COP 29–an “Optical Illusion”
The UN climate conference in Baku ended with the Azerbaijani hosts announcing a “deal” after intense negotiations that continued well beyond the scheduled close of the meeting, but the developing countries rejected the outcome, with India leading the criticism. On the table was the commitment of a specific sum of money from the developed countries, who are primarily responsible for the climate crisis, to help poorer, developing countries make the transition to cleaner energy and cope with the impacts of climate change. The rich countries, who have been notoriously dodgy about paying for the mess that they have created, pledged to increase the flow of money to $300 billion from the current target of $100 billion by 2035. This remains grossly inadequate–developing countries are estimated to need at least $1.3 trillion annually in order to keep average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius from preindustrial levels. Under the Baku deal, the tripling of the target is based on a call to private companies and international lenders to ramp up their efforts, an arrangement that the Indian representative has described as an “optical illusion”.
A Sinha

RSS Hooliganism at Udaipur Film Festival
The CPIML unequivocally condemns the cowardly disruption by RSS goons of the screening of Had Anhadat the Udaipur Film Festival. This brazen attack on democratic spaces and progressive art reflects the growing attack on freedom of speech under the fascist regime, which seeks to stifle any voices critical of exploitation and injustice.

The Udaipur Film Society organised this 3-day festival (15-17 November) as part of the Cinema of Resistance initiative to promote critical and socially important cinema. This year’s festival, dedicated to the memory of thousands of Palestinian children brutally murdered by settler-colonial Israel, and to Professor G.N. Saibaba, a tireless advocate for people’s rights, was disrupted on its second day. The RSS thugs demanded the removal of these dedications, spewed vile abuse against Palestinians and Professor Saibaba, and unlawfully halted the screening of Had Anhad.

Despite the organisers securing all necessary permissions, the administration failed to stop this undemocratic and unlawful act of RSS. Even the intervention of the District Collector proved ineffective in curbing the RSS’s hooliganism.

The CPIML stands in firm solidarity with the Udaipur Film Society in its brave stand against fascist intimidation. The refusal of the organisers to remove their dedication to Palestinian children and Professor Saibaba is a courageous assertion of democratic rights.

The SanghParivar’s fear of progressive cinema like Had Anhad, which exposes the politics of religion through Kabir’s poetry, underscores their broader fear of a growing popular consciousness. Art, especially people-centric cinema, challenges the exploitative status quo and inspires resistance against injustice.
CPIML-Liberation

Manual Harvesting            
Although mechanisation of harvesting has started in the Atarra region of Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district with some harvesters being brought here all the way from distant places, most of the harvesting is still done manually. For most of the landless workers this was the highest priority work during the harvesting season and they were declining to go for other work. Most of them were eager to take up this work compared to any other work. The reason was clearly that this contributes a lot to food security as workers are paid in kind (a part of the harvested crop).

By harvesting the crop on one bigha of land (one acre is equal to 2.5 to 3 bighas) it is possible to earn about 50 kg of paddy which works out to about 30 kg of rice. Husband and wife often working together are generally able to harvest one bigha in three days. Now harvesting season may last for almost a month but typically a couple may get employment on only 15 out of 30 days. Nevertheless, for 15 days work this couple will get 150 kg of rice (good quality local rice), which they consider very important for their food security. In addition there would be other earning like for carrying/gathering the harvested paddy.

In the case of harvesting wheat a couple is more likely to harvest a bigha in two days and get about 37 kg from a bigha. So on the basis of 15 days’ work and harvesting about 7.5 bighas, they are likely to get 277 kg wheat.

Keeping in view this important role of employment obtained in manually carried out paddy and wheat harvesting for landless farm workers, the relentless increase of mechanisation of crop harvesting should be questioned. If crop harvesting is mechanised the employment and food security of farm workers will be affected very adversely.

In the area where manual harvesting is still taking place, even if the paddy-wheat rotation is followed, there is no problem of parali burning.

On the other hand in those villages of this region where harvesting is being mechanised, the problem of parali burning has also started appearing.

The policy of relentless mechanisation of harvesting should be discarded to avoid very adverse impacts.
Bharat Dogra

Warrants of Arrest
On 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine,unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel (‘Israel’) brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the ‘Statute’). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant.

As to the first challenge, the Chamber noted that the acceptance by Israel of the Court’s jurisdiction is not required, as the Court can exercise its jurisdiction on the basis of territorial jurisdiction of Palestine, as determined by Pre-Trial Chamber I in a previous composition.

The Chamber also rejected Israel’s request under article 18(1) of the Statute. The Chamber recalled that the Prosecution notified Israel of the initiation of an investigation in 2021. At that time, despite a clarification request by the Prosecution, Israel elected not to pursue any request for deferral of the investigation.

The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.

At the outset, the Chamber considered that the alleged conduct of Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant falls within the jurisdiction of the Court.

With regard to the crimes, the Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu, born on 21 October 1949, Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the relevant conduct, and Mr Gallant, born on 8 November 1958, Minister of Defence of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
Fadi El Abdallah, ICC

State Terror in Bastar
This year, Bastar has witnessed an intensifying militarisation, significantly heightening violence against Adivasi communities as security forces target them under the guise of anti-insurgency operations. Over 300 security camps have been established, creating an overwhelming security presence that has transformed Adivasi lands into zones of fear, marked by arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings. These actions further suppress peaceful protests against land dispossession and environmental devastation. The state’s approach appears to prioritise military control over indigenous rights and welfare, deepening cycles of violence and repression in the region. Sharing a link to a recent citizens’ report on the region for further context–https://cgnarratives. github.io. 

Of particular urgency is the fact that the whereabouts of the 44 detained Adivasis remain unknown, raising concerns about their safety and well-being.

Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chattisgarh[CPJC] calls upon the state to release all arbitrarily detained individuals, initiate independent investigations into alleged staged encounters, halt militarised ‘development projects’ infringing on Adivasi lands, and comply with the Supreme Court’s 2011 ruling against the deployment of tribal youth in paramilitary operations. 
Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chattisgarh

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 24, Dec 8 - 14, 2024