Web pages about "Activists"

Spotlight on torture

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:24:55 +0100

On 26 June, International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International members and supporters are taking action around the world. They are calling on governments to reaffirm their commitment to the consensus affirmed after the Second World War - that torture and other ill-treatment are absolutely prohibited.

Click on the pictures to the right to watch a slideshow with images of the day.

Recently, there has been a new and acute threat to the international prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment in the context of government responses to the threat of terrorism. It is the validity of the absolute prohibition itself that has been challenged by the actions of governments around the world.

What this means in reality is that individuals are subjected to horrific practices. In the context of government counter-terrorism strategies, Amnesty International has documented practices such as:

beatings, electric shocks, simulated drowning, prolonged isolation and other physical abuse;
the return of individuals to countries where they are at risk of torture, sometimes on the basis of flimsy “diplomatic assurances”;
secret detention.

Amnesty International is calling on all governments to: condemn all forms of torture and other ill-treatment; prevent torture, including through ending secret and incommunicado detention; and hold to account those responsible for authorising, facilitating, or inflicting torture or other ill-treatment.

Today is not a day of passive remembrance but one for action: governments and citizens across the world should act to reverse the trend of recent years and eradicate these cruel and inhuman practices.

Don’t let torture go unchallenged:

In view of France’s Presidency of the European Union, please send an email to President Nicolas Sarkozy and urge him to lead the EU Council to take action to end rendition and secret detention;

Write to the Tunisian government and demand it taks steps to end torture and other ill-treatment;

South Korean protestors report excessive force by police

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:17:04 +0100

Amnesty International has received reports of police using excessive force against demonstrators protesting against US beef imports in South Korea. More than 300 people were arrested during candlelight vigils held on 31 May and 1 June.

Police used fire extinguishers and water cannons fired at close range against largely peaceful demonstrators, causing serious injuries such as blindness, broken bones and concussions.

Amnesty International has received hundreds of reports of riot police rounding people up and arbitrarily arresting all those who happened to get caught in the process, including peaceful protesters, bystanders and passers-by. Several detainees reported police violence during and after their arrest.

Among those beaten and arrested was a 27-year-old man. Police officers kicked him and beat him with clubs and shields.

When the Amnesty International South Korean section director, Kim Hee-jin, visited him at the Hyehwa Police Station on 2 June, his face was swollen and he had cuts and scratches on his face and arm. He was suffering head and chest pains from the beatings. Although injured and in visible pain, the police did not provide him with any medical attention during his 48-hour arrest.

Amnesty International has called on the South Korean authorities to immediately investigate reports of excessive force.

"The police's resort to violence has angered a lot of peaceful protesters and increased the possibility of violence," said Norma Kang Muico, Amnesty International's Korea researcher. "The government should use the anniversary of the 1987 protests as an occasion to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and rule of law."

The organization also called on the authorities to ensure people's safety at future protests. There are fears of more violence and arrests with the imminent 10 June rally marking the anniversary of the 1987 democratic uprising that led to free elections and political reforms.

Since early May, tens of thousands of protesters have demonstrated against the renewal of US beef imports over fears of BSE or mad cow disease.

Activist released in Uzbekistan

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:05:53 +0100

Uzbekistani human rights defender Mutabar Tadzhibaeva, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2006, was unexpectedly released on Monday, 2 June.

The prisoner of conscience, who won the 2008 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders last month, was driven to her home in Margilan and reunited with her family. Tadzhibaeva passed her thanks to NGOs including Amnesty International, which had campaigned for her release.

"I spent 900 days on a "torture island"; 700 of those days I spent in solitary confinement," she revealed. "I endured only because of the support of people who were concerned about my fate. Only this gave me strength. I want to thank them for not forgetting those nearest and dearest to me - that knowledge helped me remain determined."

Mutabar Tadzhibaeva was detained on 7 October 2005, on the eve of an international conference on human rights defenders in Dublin, Ireland, which she was due to attend. She had come under increasing pressure from the authorities for her human rights activities, including for speaking out about the government's crackdown on human rights activities since the May 2005 mass killings in Andizhan.

On 6 March 2007, she was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. She faced 13 economic and political charges, including "membership of an illegal organization" and "using funds from Western governments to prepare or distribute materials containing a threat to public order and security".

According to Mutabar Tadzhibaeva's oldest brother, she did not know that she was being released, but instead thought she was being taken for medical tests to a hospital in Tashkent. Mutabar's brother told the independent uznews.net website that his sister looked pale and had lost weight, but that emotionally she was fine.

Tadzhibaeva's release was hailed by her colleagues, with human rights activists citing the release as the result of international pressure. The remaining six years of her eight-year sentence have been commuted to a three-year suspended sentence.

Women activists arrested in Zimbabwe

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:49:45 +0100

A group of Zimbabwean women activists are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment following their arrest at a peaceful demonstration in Harare.

Fourteen activists from the organisation Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), including WOZA leaders Jenni Williams and Magadonga Mahlangu, were arrested on 28 May and are being held under harsh prison conditions.

Jenni Williams, national coordinator of WOZA, fellow WOZA leader Magadonga Mahlangu, and 12 other activists, including one man, were captured as they marched to the Zambian Embassy. They were calling on the Chair of the Southern African Development Community to help bring an end to the violence that has been taking place in Zimbabwe since elections were held on 29 March 2008.

It is reported that some of the WOZA members were beaten by police as they were arrested. They are all being charged with ‘distributing materials likely to cause a breach of the peace,’ under Section 37 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. Jenni Williams has a further charge against her for ‘publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State’ under Section 31 of the same Act.
Some WOZA members appeared in court on 30 May and others on 31 May. After initially being granted bail, the state prosecutor then won an appeal against granting them bail and all 14 were remanded in custody.

The thirteen women are being held at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison and the male WOZA member is being held at Harare Central Remand Prison. Reports indicate that conditions in both of these prisons are deplorable and fall well below international standards.

Sufficient blankets and warm clothing have not been provided to the WOZA detainees, which is of particular concern as it is currently winter in Zimbabwe. They are being remanded in custody until 6 June when they will appear in court again.

Amnesty International understands that the WOZA members were arrested and detained purely because they were attempting to exercise their universally guaranteed rights to freedom of association and assembly.

Though WOZA members have been arrested on dozens of occasions since the formation of the organisation in 2003, the most recent arrests are part of a wider crackdown on human rights defenders, trade unionists, lawyers, journalists, election observers and opposition activists in the wake of the parliamentary and presidential elections of 29 March.

Video - Riga Pride 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:31:16 +0100

Video placeholder

Amnesty International activists from around 30 countries gathering in Latvia to join Riga Pride 2008 in solidarity with the Mozaika alliance of LGBT people and other LGBT people in Riga, in Latvia and in the Baltic states.

Iran urged to overturn sentences against women activists

Tue, 20 May 2008 18:09:05 +0100

Amnesty International has written to the Head of the Judiciary in Iran, urging him to ensure that appeals hearings against the convictions and sentences of six women’s rights defenders (WRDs) passed in recent weeks in connection with their peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and association are heard promptly and impartially.

If the sentences are confirmed at appeal, the organization is calling on the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, to review the cases and to overturn the convictions of the women, all of whom will become prisoners of conscience if imprisoned.

Amnesty International also asked the Head of the Judiciary to ensure that all women’s rights defenders were free to leave and return to the country, in accordance with Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party.

All the sentences are suspended, but could be implemented if the women are convicted of a similar offence during the period of suspension. If any of them were to be imprisoned in the future as a result of these sentences, Amnesty International would call for their immediate and unconditional release as prisoners of conscience.

The organisation also urged the Head of the Judiciary to ensure that the flogging sentences imposed on the women are not implemented under any circumstances. Flogging is a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, which amounts to torture, and is outlawed under Article 7 of the ICCPR.

The six women received suspended sentences between February and May 2008, in connection with their participation in a peaceful gathering on 4 March 2007 outside a court where five women’s rights activists were on trial for their involvement in an earlier demonstration in June 2006 demanding an end to discriminatory legislation. Thirty-three women in total were arrested at that time. All have been prosecuted under vaguely-worded laws on “security offences”. At least 12 others have been acquitted of all charges in connection with the March 2007 demonstration.

Marzieh Mortazi Langaroudi received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment and 10 lashes, suspended for two years, in February 2008.
Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh received a suspended sentence of two years in March 2008. She was convicted of “participating in an illegal gathering and collusion with intent to disrupt national security”.
Nasrin Afzali received a suspended sentence of six months and 10 lashes after conviction of “disturbing public order” in April 2008. She was acquitted of “participating in an illegal gathering and refusal to obey the orders of the police”.
Nahid Ja’fari received a sentence of six months and 10 lashes suspended for two years, in April 2008. She was convicted of “disturbing public order” but acquitted of “collusion with the intent of endangering national security and refusal to obey the orders of the police”. During her arrest on 4 March 2007, Nahid Jafari was beaten which resulted in some of her teeth being broken. She later lodged a complaint against those who arrested her in connection with the injuries she received. Her complaint has yet to be investigated by the courts.
Rezvan Moghaddam received a sentence of six months and 10 lashes, suspended for 3 years, several days later.
Parvin Ardalan received a sentence of two years imprisonment, suspended for three years, on charges of " gathering and collusion with the intent of endangering national security." In March 2008, prior to the issuing of her verdict, Parvin Ardalan was also banned from travelling to Sweden where she was due to collect the Olof Palme Human Rights Award. She was later summoned to Branch 13 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she was questioned in relation to her involevement with writing and editing on the websites of Change for Equality and Zanestan. She was also told that she must present invitations to conferences abroad as a precondition for the removal of her travel ban, although Iranian law does not require individuals to seek prior permission to travel. At the end of the court session, Parvin Ardalan was charged with “propaganda against the system”, although she was not detained pending her trial on this charge. Amnesty International is not aware of any date scheduled for her trial.

Amnesty International is calling on the Head of the Judiciary to overturn any convictions that may be confirmed in appeal hearings against the six women’s rights defenders found guilty in recent weeks in connection with the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and association while demanding an end to discriminatory legislation in Iran.

Amnesty I is also urging the Head of the Judiciary to suspend immediately all sentences of flogging, including any imposed in connection with peaceful activities on behalf of women’s rights, and lift the travel ban imposed on Parvin Ardalan and any other women’s rights defenders who may be prevented from travelling abroad and return freely to Iran.

Getting a glimpse of Guantánamo

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:46:52 +0100

Amnesty International is bringing a life-size model of a maximum security cell at Guantánamo to cities across the USA. The tour is a way to enable people in the United States to get a glimpse of the harsh realities of illegal detention and prolonged isolation.

Most of the detainees at Guantánamo are held in isolation, many of them with virtually no access to natural light or contact with other human beings, for up to 24 hours a day. Compounding their suffering is the fact that they have no indication of when or if they will be freed from Guantánamo.

Most are detained without charge. Those who have been charged face unfair trials by military commission. Some may face execution.

Starting in Miami on 8 May, the tour will make a stop in Washington D.C. on 26 June, to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Visitors to the cell are encouraged to enter and to experience the conditions of isolation and then share their experience in a video message. Watch a panoramic photo from inside the model cell to get an idea. And before leaving, they can also take action to end illegal US detentions at Guantánamo and elsewhere.

Follow the cell as it travels across the USA:

Take action now:

Killings of trade unionists on the rise in Colombia

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:30:12 +0100

“We do not want marches crying for the dead, nor 1 May protests” - taken from a paramilitary death threat sent to trade unionists in the department of Santander on 22 April 2008.

Across much of the world, May Day – International Workers’ Day – represents an opportunity for workers to celebrate their rights and stand together in solidarity. May Day rallies are held from London to Moscow to Jakarta to Caracas to Cape Town.

Across the world, trade unionists face violence and oppression. Despite nearly 60 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which, in Article 23, guarantees everyone the right "to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her interests", this right is widely violated.

Year after year, Colombia has symbolised the most serious and consistent abuses of this human right. In Colombia, participating in May Day marches or engaging in other legitimate trade union activities cannot be taken for granted.

So far this year, some 22 trade unionists have been killed in Colombia, a significant increase on the number killed in the same period last year. Despite the setting up in Colombia of a permanent office of the International Labour Organization and a specialist unit to investigate human rights abuses against trade unionists, the security of trade unionists remains precarious.

On 17 April 2008, the body of Jesús Heberto Caballero Ariza, a leader of the Union of SENA Public Sector Employees (Sindicato de Empleados Públicos del SENA, SINDESENA) was found in Sabanalarga Municipality, Atlántico Department. His body was reported to bear signs of torture. Prior to his death, he was reported to have received death threats made by the “Aguilas Negras” paramilitary group.

His death occurred a few days before a death threat signed by “Aguilas Negras”, dated 21 April 2008, was circulated in Atlántico Department by email to trade union and human rights organizations. Jesús Heberto Caballero was reported to be exposing corrupt practices within the SENA, the National Apprenticeship Services (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje).

A member of the National Union of Coal Industry Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria del Carbón, SINTRACARBON), Adolfo Gonzalez Montes, was tortured and killed at his home in the town of Riohacha, in the department of La Guajira, on 22 March 2008. His killing coincided with telephone death threats received by other SINTRACARBON leaders.

Some of these leaders have also reported that their homes have been kept under surveillance by unidentified individuals. Adolfo González’s death comes as the trade union was preparing to start negotiations on working conditions with the companies that own the Cerrojón mining operation in La Guajira Department.

Paramilitary groups, often acting in collusion with or with the acquiescence of the security forces, have been responsible for most of the killings of trade unionists; the security forces and guerrilla forces have also been directly responsible for the killing of and threats against trade unionists. The aim of such threats and killings is clear – to undermine and discredit the work of trade unionists.

Since Amnesty International launched its report, Colombia: Killings, arbitrary detentions and death threats – the reality of trade unionism in Colombia, in July 2007, the Colombian government has argued that the human rights situation of trade unionists has improved dramatically.

Amnesty International acknowledged in its 2007 report that there had indeed been a drop in the number of trade unionists killed in comparison to the early 2000s. However, the organisation is marking May Day this year by calling on the Colombian government to do far more to protect trade unionists, particularly given the rise in killings again in 2008.

Trade unions, along with human rights and other social organizations, have often been labelled as guerrilla collaborators or supporters by government officials, as well as by the security forces and paramilitaries. Such accusations have often been followed by threats or attacks against human rights activists.

Amnesty International has highlighted how, over the last two decades, the numbers of trade unionists killed have experienced years of dramatic falls followed by large increases. The organization has insisted that a lack of decisive action by successive Colombian governments to end the over 90% impunity in such cases means that there cannot be any guarantee that a fall in figures one year necessarily translates into a sustainable improvement in the human rights situation.

The sharp increase in the number of trade unionists killed in the first four months of this year is a clear illustration of this problem.

The Colombian government has also argued that trade unionists are not the victims of human rights abuses as a result of their trade union work. Yet, Amnesty International repeatedly receives information indicating that death threats against and killings of trade unionists coincide with periods of labour dispute.

On May Day 2008, Amnesty International has called on the Colombian government to take decisive action to end the human rights crisis facing trade unionists in Colombia. The organization has called on the international community to insist that the Colombian government takes such action.

Other governments can ensure adequate resourcing of the office of the ILO’s permanent representative in Colombia. This would ensure that it is able to implement a mandate that involves active monitoring and reporting of the human rights situation facing trade unionists.

Other governments can also take action to ensure adequate resourcing of the specialist units created to investigate human rights abuses against trade unionists.

Perversion of justice - 25 face jail in Egypt

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:09:51 +0100

An Egyptian military court sentenced 25 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood to jail on Tuesday - a verdict described by Amnesty International as a "perversion of justice".

“This trial appeared to be politically motivated from the start, when President Mubarak sent the defendants for trial before a military court despite an earlier civilian court ruling that some of them should be released,” said Amnesty International.

“Today’s sentences leave little doubt that the Egyptian authorities are determined to undermine what has become the main opposition group in the country.”

The military court in Haikstip, northern Cairo, handed down prison sentences of up to 10 years against 25 defendants, including seven who are not in custody and who were tried in absentia. Fifteen other defendants were acquitted but are yet to be released.

Khairat al-Shatir, the third highest ranking Muslim Brotherhood leader, and Hassan Malek, received seven years’ imprisonment. Sixteen others received prison sentences ranging from three to five years. Five of those who were tried in absentia received 10 year prison terms, while the other two each received five year sentences.

The defendants were all tried on terrorism-related and money laundering charges, which they denied. Specifically, they were alleged to have financed a banned organization and provided students with weapons and military training. They can appeal to the Supreme Court of Military Appeals, but this can only examine procedural matters, not the substance of the case.

The verdict, which had been postponed twice, came amid reports that some 200 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, including relatives of the defendants, were detained by security forces when they sought to enter the military compound in which the court was located.

Security forces prevented human rights observers and the media from entering the court and prohibited the presence of defence lawyers, other than the head of the defendants' legal team.

Thousands of security forces were reported to have been deployed on the route to the court compounds in Haikstip, as well as on the main routes leading to Cairo centre, in an attempt to prevent any demonstrations against the military court’s verdict.

The highly-publicised trial of the 40 men – all of whom are civilians – opened on 26 April 2007, after President Mubarak ordered in February 2007 that they should be tried before a military court. Earlier, a civilian court threw out charges against 17 of them.

During the trial, international observers sent by Amnesty International and other organisations were prevented from attending.

“Trying civilians before military courts, whose judges are serving members of the military, flouts international standards of fair trial and is inherently unjust, regardless of whether the defendants are allowed a right of appeal or not.” said Amnesty International. “All of those convicted should be promptly retried by a civilian court that conforms to international fair trial standards, or else released.”

Royal pardon for Moroccan demonstrators

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:29:19 +0100

Eight men convicted of undermining the monarchy in Morocco last year have been released after they were pardoned by the King on Friday, 4 April. Nine others facing judicial proceedings based on the same charges also benefited from the Royal pardon.

All of those pardoned were members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. Seven of them were arrested on 1 may 2007 for chanting slogans critical of the monarchy, five in Lksar Elkbir and two in Agadir. They were sentenced to between three and five years in prison.

Ten others were arrested in later demonstrations in solidarity with the detainees, among them 73-year-old Mohamed Bougrine. He was also sentenced to prison and his health was said to deteriorate while in detention.

The monarchy remains a taboo subject in Morocco. Any criticism of the king can be considered to undermine the monarchy. In recent years, several people, including journalists and political activists, have been prosecuted and in some cases, sentenced to prison terms for peacefully expressing views critical of the monarchy.

Amnesty International, who adopted the men as prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for peacefully exercising their rights, welcomed their release.

However, the organization voiced concern that Moroccan legislation can be used to criminalise the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

Amnesty International is urging the Moroccan authorities to bring Moroccan legislation into line with their obligations under Article 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.