attendance.

Although Iceland has a population of less than 400,000, team fans have developed a reputation for traveling to matches in large numbers and creating an enormous spectacle.

Despite Iceland's fans only finding out where they were traveling to late last week after Portugal beat Belgium, Jonsdottir said "there is a whole plane coming."

"At least we'll have that, which is wonderful. And we also feel the support from home," she said.

The day after Iceland found out they were to play Portugal, Jonsdottir's adopted nation, the US, played in front of more than 76,000 fans at Wembley in a 2-1 loss to England.

Players from both sides wore teal-colored armbands and held a banner saying 'Protect the Players' following the publication of an inquiry that found that US's top domestic league, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), had a "systemic" culture of abuse and misconduct.

Jonsdottir, who plays for Orlando Pride in the NWSL, said the report's findings came as a "relief". 

Pride coach and former US international Amanda Cromwell is one of those terminated following the year-long investigation.

'Women's football deserves better'

"Finally, there's something happening, and you see that there are strides in the right direction," she said.

"Women's football does deserve better, does deserve more. It's wonderful that players are speaking up and demanding better. And it's great to see teams taking action and players taking action.

To me, that is number one because without the players, you don't have this sport. So I think it's time that you treat the players better and coaches and staff and owners don't get away with how they've been treating players in the last years."

The 33-year-old added that she believes the increased attention on women's football is helping create an environment where victims of abuse are starting to be believed above perpetrators.

Things things need to keep progressing though, she said.

"It took a player like [USA forward] Alex Morgan to get things moving because she has the platform. And it's wonderful that she did that, because it started a movement in this sport that has been well needed," she said. "Hopefully, people then are starting to feel more confident about speaking up if that happens to them, or is in their environment."

Iceland squad the right blend

Having won 95 caps since making her Iceland debut in 2011, Jonsdottir is well-placed to judge the merits of the current Iceland set up.

Iceland drew with France and Italy at Euro 2022 but couldn't progress past the group stage

"I would say it's probably one of the best," she said. "It has such a good balance of young players who have experience, young players that are so hungry to do well with older players who have been here for a while and have a lot of experience. Then you also have the ‘Inbetweeners', so I think when you have that great balance and great morale and a team, you can get so far."

For a country of their size and resources, Iceland have already come a long way. But not quite far enough for Jonsdottir and her teammates. They need to get all the way to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup 2023.

Edited by: James Thorogood

Opinion: Why don't Russians demonstrate for freedom and democracy?

Thousands of people are protesting on the streets of Iran. Yet Russia remains calm. Fear of police brutality can't be the reason, as this is equally bad in both countries, argues DW's Miodrag Soric.

Anyone protesting in Russia risks arrest, imprisonment, and torture—

yet in Iran thousands continue to defy these risks

Why are hundreds of thousands of Russians allowing themselves to be sent off as cannon fodder in this criminal war of aggression?

Why are they placing their fate in the hands of a warmonger?

Why don't they rebel?

Most people outside Russia can't answer these questions. It seems that Russians are prepared to allow anything. Commentators resort to stereotypes about the supposed national character: Russians are forbearing, they've always obeyed whichever tsar was in the Kremlin, or they're afraid of freedom, as Russia author Fyodor Dostoyevsky once wrote.

It is true that rebelling is dangerous right now. Anyone in Russia who stands up for freedom risks imprisonment and torture. But these consequences also threaten demonstrators in Iran— yet over the past weeks, thousands of people there have taken to the streets to protest the mullahs' brutal regime. Dozens have already paid with their lives. But those who manage to escape the Iranian police seem undeterred. They continue to protest, although the slaughterers in Tehran and other Iranian cities are no less brutal than the OMON [special riot police] in Moscow.

Lukanshenko will fall without Putin's protection

The world is following the Iranians' courageous protests with admiration — just as millions of people everywhere paid tribute to the courage of Belarusians two years ago, when they revolted against Lukashenko's rigged elections, or to Ukrainians, who fought repeatedly for democracy.

In Ukraine, the people prevailed. In Belarus, they haven't yet. But when Russian President Vladimir Putin is no longer able to protect him, Belarusians will drag Lukashenko to trial.

It is nonsense to claim that Russians are unsuited to democracy. Reference is often made to surveys which claim that around one in three Russians believe "Western democracy isn't suited to Russia." Those who think this way, if any do, are the older generation. They have never spent much time in the West. The younger generation, on the other hand, is as open-minded as their peers in Paris or London. Young Russians want freedom, real democracy, prosperity, the opportunity to travel.

DW's Miodrag Soric

It is also nonsense to claim, as leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church have done, that democracy supposedly undermines morality. The opposite is true. Only courts that are independent of the state provide justice for all, no matter how good or bad their personal relationships with politicians may be. In today's Russia however, the Kremlin decides what the verdict should be when demonstrators are brought to trial. Russia's judges are the henchmen of power. In stable democracies, corruption and cronyism don't stand a chance.

The trauma of the 1990s

The 1990s are cited as another reason why many older Russians are skeptical about democracy. But what Russians had to endure back then had nothing to do with democracy. Rather, after 1991, the old Soviet elites — former party functionaries and secret service members — indulged in self-enrichment at the public's expense. Then they were able to control the country's politics with their mountains of cash.

Yet Ukrainians and Georgians went through this in the 1990s too. Oligarchs also had tremendous influence in Kyiv, but Ukrainians still managed to vote governments in and out of office. Gradually their standard of living improved. The country developed into a model, showing what Russia could be, and in doing so, became a threat to Putin. It was suddenly clear that democracy and freedom were also possible in the East.

Ukrainians will continue to fight for their country. They don't want to live in an authoritarian state. They are united by their enormous sacrifice and their war of defense against Russia will shape them for generations.

If the citizens of Russia also want a decent life, in freedom and prosperity, then they too will have to fight for it. Just as the people of other nations have done.

This article has been translated from German.

Germany cybersecurity chief faces sacking over Russia ties — reports

The interior minister wants to fire the country's cybersecurity chief, according to German media. Reports allege Arne Schönbohm had contacts with individuals connected to Russia's spy agency.

German outlets report Arne Schönbohm may soon be replaced

Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is looking to fire the chief of the federal agency responsible for cybersecurity, Arne Schönbohm, over his alleged contacts with agents of Russia's security services, Germany's newspapers reported on Sunday, citing anonymous government sources.

Schönbohm is the president of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

A recent investigation, however, found that he was also the member of a technology association that has been criticized for its ties to Russia. One of the association's members is a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB employee.

The Interior Ministry said on Monday that it "takes the matters reported over the weekend seriously and is investigating them comprehensively."

A scheduled joint appearance of Faeser and Schönbohm on Thursday to present the BSI Situation Report 2022 has reportedly been called off.

What are German media outlets reporting?

The Bild daily tabloid quoted the Interior Ministry as saying, "It is being examined how a rapid change of president can be achieved." German authorities are reportedly hoping to assign Schönbohm a new role rather than remove him outright, as provisions of the civil service law place limitations on the firing of public servants.

Media outlets said Schönbohm's alleged contacts with Russian agents may have come through the Cyber Security Council of Germany. Schönbohm helped found the group, which has among its membership roster a German company that is subsidiary of a Russian firm founded by a former employee of the Soviet-era spy agency, the KGB.

On Monday, Schönbohm called the allegations "absurd."

Konstantin von Notz, the head of the oversight committee for the intelligence services in the Bundestag, or German parliament, said, "These accusations must be decisively investigated."

Why is the Cyber Security Council of Germany controversial?

Among the members of the council is the Berlin-based cybersecurity company Protelion. Until the end of March, the firm did business as Infotecs GmbH.

According to the Policy Network Analytics research network, Protelion nee Infotecs was a subsidiary of the Russian firm O.A.O. Infotecs, operated by a former KGB member.

German media report that Schönbohm was urged by the Interior Ministry to distance himself from the council, but his recent visit to mark the group's anniversary instead created widespread discontent within the ministry.

Germany has accused Russia of cyber attacks in recent years, including in 2015 when a cyberattack brought down the lower house of the Bundestag, or German parliament.

ar/nm (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)

Opinion: The Outer Space Treaty is 55 and out of date

Back in the 60s, the Outer Space Treaty provided us with an assurance of peace and security in the Cold War space race. So much has changed since then — so, why hasn't the Treaty — asks DW's Zulfikar Abbany.

Each time the USA planted a flag on the moon, it stuck a stake in the heart of the Outer Space Treaty

Consider the vastness of outer space for a moment and ask yourself whether it could or should be humanly possible to sum up all of what we humans may possibly want to do in outer space in a three-page document. 

It certainly was possible in October 1967 — at least in an aspirational sense — when the Outer Space Treaty entered into force. But it shouldn't have been possible, not for a legal framework that's lasted 55 years ... and counting. 

Our use of, and ambitions for, outer space have changed to such an extent in the past five decades that those three pages* just don't cut it anymore.

*I'm discounting the preamble and Articles XIII-XVII, which is largely legal jargon. (So, altogether it's more like seven pages. Big whoop.)

So, why do we have an Outer Space Treaty? 

Back in 60s, we had two main players in space: the USA and the USSR. We were in a Cold War of ideologies, technology, world trade, resources, with battles for geographical domination on land, sea and in the skies. But not in space. 

The Cold War could have bled into space, but the two superpowers made a pledge to keep outer space free of military conflict. Plus, we had enough other battles to be getting on with on the ground — Vietnam, to name the most obvious. They reserved outer space for exploration, science, and described it as "the province of all mankind."

But they had all this rocket science left over from World War II, so why not use it — blast a few humans into space and plant a flag? Why not? Well, by planting their flag on the moon, the USA rammed a stake into the Treaty's heart. That's why.

Race through the Apollo years and you could argue that without the Outer Space Treaty, we wouldn't have had 20+ years of wonderful collaboration on the International Space Station.

Article V states that "Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind in outer space and shall render to them all possible assistance ..." — it's talking about helping astronauts when they return to Earth.

The spirit of those words were seen in action in the early months of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War when Russia could very well have left NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei stranded on the ISS, but, instead, allowed him to return to Earth onboard a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft alongside two Russian cosmonauts.

So, all good there. But spirit and goodwill won't see us through much longer. Things have changed too much since 1967.

There have been numerous other space treaties alongside, if you will allow me to paraphrase a space debris expert at the European Space Agency, "unenforceable" guidelines. But the Outer Space Treaty remains the foundation, like a ceremonial constitution, upon which all other space law is draped. 

The problem is that the Treaty is vague and itself virtually unenforceable.

DW Science Editor, Zulfikar Abbany

I've spoken to outer space experts who celebrate the Treaty for its vagueness — "that's what makes it so adaptable," they say — and I've spoken to space lawyers who agree that the Treaty is an anachronism and that it needs to go — for the very same reason.

The problem with the Outer Space Treaty

Perhaps the Treaty is not entirely at fault — perhaps it's the times in which we live. 

In the 60s, who could have predicted that we would have thousands of active satellites orbiting our planet, each under threat from 10 times as many bits of space debris — each tiny rock vying to knock out our increasingly essential global communication networks. Satellites are moved by controllers on Earth to dodge space debris more regularly than I care to look up right now.

Who would have thought that we would see China progress on the moon and other "celestial bodies" like asteroids, where all other nations have failed. China was the first country to land on the far side of the moon, but you would never have thought it in the 60s. 

It is also, along with Japan, a pioneer in what scientists call "sample return missions" — robotic retrievals of rocks and minerals that we all need for our survival on Earth.

And who would have predicted that some of the newer players in space, India among them, would be quite happy to fire rockets from Earth to shoot their own satellites out of orbit — even though the Outer Space Treaty prohibits it. 

The DART mission: It's about protecting Earth from asteroids, but who is to stop the same

 technology being used to attack a country's space interests?

Article IV refers to celestial bodies when it says that "the testing of any type of weapons ... shall be forbidden," but it's a short step from shooting your own satellite to shooting someone else's, or ramming an asteroid with a space craft (read, NASA's recent DART mission) ... 

All research and innovation is adaptable for both good and bad, and "all of mankind" has shown so many times how we just love to adapt good stuff to do bad.  

Who could have predicted it? We all could have predicted it.

But we can salvage the Treaty

We can still turn this around. We can work harder to encourage countries like China to accept "international responsibility" when their rockets — turned space junk — fall back to Earth, landing in and polluting our oceans.

Articles X and XI of the Treaty allude to equality and the sharing of information. And we can improve transparency about our ambitions for space. We can build on Earth observation programs that truly aim to benefit all people in our climate emergency.

There is, however, one thing we can't fix and that is the 60s pipedream that we could ever have managed to maintain peace in outer space. The USA officially considers space another dominion of war, so, Russia would be stupid not to. And as we can see on our screens, those old foes are still old foes. So, given how we struggle to observe international law on Earth, especially in war, what chance have we got it space?

Edited by: J. Wingard

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