AI Appeals for Action Feed

Israel must co-operate fully with independent Gaza fact-finding mission

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:52:50 +0100

Israeli forces began a devastating bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip without warning at 11.30am on 27 December 2008.

Codenamed Operation "Cast Lead", its stated aim was to end rocket attacks into Israel by armed groups affiliated with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, which continued to launch a barrage of indiscriminate attacks against Israeli civilian centres throughout the duration of the campaign.

By the time unilateral ceasefires were announced by both Israel and Hamas on 18 January 2009, some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed, including some 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians. Large areas of Gaza had been razed to the ground, leaving many thousands homeless and the already dire economy in ruins. Three Israeli civilians had been killed and scores of homes in southern Israel damaged.

Much of the destruction in the Gaza Strip was wanton and resulted from direct attacks on civilian objects as well as indiscriminate attacks that failed to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilian objects. Such attacks violated fundamental provisions of international humanitarian law, notably the prohibition on direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects (the principle of distinction), the prohibition on indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, and the prohibition on collective punishment.

To date, five months after the end of Operation "Cast Lead", the Israeli authorities have failed to establish any independent and impartial investigation into the conduct of their forces and actively oppose any such investigations being established.

They have rejected the findings of a UN Board of Inquiry, which investigated nine attacks on UN facilities and personnel during Operation "Cast Lead". They have also refused to co-operate with and to grant access to the country to an international independent fact-finding mission set up by the UN Human Rights Council and headed by Justice Richard Goldstone, undermining its ability to fulfil its mission.

Hamas has allowed the fact-finding mission to conduct fieldwork in the Gaza Strip and has met with the mission's team, which accessed the territory from Egypt.

Amnesty International calls on the Israeli authorities to co-operate fully with the international independent fact-finding mission established by the UN Human Rights Council, led by Richard Goldstone; and with other international investigations into violations of international law by all the parties to the conflict.

URGENT ACTION: Oil companies and the Nigerian government must clean up the oil industry in the Niger Delta

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:42:44 +0100

Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by oil pollution in the Niger Delta. Particularly the poorest and those who rely on traditional livelihoods such as fishing and agriculture.

The human rights implications are serious, under-reported and have received little attention from the government of Nigeria or the oil companies. The problems have been exacerbated by a lack of information.

Oil spills, waste dumping and gas flaring (gas is separated from oil and, in Nigeria, most of it is burnt as waste) are endemic in the Niger Delta. This pollution, which has affected the area for decades, has damaged the soil, water and air quality.

Communities in the Niger Delta frequently do not have access to even basic information about the impact the oil industry has on their lives – even when they are the “host” community.

Both the government of Nigeria and Shell – the main oil company operating on land in the Niger Delta – have a responsibility to clean up oil operations and come clean about the human impact of the oil industry in the Niger Delta.

Amnesty International is calling on the government of Nigeria and the new Chief Executive of Shell to clean up the oil industry and come clean on the impacts that oil pollution has on the rights of the people of the Niger Delta.

In particular, we are asking Shell’s new Chief Executive, during his first 100 days in charge, to disclose information on the impact of Shell’s operations in Nigeria and to make a public commitment to cleaning up Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta. Mr. Peter Voser takes up his post as Shell’s Chief Executive on 1 July 2009.

URGENT ACTION: Polish investigation into CIA crimes: questions over secrecy remain

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:50:55 +0100

“I think the country was Poland...It was here that the most intense interrogation occurred”.
Khalid Sheik Mohammed, former CIA secret detainee now held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

In April 2009 Amnesty International launched a campaign calling for accountability for alleged crimes committed in Poland as part of the CIA’s program of rendition and secret detention.

Amnesty International called for the investigation into the long standing allegations initiated by the Polish National Prosecutor’s Office in 2008 to be transparent and thorough, in contrast to the previous investigation by the secret services committee of the Polish parliament conducted in 2005 and 2006.

New allegations of torture in Poland

In April 2009, a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, was leaked to the press. The report detailed allegations of torture and other ill treatment of 14 “high value” detainees held in the CIA secret detention program who had subsequently been transferred to the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The detainees variously describe being subjected to beatings, confined in small spaces, deprived of sleep and forced to listen to loud music constantly. Three of the 14 reported to the ICRC that they were subjected to “suffocation by water” or “waterboarding”. All were victims of enforced disappearance.

One of the detainees, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the USA, told the ICRC that he was transferred from Afghanistan in March 2003 and that he thought the country he was subsequently detained in was Poland because

“on one occasion a water bottle was brought to me without the label removed. It had an email address ending in “.pl”. The central heating system was an old style one that I would only expect to see in countries of the former communist system”.

He told the ICRC that, while held in this location, he was waterboarded five times, beaten including by having his head repeatedly banged against a wall and deprived of sleep and clothes and when not being interrogated, was forced to stand for prolonged periods, shackled to the ceiling and floor.

Prosecutor’s investigation: wide scope, transparency needed

In March 2008, the Warsaw Public Prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation alleged crimes as part of the CIA program. In June 2008, the investigation was moved to the National Public Prosecutor’s office.

Amnesty International welcomed this investigation but stressed that it must be thorough and independent, and expressed concerns about its proposed scope and powers. Former government officials had reportedly said that although they were willing to speak to investigators, their testimony would be limited by Poland’s laws on the confidentiality of state secrets.

Since Amnesty International launched its campaign, the National Public Prosecutor’s Office has written to the organisation stating that the scope of the prosecutor’s investigation will not, as previously thought, be limited to offences under Article 231 of the Polish Penal Code, relating only to public officials overstepping their official powers. Rather, the investigation will cover the entirety of circumstances related to verification of findings described in the resolution of European Parliament concerning the alleged illegal detention and transportation of CIA detainees. This reassurance is welcome.

However, Amnesty International also called for the Prime Minister to ensure its findings and its methodology is made public. Unfortunately, the Public Prosecutor’s Office told Amnesty International that the findings of the investigation will not be made public, as they are considered state secret and thus protected as classified information.

Call on the Polish Prime Minister to ensure that the truth is known after an effective investigation, and that there is full accountability for any human rights violations.

Poland: Government must investigate secret CIA jails
With evidence that the CIA operated a secret detention facility in Poland mounting, Amnesty International has welcomed the news that public prosecutors have initiated an investigation into these long-standing allegations.

URGENT ACTION: Accountability for US counter-terrorism human rights violations

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:32:30 +0100

In the name of countering terrorism, the USA has violated the rights of individuals in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo and elsewhere. The human rights violations committed by and on behalf of the USA since 11 September 2001 are many and varied. This has been confirmed by documents, photographs, declassified legal opinion and official statements.

These violations have included enforced disappearances; torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, in some instances leading to deaths in custody; prolonged incommunicado detention; other forms of arbitrary and indefinite detention; secret transfers of detainees between countries; and violations of the right to fair trial.

Since President Barack Obama took office, more details of the abuse of detainees during his predecessor’s term in office have emerged, triggering a debate on accountability, including whether there should be investigations and prosecutions. Nevertheless, no action has been announced by the new administration to investigate and prosecute those responsible and many details surrounding these violations remain classified as secret.

The US government needs to demonstrate that it is genuinely and wholly committed to its international human rights obligations. To do so, the new administration and congress must not only address ongoing violations but must also ensure that truth and accountability for past violations are prioritized. A commitment to ending impunity would demonstrate that the USA is serious about dealing with past human rights violations but also committed to preventing such abuses recurring.

Holding perpetrators accountable for human rights violations is not only a matter of principle, but also a matter of law. Under international law the USA must thoroughly investigate every violation of human rights and bring those responsible to justice no matter what their current or former level of office.

Victims, their families and society as a whole have to right to know the truth about the violations, their causes and facts, the circumstances under which they occurred and, to the fullest extent practicable, to know the identity of the perpetrators. All victims have the right to redress and remedy for the violations to which they were subjected, including compensation, restitution, rehabilitation and guarantees of non-repetition.

Write to US Attorney General Eric Holder calling on US authorities to act promptly towards ensuring truth, justice and accountability for human rights violations committed in name of countering terrorism.

URGENT ACTION: Saudi Arabia: Dire human rights record exacerbated by counter-terrorism measures

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:08:00 +0100

The Saudi Arabian authorities have launched a sustained assault on human rights in the name of security and fighting terrorism. Thousands of people have been arrested and detained in virtual secrecy; others have been killed in uncertain circumstances in what the authorities say were clashes with the security forces. Hundreds face secret and summary trials and possible execution.

Anti-terrorism measures adopted by the government since the attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001 have exacerbated long-standing patterns of human rights abuse.

Arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention of political and security suspects without trial and without access to lawyers are long-standing human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia. However, the number of people being detained arbitrarily in Saudi Arabia has risen from hundreds to thousands since 2001. Those arrested include Saudi Arabians and foreign nationals. In July 2007, the Interior Minister reported that 9,000 security suspects had been detained between 2003 and 2007 and that 3,106 of them remained held.

The detainees are held with no idea of what is going to happen to them. Most have been held for years without trial and have not been allowed access to lawyers and the courts to challenge the legality of their detention. They have invariably been held incommunicado following arrest and throughout the period of interrogation, which can last for years, before they are allowed family visits.

Many are reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill treated, in order to extract confessions or as punishment after conviction. Reported methods of torture and other ill-treatment include severe beatings with sticks, punching, suspension from the ceiling, use of electric shocks, sleep deprivation, as well as flogging which is imposed as a legal punishment by itself or in addition to imprisonment, and can involve sentences of thousands of lashes.

Dr Saud al-Hashimi, a prisoner of conscience, is reported to have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment several times since his arrest in February 2007. The latest such treatment is reported to have taken place two weeks ago for starting a hunger strike against his indefinite detention without trial. He was reportedly stripped of all his clothes, except his underwear, shackled and dragged from his cell and placed in a severely cold cell for about five hours. He and at least six other prisoners of conscience held with him in Dhahban Prison near Jeddah were targeted by the authorities for calling for political reform; discussing a proposal to establish an independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia; and calling for an end to impunity for human rights violations committed by Ministry of Interior officials. The Ministry of Interior says they were arrested for collecting money to support terrorism, but the detainees strongly deny this. Since their arrest, they have been detained without charge or trial and held in solitary confinement, and they remain at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

In October 2008 the government announced that a special criminal court was being established to try some 991 detainees accused of capital offences but did not disclose the identities or any other details of the defendants or indicate whether they would have access to defence lawyers. This is especially worrying because trials of political or security detainees in Saudi Arabia invariably fail to meet international standards of fairness.

Court hearings are often held in secret and defendants are rarely permitted legal assistance or legal representation by a lawyer. In March 2009, the government said that the trials had begun, but again provided no further information. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. The trials of the 991 detainees appear to follow the long-standing pattern of extreme secrecy and summary trials and denial of any legal assistance at any stage of the trial process.

Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, a 48-year-old Saudi Arabian lecturer at Um al-Qura University in Makkah, was arrested in 2003. The government said that he was arrested with a cell of "terrorists" but his trial was held in secret and he was not allowed any legal assistance or representation. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found the detention of Abdul Rahman al-Sudais to be in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and said that "the fight against terrorism threats cannot justify undermining due process rights afforded to all accused…" In at least one other case the defendants were executed and their bodies were crucified.

The government of Saudi Arabia spares no effort in trying to hide these gross human rights violations. It does so in a number of ways, two of which are of particular importance: secrecy and clout. Secrecy, as already shown above, is a routine practice with detainees throughout their period of detention or imprisonment, but it does not finish there. When released, detainees are often required to promise not to speak about their ordeals in detention or face arrest and detention again. It is also a regular practice faced by relatives of the detainees, who are often left in the dark about the fate of their loved ones. Those who try to challenge such secrecy can expect threats such as "if you don't keep quiet you will never see your relative again" or "you will be at risk of detention yourself". Such threats can invoke scary television images of bodies of alleged terrorists killed by security forces, crucified bodies of people executed after secret and summary trials on alleged terrorist offences, and images of people confessing during their incommunicado detention to having been terrorists and seeking forgiveness. Relatives of detainees often urge Amnesty International and other human rights organizations not to take up the cases of their family members, fearing for their lives.

The country's huge oil resources and the privilege of being a focal point for over a billion Muslims around the world as the birthplace of Islam's prophet provides the government with significant power and influence in world affairs, which it has consistently deployed to quell attempts to scrutinize its human rights record. This is particularly the case with regard to human rights violations against political opponents and suspected terrorists. The latest example of this has been the failure of the UN Human Rights Council to engage the government of Saudi Arabia substantively on the gross human rights abuses it is committing in the name of security and fighting terrorism. Amnesty International submitted to the Council its concerns in this regard in November 2008 pointing out Saudi Arabia's failure to abide by the UN human rights framework for combating terrorism.

URGENT ACTION: End incommunicado detention in Spain

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:26:27 +0100

Spain has one of the strictest detention regimes in the European Union

Spanish law allows terrorism suspects to be held incommunicado for up to 13 days. Incommunicado detainees have no effective access to a lawyer or to a doctor of their choice. Their family is not informed that they have been detained.

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Many detainees held incommunicado report that they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated. The authorities rarely investigate their allegations.

Mohammed Fahsi was arrested near Barcelona in 2006 on suspicion of terrorism-related offences. He was held incommunicado for four days, during which time his family had no idea where he was.

Mohammed Fahsi says he was blindfolded at all times and insulted and threatened by Civil Guard officers. He said that while in his cell he was forced to remain standing with his hands on the wall, or to do press-ups to the point of exhaustion. Every time he tried to sit down a Civil Guard officer would make him stand again and he says he was subjected to sleep-deprivation techniques.

During interrogations, he was told his wife and children would be sent out to the desert in Morocco and he would never see them again. A state-appointed lawyer arrived to represent Mohammed Fahsi just before he was taken to court, but he was not allowed to speak to his client. A doctor examined him but did not follow up on his claims that he was being tortured.

More than three years later, Mohammed Fahsi remains in detention awaiting trial. His complaints of torture were never investigated.

Italy: Discriminatory draft law affecting migrants and Roma community

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:54:46 +0100

Amnesty International is concerned about proposals included in a draft law -the so-called “security package”- approved on 14 May 2009 by the Chamber of Deputies, and now under consideration by the Senate. The organization considers that the law would violate human rights of migrants and asylum-seekers and might lead to discrimination against Roma and Sinti.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned about three provisions:

Criminalizing irregular migration: The draft law criminalizes irregular entry and stay in Italy. Making irregular migration a crime, in combination with existing criminal law, will have severe consequences for the human rights of migrants. Existing criminal provisions oblige all civil servants (including in health, education, social services) to report to the police all criminal acts, including, if it becomes a crime, being an irregular migrant. If they fail to do so, civil servants would face criminal prosecution.

Amnesty International is concerned that if the draft law passes, this will deter irregular migrants from accessing to school, medical (including emergency) care, protection by security forces against crime , for fear of being reported to the police. Parents who are irregular migrants may be prevented to report the birth fo their child; this would affect the newborn’s right to recognition before the law.

Denying rights to vulnerable people based on residence and registration status: According to the draft law, persons without a fixed abode would have to register for residency status at the Ministry of Interior and no longer in the municipality where they live.

As residency in the territory of a municipality is a precondition to obtain access to health care, social assistance, education and electoral registration, those who live in mobile homes or who are homeless (many of whom are migrants, Roma and Sinti) risk being denied the enjoyment of those rights and, if authorized to vote in Italy may be prevented from voting.

Establishing and empowering associations of citizens to patrol municipalities: The draft law, if adopted, will allow local authorities to ask for assistance by associations of citizens to cooperate with police forces in patrolling the streets.

Amnesty International is concerned about the lack of clarity of the provisions of the draft law, which may result in abuses, including discrimination and impunity. For example, it is unclear what powers these patrols would have; what training (If any) is required to participate in them; under whose authority they will operate and what measures will be adopted to ensure accountability for violations of human rights law.

The draft law encountered criticism for its consequences on human rights by NGOs, IGOs, churches and State institutions. Italy’s Superior Council of Judges - the self-governing body of the judiciary - in an advisory opinion, criticised the law in relation to infringement of the rights of migrants. Nevertheless, it appears that the government is determined to obtain approval of this law.

In light of the above, Amnesty international calls on the government to ensure that any legislation adopted within the “security package” is in full compliance with Italy’s obligation under international law. If it is not it should be amended or withdrawn

Iran must recognize the right to peaceful protest

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:16:12 +0100

Iran’s presidential election on 12 June, took place against a backdrop of discrimination, worsening repression of dissent and violent unrest.

In the days following the election, hundreds of thousands of people took part in marches and demonstrations across Iran, protesting against both the process and outcome of the election.

The police and security forces, including the volunteer Basij militia, have used excessive force, including beating with truncheons to end demonstrations. In some cases demonstrators have been shot with live ammunition, The death toll is rising.

Iran is now witnessing sweeping restrictions on the use of communications technology, including telecommunications, satellite broadcasts and internet access, a ban on peaceful demonstrations, armed attacks on students in university premises as well as the arbitrary arrest of political activists, students, journalists, and human rights defenders, many – if not all - of whom are prisoners of conscience.

Peaceful assembly is expressly permitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Iran is a state party and is also guaranteed by the Constitution of Iran, Amnesty International calls on the Iranian authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations, to exercise restraint in the policing of any further demonstrations, to stop using the Basij militia to police protests, and to ensure that firearms are not used except as a last resort and where strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.

Amnesty International also urges the Iranian government to stop restricting freedom of expression which includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, and association, and to release immediately and unconditionally anyone detained solely for their peaceful expression of their views, including regarding the outcome of the election.

Demand dignity for slum dwellers in Nairobi

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:09:01 +0100

More than half of Nairobi’s population – some two million people – live in slums and informal settlements. Crammed into makeshift shacks on just one per cent of the city’s usable land, people live without adequate access to water, hospitals, schools and other essential public services.

Up to a million people live in Kiberia, Nairobi’s largest slum, crowded onto just 550 acres of sodden land that straddles the main railway line. Most earn barely enough to rent a mud-floored, tin-roofed wooden shack with no toilet or running water.

Slum Dwellers are under the constant threat of forced evictions, which are illegal under international human rights law. These evictions are often carried out with brutality and victims are not compensated despite losing their homes, businesses and possessions.

Sometimes private developers are behind forced evictions and sometimes it’s the government. Residents of the Deep Sea settlement have suffered waves of forced eviction by government authorities. Other forced evictions have been carried out in preparation for government infrastructure projects such as the construction of roads.

The Kenyan government’s slum upgrading programme, while a positive step, is doing little or nothing to address the immediate and desperate needs of slum dwellers in Nairobi.

Despite government promises to provide affordable housing outside the slums, its housing policies have not prioritized people living in slums and settlements, or others who may face the greatest difficulties in accessing their right to adequate housing.

During her June visit to Nairobi, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Irene Khan, urged the Kenyan authorities to immediately stop all forced evictions and to ensure that Kenya fulfils its obligations in relation to the right to adequate housing for the most vulnerable.

Nepal must commit to ending impunity

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:32:26 +0100

As part of a national campaign to ensure justice, truth and reparations in Nepal, Amnesty International has called on the government to commit to ending impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

In 2006, Nepal's parliament unanimously adopted a resolution urging the government to ratify the Rome Statute. However, no action was taken.

On 11 February 2009, the Minister of Foreign Affairs submitted the issue of ratification to the cabinet. Civil society organizations welcomed the decision and urged the government to support it - by submitting it to parliament for approval. Disappointingly, however, the then Minister of the Interior told Amnesty International that the cabinet would not approve ratification until it had consulted informally with all political parties.

Since that meeting, the Maoist Prime Minister resigned his office and a new government is in the process of being established following parliament’s election of Unified Marxist-Leninist Party leader, Madhav Kumar Nepal, as Prime Minister.

Amnesty International is concerned that the refusal of the previous government to allow for a transparent discussion in parliament and the recent political changes will result in continued delays in ratifying the Rome Statute, which has already been on hold for almost three years.

Amnesty International is calling in the new government to support ratification and submit the issue to parliament as soon as possible.