Amnesty International News
Paraguay: Land dispute victory for displaced indigenous community
A land deal finalized this week between Paraguayan authorities and a land owner in the country’s central region will allow a long-displaced indigenous community to rebuild in safety and dignity, Amnesty International said today.
For almost two decades, the Yakye Axa indigenous community have fought a legal battle to return to their ancestral lands while around 90 families were forced to live in destitute conditions alongside a nearby highway.
Years ago, private landowners moved in and took over their lands. Indigenous families were dispersed among privately owned cattle ranches, where many were mistreated and exploited.
A lawyer representing the Yakye Axa yesterday told Amnesty International that the families in the community will soon move to the newly acquired land, comprising more than 12,000 hectares within the ancestral lands of the Enxet ethnic group
“The community is very happy. The young people, who can now build a new future, and the elderly, who fought for so many years, are in high spirits,” said Julia Cabello, a lawyer and director of the Paraguayan NGO Tierraviva, which works with the Yakye Axa and other communities of the Enxet ethnic group.
In 1993, the Yakye Axa community started the legal process to reclaim a portion of their ancestral lands.
In 2005, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered Paraguay to restore the Yakye Axa’s lands.
Meanwhile the conditions in the roadside encampments remained dire, with the lack of access to basic services contributing to illness and a series of preventable deaths in the community.
Once the Yakye Axa community is resettled, under the terms of the Inter-American Court ruling, the Paraguayan authorities must also set up a US$950,000 fund aimed at community development.
The fund is destined towards educational, housing, agricultural and health projects, as well as the provision of drinking water and sanitation.
“The Yakye Axa can now rebuild a secure and stable community and live in accordance with their culture, free from the dangers they have faced for too long in the precarious roadside camps,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Programme Director at Amnesty International.
This latest indigenous land deal comes several months after another Enxet indigenous community, the Sawhoyamaxa, negotiated an agreement in September 2011 to return to their ancestral lands. The negotiations are still ongoing.
For more than two decades, Tierraviva has been supporting indigenous communities like the Yakye Axa and the Sawhoyamaxa to return to their ancestral lands, which are vital to their cultural identity and way of life.
“We hope the Yakye Axa case becomes a positive example of the direction the Paraguayan authorities intend to take with all the unresolved indigenous land claims in the country and that the authorities will establish an effective mechanism to process such claims and make indigenous rights a key priority,” said Guadalupe Marengo.
After a two-decade legal battle, the Yakye Axa indigenous community in Paraguay can finally move away from a precarious roadside camp.
Media Node: Yakye Axa indigenous community Story Location: Paraguay 23° 11' 2.868" S, 57° 55' 11.7192" W “The community is very happy. The young people, who can now build a new future, and the elderly, who fought for so many years, are in high spirits. ” Source: Julia Cabello, lawyer and director of the Paraguayan NGO Tierraviva Date: Fri, 03/02/2012 URL: Brazil: Further information: Indigenous community have days to leave land Description: Urgent action, 1 February 2012 URL: Paraguay to restore Indigenous community’s ancestral lands Description: News story, 29 September 2011 URL: Paraguay: Indigenous Peoples tell their own stories with pictures Description: Feature, 9 December 2010 URL: Indigenous Peoples' Rights – Solidarity across borders Description: Blog, 16 July, 2009 URL: 'We're only asking for what is ours': Indigenous peoples in Paraguay Description: Report, 31 March 2009Thousands rally in solidarity with Middle East and North Africa protesters
Thousands of people rallied in cities across the world today to demand respect for human rights in the Middle East and North Africa as part of a global day of action organized by Amnesty International.
Activists, trade unionists, students and Amnesty International supporters gathered in countries from Morocco to Nepal in a day of "solidarity and defiance".
“Our message to the people of the Middle East and North Africa is that you are not alone in your struggle. We are with you,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General, who led events in London’s Trafalgar Square.
“Our message to the governments of the Middle East and North Africa is that you will be held to account. The world is watching."
Rallies were held in cities across Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nepal, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
The event in London featured live pictures of protesters in the Syrian towns of Deraa and Idlib.
In Morocco, Amnesty International and local activists staged a sit-in in one of Rabat’s main squares.
Activists in Switzerland demonstrated solidarity with protesters in Egypt in an aerial art photograph spelling out the word Tahrir, while in France there were events in 13 cities across the country.
Despite the momentous changes in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, Amnesty International said that governments across the region had proved willing to deploy extreme violence in an attempt to resist unprecedented calls for fundamental reform.
Despite great optimism in North Africa at the toppling of long-standing rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, these gains have not yet been cemented by key reforms to guarantee that human rights abuses would not be repeated.
Egypt's military rulers, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), pledged repeatedly to deliver on the demands of the “January 25 revolution” but Amnesty International has found that they have in fact been responsible for a catalogue of abuses that was in some aspects worse than under Hosni Mubarak.
In Syria, the armed forces and intelligence services have been responsible for a pattern of killings and torture amounting to crimes against humanity, in an attempt to terrify protesters and opponents into silence and submission.
Amnesty International has received the names of more than 5,400 people believed to have been killed in the context of protests in Syria since mass protests began in March 2011.
Hundreds of people, the majority unarmed, have been killed by shelling and sniping in the opposition stronghold of Homs.
“We have documented a vicious pushback against human rights in countries such as Egypt, while elsewhere, such as in Syria, governments continue to brutally repress protesters,” said Salil Shetty.
“But the protest movements across the region, with young people and women playing central roles, have proved astonishingly resilient, and show few signs of abandoning their goals or accepting piecemeal reforms.”
“We stand here today to ensure that those responsible for violations – those who are opposed to human rights change - know that they will be held accountable for the abuses they have committed. Their attempts to stand in the way of human rights change must end.”
Amnesty International led rallies in cities across the world as a Global Day of Action in solidarity with the protesters of the Middle East and North Africa.
Media Node: MENA global day of action - Trafalgar VIDEO: Salil Shetty 'Global Day of Action' message Twitter Tag: feb11global Story Location: United Kingdom 51° 30' 29.0448" N, 0° 7' 40.9368" W See map: Google Maps “Our message to the people of the Middle East and North Africa is that you are not alone in your struggle. We are with you.” ” Source: Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General Date: Sat, 11/02/2012 URL: Global day of action - supporting the people of the Middle East and North Africa Description: News story, 10 February 2012 URL: Global Day of Action - Middle East and North Africa Description: Flickr gallery of Amnesty International campaign actions around the world URL: Middle East and North Africa Global Day of Action Description: Campaign event on Facebook URL: Year of Rebellion: Human rights in the Middle East and North Africa Description: Special feature URL: Year of Rebellion: State of Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa Description: Report, 9 January 2012EU urged to reject international anti-counterfeiting pact
Amnesty International today urged EU governments not to join the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), branding it a “Pandora’s box” of potential human rights violations.
Starting this Saturday, 11 February, a range of civil society groups and individual citizens have planned protests in many European cities to voice opposition to ACTA before the European Parliament decides whether to formally ratify the pact later this year.
ACTA seeks to establish new standards for enforcing a wide range of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights and patents.
Amnesty International believes the pact's content, process, and institutional structure impact in a number of ways on human rights – especially the rights to due process, privacy, freedom of information, freedom of expression, and access to essential medicines.
“The EU should reject ACTA in its current form – implementing the agreement could open a Pandora's box of potential human rights violations by doing away with due process and front-loading the requirement to enforce its provisions,” said Widney Brown, Senior Director of International Law and Policy at Amnesty International.
“While Amnesty believes that creators should be compensated for their work, the protection of intellectual property should never come at the expense of basic human rights.”
Weakened protections
Amnesty International is concerned about ACTA’s broad coverage, vague language, and tendency to value private law enforcement over judicial review.
Rather than allowing the courts to resolve how infractions of the ACTA should be treated, the pact obliges states to encourage third parties to enforce its provisions.
This would incentivize Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to impose repressive measures to avoid infringements, such as blocking, deleting, or even suspending services without recourse to judicial review.
Companies may be threatened with criminal sanctions if they derive “indirect” economic benefit from infringements or if they are deemed to have “aided and abetted” one or more acts of infringement. This is likely to have a chilling effect on free speech and access to information.
As these private companies would also be incentivized to implement intrusive surveillance technologies in order to avoid being liable for the actions of their users, this would also lead to gross violations of user privacy.
Access to generic medicines and other essential products could also be affected, as the ACTA would give customs officials the authority to seize products with labels suspected of being confusingly similar to trademark brands. Giving generic medicines similar labels helps to communicate medical equivalence and supports public health policy goals.
Amnesty International is also gravely concerned about the ACTA’s vague and meaningless safeguards. Instead of using well-defined and accepted terminology, the text refers to concepts such as “fundamental principles” and even invents a concept of “fair process”, which currently has no definition in international law.
“Worryingly, ACTA’s text does not even contain references to safeguards like ‘fundamental rights’, ‘fair use’, or ‘due process’, which are universally understood and clearly defined in international law,” said Widney Brown.
Behind closed doors
A small number of states including EU members, Japan, Australia and the USA, have negotiated the Agreement since 2007.
The negotiation process has lacked transparency and democratic credibility, as it has taken place outside of recognized institutions, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The public was kept out of the process, and civil society, despite its demands, has not yet had access to all documents relating to the ACTA negotiations. US industry was kept up to speed with the negotiations, on condition that the industry partners signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The resulting standards are tremendously skewed towards protecting commercial interests over human rights.
The EU – representing 27 governments – is due to start hearings on the ACTA in March, with a ratification vote tentatively slated for June or July.
Enforcement
The pact would set up an unelected “ACTA committee”, which would have the power to set standards, negotiate accessions of new countries and promote “best practices”. It would also be the first port of call to interpret the meaning of the frequently vague text of the agreement – creating meaning after parliaments had given their approval.
Most of these functions are already carried out by the WIPO, where civil society has a voice and deliberations are generally transparent and predictable.
“All global trade agreements must be negotiated transparently under the auspices of existing intergovernmental organizations such as the WIPO or the WTO,” said Widney Brown.
“Multilateral trade agreements that affect public goods, including freedom of expression, innovation and access to basic medicines, must always uphold basic human rights principles, such as accountability, transparency, participation, equality and sustainability. ACTA has failed on all of these fronts.”
A proposed trade agreement aimed at protecting intellectual property could pose a threat to a wide range of human rights.
Media Node: ACTA protests Twitter Tag: ACTA Story Location: United Kingdom 49° 15' 57.2112" N, 3° 46' 45.4692" E See map: Google Maps “The EU should reject ACTA in its current form – implementing the agreement could open a Pandora's box of potential human rights violations.” Source: Widney Brown, Senior Director of International Law and Policy at Amnesty International Date: Fri, 10/02/2012 URL: Human Rights and the internet Description: Blog, 31 October 2011 URL: The ACTA action centre Description: Blog by Access Now, 8 February 2012Global day of action - supporting the people of the Middle East and North Africa
Thousands of Amnesty International supporters, diaspora groups, trade unionists and students are set to join a global day of action on 11 February in solidarity with protesters in the Middle East and North Africa demanding reforms and greater respect for human rights.
Events will be held in cities across nearly 20 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nepal, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
“Human rights were and are at the core of the demands for change in the Middle East and North Africa that have led to the extraordinary events of the last year,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“On the one-year anniversary of the fall of Hosni Mubarak, we are gathering in public places around the world to demonstrate our solidarity with people across the region who are continuing to stand up to brutal repression with courage and dignity.”
A global day of action will be held in nearly 20 countries on 11 February in solidarity with protesters in the Middle East and North Africa.
Media Node: global day Trafalgar Square Message from Salil Shetty Story Location: United Kingdom 51° 35' 47.8968" N, 0° 44' 49.452" W See map: Google Maps “On the one-year anniversary of the fall of Hosni Mubarak, we are gathering in public places around the world to demonstrate our solidarity with people across the region who are continuing to stand up to brutal repression with courage and dignity.” Source: Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Date: Fri, 10/02/2012 URL: Middle East and North Africa Global Day of Action Description: Campaign Action URL: Year of Rebellion: Human Rights in the Middle East and North AfricaChina must release activist sentenced to seven years for writing poem
The Chinese authorities should immediately release a poet activist imprisoned for “inciting subversion of state power”, Amnesty International said today after a court in eastern China sentenced him to seven years in jail for writing a poem urging people to support freedom.
The court ruled that Zhu Yufu’s poem It’s Time, sent using the Skype online chat service, deserved stern punishment, according to his son.
“Sentencing veteran activist Zhu Yufu to seven years for writing a poem is further evidence of the Chinese government’s continuing repression of anyone who is perceived to directly or indirectly criticize its policies,” said Sarah Schafer, Amnesty International’s China researcher.
"These harsh measures are a sign that the Chinese leadership must be afraid of losing its grip on power. Why else would it sentence someone to seven years in prison for writing a poem?"
One verse of the poem in question reads,“It's time, Chinese people!/The square belongs to everyone/the feet are yours/ it’s time to use your feet and take to the square to make a choice."
The sentencing of Zhu Yufu comes as Xi Jinping, who is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as China’s Communist Party leader, is set to visit the White House for talks next week, where he is likely to face criticism over human rights violations in China.
The sentencing of Mr Zhu, 59, follows the imprisonment of two other prominent activists in December, Chen Wei from Sichuan and Chen Xi from Guizhou, on the same charge of "inciting subversion."
The Chinese authorities often use this vaguely defined charge to silence perceived critics.
Mr Zhu, who was involved in the 1979 Democracy Wall pro-reform movement, has been jailed twice for his activism in the past. He has spent a total of nine years in prison.
“The Chinese government has seen the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. And it has seen the Chinese people themselves grow stronger in their demands for more freedoms and a say over their country's future,” said Sarah Schafer.
China has sentenced a veteran activist to seven years in prison for writing a poem urging people to support freedom.
Media Node: Zhu Yufu Story Location: United Kingdom 29° 34' 6.1032" N, 121° 48' 59.0616" E See map: Google Maps URL: China: Harsh sentence for activist Chen Wei condemned Description: News, 24 December 2011.Urgent plan needed to tackle housing crisis in Haiti
Haitian authorities must urgently develop and implement a national plan to tackle the country’s severe housing crisis, Amnesty International said today after a child died in a fire that broke out in a camp of survivors of the 2010 earthquake.
According to reports from local authorities and human rights group GARR, a 3-year-old girl died and three people were severely injured on Wednesday morning in a what is believed to be an accidental blaze in camp Ecole République d’Argentine, in the Carrefour Péan district of Port au Prince.
Some 700 families are living the camp.
“The terrible fire that took a child’s life in Carrefour Péan is a tragedy that was long coming,” said Javier Zúñiga, Special Advisor at Amnesty International.
Amnesty International experts last visited Haiti in September 2011 to look at the living conditions of Haitians in the hundreds of camps set up after the 2010 earthquake. More than two years the earthquake, an estimated half a million people live in the camps and most are under continual threat of forced eviction.
Problems included severe overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of drinking water which contribute to the spread of diseases. The insecurity of the situation has also led to sexual violence against women and girls.
“In the two years since the earthquake, very little has been done to tackle the country’s housing crisis, the problem that Haitians quote as one of their main concerns,” said Javier Zúñiga.
“Unless urgent action is taken to improve the living conditions of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children living in makeshift camps across Haiti, we can only expect more tragedies like this to take place.”
In January 2011, Amnesty International released Aftershocks. Women speak out against sexual violence in Haiti’s camps, a report which documents the widespread sexual violence suffered by girls and women living in the makeshift camps since the eaerthquake.
The death of a child amid a fire at an earthquake survivors' camp in Haiti highlights the authorities' need to resolve the dire housing crisis.
Media Node: Haiti earthquake camps Story Location: Haiti 19° 25' 39.2556" N, 71° 47' 44.3544" W “Unless urgent action is taken to improve the living conditions of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children living in makeshift camps across Haiti, we can only expect more tragedies like this to take place.” Source: Javier Zúñiga, Special Advisor at Amnesty International Date: Fri, 10/02/2012 URL: Haitian authorities forcing quake victims into homelessness Description: News story, 11 January 2012 URL: Hundreds of Haitian families evicted from earthquake camp Description: News story, 22 July 2011 URL: Haiti: Aftershocks: Women speak out against sexual violence In Haiti’s camps Description: Report, 6 January 2011Syria: Brutal assault on Homs must end
Russia and other countries with influence over Syria must act urgently to stop the bombardment of Homs, Amnesty International said today.
More than 200 people have been killed in Homs since Friday, the majority of them unarmed victims of shelling and shot by snipers.
While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday met with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syrian security forces’ unrelenting bombardment of Homs continued and has since intensified.
Amnesty International called on Russia to make it clear to the Syrian government, both publicly and in private, that the military assault on the city of Homs must end immediately.
The organization also called on the Arab League to continue its diplomatic efforts on Syria.
“The situation in Homs is critical, and is turning into a major humanitarian crisis. Russia has blocked international efforts to stop the massive human rights violations in Syria, stating that they have a better plan for resolving the crisis,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General.
“Russia, and other countries with influence over Syria, must use whatever means they have to restrain the Syrian military in Homs and ensure it stops using heavy weaponry in residential areas.”
“The Syrian government seems to think that Saturday’s Security Council veto has given it the green light to crush resistance in Homs by any means – Russia needs to make clear, with a loud voice, that this is not the case.”
Since Friday residential areas in Homs - including al-Khaldieh, Bab ‘Amr, Bab al-Seba’ and al-Insha’aat - have been subjected to shelling by government forces and there have been heavy exchanges of fire with anti-government fighters in these areas.
The Syrian army has deployed tanks in certain areas. Armed groups in the city are reported to be using Kalashnikovs and RPGs in response.
Since Friday Amnesty International has received 246 names of people reported to have been killed in Homs, including at least 17 children. While some of those killed were armed men fighting against the government forces, the majority were reported to have been unarmed.
Hundreds more are reported to have been injured. Most people are being treated in makeshift field hospitals or at their homes.
Homs residents told Amnesty International that there is a severe shortage of medical staff, equipment and medication to treat the injured. On Monday a field hospital treating both injured residents and fighters was hit by shelling.
The Syrian News Agency said on 7 February that 30 men from the army and security forces were buried after being killed by what they termed “terrorist groups” in different parts of the country.
Amnesty International also called on the Arab League to take the opportunity of its Ministerial meeting this weekend to continue its efforts to build international pressure on the Syrian government and other governments who are supporting it.
“The Arab League was rebuffed by the UN Security Council on Saturday but we believe it should continue its work to bring an end to the atrocities taking place in Syria,” said Salil Shetty.
“The first step is for the Arab League to make it clear that they will not let the pressure drop, and to push this issue back to New York, whether that be the Security Council or the General Assembly.”
Amnesty International has received the names of more than 5400 people believed to have been killed in the context of protests in Syria since mass protests began in March 2011.
Amnesty International has concluded that crimes against humanity are taking place in Syria – a finding also made by a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry in November – and called for the situation to be referred to Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, as well as for a comprehensive arms embargo to be imposed on Syria and an assets freeze against President Bashar al-Assad and his close associates
Amnesty International has called on Russia to make it clear to the Syrian government that the assault on the city of Homs must end immediately.
Media Node: Syria Homs tank Story Location: United Kingdom 34° 48' 34.5384" N, 36° 39' 1.4076" E See map: Google Maps “The Syrian government seems to think that Saturday’s Security Council veto has given it the green light to crush resistance in Homs by any means” Source: Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary GeneralPanama: Protester deaths need proper investigation
Panama’s authorities must investigate allegations of excessive use of force by police after two protestors were killed during three days of clashes between security forces and the Ngäbe-Buglé people, Amnesty International said today.
Jerónimo Rodríguez Tugrí was allegedly shot dead by police in San Felix in eastern Chiriquí province on 5 February, and more than 40 others – including police officers – have reportedly been wounded during the demonstrations.
On 7 February the media reported the death of another demonstrator, Mauricio Méndez, in David, Chiriquí province. The circumstances of his death have yet to be confirmed.
“The authorities must carry out a full, independent, impartial and prompt investigation into the protesters’ deaths and all those injured and bring those responsible to justice”, said Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Director at Amnesty International.
Members of the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous people - who live in the west of the country in the provinces of Chiriquí, Veraguas, and Bocas del Toro - blocked the Pan-American Highway as part of a protest begun on 30 January over fears that an amendment to a bill could pave the way for hydroelectric projects on their lands.
Yesterday, after a week of mass protests throughout the country, the government and the Ngäbe-Buglé reached an agreement to start a dialogue on the protestors´ demands and the immediate withdrawal of riot police from the areas where they had been deployed. The Ngäbe-Buglé on their part will abandon the roadblocks they had set.
“It is regrettable that two people died and scores were injured, as a result of the continued disregard by the Panamanian authorities to protect Indigenous Peoples rights.
"Indigenous Peoples have the right to be consulted and to give their free, prior and informed consent with regards to development projects and must be consulted in good faith before any legislative measures are adopted that may affect them.” said Guadalupe Marengo.
"Panama supported the adoption in 2007 of the UN Declaration on the Rights for Indigenous Peoples, which clearly protects Indigenous Peoples against losing their land and resources in the name of development. The Declaration was adopted precisely to avoid loss of life and livelihood and to ensure that communities enjoy all their human rights without discrimination.
“It is time Panama honours this declaration and shows its people and the world that they are serious about respecting and protecting the rights of all people. Development projects and the exploitation of natural resources must not become sources of abuse of Indigenous Peoples.
"Indigenous Peoples have suffered years of abuse and discrimination, states have a duty to reverse this abuse,” said Guadalupe Marengo.
Two activists in Panama have been killed in clashes between security forces and the Ngäbe-Buglé people during anti-mining protests.
Media Node: Panama Ngobe-Bugle demo Story Location: United Kingdom 8° 38' 35.8764" N, 79° 43' 0.4692" W See map: Google Maps “Indigenous Peoples have suffered years of abuse and discrimination and states have a duty to reverse this” Source: Guadalupe Marengo, Deputy Americas Director at Amnesty InternationalMaldives: End use of excessive force against protesters
Maldives security forces must stop using violence against supporters of Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party, a day after he was forced to resign the presidency under the threat of violence by the military and police, Amnesty International said.
Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that Nasheed and a large number of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members were marching peacefully through the streets of the capital Malé when police attacked them first and then failed to protect them from a violent counter demonstration.
Some of the MDP demonstrators were cordoned off by the police in a narrow alley where a mob shouting anti-MDP slogans began to beat them.
One eyewitness saw Nasheed’s face covered in blood. He was then seen to be rushed away. Later a video emerged on the internet showing the police arresting him.
Police also beat some 40 demonstrators with batons. Some sustained serious injuries. There are reports that at least one demonstrator may have died as a result of the beating.
MDP chairperson, and member of Parliament, Reeko Moosa was first attacked by the police and then a mob attacked him with broken glass bottles. Police reportedly did not stop them. He is in a critical condition from the injuries and is receiving treatment at the intensive care unit of the Indira Ghandi Memorial Hospital.
At least five MDP members of parliament are detained at the Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre.
One of the detained MPs, Mariya Ahmed Didi, who had been released from police custody last night was attacked by the police as she was attending today’s demonstration.
An eyewitness told Amnesty International that she was beaten up and pulled away by her hair from the scene by a policeman. Another MP, Imtiyaz Fahmy was also beaten and taken to Dhonidhoo detention centre.
Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director, said: ”We are extremely concerned about the latest developments in The Maldives.
“The new authorities must ensure the right to freedom of expression and assembly and we want to see an investigation into the attack on Mohamed Nasheed and other protesters. Those responsible for the attack on demonstrators must be brought to justice.
“MPs and others held in Dhoonidhoo detention centre should have access to their family and lawyers, and they must receive adequate medical treatment and a thorough and independent investigation should be made into the reasons for their arrest.
“They should be released unless the government can charge them with a cognizable criminal offence through a fair and impartial process.”
Police in the Maldives have reportedly attacked outgoing president Mohammed Nasheed and his supporters during a peaceful protest.
Media Node: maldives teargas getty Story Location: United Kingdom 3° 22' 57.198" N, 73° 39' 8.4384" E See map: Google Maps “We want to see an investigation into the attack on Mohamed Nasheed and other protesters” Source: Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific directorDarfur: New weapons from China and Russia fuelling conflict
Arms sales from China and Russia are fuelling serious human rights violations in Darfur, Amnesty International said today. These arms transfers highlight the urgent need to strengthen the existing ineffectual UN arms embargo and for governments to agree an effective Arms Trade Treaty.
A briefing, Sudan: No end to violence in Darfur, documents how China, Russia, and Belarus continue to supply weapons and munitions to Sudan despite compelling evidence that the arms will be used against civilians in Darfur. Exports include supplying significant quantities of ammunition, helicopter gunships, attack aircrafts, air-to-ground rockets and armoured vehicles.
An estimated 70,000 people were displaced from eastern Darfur in 2011 in a wave of ethnically targeted attacks against the Zaghawa community by Sudanese government forces and militias.
“China and Russia are selling arms to the Government of Sudan in the full knowledge that many of them are likely to end up being used to commit human rights violations in Darfur,” said Brian Wood an expert on military and policing for Amnesty International.
“The Darfur conflict is sustained by the constant flow of weapons from abroad. To help prevent further serious violations of human rights, all international arms transfers to Sudan should be immediately suspended and the UN arms embargo extended to the whole country.”
Next week, at the UN in New York, the Security Council will again consider the existing Sudan sanctions. Governments will also resume crucial talks on a future Arms Trade Treaty. An effective treaty would compel governments to stop transfers where there is a substantial risk the arms will be used to commit or facilitate serious human rights violations or war crimes.
“Until governments agree a strong Arms Trade Treaty with specific rules to respect human rights, UN arms embargoes will continue to be flouted and millions of people will continue to suffer the consequences of irresponsible arms transfers, as they do in Darfur,” said Brian Wood.
Arms supplied to the Government of Sudan are used in Darfur both directly by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF); and government-backed militia including the Popular Defence Force (PDF). The PDF formally commanded and equipped by SAF operate alongside them, including by being deployed on SAF vehicles.
Chinese-manufactured small arms ammunition is being used in Darfur by SAF, other Sudanese security agencies and SAF-backed militia groups.
One attack, on 1 December 2011, at the Zam Zam camp for people displaced by the conflict, saw Sudanese security forces carry out a looting raid during which one man was shot dead and six other people were seriously injured.
Witnesses reported finding ammunition following the raid bearing Chinese ‘41’ and ‘71’ manufacture codes, and (20)06 and (20)08 manufacture dates indicating that it was transferred to Darfur after the imposition of the UN arms embargo.
Amnesty International has discovered that 2010-manufactured ammunition with Chinese manufacturing codes have also been observed in Southern Kordofan during 2011.
2011 fighting in eastern Darfur saw a repeated pattern of aerial attacks on both military and civilian targets using SAF Sukhoi-25 ground-attack aircraft, Mi-24 helicopter gunships, and Antonov transport aircraft used as rudimentary but effective bombers.
Amnesty International has found that Sudan received 36 new Mi-24 helicopter gunships between 2007 and 2009. The continual replacement of Mi-24s by the Russian Federation makes it possible for attacks in Darfur to continue.
A photograph taken at St Petersburg airport in the Russian Federation in May 2011 shows a new Mi-24P helicopter gunship painted in SAF markings apparently awaiting export to Sudan.
Amnesty International has obtained evidence of the use of air-to-ground rockets in several SAF airstrikes during 2011, both attacks in Darfur, and elsewhere in Sudan. These rockets have been manufactured in a number of former Soviet Union countries and are consistent with the weapons suites of Mi-24 helicopter gunships and Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
Sudan has continued to import a significant number of armoured vehicles from Belarus and the Russian Federation. Amnesty International has documented the use of both BTR-80A armored vehicles and multiple-rocket launchers mounted on Land Cruiser-type vehicles in SAF and SAF/PDF operations in eastern Darfur in the first half of 2011.
A new report by Amnesty International highlights how arms sales from China and Russia fuel human rights violations in Sudan's Darfur region.
Media Node: Darfur body on truck Amnesty International Index Number: AFR54/007/2012 Story Location: United Kingdom 16° 8' 54.798" N, 19° 41' 15" E See map: Google Maps “To help prevent further violations of human rights, all international arms transfers to Sudan should be suspended ” Source: Brian Wood, Amnesty International's expert on military and policingIsrael: Cancel plan to forcibly displace Jahalin Bedouin communities
Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak should cancel military plans to forcibly displace around 2,300 Bedouin residents of the West Bank to an area beside the Jerusalem municipal garbage dump, Amnesty International said today in a new briefing paper.
In Stop the Transfer: Israel about to expel Bedouin from homes to expand settlements, the organization calls on the Israeli military to order an immediate halt to all demolitions in the 20 communities affected by the plan.
Amnesty International said that verbal promises made by Israeli military officials last week not to implement pending demolition orders in Khan al-Ahmar, one of the Bedouin communities targeted for displacement in the Jerusalem district of the occupied West Bank, are insufficient.
“Thousands of Bedouin living in some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank are facing the destruction of their homes and livelihoods under this Israeli military plan. Many are registered refugees and some have been displaced multiple times since 1948,” said Ann Harrison, Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“The Israeli authorities must guarantee the right to adequate housing for residents in all 20 communities, along with Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank. This means protecting them from forced evictions and conducting genuine consultations with all of the communities.”
In July 2011, Israel Civil Administration officials first told UN agencies of a plan to evict some 2,300 residents of 20 Bedouin communities in the Jerusalem district to a site approximately 300 metres from the Jerusalem municipal garbage dump.
The communities are all currently located near illegal settlements in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc, many of them in areas targeted for settlement expansion.
The Israeli military considers most structures in these communities – located in Area C of the occupied West Bank, where Israel retains authority over planning and zoning – to be built illegally without the required permits. However, construction permits are almost impossible to obtain for Palestinian communities in Area C. Most of the structures in these communities have demolition orders against them, including homes, kitchens, external toilets, animal shelters, and two primary schools.
The Israeli military authorities have not consulted representatives of the Bedouin communities about the displacement plan. Community representatives have told Amnesty International that they reject the plan because it would be impossible for them to maintain their traditional way of life if they were moved to a restricted area near the garbage dump.
Israel forcibly moved Bedouin families to the same area in the late 1990s, placing homes as close as 150 metres to the garbage dump. Bedouin who live there have told Amnesty International that the site was unsuitable to their way of life, that they had had to sell off their livestock due to a lack of grazing areas, and that they suffered high rates of unemployment. Some have returned to the areas from which they had been displaced.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, the dump receives up to 1100 tons of garbage per day, most of it from Jerusalem. The ministry has stated that the dump site creates air pollution, ground pollution, and possible water contamination, is improperly fenced-off, and poses a “danger of an explosion and fires” due to untreated methane gas produced by the decomposition of garbage.
Although disposal of waste at the site is due to cease later this year, no rehabilitation plan has been agreed, which means that the environmental hazards will likely remain for years.
Israeli officials have emphasized that the displacement plan envisions connecting relocated Bedouin communities to the electricity and water networks. They have not explained why Israel can provide such services to illegal settlements and unrecognized settler outposts in the West Bank, but not to longstanding Bedouin communities.
The 20 Bedouin communities have created a “protection committee” to coordinate their response to the displacement plan. The committee’s stated preference would be to return to their lands in Israel’s Negev desert from which they were displaced by the Israeli authorities in the 1950s, in accordance with their internationally recognized right to return.
The Bedouin communities say that their second option would be for Israeli authorities to recognize their rights to remain in their current homes, connect them to water, electricity and road networks, and lift arbitrary restrictions on their movement. Due to these restrictions, many Bedouin must buy animal fodder for sheep and goats that they were formerly able to graze, forcing them to sell their livestock.
As the final option, the Bedouin would be willing to negotiate the possibility of relocating again, if the Civil Administration treated them as equal negotiating partners.
Major-General Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, visited the Khan al-Ahmar community last week, and reportedly promised residents that that their homes and community school would not be demolished, and that they would not be transferred to the site next to the garbage dump. He said that the community would be moved to a different site in the occupied West Bank.
But Amnesty International said that was not enough.
“Israeli military officials are putting a gloss on their plans by portraying them as a way of providing Bedouin with basic amenities such as water and electricity, but in fact such forcible relocation of Bedouin would merely perpetuate years of dispossession and discrimination and could constitute a war crime,” said Ann Harrison.
“Informal promises are not enough for these communities. The Israeli Minister of Defence must issue a formal cancellation of this policy.”
A new report by Amnesty International urges the Israeli military to end demolitions displacing thousands of Bedouins in the West Bank.
Media Node: Jahalin bedouin 2 Amnesty International Index Number: MDE15/001/2012 Twitter Tag: westbank Story Location: United Kingdom 33° 41' 46.7376" N, 36° 28' 28.5924" E See map: Google Maps “Thousands of Bedouin are facing the destruction of their homes and livelihoods under this Israeli military plan” Source: Ann Harrison, Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa ProgrammeMaldives must avoid persecution of ousted government
The new authorities in the Maldives must avoid persecuting members of outgoing president Mohammed Nasheed’s political party, Amnesty International said today, after Mr Nasheed resigned following a police mutiny in the country.
The former leader said in a televised statement on Tuesday that he was resigning “to prevent violence”, after a group of police officers joined opposition-led protests and took control of the state broadcaster in the capital Male.
At least three senior members of the ex-president’s Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) were reportedly detained after being beaten by police and opposition supporters on Monday night.
“The events of the last days follow weeks of political paralysis and a breakdown of accountability and the rule of law,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director.
“The new government must ensure that it will protect the rights of all Maldivians equally, without regard to their political affiliation.”
“The authorities should also launch an independent and impartial investigation into the attacks on three MDP members yesterday,” he added.
There are conflicting reports on Mr Nasheed’s current whereabouts.
The outgoing president was reportedly being held against his will by security forces at the presidential palace earlier today, but has now been released, according to some media reports.
“Mohammed Nasheed’s exact whereabouts must be clarified immediately,” said Sam Zarifi.
A Maldives opposition leader has told AFP he asked the military to detain Mr Nasheed so he could face charges of corruption and misuse of power.
The MDP says the resignation of Mr Nasheed is a “coup d’etat” orchestrated by “rogue elements” from the Maldives police service aided by supporters of former President Mamoon Abdul Gayoom.
Mr Nasheed’s former ally and vice-president Waheed Hassan was sworn as president on Tuesday afternoon.
MDP members Mariya Didi, Eva Abdulla and Alham Fahmy sustained serious injuries after being attacked by police and opposition supporters on Monday and were taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Protests began last month after Mr Nasheed ordered the military to arrest top criminal court judge Abdulla Mohamed on charges of corruption and political bias. Abdulla Mohamed is said to be close to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Government said the judiciary was unwilling to allow investigation of judicial misconduct against Abdulla Mohamed.
Mohamed Nasheed was elected president in the Maldives’ first multi-party elections in October 2008, ending the 30-year rule of authoritarian leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The Maldivian president has resigned following a police mutiny after a group of police officers joined opposition-led protests.
Media Node: Mohamed Nasheed Twitter Tag: maldives Story Location: United Kingdom 5° 58' 1.956" N, 73° 7' 30" E See map: Google Maps “The new government must ensure that it will protect the rights of all Maldivians equally, without regard to their political affiliation” Source: Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty InternationalEgypt: Stop holding NGOs hostage
The Egyptian authorities should scrap a Mubarak-era law used to prosecute civil society and ensure its planned replacement upholds the right to freedom of association, Amnesty International said today.
The call follows yesterday’s announcement that 43 people have been referred to a criminal court for trial as part of an investigation into the funding and registration of NGOs.
Amnesty International has called for the charges against them, based on Egypt’s repressive laws on civil society registration and foreign funding, to be dropped.
“These international associations have become the latest scapegoats as the authorities desperately spin their story of foreign conspiracies,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“Egyptian human rights organizations have been left to wait in fear for their turn to come.”
Those named on Monday include 14 Egyptians, in addition to US, German and Serbian nationals reported to be staff members of five organizations – the US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI); the International Republican Institute (IRI); the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ); Freedom House (FH) and the Germany-based Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
Anyone found guilty of breaking Egypt’s draconian Law on Associations (Law 84 of 2002) faces up to a year’s imprisonment and/or a heavy fine. In January the authorities announced a draft law to replace it which would place even more restrictions on civil society.
The current law requires NGOs to register with the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Justice and to seek permission for receiving and using foreign funding. It gives the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Justice the power to refuse to register organizations.
Organizations wanting to conduct political or trade union activities are not allowed to register. Once an organization is registered, the Ministry of Solidarity and Social Justice then has wide-ranging powers over it, including the power of dissolution. The practice for international NGOs seems to have required registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 29 December, the authorities launched surprise raids on 17 Egyptian offices used by NGOs, including the NDI, the IRI and FH, as well as a number of Egyptian organizations. During the raids, prosecutors accompanied by army and police officers conducted a search and took papers, computers, equipments, books and money, then sealed their entrances.
A number of Egyptian NGOs were also raided the same day, including the Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP) and the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory (BHRO).
On 30 January, Nasser Amin, head of the ACIJLP was interrogated for seven hours on charges of establishing a branch of a foreign NGO and receiving foreign funds without permission. A BHRO member is also said to have been interrogated about the organization’s foreign funding.
The decision to refer to trial was made on 5 February 2012 by two judges, appointed by the Ministry of Justice to investigate a number of NGOs for establishing and operating branches of international organizations without registration and for receiving foreign funding without permission from the Egyptian authorities.
Both the NDI and IRI had been witnessing the parliamentary elections with the authorization of the Egyptian authorities and applied for registration with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Freedom House had submitted its registration request under Egyptian law just three days before the raid.
In November 2011, the authorities had welcomed foreign organizations to witness the elections.
The investigating judges said their examination into the case has not been closed. It is expected that more NGO staff members will be sent to trial. In September 2011, an Egyptian newspaper leaked the findings of a government probe that said 39 NGOs lacked the right registration, and 28 had received foreign funding without permission.
The list named Egyptian human rights organizations working on issues including torture, women’s rights and housing, as well as the NDI, IRI and FH. Since the investigation began, many NGOs have also reported receiving inquiries about their foreign funding from banks.
Many believe the crackdown to be led by the Minister of Planning and International Co-operation, Fayza Abul-Naga. The minister today appeared before parliament’s sub-committee on human rights, again criticising the work of NGOs. On 1 January she and the Minister of Justice held a joint press conference where they lashed out at Egyptian and international human rights organizations that operate in Egypt or receive funds without government permission, in breach of the Law on Associations.
The Law on Associations has been repeatedly criticized over many years by UN treaty bodies monitoring Egypt’s international human rights record.
In January, the authorities announced that the Law on Associations will be replaced by new legislation and gave NGOs 15 days to comment on the draft, stating that foreign funding was a “red line” that they would not compromise on.
“At a stroke, Egypt’s parliament could end the authorities’ long war against civil society,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
“If they struck down this law, Egypt would take one more step out of the shadow of Hosni Mubarak.”
Egyptian NGOs have rejected the law. The draft would give the authorities more powers, and to decide whether an organization's activities are acceptable on the basis of threatening “national unity, violating public order or morality or calling for discrimination”.
The draft also eliminates associations’ ability to escape restrictions by registering as companies, maintains tight restrictions on foreign funding, and further limits the freedom of foreign organizations in Egypt. Anyone found to have broken the law faces up to a year’s imprisonment and fines running to thousands of Egyptian pounds.
Egyptian civil society has rejected the draft legislation, and a coalition of organizations has proposed their own law.
The Egyptian authorities are using a Mubarak-era law to prosecute civil society.
Media Node: Egypt NGOs Story Location: Egypt 28° 55' 1.7184" N, 30° 32' 31.1712" E “These international associations have become the latest scapegoats as the authorities desperately spin their story of foreign conspiracies.” Source: Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme Date: Tue, 07/02/2012 URL: Year of Rebellion: Human rights in the Middle East and North AfricaUganda: Anti-homosexuality bill ‘a grave assault on human rights’
Uganda’s Parliament today re-introduced a proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill which Amnesty International considers a “grave assault on human rights” that must be rejected.
Some media reports indicate the death penalty provisions in original Bill have been removed, but other provisions remain inherently discriminatory and the continued attempt to further criminalise consensual sexual activity between individuals of the same sex is abhorrent.
“It’s alarming and disappointing that Uganda’s Parliament will once again consider the Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
“If passed, it would represent a grave assault on the human rights of all Ugandans, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The bill introduces draconian provisions on top of Uganda’s existing prohibition on consensual same-sex relations, which already violates international norms.
It aims to criminalize the “promotion” of homosexuality, compels HIV testing in some circumstances, and imposes life sentences for entering into a same-sex marriage. It would also be an offence for a person who is aware of any violations of the bill's wide-ranging provisions not to report them to the authorities within 24 hours.
The bill would significantly hamper the work of human rights defenders and others who find themselves in conflict with the law merely by carrying out their legitimate activities.
“The knock-on effect of passing this bill would reach far beyond gay and lesbian people in Uganda, impeding the legitimate work of civil society, public health professionals, and community leaders,” said Michelle Kagari.
At the bill’s reintroduction, the Speaker informed the House that the bill would not need to be considered again by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, raising fears that it could be passed into law imminently.
“This deplorable bill would not only violate the rights of Ugandans to life, to non-discrimination, to equality before the law, and to privacy, but would sanction hatred, violence and the persecution of a group of people based on whom they love alone,’ said Michelle Kagari.
Ugandan and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly called for the bill to be scrapped since it was first introduced in October 2009.
“We strongly urge the Ugandan Parliament to reject this bill in its entirety. It must not legislate hate,” said Michelle Kagari.
Uganda's Parliament is urged to scrap the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill that has been re-introduced.
Media Node: Uganda anti-homosexuality bill Story Location: Uganda 0° 28' 58.8972" N, 33° 7' 25.6044" E “It’s alarming and disappointing that Uganda’s Parliament will once again consider the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. ” Source: Michelle Kagari, Deputy Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International Date: Tue, 07/02/2012 URL: Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Bill may be passed Description: Urgent action, 10 May 2011 URL: Uganda: ‘Anti-Homosexuality’ Bill Threatens Liberties and Human Rights Defenders Description: Press release, 15 October 2009India: Security forces cannot claim immunity under AFSPA, must face trial for violations
Members of the Indian army must stand trial when facing charges of serious violations of human rights, instead of hiding behind the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), Amnesty International said today.
On 4 February, India’s Supreme Court stated that the Indian army could not invoke the AFSPA to avoid the prosecution of eight officers charged with the March 2000 killing of five Kashmiri villagers at Pathribal.
Under the often criticized special powers, security personnel cannot be prosecuted for human rights violations without approval from the central government.
“We welcome the Supreme Court’s statement that there should be no need to obtain prior approval for prosecuting security personnel charged with having committed grave human rights violations such as rape and murder,” siad Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Programme Director.
“While the Court’s remark opens the chance for the prosecution of the eight army personnel Amnesty International reiterates its demand for the repeal of the AFSPA, which has been in force in various parts of north-east India for over five decades and in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990,” Sam Zarifi said.
Recent information obtained by human rights defenders in India states that, of the 50 instances in which the Jammu and Kashmir state authorities had sought approval for prosecuting security personnel for grave human rights violations - including torture, rape and extra-judicial executions - the Union home ministry has said it had “recommended” approval in eight cases and the Defence ministry none.
“For far too long, Indian security forces have used the AFSPA as a cover for serious human rights violations. The Supreme Court’s statement should finally allow some light to be shed on some of the army’s most gruesome violations – providing some hope for justice for the victims and a step forward imposing the rule of law,” said Sam Zarifi.
The Supreme Court’s statement came in a case has pitted the army against India’s premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The armed forces had claimed that the five were Lashkar-e-Toiba guerrillas involved in the shooting of 35 members of the Sikh community at Chhattisingpura in the valley prior to the visit of the then United States’ President Bill Clinton to India in the same month. The CBI’s investigation showed that the five people killed were in fact villagers from Brariangan, Halan and Anantnag.
“The AFSPA has provisions giving protection to personnel engaged in armed operations in designated areas from any legal proceedings unless it is approved by the Union government,” Sam Zarifi said, adding that “this rarely happens in practice, as a result of which these laws have provided impunity for perpetrators of grave human rights violations.”
After a series of protests in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Union government, in November 2004, appointed a five-member committee led by a former Judge of the Supreme Court, B. P. Jeevan Reddy to review the AFSPA. The committee, in its June 205 report, recommended repeal of the act, but wanted its substantive provisions be transferred to an existing legislation – the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 – a move which drew protests from human rights organizations. India’s Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence are steadfastly opposed to the repeal of AFSPA.
Members of the Indian army must not be allowed to invoke a controversial law to avoid trial for human rights violations.
Media Node: AFSPA India Story Location: India 22° 30' 6.2316" N, 77° 10' 4.6884" E “We welcome the Supreme Court’s statement that there should be no need to obtain prior approval for prosecuting security personnel charged with having committed grave human rights violations such as rape and murder.” Source: Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Programme Director Date: Tue, 07/02/2012Chad: Hundreds of families forcibly evicted from their homes
Hundreds of families were recently left homeless after Chadian authorities carried out mass forced evictions in the capital N'Djamena to make room for the construction of a hotel.
At least 62 compounds, home to more than 670 people, as well as the community school in the Sabangali area of the capital, were reduced to rubble.
No compensation of alternative housing has been offered to those who lost their homes, and many are now living under trees.
"We don't really know what to do with all this. Only God will help," one evicted woman told Amnesty International.
Amnesty International calls on the Chadian authorities to immediately find alternative housing for the victims of the forced eviction and to develop a comprehensive relocation and compensation plan.
The slideshow requires JavaScript and the Flash Player. Get Flash here. //Chadian authorities forcibly evicted more than 670 people from their homes to make way for a hotel in the capital N'Djamena.
Media Node: Chad forced evictions Story Location: Chad 17° 18' 56.4516" N, 17° 53' 8.6712" E “We don't really know what to do with all this. Only God will help.” Source: One woman evicted from her home in N'DjamenaCuban blogger blocked from travelling to film premiere in Brazil
The Cuban government must reform an arbitrary exit permit scheme that affects all Cubans and is used to punish freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today after a prominent blogger was again blocked from travelling abroad.
On Friday, Cuba’s migration authorities denied blogger and activist Yoani Sánchez an exit permit (white card or tarjeta blanca) for the 19th time in four years. As on previous occasions, no reason was given for the decision.
The well-known author of Generación Y had been invited to speak at the premiere screening in Brazil’s Bahía state on 10 February of a documentary on freedom of expression in Cuba and Honduras. Brazil had already issued her a visa to enter the country.
“The Cuban government’s repeated denial of exit permits to critics like Yoani Sánchez can only be seen as retaliation for the expression of their legitimate political views and activism,” said Javier Zúñiga, Special Advisor to Amnesty International.
“Those fighting for freedom of expression, association, and movement must be authorized to leave and re-enter the country without arbitrary restrictions, and the Cuban authorities must end other tactics used to clamp down on peaceful dissent.”
Cuban President Raúl Castro has yet to follow through on changes to migration policies promised as part of a series of reforms announced in 2011.
Yoaní Sánchez’s blog covers daily life on the island and the many restrictions placed on Cubans’ enjoyment of political and civil rights.
Her peaceful political activism is highlighted in Brazilian filmmaker Dado Galvão’s new documentary Connection Cuba-Honduras.
After the Cuban authorities’ most recent decision to prevent her from travelling, Yoani Sánchez expressed her frustration via Twitter:
“I feel like a hostage kidnapped by someone who won’t listen or give explanations. If all this effort helps to shine a light on the migratory absurdity we Cubans are trapped in, then it was worth it.”
The blogger’s work has earned her numerous prizes overseas, but the Cuban authorities have repeatedly blocked her from attending the award ceremonies.
On 20 January, Amnesty International wrote to Brazil’s Minister of External Relations, urging him to intervene to ensure Yoani Sánchez would be allowed to leave Cuba.
On a state visit to Cuba last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff mentioned that the blogger had been granted a visa to enter Brazil, but fell short of pressing the Cuban government to allow her to leave.
Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez has been barred from leaving Cuba 19 times in the last four years.
Media Node: Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez VIDEO: Freedom of expression in Cuba Story Location: Cuba 22° 11' 48.8364" N, 79° 6' 5.6268" W “The Cuban government’s repeated denial of exit permits to critics like Yoani Sánchez can only be seen as retaliation for the expression of their legitimate political views and activism.” Source: Javier Zúñiga, Special Advisor to Amnesty International Date: Mon, 06/02/2012 URL: Blogueira cubana impedida de viajar ao Brasil para estréia de documentário Description: Leia este artigo em Português URL: Brazilian Government must defend the rights of Yoani Sánchez, Cuban blogger and all other dissidents, journalists and human rights activists Description: Public statement, 27 January 2012 URL: Brazil: Trip of Cuban Blogger Yoani Sanchez to Brazil Description: Open letter, 20 January 2012 URL: Cuba still detaining peaceful protestors: Further information Description: Urgent action, 20 January 2012 URL: Generación Y Description: Yoani Sánchez's blog (in Spanish)Israel must release or try Palestinian detainee on prolonged hunger strike
The Israeli authorities must release a Palestinian detainee or charge him with a recognizable criminal offence and promptly try him, Amnesty International said today amid fears the man could die in detention after more than 50 days on hunger strike.
Khader Adnan, 33, was arrested on 17 December 2011 at his home in the village of Arrabe near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli security forces burst into his home in the early hours of the morning.
Mr Adnan, a baker, is allegedly affiliated with the Islamic Jihad movement.
On Wednesday a military court conducted a review of Khader Adnan’s case but the judge has yet to announce the outcome - release, his detention shortened or the order confirmed.
“For years Israel has been using administrative detention to lock up Palestinian activists without charge or trial, said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East.
“Military commanders can renew the detention orders repeatedly, so in effect detainees can be held indefinitely. The process violates their right to a fair trial which is guaranteed by international law Israel is obliged to uphold.”
Khader Adnan, who is also a post-graduate student, has been on hunger strike since 18 December in protest against his ill-treatment, the conditions of his detention, and the policy of administrative detention.
The Israeli military commander in the West Bank imposed a four-month administrative detention order on him last month.
The baker has been hospitalized since 30 December as his health deteriorated. He has not been allowed any family visits and the Israeli authorities have since moved him to various different hospitals around the country.
He was transferred to Ziv hospital in northern Israel on Sunday, in a move which his lawyers believe is intended to add further pressure on him, including by making it harder for his lawyers and family to visit him y.
“The Israeli authorities must release Khader Adnan and other Palestinians held in administrative detention, unless they are promptly charged with internationally recognizable criminal offences and tried in accordance with international fair trial standards,” Ann Harrison added.
He has reportedly lost more than 20 kilos since he began his hunger strike, and his health has reached a critical stage. On 29 January, he was visited by doctors from Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, who gave him a medical check and warned that his life is at risk. He has since been denied further examination by independent doctors.
His hunger strike has prompted demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and last week other Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails announced a hunger strike in solidarity.
Administrative detention, a procedure under which detainees considered a threat to Israeli security are held without charge or trial for periods of up to six months, can be renewed indefinitely.
No criminal charges are filed against administrative detainees and there is no intention of bringing them to trial.
Detainees are held on the basis of “secret evidence” which the Israeli military authorities claim cannot be revealed for security reasons.
The “secret evidence” on which the military authorities base their decision to issue an administrative detention order is not made available to detainees or their lawyers, and detainees cannot challenge the reasons for their detention.
According to Israel’s prison service some 307 Palestinians were being held in administrative detention on 31 December last year, but this number may have since increased.
Twenty-one members of the Palestinian Legislative Council are currently being held in administrative detention.
Amnesty International believes that the practice of administrative detention in Israel and the Occupied Territories violates the internationally recognized right to a fair trial which must be upheld for all detainees, even during states of emergency.
“Israeli military law applied in the Occupied Palestinian Territories gives the authorities wide latitude to charge and try in military courts those individuals who they believe threaten Israeli security,” said Ann Harrison.
“Despite this, the Israeli authorities continue to use administrative detention to detain Palestinians without any charges whatsoever. These have included individuals who should not have been arrested at all and were prisoners of conscience.
“Anyone now held solely for the non-violent exercise of their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
A Palestinian detainee accused of links to Islamic Jihad is at risk of dying after more than 50 days on hungerstrike.
Media Node: Adnan Khader demo Twitter Tag: israel Story Location: United Kingdom 33° 27' 13.4964" N, 35° 34' 25.428" E See map: Google Maps “For years Israel has been using administrative detention to lock up Palestinian activists without charge, violating their rights to a fair trial” Source: Ann Harrison, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa URL: Palestinian hunger striker’s life at risk: Khader Adnan Description: Take Action, 1 February 2012 URL: Palestinian legislator held without charge: Aziz Dweik Description: Take Action, 25 January 2012Double veto of draft Security Council Resolution on Syria a betrayal of protesters
The decision by Russia and China to veto a weak draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria, the day after the Syrian army launched a major assault on residential areas of Homs leaving scores dead, is a shockingly callous betrayal of the people of Syria, Amnesty International said today.
"This is a completely irresponsible use of the veto by Russia and China," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary-General.
"It is staggering that they have blocked the passage of what was already a very weak draft resolution."
"After a night in which the whole world watched the people of Homs suffering, the actions of these members are particularly shocking."
Apart from a presidential statement issued in August 2011 condemning human rights violations, the Security Council has not acted on the crisis in Syria since the uprising began in March 2011.
Amnesty International said it would continue to press members of the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, impose a comprehensive arms embargo on the country and implement an assets freeze on Bashar al-Assad and other top officials.
Russia and China have again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria, the day after a military assault killed scores of civilians in Homs.
Media Node: Syria map Story Location: Syria 34° 43' 27.912" N, 36° 44' 17.8116" E “This is a completely irresponsible use of the veto by Russia and China. It is staggering that they have blocked the passage of what was already a very weak draft resolution.” Source: Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary-General Date: Sat, 04/02/2012 URL: Security Council: Russia must not block efforts to end atrocities in Syria Description: News story, 1 February 2012 URL: Arab League findings on Syria build pressure for UN action Description: News story, 23 January 2012 URL: Eyes on Syria Description: Interactive mapCambodia: Khmer Rouge judgment welcome, but raises human rights concerns
The UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal’s final judgment against a former prison chief in Cambodia today is an important step towards accountability but raises human rights concerns, Amnesty International said.
The tribunal’s Supreme Court Chamber upheld an earlier conviction of Khmer Rouge jailer Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, for crimes against humanity and war crimes described as “amongst the worst in human history”, and increased his sentence from 35 years to life in prison.
Duch was held responsible for killing at least 12,272 men, women, and children from 1975 to 1979 while he was in charge of “S21”, a secret prison run by the Khmer Rouge in a former school in Phnom Penh.
The judgment included additional convictions against Duch, but also raised human rights concerns by overturning a legal remedy he was granted after a Cambodian military court illegally detained him, without investigation or trial, from May 1999 until July 2007.
“The closure of this first case represents an important step towards achieving accountability for the mass crimes of the Khmer Rouge, and helping the Cambodian people draw a line under this tragic chapter of their country’s history,” said Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s researcher on Cambodia, who attended today’s judgment.
“But the decision to overturn the legal remedy for Duch’s unlawful detention and to provide no alternative may be perceived as a case of public opinion trumping human rights.”
Amnesty International considers that the July 2010 decision of the tribunal’s Trial Chamber to grant this legal remedy – a five-year reduction in Duch’s sentence as a result of the illegal detention – sent a positive message to the Cambodian justice system that human rights should be universally enjoyed and that violations must be remedied.
Another concern with the judgment is the apparent decision to leave the issue of Duch’s eligibility for parole to the Cambodian justice system, which has been criticized for its lack of independence.
Additionally, confusing findings relating to the Tribunal’s personal jurisdiction over former Khmer Rouge may have implications for other cases.
The Supreme Court Chamber’s judgment highlighted the suffering of Duch’s victims, their families and the Cambodian people, admitting several additional Civil Parties – victims who join as parties in the proceedings – whose applications had been rejected in the original verdict.
Amnesty International called on the Cambodian government to provide support for ‘moral and collective’ reparations for victims of the Khmer Rouge regime.
“Today’s judgment emphasized the important role of victims in proceedings before the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. We had hoped, however, for a more creative decision on ‘moral and collective’ reparations and urge the Cambodian government to work with victims’ groups to meet their needs in this regard,” said Rupert Abbott.
The Supreme Court Chamber issued only a summary appeal judgment today, with a full decision to be issued in due course. The judgment is final and cannot be appealed.
A UN-backed tribunal has given former Khmer Rouge jailer "Duch" a life sentence for the killings of more than 12,272 people.
Media Node: Tuol Sleng "S21" prison in Phnom Penh Story Location: Cambodia 11° 55' 17.2632" N, 103° 18' 15.9948" E “The closure of this first case represents an important step towards achieving accountability for the mass crimes of the Khmer Rouge, and helping the Cambodian people draw a line under this tragic chapter of their country’s history.” Source: Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s researcher on Cambodia, who attended today’s judgment Date: Fri, 03/02/2012 URL: Cambodia: Immediately appoint International Co-Investigating Judge at Khmer Rouge Tribunal Description: Public statement, 10 January 2012 URL: Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Court lets victims down yet again Description: Public statement, 27 October 2011 URL: UN-Cambodia Court: Excessive secrecy, exclusion and fears of inappropriate interference Description: Public statement, 8 June 2011 URL: Cambodia: After 30 years Khmer Rouge crimes on trial Description: Report, 27 March 2009