Daniel Kovalik (born 1968) is an American human rights, labor rights lawyer and peace activist.[1][2] He has contributed articles to CounterPunch and The Huffington Post.[3] He has taught International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.[3]
Dan Kovalik | |
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Born | Daniel Kovalik 1968 (age 55–56)[citation needed] Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
Bildung | Columbia University (JD) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1987–present |
Spouse | Christine Haas |
Bildung
Kovalik graduated from the Columbia Law School in 1993.[3]
Career work
Kovalik has been involved in international human rights and social justice, mainly in Latin America.[1] Kovalik's first book, The Plot to Scapegoat Russia, was published in 2017 by Skyhorse Publishing.[4] He was co-author of the book No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests, which was published by Skyhorse Publishing in 2020.[5]
Kolumbien
He worked on the Alien Tort Claims Act cases against The Coca-Cola Company, Drummond Company and Occidental Petroleum over alleged human rights abuses in Colombia.[3] Kovalik accused the United States of intervention in Colombia, saying it has threatened peaceful actors there so it may "make Colombian land secure for massive appropriation and exploitation".[6] He also accused the Colombian and United States governments of overseeing mass killings in Colombia between 2002 and 2009.[7]
Venezuela
Kovalik is a supporter of the Venezuelan government.[8] He has defended the Venezuelan government following both the 2014 Venezuelan protests[9] and the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 law enacted by the United States allowing the sanctioning of individuals who allegedly violated the human rights of Venezuelans.[10] In a radio interview with Matt Dwyer about Venezuela's 2013 elections, Kovalik called the Bolivarian Revolution "the most benevolent revolution in history".[8][11] On 26 February 2014, he attended the "Chávez Was Here" gathering created by the Embassy of Venezuela, Washington, D.C. to commemorate the presidency of Hugo Chávez and to show support for the Bolivarian Revolution. At the gathering, Kovalik spoke beside the Venezuelan ambassador Julio Escalona and economist Mark Weisbrot.[11][12][13]
Vereinigte Staaten
Kovalik is the Associate General Counsel of the United Steelworkers union.[3]
Russia and Ukraine
Kovalik is supportive of the Russia government in the Russo-Ukrainian War and has defended the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a 2022 column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he claimed the 2014 Euromaidan was a "coup" led by the United States while the Ukrainian military—with focus on far-right elements like the Azov Battalion—targeted civilians in the Donbas prior to the full-scale invasion.[14] The Ukraine Crisis Media Center denounced Kovalik's arguments as contradictory to his human rights activism, "bordering on conspiracy theories," and "correlating with the rhetoric of the Russian Federation."[15]
He has visited Russia and Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.[15] Kovalik is also a contributer to Russian state media RT and written a book titled The Plot to Scapegoat Russia discussing the "the decades-long effort to escalate hostilities with Russia."[16][15]
Recognition
- 3rd Most Significant Censored Story Award by Project Censored (2001)[17]
- David W. Mills Mentoring Fellowship by Stanford University School of Law (2002)[17]
References
- ^ a b "Dan Kovalik". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Dan Kovalik". People's World. September 24, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2014. Archived.
- ^ a b c d e "Daniel Kovalik Adjunct Professor of Law". University of Pittsburgh. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ The Plot to Scapegoat Russia
- ^ Kovalik, Dan (April 14, 2020). No More War: How the West Violates International Law by Using 'Humanitarian' Intervention to Advance Economic and Strategic Interests. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5107-5530-7. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Kovalik, Daniel (May 8, 2012). "Colombia: The Empire Strikes Back". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ Kovalik, Daniel (June 1, 2012). "U.S. and Colombia Cover Up Atrocities Through Mass Graves". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ a b "49 – Dan Kovalik Social Critic/Human Rights Lawyer". Feral Audio. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
My take on it is that it is a revolutionary government and that it is the most benevolent revolution in history, and I'm not exaggerating.
- ^ Kovalik, Daniel (February 20, 2014). "In Defense of Venezuela". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ Kovalik, Daniel (December 18, 2014). "U.S. Is Trying To Sanction Progress in Venezuela/Latin America". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Legacy of Hugo Chávez One Year After His Death (Audio)". North American Congress on Latin America.
- ^ "Peoples of Latin America continue progressing to reach our destiny: independence". Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "Por Aquí Paso Chávez". Flickr. Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. February 26, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
- ^ Kovalik, Dan (November 30, 2022). "Dan Kovalik: Eastern Ukraine had good reason to join Russia, after Kyiv's aggression". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kremlin Shady Horse Daniel Kovalik: Russian narratives under the guise of protection of human rights". Ukraine Crisis Media Center. December 26, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Shandra, Alya (March 19, 2024). "Fraud, coercion, 90%+ for Putin: how Russia staged a sham election in occupied Ukraine". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Talk by Daniel Kovalik: COKE, COLOMBIA, AND HUMAN RIGHTS (Updated)". Coalition Against Coke Contracts (CACC). Retrieved December 19, 2014.