backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 233 comment(s) - last by michael67.. on May 28 at 7:00 PM

Matthew, the chimp at the heart of the legal action
Austrian Chimpanzee launches appeal to gain formal legal status as a human being.

The European Court of Human Rights has agreed to a preliminary hearing to determine whether chimpanzees are entitled to the legal status and protections granted to human beings. 

The action is being sponsored by the Association Against Animal Factories, an activist group based in Vienna.  Eberhart Theuer, the group's legal advisor says, "This case is about the fundamental question: Who is the bearer of human rights? Who is a person according to the European Human Rights Charter?"

At the center of the case is Hiasl, a 26-year old chimpanzee now called Matthew by his keeper, Briton Paula Stibbe.  Matthew currently shares a shelter with another chimpanzee named Rosi in the town of Voesendorf, outside of Austria.  Their upkeep runs nearly $8,000 a month and the shelter recently filed for bankruptcy. 

Donors have stepped in to offer assistance, but Stibbe says only official status as a human can permanently prevent Matthew from being transferred out of Austria.  That status would force the state to appoint a guardian to look after his status, and presumably also entitle him to government assistance for upkeep.

A win for the group could have sweeping ramifications for the entire European Union, with legal precedent existing for apes -- and possibly other animals -- to receive the rights, protections, and even medical, financial, and social benefits of human beings.

A lower court dismissed the original case without directly addressing whether or not an ape could legally be adjudged a human.  So Miss Stibbe and the AAAF appealed directly to the European Court of Human Rights, which has agreed to a preliminary hearing.

Miss Stibbe says, "Since he has no close relatives, I am doing this as the person closest to him."  She says she also plans to legally adopt Matthew as well.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
This is a joke right?
By FITCamaro on 5/23/2008 10:58:41 AM , Rating: 5
While I do not deny the genetic similarity of apes and other monkeys to humans, nor their intelligence, they are not human beings and as such, do not and should not have the rights of one. Yes they should have the same rights as animals like don't torture them and such, but the right to vote? Since thats what the thing would get if this case were successful.

This is nothing more than a guy who doesn't want to loose his pet. Deal with it buddy.




RE: This is a joke right?
By BMFPitt on 5/23/2008 11:04:43 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
Yes they should have the same rights as animals like don't torture them and such, but the right to vote? Since thats what the thing would get if this case were successful.
If voters in the EU are as intelligent as those here (judging by their track record I's say yes) then they might was well let apes vote. Free bananas for everyone is a much cheaper pander than the Farm Bill.


RE: This is a joke right?
By snownpaint on 5/23/2008 1:48:08 PM , Rating: 1
"get your damn paws of me, you stinkin' apes!"

So lets say they have Ape Rights, not Human but Ape rights.. Does that mean we have to protect their homes/area of living? How about their pursuit of happiness?


RE: This is a joke right?
By Bonesdad on 5/23/2008 3:37:18 PM , Rating: 5
It's actually "Get your stinkin paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"


RE: This is a joke right?
By Strunf on 5/23/08, Rating: 0
RE: This is a joke right?
By B3an on 5/23/08, Rating: 0
RE: This is a joke right?
By Hawkido on 5/23/08, Rating: -1
RE: This is a joke right?
By Hawkido on 5/23/2008 5:20:32 PM , Rating: 4
Yeah only a true Ape would be responsible for the 2 greatest wars on the planet, then make fun of the country that saved your collective asses both times. Wanna try for the third?

Socialism at its best:
"Lets tear everything down to the same level so we are all equal, 'cept me of course..." - Socialist Liberal Mantra


RE: This is a joke right?
By Nik00117 on 5/23/2008 5:52:28 PM , Rating: 2
I'm german, and thats a low blow. Seriously I hear it all the time, you caused 2 two WWs extra blah blah.

Well we'll take blame for the 2nd one, that was entirely us.

1st one was far more complicated. It was like a diminona affect after the duke got killed. Countries took sides armed up and began fighting.

Its been over 60 years since Hilter was around, Germany has recovered fully along with the rest of the EU.

Now I suspect that poeple picking on bush is ok, why you ask? Cause thats not 60 years ago, shit its not even 60 minutes ago hes still in office. so seriously you don't need to be banging on something that happened over 60 years ago. Most germans weren't even alive back then. And a lot of the ones that were were very young at the time. I mean my great grandma is one of the few I can recall out of hundreds if not thousands of germans i've seen and talked too.


RE: This is a joke right?
By imperator3733 on 5/23/2008 6:18:36 PM , Rating: 2
World War I was the result of a lot of different things, two of them being extreme nationalism and alliances that involved all of Europe. The real blame for it is on the Austro-Hungarian Empire for not declaring war on Serbia sooner. If the AHE had declared war when the shock of the assassination was still fresh, most of the other countries would not have done anything -- they might have even supported it. Germany did give the AHE a blank check for support, so you could use that argument, but the war was because of the assassination and then a delay in a declaration war.


RE: This is a joke right?
By heeros1 on 5/24/2008 10:10:59 PM , Rating: 2
I have to agree that Germany isn't the same. I can't talk for all schools, but the school I attended in Germany (up to 10th grade) was pretty lenient compared to the American schools I attended afterward, but one thing they did not tolerate was "nazi" behavior. you could get into some big trouble if you drew the "hakenkreuz" or shouted "heil hitler" or similar things. I was very surprised how freely some of these expressions were being used in American schools.


RE: This is a joke right?
By B3an on 5/23/2008 6:01:39 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Yeah only a true Ape would be responsible for the 2 greatest wars on the planet


Well your current Monkey has already started one war, so he's getting there himself...

I know education isn't one of most americans strong points... but the U.S had little to do with WW1. You also joined 3 years late aswell ... sounds familiar... infact it was almost over when the U.S joined in.

And the reason the U.S probably got involved in the WW2 was because you came to realise, that if the whole of Europre fell under Nazi control, it would be you yanks next... and back in them days you wasnt the power you are now, you wouldn't have stood a chance on your own.

And it's funny how some yank always brings up Germany in things like this... like the whole of Europe consists of Germany...


RE: This is a joke right?
By imperator3733 on 5/23/2008 6:27:05 PM , Rating: 2
World War I was almost over when the US joined -- Germany was about to win. After the Russians dropped out, Germany shifted all of the eastern front troops over to the western front. It was only American intervention that made the Allies win. So, the US had a lot to do with WWI.

The US got involved in World War II because of Pearl Harbor. That is the only reason at the time that the US entered the war. The US did not declare war on Germany (In fact, the US was the only country that Germany declared war on during WWII). I'm not saying that something would not have happened later on that would have brought the US into the war (like WWI), or that Americans weren't sympathetic to the Allies, but the US entry into the war did not have anything to do with Germany. It was because we were attacked.


RE: This is a joke right?
By heeros1 on 5/24/2008 10:16:31 PM , Rating: 2
I don't quite remember, but I believe some of the US involvement in W.W.II was the sinking of US ships by german submarines, and a letter from/to mexico and germany about plans to invade the US together, but that might have been later, like I said I don't really remember.


RE: This is a joke right?
By imperator3733 on 5/25/2008 1:40:13 PM , Rating: 2
The letter that you refer to was the Zimmermann Telegram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_Telegram ), which was sent on 16 January 1917. This, along with German U-Boats sinking American ships, was one of the reasons that the US entered WWI .

I believe there were some incidents with German U-Boats before the US entered WWII, and some American ships were ordered to engage the Bismarck if encountered, but none of that was a reason for the US entering the war.


RE: This is a joke right?
By michael67 on 5/24/2008 6:28:45 AM , Rating: 1
I always wonder how any post about the EU comes down to that we are all "hart bleeding socialist idiots"

quote:
Yeah only a true Ape would be responsible for the 2 greatest wars on the planet, then make fun of the country that saved your collective asses both times. Wanna try for the third?

Yeah we should thank America for the rest of our lives on our hands and knees????

I grow up in Holland and when i was young, we ware thankful for the liberation and and food drops on Holland by the US and properly own my existence to them.

Now a days i see 90% of the problems in the world have there roots from the always short term and self interested US foreign policy's over the last 50+ years.

I give one example, but could give dozens more and all well documented.
Iran:
During the fifties Iran had a real Pro western leader that wanted Iran modeled after European/US model
During his term he wanted to renegotiate the contracts that Iran had whit British petroleum (BP) that ware made up before WOII to get a fair prize.
Brittan saw that this would cost them billions of pounds and went to the US because they ware still devastated after cost of WOII.
British MI6 and CIA set up plan under a "false flag"(1)
This plan was to get the Shah(2) in power as a puppet of the west.
This was done by terrorist bomb attacks and and under the claim of a non-terrorist group wanted separation from Iran.
And by supporting the troops loyal to the Shah.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag#Terrorism_...
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi...

There are dozens more examples ware CIA involvement was soul focus on the self interest of the US.

quote:
Socialism at its best:
"Lets tear everything down to the same level so we are all equal, 'cept me of course..." - Socialist Liberal Mantra

Capitalism on it best:
"Lets just think of my self and screw everyone else, its doggy dog, and put it all under a national sauce so my hands are clean"
Conservative capitalistic Mantra

Did this statement help you seeing my point of view?. no it just polarizes opinions and makes you feel its you against me, and makes you even less seeing my point of view!
Screaming that all people of the EU hart bleeding socialist is just nonsense.

I would strongly advice all fans of the capitalistic model to take a good look at the documentaries of Adam Curtis how American society is manipulated to adopt a extreme form of Capitalism by the the "captains of industry" because they ware scared shirtless they would loose there change to control society and make more money.

Hey analyses not only US but global history by the use of psychoanalysis, these documentaries are very powerful to open up eyes left and right, and are also not left ore right orientated as he is evenly harsh on left as on right wing party's

It will also show that for example one of America's greatest presidents, Roosevelt would even bin seen by current average EU standards as "EXTREEMLY LEFT"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curtis
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Adam+Curtis&...

quote:
Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it;
Those who fail to learn history CORRECTLY.. are simply doomed.

Don't remember ware the quote comes from but it has a lot of truth in it


RE: This is a joke right?
By Reclaimer77 on 5/24/2008 7:52:31 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
I always wonder how any post about the EU comes down to that we are all "hart bleeding socialist idiots"


Not all of you. Just your government.

quote:
Yeah we should thank America for the rest of our lives on our hands and knees????


I don't think he was saying that. But a little respect would be nice once and a while.

quote:
Now a days i see 90% of the problems in the world have there roots from the always short term and self interested US foreign policy's over the last 50+ years.


Hey lets pull big numbers out of our ass to make our arguments look more solid. Also If you are going to accuse the CIA of funding terrorism you had better bring more proof then Wikipedia links!

quote:
There are dozens more examples ware CIA involvement was soul focus on the self interest of the US.


Who's interest should the CIA be focused on ? Other nations have well developed intelligence agencies too you know. Are you saying they aren't " self focused " as well ? Besides, whats good for the US is good for the world. Hate that fact all you want.

quote:
Hey analyses not only US but global history by the use of psychoanalysis, these documentaries are very powerful to open up eyes left and right, and are also not left ore right orientated as he is evenly harsh on left as on right wing party's


Have you ever heard of a spell checker ? I can barely read and understand this paragraph. So I guess I can't debate whatever point you are trying to make here.

Basically a bunch of EU snobs were bashing Bush, and he pointed out that because of European idiocy, the world was plunged into war not once, but twice. And yes, the United States was instrumental in those wars. By comparison the " Iraq War " was barely ever a war. And certainly not a World War. This argument is going to come up every time Europeans get on their high horse about things. Sorry your feelings got hurt though.


RE: This is a joke right?
By Strunf on 5/24/08, Rating: -1