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| Greece and the EU must move asylum seekers to safety | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The Greek government and its European Union partners should urgently ensure that all asylum seekers on the Aegean islands are transferred to suitable accommodation on the mainland or relocated to other EU countries as winter approaches, 20 human rights and other organizations said today. Despite the Greek government’s recent efforts to transfer asylum seekers from the islands to more suitable accommodation in the mainland, as of December 3, 2018, over 12,500 people were still living in tents and containers unsuitable for winter in five EU-sponsored camps known as hotspots on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos, and Leros – almost triple their capacity. In addition to serious overcrowding, asylum seekers continue facing unsanitary and unhygienic conditions and physical violence, including violence based on gender. As winter approaches all asylum seekers on the Aegean islands must be transferred to suitable accommodation on the mainland or relocated to other EU countries The lack of basic protection measures leaves women and girls, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) people, particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault, and afraid to use site facilities including bathrooms and showers. Medical care, trauma counselling, and psychosocial – or mental health – are insufficient, as is legal counselling and support during the different stages of the asylum procedure. Mental health among asylum seekers has deteriorated amid harsh living conditions and emotional distress. The humanitarian crisis in the hotspots is the result of Greece’s EU-backed policy of containing asylum seekers on the Aegean islands, until their asylum claims are adjudicated or until it is determined that they fall under one of the “vulnerable” categories listed under Greek law. “Vulnerable” asylum seekers are exempted from the border procedures, and they are allowed to move to the mainland. Greek authorities have periodically accelerated the transfer of “vulnerable” asylum seekers to the mainland but as of late November, an estimated 2,200 people identified as eligible for transfer are still waiting because accommodation facilities on the mainland have similarly become overcrowded during past months, amidst the ongoing lack of an EU-wide responsibility sharing mechanism. Others have fallen through the cracks of lengthy and inefficient vulnerability assessments and are confined to the dire conditions on the islands. The containment policy was designed and justified as a means to carry out the March 2016 EU-Turkey deal that would return to Turkey asylum seekers who reached the Greek islands by crossing the sea, for their asylum claim to be processed there. The policy imposes unjustified and unnecessary suffering on asylum seekers, while unduly limiting their rights to have their case examined on its merits – as opposed to its “admissibility” – the organizations said. The EU-Turkey deal containment policy imposes unjustified and unnecessary suffering on asylum seekers, while unduly limiting their rights Speeding up returns, a measure foreseen under the deal, would not solve the crisis on the islands. Many of those trapped on the islands are protected against return and could not be sent back to Turkey, other third countries, or their countries of origin under EU law. Greece and other EU countries should share responsibility to provide an adequate standard of living for asylum seekers, guaranteeing their subsistence and protecting their physical and mental health throughout a fair and efficient asylum procedure. A recent pledge to move 6,000 asylum seekers to the mainland to provide them with an adequate standard of living is a first step, albeit not one that can ensure sustainability in the long-term. Greece, with the support of EU institutions and countries, should end its inhumane containment policy and facilitate the transfer of asylum seekers from the Aegean islands. Special care should be given to the needs of children, women survivors of violence, pregnant women and new mothers, and LGBT+ people, among other groups. European governments should be ready promptly to relocate asylum seekers from Greece and ensure their access to adequate living conditions while their asylum applications are being processed. Portugal’s recent agreement to transfer 100 asylum seekers and potentially up to 1,000 through 2019 is a positive step that other EU countries should follow. Women, men, and children seeking protection in Europe should not be forced to spend another winter in squalid and unsafe camps EU governments should follow the lead of the European Parliament in reaching an agreement on a functioning and fairer EU asylum system, which supports Member States, including through a mandatory distribution mechanism; protects people in need; and enables families to reunite in the EU. The Greek and European authorities should show genuine, humane leadership in addressing the deplorable conditions for the people trapped on the Greek islands. Women, men, and children seeking protection in Europe should be treated in accordance with their rights and not be forced to spend another winter in squalid and unsafe camps. Organisations supporting this statement: Amnesty International ASB - Arbeiter Samariter Bund Campfire Innovation Caritas Hellas CEAR – Spanish Commission for Refugees Centre for Research on Women’s Issues – DIOTIMA Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe Greek Council for Refugees Greek Forum of Refugees Greek Helsinki Monitor HumanRights360 Human Rights Watch Jesuit Refugee Service Legal Centre Lesvos Medecins Du Monde – Greece Oxfam PRAKSIS Refugee Support Aegean SolidarityNow Terre des hommes Hellas | |||||
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| South Sudan: Execution spree targets even children and threatens nursing mothers | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-South Sudan has carried out more executions this year than it has done in any year since gaining independence in 2011, with a child among seven people known to have been executed so far in 2018, Amnesty International revealed today. Amnesty International fears for the lives of another 135 people on death row, who have this year been rounded up from other prisons across the country to two prisons notorious for executions. It is extremely disturbing that the world’s youngest nation has embraced this outdated, inhuman practice and is executing people, even children, at a time when the rest of the world is abandoning this abhorrent punishment. Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes “It is extremely disturbing that the world’s youngest nation has embraced this outdated, inhuman practice and is executing people, even children, at a time when the rest of the world is abandoning this abhorrent punishment,” said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. “The President of South Sudan must stop signing execution orders and end this obvious violation of the right to life.” Amnesty International has established that at least 342 people are currently under the sentence of death in South Sudan, more than double the number recorded in 2011. The President of South Sudan must stop signing execution orders and end this obvious violation of the right to life. Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes Last year, South Sudanese authorities executed four people, two of whom were children at the time of the crimes for which they were convicted. The executions were a blatant violation of national and international laws, which strictly forbid the execution of anyone who was below the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crime. This year Amnesty International interviewed a 16-year-old boy, who is languishing on death row at Juba Central Prison, after being convicted of murder. Waiting for his appeal to be considered by the court, he described the crime as an accident. Before the accident, I was in secondary school. I was a runner, a very good one and I was also a singer of gospel and earthly songs. […] My own aim was to study and do things that can help others. My hope is to be out and to continue with my school. 16-year old on sentenced to death “Before the accident, I was in secondary school. I was a runner, a very good one and I was also a singer of gospel and earthly songs. […] My own aim was to study and do things that can help others. My hope is to be out and to continue with my school,” he said. He said he had told the judge that he was 15 during his trial. The use of the death penalty against people who were children at the time of the crime is strictly prohibited under international human rights law and South Sudan’s 2011 Transitional Constitution. Article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of a Child, to which South Sudan is a party, stipulates that ‘neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below 18 years of age’. State-sanctioned killings Since independence in 2011, South Sudanese courts have sentenced at least 140 people to death, and the authorities have executed at least 32 people. This year’s spate of state-sanctioned killings seems to have been sparked by a directive by the Director-General of the National Prison Service of South Sudan on 26 April 2018. In it, he ordered all death row prisoners held at county and state prisons to be moved to two of the country’s most notorious death chambers - Wau Central Prison and Juba Central Prison. This year’s spate of state-sanctioned killings seems to have been sparked by a directive by the Director-General of the National Prison Service of South Sudan on 26 April 2018. In May, 98 death row prisoners were transferred from Kuajok, Tonj, Rumbek and Aweil state prisons in Bahr el Ghazal region, in the north-western part of the country, to Wau Central Prison. Another 37 death row prisoners, including at least one child and a breastfeeding mother, were also transferred from prisons in the Equatoria region in the south of the country to Juba Central Prison. Thirty-four people were moved from Torit State Prison in September 2018 and three from Kapoeta State Prison in November 2018 to Juba. The South Sudanese government must immediately establish an official moratorium on executions, commute all death sentences to prison terms and abolish the death penalty altogether. Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes “The transfer of 135 death row prisoners to prisons in Juba and Wau where all executions have taken place so far is deeply alarming. The South Sudanese government must immediately establish an official moratorium on executions, commute all death sentences to prison terms and abolish the death penalty altogether,” said Joan Nyanyuki. Any attempt to execute a breastfeeding woman would also contravene South Sudanese law and international human rights law and standards. Any attempt to execute a breastfeeding woman would contravene South Sudanese law and international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to execute the prisoner. The death penalty - the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state in the name of justice - is the most fundamental denial of human rights. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Background In South Sudan, the Penal Code provides for the use of the death penalty for murder; bearing false witness resulting in an innocent person’s execution or for fabricating such evidence or using as true evidence known to be false; terrorism (or banditry, insurgency or sabotage) resulting in death; aggravated drug trafficking; and treason. Hanging is the method of execution provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Before a person sentenced to death can be executed, the Supreme Court and the President must confirm the death sentence. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Yemen: Talks should address rights concerns | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Participants to the Yemen talks in Sweden should prioritize key human rights issues, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said today. The issues should include removing impediments to the free flow of humanitarian aid and vital commercial goods such as food and fuel, the fate of detainees, and ending attacks on civilians and civilian objects. Talks should also address how best to ensure justice, truth, and reparation for victims of war crimes. “While the warring parties may narrowly focus on their strategic interests, concerned governments should press them to ensure that these talks also take into account the need to protect millions of Yemeni civilians,” said Priyanka Motaparthy, “If human rights take a back seat to political goals, Yemenis may be no better off than before these talks began.” The talks, the first since 2016, reportedly began with discussions around an exchange of prisoners, securing agreement around the short-term future of Hodeidah, a key port city, and reopening the Sana’a airport to commercial traffic. Addressing starvation In October 2018, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator warned that 14 million people – half of Yemen’s population – could be at risk of starvation if immediate steps are not taken to address the humanitarian situation. To comply with international humanitarian law, warring parties should take immediate steps to facilitate the flow of aid, and commercial supplies to the broader population and access by humanitarian agencies. During the Sweden talks, the Yemeni government – and, by extension, the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates-led coalition – should make a commitment to reopen Sana’a airport to commercial traffic. Meanwhile, the government, and the coalition that backs it, and the Huthis should ensure that humanitarian aid and lifesaving commercial supplies can reach the civilian population through Hodeidah and Saleef ports and onward to those who need these supplies in Yemen. The coalition suspended all commercial flights to Sana’a in August 2016. Aid agencies have pressed the coalition to reopen the country’s main airport, noting that commercial flights “often bring in vital supplies and allow the free movement of civilians.” Mwatana, a leading Yemeni human rights organization, documented cases in which people with chronic illnesses were unable to travel abroad for treatment, including one woman needing heart surgery who died. Hodeidah and the nearby Saleef port are vital entry points for food, fuel, and medicine that the population needs for survival. While fighting in Hodeidah has de-escalated since 12 November, armed clashes continue on the southwest and eastern edges of the city, as well as in several nearby districts. A recent UN report stated that deliveries to Hodeidah’s port decreased 47% during a two-week period in November. Parties can agree to very specific steps, implemented immediately, that are necessary to save Yemeni lives. Releasing the arbitrarily detained, opening the airport, and ensuring commercial shippers free access to the port, are necessary steps to support the civilian population. Radhiya al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights acting Emergencies director at Human Rights Watch. Parties can agree to very specific steps, implemented immediately, that are necessary to save Yemeni lives,” said Radhiya al-Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights. “Releasing the arbitrarily detained, opening the airport, and ensuring commercial shippers free access to the port, are necessary steps to support the civilian population.” Huthi forces have blocked and confiscated aid, denied access to populations in need, and restricted the movement of ill civilians and aid workers, with an acute impact on Yemen’s third largest city, Ta’iz. International humanitarian law requires all parties to allow and facilitate the “rapid and unimpeded passage” of humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers to affected civilians, and to allow free and safe passage for civilians who wish to leave areas. In Sweden, the warring parties should prioritize agreeing to concrete steps to ensure that civilians have safe passage out of areas particularly affected by fighting, like Ta’iz and Hodeidah. The warring parties have engaged in armed conflict in a manner that has also exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and deepened civilian suffering, the rights groups said. The coalition has repeatedly struck infrastructure critical to the civilian population, while Huthi forces have repeatedly laid mines as they withdrew from areas, including along Yemen’s western coast, hindering humanitarian access, and preventing civilians’ safe return home. The Huthi armed group should pledge to provide maps of mined areas to facilitate humanitarian access, and they should stop using antipersonnel mines altogether. Fate of detainees and forcibly disappeared Talks should also address the fate of forcibly disappeared people and detainees, in particular those arbitrarily detained and held without charge by the Huthis, the Hadi government, and the United Arab Emirates. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Mwatana, the UN, and others have documented arbitrary detention, mistreatment, and torture in Huthi, Yemeni and UAE-controlled facilities, as well as cases of people forcibly disappeared. Ahead of the talks, the ICRC announced that the warring parties had agreed to “the release, transfer and repatriation of conflict-related detainees.” All parties should also release anyone arbitrarily detained or detained for involvement in peaceful political activities, such as journalists, human rights defenders, and members of the Bahá’í community, as well as vulnerable groups, such as children. While both sides have recruited children during the conflict, the Huthis are responsible for the majority of child recruitment cases verified by the UN. During the talks, the parties to the conflict should agree to release captured children and pledge to end use of child soldiers. The warring parties should immediately provide a list of all detention sites and of everyone currently in detention or who have died in custody. Parties should allow international monitors immediate access to unofficial detention facilities. Setting the stage for accountability and redress Talks should also allow for criminal investigations and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecutions of all those suspected of crimes under international law. While the talks in Sweden are set to focus on immediate confidence-building measures, any future discussions should support international investigations, transitional justice, and full reparation to victims as key elements of any agreement. Impartial investigations into alleged war crimes are only the first step toward meeting international legal obligations regarding accountability for abuses and justice for victims. Coalition members should investigate alleged serious violations by their armed forces and people within their jurisdiction and appropriately prosecute anyone responsible for war crimes, the groups said. The coalition should also provide reparation to victims of unlawful attacks and support a unified, comprehensive mechanism for providing ex gratia (“condolence”) payments to civilians who suffer losses due to military operations. The Huthi armed group should appropriately investigate commanders and fighters suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes under international law, and provide redress to civilian victims. “While many politicians have tried to say justice, truth, and reparation should not be an issue in these discussions, Yemenis deserve justice for the harm they have suffered,” said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. While many politicians have tried to say justice, truth, and reparation should not be an issue in these discussions, Yemenis deserve justice for the harm they have suffered. Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa “The obligation to investigate unlawful attacks doesn’t start at the end of the conflict, it applies now. Investigations, prosecutions and redress are meant both to address the wrongs already done but also to help pave the way for preventing future wrongs.” While the warring parties may narrowly focus on their strategic interests, concerned governments should press them to ensure that these talks also take into account the need to protect millions of Yemeni civilians Priyanka Motaparthy, acting Emergencies director at Human Rights Watch | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| THOUSANDS OF TORMENTED FAMILIES STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Between late July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of prisoners for their political opinions and dumped their bodies in unmarked individual and mass graves. Minimum estimates put the death toll at around 5,000. Mass secret killings of political dissidents in 1988 Since then, the authorities have tormented the relatives by refusing to tell them when, how and why their loved ones were killed and by keeping their remains hidden. To reinforce secrecy, they have also destroyed mass grave sites and forbidden commemorations. By refusing to acknowledge the killings and fully disclose the fate and whereabouts of the victims, the authorities have committed the crime of enforced disappearance under international law. The anguish caused to families by this ongoing crime constitutes torture. Given their widespread and systematic nature, Amnesty International considers that the extrajudicial executions and the ongoing enforced disappearances amount to crimes against humanity, and is calling for urgent action by the international community. No official has ever been brought to justice for these atrocities. Indeed, key judicial and government bodies which must ensure victims receive justice include officials who were tasked with carrying out the killings in 1988. Mothers and Families of Khavaran MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY HAS PASSED SINCE WE BEGAN THE QUEST FOR TRUTH REGARDING THE FATE OF OUR LOVED ONES. BLOOD-SOAKED SECRETS Building on the sustained campaigning and documentation efforts by survivors, family members of victims and human rights defenders over the last 30 years, Amnesty International has set out to reveal more of the blood-soaked secrets the authorities have tried to keep and advance the struggle for truth, justice and reparation. Families kept in the dark In late July 1988, thousands of imprisoned political dissidents across Iran were suddenly cut off from the outside world. These men and women were mostly serving lengthy prison terms imposed because of their political opinions and peaceful activities such as distributing opposition leaflets and attending demonstrations. Some were children when jailed. As terrifying rumours circulated about mass secret executions, families frantically went to prisons and government offices to obtain information, only to be met by silence and abuse. Esmat Talebi, whose husband, Majid Simiary, and brother Adel Talebi were victims of the mass executions, described the desperation of families: “We tried to go to all the government bodies we could think of. We went in front of parliament, to the office of [Speaker of Parliament Ali Akbar Hashemi] Rafsanjani. We handed in letters everywhere we went. We went to the Prime Minister’s office but were turned away [so] we sat outside on the street and wrote a letter and gave it to [his] office. In the letter, we wrote: ‘We are families of political prisoners and we have been barred from having visits with them… We want answers from you. Do something to stop the executions…’ Eventually, we ran out of places to turn to and were left helpless.” Cruel notification of death Families’ worst fears were confirmed from late October 1988 onwards when prison visits resumed and officials began telling many families that their loved ones had been executed. The notifications were cruel and sudden with no information given about the reasons and circumstances of the killings. Most families were just summoned to prisons or a government office, handed a bag which an official said contained the personal belongings of their dead relative, and ordered not to hold a memorial ceremony. Jafar La’li described the way the authorities informed the family of his brother Jamshid La’li’s execution: “The Revolutionary Guards summoned my father to their office... There, he was taken into a room and sat on a chair. An official then walked in, put a bag on his desk and said: ‘Here is your son’s bag; we have executed him. Now take his stuff and get out.’” Some families were not even given these last mementos. As a result, they were thrown into further uncertainty and, after 30 years, some, particularly elderly mothers, still struggle to believe that their loved ones are indeed dead. Ezzat Habibnejad described how her mother-in-law remains in agony and disbelief that her son Mehdi Gharaiee is dead: “The authorities gave us nothing, absolutely nothing… Sadly, 30 years on, my mother-in-law is still waiting for Mehdi to come back. Sometimes, when the phone or the doorbell rings, she jumps for it saying it might be Mehdi... She struggles to accept that Mehdi is dead and says, if he had died, they would have returned his body or his belongings.” Some families were given misinformation or contradictory information and led to believe that their loves ones were alive. They only learned the truth later from former prisoners or informal government contacts. Hiding the bodies The Iranian authorities did not return the bodies of any of the victims to families. They also refused to tell most families where the bodies were buried. Amnesty International knows of only five cities where the authorities ultimately told some families verbally that their loved ones were buried in mass graves and revealed their locations. However, publicly and officially, they have never acknowledged these mass grave sites. In at least seven other cities, the authorities gave a few families the location of individual graves, but many fear that the authorities may have deceived them and that these graves may be empty. In the rest of the country, families have either remained in the dark about the whereabouts of their loved one’s remains or learnt, through informal contact with officials, cemetery workers or locals, about their burial in confirmed or suspected mass grave sites. Thirty years on, the Iranian authorities have yet to acknowledge the existence of any mass graves in the country, let alone allow families to request exhumations and search for bodies. They keep the location of victims’ remains a secret and are destroying suspected or confirmed mass grave sites by bulldozing and constructing new burial plots, buildings or roads over them. How the mass killings happened Between late July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities carried out co-ordinated extrajudicial killings intended to eliminate all political opposition. Across the country, groups of prisoners were collected from their cells and brought before “death commissions” involving judicial, prosecution and intelligence officials. The prisoners were asked if they were prepared to express repentance for their past political beliefs and activities and denounce their political groups. In some cases, they were also asked if they were prepared to execute or inflict harm on fellow dissidents. Many prisoners did not realize that their answers to these arbitrary and cruel questions could make the difference between life and death. Some thought they were appearing before a pardon committee. Most were hanged or shot by firing squad after giving answers deemed “incorrect”. Across the country, the victims were primarily supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), both men and women. In Tehran province, hundreds of men affiliated with leftist opposition groups were also executed. Their interrogations appeared more like a religious inquisition. They were asked: Are you a Muslim? Do you pray? Did your father pray and read the Qur’an? Those who identified as non-believers and said their fathers prayed were condemned to death for deserting Islam. Others were spared the death penalty, but were ordered to be flogged until they agreed to pray. Leftist women were asked similar questions. In their case, the “incorrect” answer led to five lashes every prayer time (that is, 25 lashes a day) until they agreed to pray regularly or die under torture. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Egypt: Repeal draconian NGO law following President’s calls for review | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Following comments by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in which he acknowledged the need for a more” balanced” law governing NGOs, Amnesty International has published an open letter to the government calling for the law to be scrapped and replaced with a version that is in line with Egypt’s constitutional and international commitments to ensure the right to freedom of association. “While President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to order a review of Egypt’s repressive NGO law is encouraging, amending the law is not enough. It is crucial that the authorities develop a new law in consultation with independent civil society and take concrete steps to end the relentless assault on Egypt’s human rights community,” said Najia Bounaim, Head of Campaigns for North Africa at Amnesty International. It is crucial that the authorities develop a new law in consultation with independent civil society and take concrete steps to end the relentless assault on Egypt’s human rights community Najia Bounaim, North Africa Campaigns Director at Amnesty International “Egyptian human rights defenders are facing an unprecedented crackdown. The Egyptian authorities need to show they are sincere and committed to protecting the rights of local and international NGOs by developing a law that ensures they are able to operate independently and carry out their work without fearing harassment, criminal prosecution or the threat of being shut down.” The authorities have launched a “criminal” investigation into the “foreign funding” of NGOs, if convicted staff could face up to 25 years in prison. At least 30 human rights NGO staff and directors have been banned from travel and seven NGOS and 10 individuals have had their assets frozen. The authorities also ordered the closure of the renowned el-Nadeem Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture. Human rights defender Hisham Gaafar, director of Mada Foundation for Media Development, has been held for more than three years in pre-trial detention, and Ezzat Ghoniem, co-founder of the Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms was forcibly disappeared on 14 September, despite a court order to release him. “If the Egyptian authorities are serious about ending the persecution of human rights defenders they need to start by closing the fabricated foreign funding investigation into NGOs, ending travel bans and asset freezes against civil society staff, and immediately and unconditionally releasing Ezzat Ghoniem and Hisham Gaafar,” said Najia Bounaim. Amnesty International is calling for the process to develop a new law on associations to be transparent and for members of Egyptian civil society to be actively involved in the drafting process. Background: In May 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ratified law no.70/2017 on Associations and Other Foundations Working in the Field of Civil Work. The law imposed unprecedentedly harsh restrictions on NGOs and has been widely criticized national and internationally. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | |||||
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| Palestine: Social justice activist tortured and punished for going on hunger strike | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The Palestinian authorities must urgently investigate the torture and other ill-treatment of Suha Jbara, an activist who has told Amnesty International that she was beaten, slammed against a wall and threatened with sexual violence by her interrogators, the organization said ahead of her court hearing tomorrow. Amnesty International met with her in prison on 4 December and gained first-hand testimony detailing her brutal treatment at the hands of her interrogators in an ordeal that lasted three days. She also told the organization she had suffered relentless harassment from officials to end a hunger strike she began on 22 November in protest at her detention and torture. “Suha Jbara has described her torture in harrowing detail. In her testimony she gives an account of ruthless interrogators who have shamelessly flouted Palestine’s obligations to treat prisoners humanely and violated the absolute prohibition under international law of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” said Saleh Higazi, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. “The Palestinian authorities must urgently carry out an independent and impartial investigation into these allegations. Any officials identified as responsible must be immediately suspended, prosecuted and brought to justice.” The Palestinian authorities must urgently carry out an independent and impartial investigation into these allegations Saleh Higazi, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty Suha Jbara described to Amnesty International how, upon her arrest, she had a seizure and lost consciousness and was taken to hospital. However, armed security officials later dragged her out of her hospital bed, barefoot, and transferred her to Jericho Interrogation and Detention Centre. “I was in bed with tubes in my arms when I clearly remember armed men came into the room… The armed men took off the tubes and dragged me out. I was feeling very weak and could barely move or talk… They put me in a minivan and I slept on the floor. I woke up in another place and they said to me, ‘Welcome to the Jericho slaughter house’,” she said. At the detention centre, a male interrogator threw water in her face when she asked for a drink, slapped her, punched her on the chest and back, and threatened her with further violence. She was blindfolded and handcuffed throughout her interrogation and was not allowed to drink water or use the toilet. “He insulted me all the time, used very dirty and violent sexual language, threatened to bring a doctor to look into my virginity and say that I was a whore, and threatened to hurt my family and to take my kids away from me,” she said. She was denied access to a lawyer during interrogation, and took her testimony in the presence of armed security officials at the interrogation centre. She was also not allowed to read her testimony before signing it. On 7 November she was presented to the Jericho Magistrate Court, which approved the prosecution’s request to extend her detention for 15 days. She was transferred to the Jericho Correction and Rehabilitation Centre that day. He insulted me all the time, used very dirty and violent sexual language...and threatened to hurt my family and to take my kids away from me Suha Jbara, Palestinian activist She told Amnesty International that she began a hunger strike on 22 November in protest at her torture during interrogation and unfair treatment by the prosecution and judiciary. She said that, soon after she began the hunger strike, she was taken to hospital for a short time before being transferred back to the Jericho Correction and Rehabilitation Centre, where she was placed in solitary confinement for her hunger strike. “I am starting to get very tired. I feel pain in the lower back and lower back sides that sometimes travels to my legs. The most difficult thing of the hunger strike is the pressure that is put on me by everyone around me to stop what I am doing,” she said. She added that several officials, including the governor of Jericho and a high-ranking police officer as well as doctors and nurses had tried to persuade her to stop her hunger strike. She was also told that she was being denied family visits or phone calls as punishment for her hunger strike. “Instead of punishing her for embarking on a hunger strike, which is a legitimate form of protest, the Palestinian authorities must immediately take steps to ensure that Suha Jbara is guaranteed a fair trial and that she is protected from torture,” said Saleh Higazi. She must also be granted immediate access to her lawyers and protected from any further torture and other ill-treatment. Any legal proceedings against her must conform to international fair trial standards. Suha Jbara is a Palestinian, US and Panamanian citizen and social justice activist involved with Islamic charities. She also works to support the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. On 3 November she was arrested during a violent raid on her home. During questioning by prosecutors, she was asked about collecting and distributing money in illegal ways, an accusation she denies. Palestinian forces in the West Bank and Gaza have a track record of arbitrarily arresting peaceful activists, demonstrators and critics, many of whom have faced judicial proceedings that do not meet fair trial standards. Amnesty International is calling on international donors to the Palestinian security sector to review their assistance to Palestinian forces to ensure that it is not facilitating human rights violations and is in line with international standards. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | |||||
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| Climate justice clashes with an increasingly intolerant Poland | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-This weekend world leaders arrive in the Polish city of Katowice for the COP24 climate summit, where they will set out plans for implementing the Paris Climate Agreement. Over the course of two weeks governments are expected to make decisions which could move us closer to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Failure to achieve this would have serious consequences and crossing this threshold by even half a degree will trigger catastrophic and unprecedented climate-related events. The Polish government have adopted a bill that prevents activists, NGOs and the general public from holding spontaneous assemblies outside the climate change Chiara Liguori, Amnesty International So it is no surprise that, in the build up to COP24, environmental activists around the world have been ramping up protests in a bid to pressure their governments into taking drastic action. In the UK, protestors from the Extinction Rebellion Group have several times brought central London to a standstill by blocking roads and bridges. In Australia hundreds of students have taken part in school strikes, travelling from around the country to peacefully protest outside the Australian parliament in Sydney. But there will be few protests outside COP24 itself. Earlier this year the Polish government adopted a bill that prevents activists, NGOs and the general public from holding spontaneous assemblies outside the talks. Demonstrators must notify the city authorities in advance or risk prosecution. The bill also gives police extra powers to put conference participants under enhanced surveillance without their knowledge. Essentially, the Polish authorities can treat COP24 as an opportunity to gather data on NGOs and strengthen their police powers. This comes in the context of an escalating crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Poland, characterized by a raft of legislation aimed at curbing women’s rights and undermining the independence of the judiciary. A recent UN report warned that we have just 12 years to avert catastrophic climate change Chiara Liguori, Amnesty International But the Polish government is out of step with its population, who it has gone to great lengths to silence on a whole spectrum of issues over the past few years. Poland’s leaders are capitalizing on a critical juncture in the fight against climate change to further their own regressive agenda. A recent UN report warned that we have just 12 years to avert catastrophic climate change. Poland, like all countries, has far bigger problems than the chants of peaceful protesters. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | |||||
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| Fact vs. Fiction: What you need to know about the caravan passing through Mexico on its way to the USA | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Fiction: If Mexico or the United States doesn’t turn people back or detain them, more people will come Fact: There is scarce evidence to suggest that increasing border restrictions has any effect on whether people leave their country or not. In many cases we are talking about people who have no choice but to leave their homes, and people who will continue to keep trying to find a safe place to live, despite the policies of Mexico, the USA, or any other country that may be safer than theirs. The conditions that drive people to flee or to leave from their countries include: Violence; Extortion from organized criminal groups; Lack of protection from their governments; Precarious living conditions that they must endure. The real way to curb the movement of thousands of people against their will is to call on their governments, and those that collaborate with them, to find ways to protect the human rights of their population. In the case of Honduras, it is a country with one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, and in the world. The murder rate is 800 percent higher than that of the United States. Amnesty International does not oppose governments using border controls, yet they must be lawful and respect human rights, including the right to seek asylum. The hardline border controls used by a series of US governments over the last 30 years have been shown to be ineffective at reducing migration and only condemn people to more precarious and dangerous routes that put human lives at risk and fuel smuggling networks. Fiction: The people in the caravan just want to earn more money and take jobs away from citizens of the countries they arrive in. Fact: While poverty is a major issue and may affect people’s decisions to leave Honduras and other countries, their reasons for leaving are often more urgent than simply economic ones and involve life and death decisions. Many of the people that have left Honduras in recent days are looking for a safer place to live. This is because their life may be at risk because they have directly had death threats made to them or been attacked due to saying “no” to violent criminal groups that commonly extort shopkeepers, bus drivers and newspaper vendors, or forcibly recruit children. Honduras is a country roughly the size of Arizona state. When someone’s life is at risk they need to find a way to escape because these violent criminal groups have a way of finding them, wherever they are in this small country. Amnesty International has documented many cases of individuals and families fleeing their countries of origin in the Northern Triangle, who have faced targeted threats and violence due to their particular social group and are in need of international protection. Fiction: Members of the caravan represent a security threat to Mexico or to the United States Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that the arrival of families, caravans, asylum seekers or refugees has been linked with any increase in crime rates, either in Mexico or the United States. On the contrary, there are numerous studies in the United States that show that the areas that have received the highest rates of migrants and refugees are linked with generally the lowest crime rates in the country. In the case of Mexico, it appears there is no evidence published that has linked the arrival of people from Central America with any change in crime rates in the country. Furthermore, the caravan includes hundreds of children travelling with their families. We are not talking about powerful groups or security threats, we are talking about people with real needs: bus drivers, students, teenagers, shopkeepers, food vendors. Fiction: People who hope to seek asylum once they reach the southern border of the USA should not be let in Fact: This is simply not true. Under both US law and international law, anyone who seeks asylum at a port of entry into the United States must be received, allowed to request asylum, and referred to an asylum officer for the of review their claim. Turning these people away from the border would mean that US authorities were breaking the law. Turning people back to situations where their life or safety could be at risk is not only cruel, but unlawful. As the caravan continues on the move through Mexico, Mexican authorities must protect people who are fleeing from danger, and guarantee the rights of everyone in the caravan – that includes not holding children seeking asylum in detention or separating families. When the caravan reaches the United States border, the US authorities have the same obligations. This caravan isn’t a security threat – it’s a movement of real people and families, with fears, hopes, and dreams – and they all deserve safety. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Honduras: Half-truths for Berta Cáceres and her family | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The irregularities in the investigation and court proceedings relating to the murder of prominent human rights defender Berta Cáceres, combined with the fact all those who masterminded the crime have still not been identified, lead to the conclusion that neither the right to justice, the right to the truth, nor the right to reparation have been guaranteed in this emblematic case, Amnesty International said today. “By excluding the victims from the murder trial of human rights defender Berta Cáceres and by having the Public Prosecutor’s Office – an institution that has repeatedly been reported for violating their rights – act as their representative, the path to justice and truth has been blocked for the defender’s family” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International. “Despite the ruling delivered today in this emblematic case, the Honduran justice system must demonstrate its commitment to the truth and identify all those who planned and ordered the murder of Berta Cáceres”. Despite the ruling delivered today in this emblematic case, the Honduran justice system must demonstrate its commitment to the truth and identify all those who planned and ordered the murder of Berta Cáceres Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International Today, the National Criminal Court concluded the trial against the eight individuals accused of the murder of the Indigenous Lenca leader and environmental defender, which occurred on 2 March 2016. Douglas Bustillo (a retired military officer), Henry Hernández (a former soldier), Edilson Duarte Meza, Óscar Torres, Sergio Rodríguez Orellana (a director for DESA, the company that built the Agua Zarca dam to which the activist was opposed) and Mariano Díaz Chávez (an army major) were all found guilty by the court. Emerson Duarte Meza was found not guilty. David Castillo, the general manager of DESA arrested on 2 March 2018, is still pending trial. Irregularities during the proceedings Throughout the investigation, the family of the human rights defender and Gustavo Castro, the only person to have witnessed the killing, have reiterated that the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office failed to ensure genuine and full access to the case file and the evidence. As the court did not take the appropriate measures to ensure the victims had access to the evidence and the case file, the representatives of Berta Cáceres’ family and Gustavo Castro filed a motion to recuse the members of the court, deeming them to lack the impartiality required to hear and rule on the case. This petition prompted the suspension of the trial, which had been scheduled to begin on 17 September. The court reconvened to commence the trial on 19 October. The lawyers for Berta Cáceres’ family and Gustavo Castro did not appear in court on the grounds that starting the trial would be illegal, given that the ruling on the writ of amparo, submitted precisely to avoid said commencement, was still pending. On that same date, the court declared the trial to have been abandoned by Berta Cáceres’ family and Gustavo Castro. Consequently, the court decided that the Public Prosecutor’s Office should assume representation of the human rights defender’s family and the aforementioned witness. The court’s decision to force the victims to be represented by Public Prosecutor’s Office violates the guarantee of due process and thereby affects the victims’ right of access to justice, to the truth and to reparation. Representation of the victims should not have been left to an institution that they had repeatedly reported for infringing their rights. Stigmatisation and possible acts of discrimination As the trial progressed, the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH) and the Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice (MADJ), the organisation to which the lawyers for Berta Cáceres’ family belong, were the focus of smear campaigns that sought to discredit their work with human rights. The authorities neither refuted these accusations nor advocated the importance of defending human rights in order to protect the members of the abovementioned organisations from further attacks. According to COPINH, on 31 August 2018, court staff forced Indigenous attendees to remove their traditional clothing before entering the courtroom and refused entry to some Indigenous attendees because there weren’t enough seats. In contrast, delegates from the diplomatic corps of various embassies were allowed to enter and extra seats were provided for them. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Why Rohingya refugees shouldn't be sent back to Myanmar | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Since August 2017, more than 720,000 Rohingya have fled a vicious campaign of violence by the Myanmar security forces and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. This week some refugees could be returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar under an agreement reached earlier between the two governments that sidestepped safeguards mandated under international law. Here, Amnesty International explains how this situation has come about and why the forcible return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar is unlawful, being premature, and putting their lives, liberty and other key human rights at risk. Who are the Rohingya people? The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar. Until recently, more than a million lived mostly in Rakhine State, in the west of the country, on the border with Bangladesh. The Rohingya assert longstanding ties to Rakhine State, and the overwhelming majority were born in the country as were their parents and grandparents. Virtually all of them have no citizenship and no reasonable claim to citizenship other than in Myanmar. Despite this, the government, insists that there is no such group in the country, instead claiming that they are “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh. It refuses to recognize them as citizens, effectively rendering the majority of them stateless. Their lack of citizenship has had a cascade of negative impacts on their lives, and has allowed the authorities in Myanmar to severely restrict their freedom of movement, effectively segregating them from the rest of society. As a result, they struggle to access healthcare, schools and jobs. This systematic discrimination amounts to apartheid, a crime against humanity under international law. How have so many Rohingya ended up in Bangladesh as refugees? Since August last year, more than 720,000 Rohingya have fled their homes in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State after the military unleashed a brutal campaign of violence against them. During this campaign, launched in response to coordinated attacks on security posts by the armed group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), security forces killed thousands of Rohingya, raped women and girls, hauled men and boys off to detention sites where they were tortured, and burned hundreds of homes and villages to the ground in what were clearly crimes against humanity. A UN report has concluded these crimes may also constitute genocide. While the crisis in Rakhine State since 25 August is unprecedented in the scale of displacement, it’s not the first time the Rohingya have been subject to violent expulsion from their homes, villages and country at the hands of the Myanmar state. In the late 1970s and early 1990s hundreds of thousands were forced to flee to Bangladesh after major military crackdowns which were accompanied by wide-ranging human rights violations. More recently, in 2016 almost 90,000 Rohingya were forced to flee to Bangladesh after Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on police posts by an armed Rohingya group with a campaign of violence targeting the community as a whole. At the time, Amnesty International concluded that these actions may have amounted to crimes against humanity. Today, the UN estimates that there are altogether more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. How were the Rohingya refugees received in Bangladesh? At first, the new arrivals were welcomed. Across Bangladesh, there was an outpouring of sympathy for the persecuted minority driven from their homes. The Bangladeshi government, which had long been ambivalent towards the Rohingya, embraced them. On a visit to the Rohingya refugee camps, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared that if Bangladesh could feed their 160 million people, it could feed hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees. While the Bangladeshi government has generously hosted the refugees, they have not given them refugee status – leaving them without legal status on either side of the border. Bangladesh is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention. The refugees are squeezed into threadbare shelters, mostly made of flimsy tarpaulin and bamboo. During the severe monsoon season, many homes were at risk of damage. Thousands of families were relocated and the shelters were reinforced. But they are still at risk in the case of a cyclone striking. The camps are also extremely congested. The area where most of the Rohingya refugees have taken shelter is large enough to count as Bangladesh’s fourth largest city, with nearly a million people, including the local host community residing there. Why shouldn’t Bangladesh return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar? The Rohingya have an inalienable human right to return to and reside in Myanmar – it is their home, and if they choose to they must be allowed to return. But governments must not organize returns unless they ensure that they are safe, voluntary, and dignified. As things currently stand, none of those conditions have been met, despite claims to the contrary by both the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments. The UN has repeatedly stated that conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to returns. The Bangladeshi government has agreed to have UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, oversee the returns process. UNHCR has undertaken the responsibility to interview every family that has expressed willingness to go back and certify that this is a voluntary return before they can be repatriated to Myanmar. This includes ensuring that refugees are also given the option to remain in Bangladesh if they choose to do so. The cruel and entrenched system of discrimination and segregation that made the Rohingya so vulnerable in the first place has to be dismantled. Safe and dignified returns also means guaranteeing that once back, they can enjoy equal rights and citizenship and that the extreme human rights violations they have suffered will stop. Safe and dignified returns also require those responsible for the horrific abuses against the Rohingya to be held to account. As it stands, almost all perpetrators remain at large and continue to evade justice, while maintaining positions of power that enable them to perpetrate more violations. The Rohingya cannot be left living in fear of a fresh wave of violence that will, if they survive, drive them across the border yet again. Forcibly returning refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, where their lives, safety and other key human rights remain at grave risk, is a violation of the fundamental principle of international law known as non-refoulement. What should happen now? The Governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar must uphold their commitment that Rohingya refugees will only return safely, voluntarily and with dignity. Both governments must also ensure that refugees in Bangladesh are able to make free and informed choices about return, based on access to full and impartial information about conditions in Rakhine State and the support to remain in Bangladesh if they choose to do so. Both governments must also ensure that Rohingya are consulted and included in all decisions affecting their futures. At the moment, Rohingya refugees do not have a seat at the table, and decisions about their future are being made without their knowledge and therefore obviously without their consent. As the UN agency mandated with the protection of refugees, UNHCR must play a key role in any organized return process, including providing refugees with objective, up-to-date, and accurate information in relevant languages and formats to allow them to make genuinely free and informed choices about whether and when they would like to exercise their right to return, obtaining their consent and monitoring that conditions are safe for return in Myanmar – before, during and after any returns take place, ensuring their long-term sustainability. The international community has an important role to play – in ensuring that returns are not forced, but also in pushing Myanmar to create the conditions which would allow for safe, voluntary, and dignified returns. The international community must also do much more to support Bangladesh and share the responsibility and financial burden of hosting almost a million refugees. Shamefully, only 40% of the UN’s appeal for USD 950 million has been committed. Governments and donors around the world need to step up to support this effort. Finally, Rohingya refugees are entitled to continue to seek asylum in Bangladesh and the authorities there must keep borders open to refugees who continue to flee now or will in the future. The Bangladeshi government should also explore all options to ensure continued international protection for this community. To be truly voluntary, refugees need alternatives – including to remain in Bangladesh with asylum protections, including refugee status, and to resettle or relocate to a third country if they choose to do so. So far, these options do not exist. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Google must not capitulate to China's censorship demands | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Yesterday Google staff published an open letter in support of Amnesty International’s campaign for Google to #Drop Dragonfly. Part of the letter reads: “Many of us accepted employment at Google with the company’s values in mind, including its previous position on Chinese censorship and surveillance, and an understanding that Google was a company willing to place its values above its profits. After a year of disappointments including Project Maven, Dragonfly, and Google’s support for abusers, we no longer believe this is the case. This is why we’re taking a stand.” The letter will continue to be updated with new signatures. Amnesty International applauds the bravery of Google staff publicly voicing ethical concerns, and calls on Google to commit to protecting whistle-blowers and all employees who speak out. Google must not capitulate to China's censorship demands Google’s plans to launch a censored search app in China could irreparably damage internet users’ trust in the tech company, Amnesty International said today, warning that going ahead with the app would set a dangerous precedent for tech companies enabling rights abuses by governments. Google should be fighting for an internet where information is freely accessible to everyone, not backing the Chinese government’s dystopian alternative Joe Westby, Researcher on Technology and Human Rights The organization has launched a global petition calling on Google CEO Sundar Pichai to drop the app, which is codenamed Project Dragonfly and would blacklist search terms like “human rights” and “Tiananmen Crackdown”. Following a public outcry from Google’s own workforce, Amnesty International is reaching out to the company’s staff through protests outside Google offices and targeted messages on LinkedIn calling on them to sign the petition. A spoof promotional video offering Google staff the chance to participate in Project Dragonfly ends with a twist on Google’s motto: “Don’t be evil – unless it’s profitable”. “This is a watershed moment for Google. As the world’s number one search engine, it should be fighting for an internet where information is freely accessible to everyone, not backing the Chinese government’s dystopian alternative,” said Joe Westby, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Technology and Human Rights. Many Google staff have spoken out against these plans, unwilling to play a role in the Chinese government’s manipulation of information and persecution of dissidents. Joe Westby “Many of Google’s own staff have spoken out against these plans, unwilling to play a role in the Chinese government’s manipulation of information and persecution of dissidents. Their courageous and principled stance puts Google’s leadership to shame. Today we are standing with Google staff and asking them to join us in calling on Sundar Pichai to drop Project Dragonfly and reaffirm Google’s commitment to human rights.” State repression The Chinese government runs one of the world’s most repressive internet censorship and surveillance regimes. In 2010 Google publicly exited the search market in China, citing restrictions to freedom of expression online. Since then, the Chinese government has intensified its crackdown and it is unclear how Google would safeguard human rights in this environment. Leaked internal documents obtained by The Intercept show that the prototype app that Google built under Project Dragonfly would comply with China’s censorship rules by automatically identifying and filtering websites blocked in China and “blacklisting sensitive queries”. According to The Intercept, the blacklist that Google itself developed for the project includes the terms “student protest” and “Nobel Prize” in Chinese, as well as phrases that imply criticism of China’s President Xi Jinping. Google would also be compelled to cooperate with Chinese censors in cracking down on posts related to developing social issues, such as the Chinese government’s response to the growing #MeToo movement and the Chinese government’s internment of ethnic minorities. The prototype app would also make it easier for authorities to track individual users’ searches, which means there is a real danger that Google would be helping the Chinese government to arrest or imprison people. Chinese laws and regulations force tech companies to cooperate fully with inspections by public security officials. Launching Project Dragonfly would also risk legitimizing China’s vision of the internet, which gives governments absolute control over what information is available to the population and the power to freely access all online data about their citizens. A recent report by Freedom House found that China is actively exporting its model of internet control around the world by conducting large-scale trainings for foreign officials, providing technology to other governments and forcing international companies to follow its rules even outside China. Sundar Pichai must do the right thing and drop Project Dragonfly for good. Joe Westby In response to criticism over Project Dragonfly, Google has said it is committed to respecting the fundamental rights of its users. However, the company has failed to explain how it would square this commitment with a project that appears to accept censorship and surveillance. The company’s leadership has also tried to shrug off criticism by saying it has simply been exploring the possibility of re-entering the Chinese search market and that it does not know whether it “would or could” launch such a product. However leaked comments by a senior Google manager suggest that before the project was made public, the company had been working to have Project Dragonfly ready to launch as soon as possible. “Google needs to stop equivocating and make a decision. Will it defend a free and open internet for people globally? Or will it help create a world where some people in some countries are shut out from the benefits of the internet and routinely have their rights undermined online?” said Joe Westby. “If Google is happy to capitulate to the Chinese government’s draconian rules on censorship, what’s to stop it cooperating with other repressive governments who control the flow of information and keep tabs on their citizens? As a market leader, Google knows its actions will set a precedent for other tech companies. Sundar Pichai must do the right thing and drop Project Dragonfly for good.” | |||||
| Original source: WWW.AMNESTY.ORG | |||||
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| Netanyahu's legal troubles mount as police seek new bribery charges | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police on Sunday said they had found enough evidence for bribery and fraud charges to be brought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife in a third corruption case against the Israeli leader. Authorities allege Netanyahu awarded regulatory favors to Israel’s leading telecommunications company, Bezeq Telecom Israel (BEZQ.TA), in return for more positive coverage of him and his wife on a news website, Walla, owned by the company. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. If indicted, the four-term prime minister would be facing one of the greatest challenges to his political survival. Despite his dominance of Israeli politics, the newest police recommendation comes just after his right-wing coalition’s majority was reduced to a precarious one seat in parliament. The final decision on whether to indict rests with Israel’s attorney-general, who is still weighing whether to charge Netanyahu in the other two cases. Those relate to allegations that Netanyahu accepted gifts from businessmen and that he tried to strike a deal with a different media mogul for better coverage in return for curbs on a competing newspaper. Most of Netanyahu’s coalition partners have said they will wait for a decision by the attorney-general before making any decisions about how to react to the allegations. | |||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | |||||
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| Egyptian Actress Dressed to Impress. She Could Be Jailed for Debauchery | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-CAIRO — When an Egyptian actress strutted down the red carpet in Cairo last week, twirling and smiling in a revealing lace dress, she had hoped to turn heads in the movie world. Instead, she attracted the attention of three lawyers known for using the courts to engage in moral vigilantism. Now she faces criminal charges that could potentially land her in prison. Three Egyptian lawyers filed a lawsuit against the actress, Rania Youssef, accusing her of wearing an outfit at the Cairo International Film Festival that constituted “incitement to debauchery.” A trial has been scheduled for January, and Ms. Youssef, who is in her 40s, could face a possible five-year jail term if convicted. The case is the latest in a series of high-profile prosecutions targeting celebrities in Egypt under the authoritarian rule of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. They are often brought by lawyers claiming to police public morals by regulating attire, behavior and even jokes under the guise of protecting a brittle version of Egyptian nationalism. Such prosecutions often ultimately fail. The pop singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab, initially sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for an onstage joke about the quality of water in the notoriously dirty Nile, was acquitted on appeal in May. But sometimes the charges stick, resulting in prisons sentences for entertainers convicted of breaching public morals. The prosecutions have had a chilling effect on free speech at a time when Egypt’s news media is largely under the sway of Mr. Sisi, and his government has engaged in harsh crackdown on the gay community. Egypt’s overcrowded prisons currently include a singer who was imprisoned for making lewd gestures in a pop video, and a female human rights activist who had broadcast a profanity-laced video on Facebook about being sexually harassed in public. Editors’ Picks In a Transylvania Town, Bears and Humans Collide at the Dumpster Inside Colombia’s Beloved Candy Factory A ‘Bright Light,’ Dimmed in the Shadows of Homelessness Women’s dress has always been a fault line in the culture wars of Egypt, where the tradition of belly dancing inspires both admiration and revulsion. The dress that Ms. Youssef wore at the film festival — a semitransparent outfit that exposed most of her legs — led some Egyptians to support her prosecution. “She, and whoever let her appear like this, must be put on trial,” one person said on Twitter. Others said the case revealed the mind-set of the men who had brought the charges, using a law that allows one Egyptian to file a lawsuit against another for vague crimes like immorality and “insulting” the nation. The dress has only exposed your obsession,” the director Amr Salama said on Twitter. Ms. Youssef apologized for wearing the dress and stressed that she respected Egyptian cultural and moral values. “I didn’t expect this reaction, and if I had known, I wouldn’t have worn this dress,” she said in a statement. One of the prosecuting lawyers, Samir Sabry, claims to have filed more than 2,700 such lawsuits over 40 years, targeting actors, clerics, politicians and belly dancers. He even sued the makers of a famous puppet show, “Abla Fahita,” for a skit on the novel “Fifty Shades of Grey.” The case failed. Mr. Sabry, who supports Mr. Sisi, has also brought lawsuits against the president’s political opponents, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2013, many Egyptians supported the military takeover that brought Mr. Sisi to power out of fear that the Muslim Brotherhood, whose leader, Mohammed Morsi, was ousted from power, would restrict women’s rights and social freedoms. On Sunday, some noted acerbically on Twitter that those same rights had been eroded under Mr. Sisi. Sign up for The Interpreter Subscribe for original insights, commentary and discussions on the major news stories of the week, from columnists Max Fisher and Amanda Taub. Sign Up The vigilante-driven court activism of the Sisi era has also led to harsh restrictions on some minorities, last year prompting the harshest crackdown on the gay community in decades. The case against Ms. Youssef also highlights the highly variable speeds of Egyptian justice. Charges against public figures involving morality or nationalism often move at a brisk pace — Ms. Youssef is due in court on Jan. 12 — while political prisoners or detained journalists languish in jail for years, awaiting trail in cases that proceed at a crawl. Such cases also undermine efforts to revive Egypt’s ailing economy by promoting tourism and the country’s ancient heritage. The furor over Ms. Youssef overshadowed an announcement about the discovery of eight startlingly well-preserved mummies in a tomb near the pyramids of Giza. It also overshadowed the Cairo film festival, which was celebrating its 40th year and awarded its Golden Pyramid prize to the film “A Twelve-Year Night.” As for Ms. Youssef, she will most likely hope that her coming court case does not become an example of life imitating art. This year, she finished a movie in which she plays a famous artist who is sent to prison, and struggles to rebuild her life after her release. | |||||
| Original source: Www.nytime.com | |||||
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| Stranded refugees and migrants must be immediately allowed to dock in Italy or Malta | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Twelve refugees and migrants who have been stranded in the Central Mediterranean on a Spanish fishing boat for almost a week must be allowed to disembark in Europe as soon as possible, said Amnesty International. Six days after they were rescued from the water by the Nuestra Madre de Loreto vessel, the 12 - including two children - remain on board in overcrowded conditions and stormy waters. Under no circumstances should these people be returned to Libya, where they would face arbitrary detention and possibly torture Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International “These people have risked their lives to escape human rights abuses in Libya and they should be disembarked without delay in the nearest place of safety in either Malta or Italy,” said Matteo de Bellis, Researcher on Asylum and Migration at Amnesty International. “Under no circumstances should they be returned to Libya, where they would face arbitrary detention and possibly torture and other abuses. Any instruction to the captain of the Nuestra Madre de Loreto to transfer the survivors to Libya would be contrary to international law, as Libya cannot be considered as a safe country for disembarkation.” According to media reports, the refugees and migrants were rescued on 22 November in international waters around 80 nautical miles from Libya. The precise details of the incident are yet to be clarified. However, reports suggest that many of them jumped into the sea after being approached by a Libyan Coast Guard vessel and were then pulled out of the water by the crew of the Nuestra Madre de Loreto. By closing ports and boosting the Libyan Coast Guard’s capacity, European governments are blatantly disregarding their obligations under both maritime and human rights law Matteo de Bellis, Amnesty International This is the latest in a series of instances of ships in the Central Mediterranean rescuing people at sea only to be blocked from docking in the nearest safe port. “European governments appear to be sending a signal that people in danger at sea should be either abandoned there or sent back to Libya. By closing ports and boosting the Libyan Coast Guard’s capacity to intercept people at sea, they are blatantly disregarding their obligations under both maritime and human rights law,” said Matteo de Bellis. “These policies mean merchant vessels are deterred from carrying out life-saving rescue operations, or pushed to return people to Libya. It is time for European governments to stop playing with human lives and share responsibility for receiving people seeking safety.” Background Earlier this month Amnesty International highlighted how thousands of migrants and refugees in Libya continue to be trapped in appalling conditions in Libyan detention centres with no way out. In recent weeks 97 individuals were rescued and returned back to Libya. In an act of protest they refused to disembark to avoid being unlawfully detained and likely tortured. Amnesty International’s briefing, 'Between the devil and the deep blue sea. Europe fails refugees and migrants in the Central Mediterranean', highlights how European policies have resulted in a spiraling death rate among refugees and migrants, and analyzes how EU countries are conspiring to keep refugees and migrants in Libya, where they are exposed to torture and other horrific violations and abuses. Unnecessary delays in indicating a place of safety for disembarkation have forced people in need of urgent assistance – including injured people, pregnant women, torture survivors, people traumatized by shipwrecks and unaccompanied minors – to remain at sea for several days. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Former President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-(Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who presided over the end of the Cold War and routed Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army but lost a chance for a second term after breaking a no-new-taxes pledge, died on Friday at the age of 94. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, who lived longer than any of his predecessors and possessed one of the most impressive resumes in American political history, died peacefully at his home in Houston, according to a source close to the family. His death at 10:10 p.m. Central time (0410 GMT) was first announced in a brief statement issued by longtime spokesman Jim McGrath, who said funeral arrangements had yet to be scheduled. No further details about the circumstances of his death were immediately available. He was the father of former President George W. Bush, who served two terms in the White House during the 2000s, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who unsuccessfully sought the 2016 Republican nomination for president. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens,” George W. Bush said in a statement. The elder Bush, a Republican like his sons, also served as vice president for eight years during Ronald Reagan’s two terms as president, before being elected to the White House himself. He defeated former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee, in the 1988 presidential campaign, and lost his 1992 re-election bid to Democrat Bill Clinton. Bush’s death came seven months after that of his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, to whom he was married for 73 years. The former president, who served as a U.S. naval aviator during World War Two, had attended his wife’s funeral in Houston in a wheelchair and wore a pair of colorful socks festooned with books, in honor of his late wife’s commitment to literacy. He had been admitted to a Houston hospital with a blood infection that led to sepsis a day after her funeral in April. The Bushes had been regular fixtures in their adopted hometown of Houston after his presidency, but public appearances became more rare because of health problems as they reached their 90s. But Bush was on the field in November 2017 as his eldest son, who served as the nation’s 43rd president, tossed out the first ball at one of the Houston Astros’ World Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also had been joined by Barbara for the ceremonial coin toss when Houston hosted the Super Bowl in February 2017. President Donald Trump paid tribute in a statement to his predecessor’s “essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country.” Trump added that Bush “inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service - to be, in his words, ‘a thousand points of light’ illuminating the greatness, hope and opportunity of America to the world.” EXTENSIVE POLITICAL RESUME George Herbert Walker Bush, the Connecticut Yankee who came to Texas to be an oilman, died as the patriarch of a Republican political dynasty. His son George Walker Bush was president from 2001 to 2009, making them only the second father and son to hold the office, after John Adams (1797-1801) and John Quincy Adams (1825-1829). His second son, Jeb, launched his own campaign for the presidency in 2015 before dropping out in February 2016. Bush’s father, Prescott Bush, had been a senator from Connecticut. Bush had first sought the presidency in 1980, campaigning on experience gathered as a U.S. congressman from Texas, envoy to China, director of the CIA, U.N. ambassador and chairman of the Republican National Committee. Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor, vanquished him in the Republican primaries but chose Bush as his running mate, hoping Bush’s reputation as a moderate would balance his own hard, conservative image. After two terms in the Reagan White House, Bush ran for the presidency again in 1988 and defeated Dukakis by winning 40 of the 50 states. The high points of Bush’s presidency included the end of the Cold War, a decisive victory over Saddam’s Iraqi army in 1991, along with the soaring popularity it won him at home, and progress on Middle East peace. But Bush’s foreign affairs victories were overshadowed by a stagnant economy at home. He broke his “read my lips” pledge not to raise taxes and lost his 1992 re-election bid to Clinton. Bush, who was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, grew up wealthy, attending elite schools but putting off college so he could enlist in the Navy at 18. He flew 58 missions off carriers in World War Two and survived being shot down over the Pacific. After returning from the war, he married Barbara Pierce, with whom he would have six children. After he graduated from Yale on an accelerated schedule, the Bushes headed to the oil fields of West Texas. It was there that Bush became involved in politics, first losing a U.S. Senate race in 1964 before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966. After two terms and another failed Senate bid in 1970, he was appointed by President Richard Nixon as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In 1974, President Gerald Ford made him an envoy to China and later director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Bush did not endorse fellow Republican Trump, the eventual winner of the 2016 presidential election, who attacked both Jeb and George W. Bush during his campaign. He did not publicly say whom he voted for in the election, but a source told CNN he went for Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Bush did send Trump a letter in January 2017 saying he would not be able to attend his inauguration because of health concerns, but wishing him the best. | |||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | |||||
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| “this human world” Human Rights Film Festival / Wien 2018 | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm-Vienna 29.11.-10.12.2018 Out of the comfort zone into the direct dialogue about the socio-political challenges of our time. The international "this human world" film festival brings about 80 visually stunning, themed documentary, feature and animated films to Vienna. The focus is on Arts, Rights and Justice, My Body My Rules or Working Realities and the competition sections: International, Austria, Expanded Shorts, Up and Coming. In addition, this year is in particular a focus on radicalization. For example, new rights movements in Europe, Salafist ideologies or left-wing radicalism - summarized under the title Radical Reflections. Facing the current socio-political challenges, this human world continues to raise awareness of human dignity worldwide this year, 70 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On 10.12. On the last day of the International Human Rights Day, this human world stops in selected movie theaters throughout Austria and gives some insight into the festival with a few films. The festival directors Michael Schmied, Eva Reider and Jannik Rakusa and their team want to appeal to the open mind. Its aim is to encourage people to question and examine their views and values in terms of human rights and their own responsibility. With her film selection is looked at and pushed, where it hurts. Open, honest, eager to experiment with wit and intellect, courage to discourse and a cinematic expertise at a high level. Lectures, workshops, discussions, panel discussions, performances and a Nightline complete the festival, which is one of the largest in Vienna. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Diamond industry fails to clean up its act | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The diamond industry must deliver on its promise that consumers can trust the diamonds they purchase are sourced, traded, and processed responsibly, said a coalition of concerned civil society organizations today. “Time is up for the diamond industry. Image is everything to the value of diamonds, yet the industry continues to be tainted by association with human rights abuses like child labour and forced labour, as well as conflict, environmental damage, and corruption. If the diamond industry genuinely wants to address these issues, it needs to clean-up its act and no longer approach respect for human rights and responsible business as an optional exercise,” Joanne Lebert, IMPACT’s Executive Director. The appeal comes as members of the international community gather in Brussels for the Kimberley Process Plenary—the initiative through which participating governments certify rough diamonds as conflict-free, using a narrow definition of diamonds that have been used by rebel groups to finance their activities. The diamond industry is represented in the Kimberley Process by the World Diamond Council (WDC), an umbrella group for the world’s largest diamond producers, jewellers, and exchanges. The WDC announced on October 25 that its members had passed proposed reforms to its flagship self-regulation instrument, known as the System of Warranties. Through the new System of Warranties Guidelines, the diamond industry claims to provide assurances to consumers beyond the Kimberley Process certificate that their diamonds have been sourced, processed and traded responsibly. However, despite the reforms, the System of Warranties still falls far short of international standards for responsible company behavior—including by stating that respect for human rights by companies is “voluntary.” “This so-called upgrade by the WDC to its self-regulation guidelines appears to be more of a token attempt to appease criticism of the diamond industry’s failings than a real step towards ensuring that the diamond trade does not continue to fuel human rights abuses. We’re calling on companies to acknowledge and act on their individual responsibility to tackle the trade in diamonds associated with harms,” said Sophia Pickles, Campaign Leader at Global Witness. The international position is clear—respecting human rights is not optional for companies. Lucy Graham, Business and Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International Companies in the diamond industry are individually responsible for carrying out steps to respect human rights in their supply chains, in line with established international standards on business and human rights including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Under these standards, companies have a responsibility to identify human rights risks, take action to prevent or mitigate those risks and account for their human rights impacts. To be credible and legitimate, any industry scheme in the minerals sector—like the WDC’s System of Warranties—must align with the globally-endorsed standards and ensure that respect for human rights is integrated throughout the full supply chain. However, despite the existence of these standards for responsible company behavior, which if implemented in full would fill the gaps in human rights responsibilities under the Kimberley Process, the diamond industry itself has persistently failed to take meaningful measures to clean up the diamond trade. While the revised System of Warranties Guidelines refer to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD standard for responsible sourcing and trading of minerals, members are only “encouraged” to avoid causing or contributing to abuses, to “reject” the worst forms of child labor, and to “educate themselves on” rather than implement the OECD standard. A WDC “Explanatory Paper” on the reforms clearly states that “Human & Labour Rights Issues” are “Voluntary.” “The diamond industry may have once been seen as leaders on the international stage, tackling issues of conflict-affected diamond supply chains by supporting the establishment of the Kimberley Process. But now they are failing to catch up with international standards for responsible business practices, despite myriad opportunities for reform over the last ten years. The international position is clear—respecting human rights is not optional for companies. The WDC must require its members to act in line with international standards,” said Lucy Graham, Researcher at Amnesty International. “Instead of providing an assurance that diamonds are being sourced responsibly in line with international standards, these revised Guidelines will leave individuals and communities at very real risk of exploitation and other serious harms, and will leave consumers with a false sense of assurance that their jewellery has not contributed to those abuses. This is far from the best that the diamond industry can do,” said Brad Brooks-Rubin, Managing Director of The Enough Project and The Sentry. When faced with the opportunity for reforms, the diamond industry is evading the responsibilities it has to diamond-producing and diamond-manufacturing communities—and to all who buy its diamonds. This is not delivering on the WDC’s promise that consumers “can trust the diamonds they purchase to have been source responsibly and ethically.” “If this claim is to have any credence and go beyond pure lip service, the diamond industry must urgently take meaningful measures to bring itself into line with international standards,” said Juliane Kippenberg from Human Rights Watch. Organizations that have signed on to this appeal: Amnesty International Enough Project Global Witness Human Rights Watch IMPACT | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Amnesty International launches worlds biggest human rights campaign | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as it launched its global Write for Rights campaign, in a bid to shine a spotlight on brave women who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or even killed for their human rights work. Women continue to face multiple forms of discrimination, targeted because of their gender and other characteristics, as well as for their human rights work. However, women refuse to stay silent and have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018. “Across the world, women are leading the resistance. We want to honour the role of women who challenge power, stand up for what is right and lead the charge for change,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International. “Their position as leaders in their communities stands in contrast to the huge challenges they have overcome to get there. “This year, Write for Rights, Amnesty's global letter-writing campaign, champions women who are challenging bad laws, corrupt practices, violent policing and so much more. They're the leaders we need to see more of in a world moving ever further towards extremism. By joining them, you can help tip the balance towards equality, freedom and justice.” Write for Rights 2018 will see Amnesty International supporters stand in solidarity with women human rights defenders from Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, South Africa, Ukraine and Venezuela. Among the cases are calls for justice for Marielle Franco, a Brazilian human rights activist and elected councillor who was shot dead in her car eight months ago; Atena Daemi, an Iranian activist, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence for speaking out against the death penalty; and Nonhle Mbuthuma, from South Africa, who has faced deaths threats, for speaking out against a mining company which wants to mine titanium on her ancestral land. “We want to support these women and their families to overcome the risks and challenges they face for defending human rights. We want to see a world in which all women can raise their voice and stand up against injustice without fear, and where they’re no longer targeted for who they are,” said Kumi Naidoo. “It’s time to stand together, seek justice and show our support. Together we can make change happen.” Every year, supporters across the globe write millions of letters for those whose human rights are being attacked. As well as sending messages of solidarity, Amnesty International supporters can write letters to people in power, calling on them to protect women human rights defenders. Amnesty International’s first Write for Rights campaign took place 16 years ago. Since then, millions of actions have been taken by activists around the world. Every year, these actions lead to real change. People wrongfully imprisoned are released, torturers are brought to justice, and people in prison are treated more humanely. Receiving a letter can also give people hope in the most desperate of times. Last year, messages to Shackelia Jackson in Jamaica made a huge difference. Shackelia continues to demand justice for her brother Nakiea, who was killed by police for no reason. This tragedy led her to become a leader in the battle against unlawful killings committed by the police in Jamaica. “Writing a letter to someone might seem like such a small and simple act of kindness. But its effect can be enormous,” said Shackelia. “The letters reminded me of the importance of my work and showed my family and community that we are not alone – it has made our personal struggle for justice a global struggle. And the sheer volume of letters received will also show our government that people from around the world are watching them, and that they are waiting for justice to be served.” Amnesty International is calling on people to show their support to people, groups and communities around the world who are claiming their rights. This year, those who Amnesty supporters will stand in solidarity with include: Marielle Franco, Brazil Marielle Franco fought fearlessly for a fairer Rio de Janeiro. She stood up for black women, LGBTI people and young people, and condemned unlawful killings by police. But then she was silenced, shot to death in her car. It’s part of a pattern in Brazil, where at least 70 human rights defenders were killed in 2017. Amal Fathy, Egypt Amal posted a video online, speaking about her experience of sexual harassment and criticizing the Egyptian authorities for neglecting women’s rights. Now she’s been sentenced to two years in prison for “spreading false news” – and still faces further charges. Pavitri Manjhi, India Pavitri is part of an Adivasi Indigenous community who are being forced to sell their land to make way for two power plants. As a village leader, she helped people file nearly 100 formal complaints against the companies involved. Now she faces threats from local ‘strongmen’ in an attempt to force her to withdraw the complaints. Sengwer Indigenous People, Kenya The Sengwer people in Kenya have a deep, centuries-old bond with the Embobut Forest. But this Indigenous community of beekeepers and cattle herders is being violently evicted by the Kenyan government. Forest guards have burned homes and forced thousands off their ancestral land, but the Sengwer are determined to resist. Atena Daemi, Iran Atena dreamt of an end to the death penalty in Iran. She wrote Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts, handed out leaflets, and joined peaceful protests. These actions were used as “evidence” to sentence her to seven years in prison. Her trial took just 15 minutes and she’s faced violence and degrading treatment behind bars. Gulzar Duishenova, Kyrgyzstan In 2002, Gulzar lost movement in her legs after a car accident. She made it her life’s mission to ensure persons with disabilities can live with dignity and move around freely. But she faces daily discrimination in a society where women aren’t meant to speak out and persons with disabilities are seen as “invalids”. Nawal Benaissa, Morocco Nawal speaks out to improve the situation of people living in her region, where many feel forgotten by their government. She’s been on peaceful protests and campaigned on social media for social justice and better social healthcare services. But she’s been harassed by the Moroccan authorities and was given a 10-month suspended sentence for “inciting to commit an offence”. Nonhle Mbuthuma, South Africa Nonhle is leading the fight for her community against a mining company which wants to mine titanium on their ancestral land. But she’s being harassed and threatened, and has even survived an attempt to kill her. Someone is trying to silence her, but she won’t back down: “When you take my land, you take my identity.” Vitalina Koval, Ukraine Vitalina works hard to support local LGBTI people in her home city, Uzhgorod. But she was violently attacked after organizing a peaceful protest on International Women’s Day 2018. The assault is just part of a wider surge in intimidation by anti-rights groups in Ukraine. Vitalina and other human rights defenders won’t give in to fear, so let’s stand with them. Geraldine Chacón, Venezuela Geraldine always dreamed of defending others. That’s why she helps empower young people in her home city to stand up for their rights. But she’s being hounded by the authorities just for trying to make her country a better place. They imprisoned her for four months and banned her from leaving the country simply for defending human rights. Her case still isn’t closed so she could be arrested again at any moment, with no warning. In addition to the 10 cases, Amnesty International is also promoting a global petition to get behind all human rights defenders 20 years since the UN Declaration on HRDs was adopted. 150 Human rights defenders recently met at the Paris HRD World Summit to mark this anniversary and together call on those in power to take immediate action to recognise and protect them. A delegation of defenders will present their concerns and calls at a special meeting at the UN in December. They need our support: you can get behind human rights defenders’ struggles by signing up to our action. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Israel: ‘Rogue’ NSO Group must have licence revoked over controversial surveillance software | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Amnesty International is taking legal advice in order to revoke the export licence of Israeli-based NSO Group, after it was revealed the cyber firm’s spyware had been used in an attempt to spy on an Amnesty staff member. A recent investigation by Haaretz newspaper uncovered the firm’s sophisticated surveillance tool “Pegasus” was offered to authorities in Saudi Arabia last year. Two weeks ago, Amnesty International Israel submitted an urgent request to the Israeli Ministry of Defence, demanding that NSO Group's defence export licence be revoked in light of an attempted cyber attack on an Amnesty staff member via NSO's spyware. The mountain of evidence and reports on NSO Group and the sale of its spyware to human rights-violating regimes is substantial proof that NSO has gone rogue Molly Malekar, Programs Director of Amnesty International Israel. But this week, the Israeli Defence Ministry refused to revoke the firm’s licence, causing Amnesty International to consider seeking legal action. “We thoroughly reject this inadequate response. The mountain of evidence and reports on NSO Group and the sale of its spyware to human rights-violating regimes is substantial proof that NSO has gone rogue”, said Molly Malekar, Programs Director of Amnesty International Israel. “The Ministry of Defence must answer for their failure to properly regulate NSO Group as they are in charge of controlling Israeli Defence Export. “By continuing to approve of NSO Group, the Ministry of Defence is practically admitting to knowingly cooperating with NSO Group as their software is used to commit human rights abuses.” Amnesty International will not stand idly by as companies such as NSO Group profit from selling their invasive Pegasus software to repressive states around the world Danna Ingleton, Deputy Director of Amnesty International Tech In June this year, an Amnesty International staff member was targeted by a sophisticated surveillance campaign, in what the organization suspects was a deliberate attempt to spy on its staff by a government hostile to its work. “Amnesty International will not stand idly by as companies such as NSO Group profit from selling their invasive Pegasus software to repressive states around the world”, said Danna Ingleton, Deputy Director of Amnesty International Tech. ”NSO Group’s software has been used to attack Amnesty staff and fellow human rights defenders globally. As the Israeli Ministry of Defence refused our request to revoke the export licence, it is clear that we now need to take additional legal steps to expose the truth and seek accountability for the attack against us.” This work aligns with Amnesty Tech’s Surveillance Strategic Litigation initiative, a project in partnership with New York University (NYU) School of Law’s Bernstein Institute for Human Rights and Global Justice Clinic that seeks justice for human rights defenders targeted with malicious software. Amnesty International urges anyone who thinks they have been victim of an attack to contact tech.reports@amnesty.org, or @aitechreports through the end-to-end encrypted platform Wire. Targeting of Amnesty International staff In June this year, an Amnesty International staff member received a suspicious WhatsApp message in Arabic. The text contained details about an alleged protest outside the Saudi embassy in Washington D.C., followed by a link to a website. Investigations by Amnesty International’s technology team revealed that clicking the link would have installed “Pegasus”, a sophisticated surveillance tool developed by the Israel-based company NSO Group. NSO Group’s software has been used to attack Amnesty staff and fellow human rights defenders globally Danna Ingleton The WhatsApp message was sent to Amnesty International in a week when the organization was campaigning for the release of six women’s rights activists detained in Saudi Arabia. The link, if clicked, would have allowed the Pegasus software to infect the user’s smartphone, tracking keystrokes, taking control of the phone’s cameras and microphone and accessing contact lists. Amnesty International’s investigation also discovered that another Saudi Arabia rights activist, who later publicly identified himself as Yahya Asiri, received a similar malicious message. In a statement to Amnesty International, NSO Group said that their product “is intended to be used exclusively for the investigation and prevention of crime and terrorism” and that any other use violate their policies and contracts. Connection to NSO Group and suspicious websites Further investigations by Amnesty International revealed that the domain link in the message belongs to a large infrastructure of more than 600 malicious domains, some of which had been previously connected to NSO Group. Amnesty International is concerned that these could be used to bait and spy on activists in countries including Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Hungary, in addition to the Gulf. Pegasus was also used to target the Emirati award-winning human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, who has been in prison in the United Arab Emirates since March 2017. Background While law enforcement agencies in many countries have used secret surveillance in relation to national security objectives, Amnesty International is concerned that in many cases surveillance is being carried out in a manner contrary to international human rights law. Tools like Pegasus are especially problematic from a human rights law perspective as they are so deeply invasive. As laid out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), companies also have a responsibility to respect human rights wherever they operate in the world. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| China orders halt to gene-editing after outcry over babies | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The Chinese government on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to research activities for people involved in the editing of human genes, after a Chinese scientist said he had edited the genes of twin babies. “The nature of this incident is extremely nasty, and relevant bodies have been ordered to temporarily halt the scientific research activities of relevant personnel,” the state news agency Xinhua said, citing the health ministry, science and technology ministry and China Association for Science and Technology. The organizers of a conference where He claimed to have edited the genes also condemned the work on Thursday, calling it “deeply disturbing” and “irresponsible”. “Even if the modifications are verified, the procedure was irresponsible and failed to conform with international norms,” the organizing committee of the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing, being held in Hong Kong this week, said in a statement. The committee called for an independent assessment of He’s claims. He said gene editing would help protect the girls from infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. (GRAPHIC: Gene editing IMG, click tmsnrt.rs/2ReKG1R) Chinese scientists have also condemned the work and the Southern University of Science and Technology, where He is on leave from his position as an associate professor, has announced an investigation. The Guangdong province Health Commission said on its website on Wednesday it and Shenzhen city had set up a team to investigate the case. He’s filing to a Chinese clinical trials database indicates that a hospital did an ethical review of the project, but the hospital involved denied that its ethics review committee ever met to discuss the work. He said after his presentation on Wednesday he was proud of what he had done. The presidents of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) also expressed concern about He’s work. “The events in Hong Kong this week clearly demonstrate the need for us to develop more specific standards and principles that can be agreed upon by the international scientific community,” NAS president Marcia McNutt and NAM president Victor Dzau said in a statement. | |||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | |||||
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| Key facts about the migrant and refugee caravans making their way to the USA | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Groups of families, including many young people and small children escaping violence, poverty and persecution in Central America, are not a new phenomenon. For several years, people have fled Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and other countries to head north towards the USA. Travelling as a group, many make the exhausting and dangerous journey through Mexico. Some travel with their children. Many have the aim of seeking protection as refugees in the USA or in Mexico. However, the climate towards migrants and refugees has deteriorated sharply under the Trump administration, which has separated children from asylum-seeking parents, threatened to close the southern border to Central Americans and proposed paying the Mexican government millions of dollars to deport irregular migrants, among other hostile policies. When did these recent movements of people begin? The BBC reported that on 12 October 2018, around 160 people gathered at a bus terminal in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, ready to begin their long journey north; a journey they had been planning for more than a month. By the time the group set off in the early hours of 13 October, more than 1,000 others had joined them. The group swelled in size and entered Mexico on 19 October. Many groups have followed them since then. How big are these groups? Estimates vary wildly, with some people returning home as others join the group or other new groups start the journey. It’s difficult to calculate the total size of the various caravans currently moving north through Mexico. Amnesty International’s calculations as of 12 November, based on official statements, estimations from municipalities, international organizations and civil society, range from 8,000 to 10,000 people that comprise the total members of the caravans. International organizations specialising in children’s rights have estimated that at least one in four members of the first caravan to enter Mexico were children. Many migrants and refugees have opted to form caravans, rather than travel through Mexico alone, because they are frightened of being kidnapped by human traffickers, falling into the hands of organized crime and drug cartels, or suffering abuses from the police or military. What has prompted people to embark on this arduous journey? These caravans are made up of people who felt compelled to leave their homes and families for a number of reasons. Students, bakers, bus drivers, small-business owners, newspaper sellers, waitresses, parents with small babies – these are the people fleeing to find a safer place to live. Many make the heart-breaking decision to leave instead of living in desperate fear of being the next victim of violence. Honduras, for example, has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, and the world. Its murder rate is 800 percent higher than that of the United States. Other people leave after facing death threats for refusing to pay extortion to violent criminal networks known as maras that control territory and resources in countries such as El Salvador and Honduras. It is particularly difficult to escape the grip of maras in these small countries, which are each roughly the size of the states of New Jersey and of Arizona, respectively. A lack of protection from their governments, poverty and precarious living conditions are other factors driving people from their homes. What are conditions like for the people making the journey? Whether travelling on foot, boarding a bus or hitching a lift in a truck, Central Americans face a gruelling journey of several weeks, spanning hundreds of miles, to reach the USA. In the scramble to get moving, there have been several reported deaths of people slipping from vehicles they had boarded and being run over. At various times, they have also faced tear gas from security forces and the threat of deportation by regional governments. Some have been returned to their countries against their will, often in violation of international law. Sunburn, dehydration, a lack of clean water and sanitation are constant risks. At a sports stadium in Mexico City, which has provided a staging post for thousands of people, many have sought treatment for blistered feet, respiratory infections, diarrhoea and other ailments. The difficult conditions have moved inspiring action from some of the poorest communities in Mexico to open their doors to the migrants and refugees, offering shelter, medical treatment and donations. In Mexico City, hundreds of city employees and volunteers have distributed food, water, diapers and other basics to them. What are the US government’s asylum obligations under international law? Since his election in 2016, President Trump has regularly demonized asylum seekers as ‘criminals’ or accused them of taking advantage of “loopholes” in the immigration system when referring to the asylum process and threatened a series of hostile measures to “stop them”, including building a wall along the USA’s 2,000-mile border with Mexico. Yet in reality, the administration has sought to dismantle the US asylum system through policies and practices that include mass illegal pushbacks of asylum-seekers at the US-Mexico border; illegally breaking up thousands of families by separating children from their parents; limiting where and when individuals can apply for asylum and by increasingly relying on the use of arbitrary and indefinite detention of people seeking protection. All of this is in violation of international law. Under international law, anyone who arrives on US soil or seeks to enter US territory to claim asylum must be allowed to do so and have their case heard by the authorities. The USA cannot ban asylum seekers from certain countries, and it cannot return individuals to countries where their lives or safety may be at risk. The US authorities must end their hostile treatment of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers and stop viewing those in the caravans as a threat. It is a movement of people and families who, to the last man, woman and child, deserve safety. This article was published in Spanish by Animal Político | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.orG | |||||
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| Saudi Arabia: Families of twelve men fear imminent execution | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Responding to the news that the cases of twelve men from Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a minority who were sentenced to death last year have been transferred to the ‘Presidency of State Security’, a body under the King’s direct authority mandated to address all state security matters, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said: “The families of the men are terrified by this development and the lack of information provided to them on the status of the cases of their loved ones. Given the secrecy surrounding Saudi Arabia’s judicial proceedings, we fear that this development signals the imminent execution of the twelve men The families of the men are terrified by this development and the lack of information provided to them on the status of the cases of their loved ones Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director “The Saudi Arabian authorities sentenced these men to death in 2016 for spying for Iran after a grossly unfair mass trial. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners and regularly uses the death penalty as a political tool to crush dissent from the country’s Shi’a minority, demonstrating its total contempt for the value of human life. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most prolific executioners and regularly uses the death penalty as a political tool to crush dissent from the country’s Shi’a minority, demonstrating its total contempt for the value of human life Heba Morayef “It is not too late to save the lives of these men. We are urging the Saudi Arabian authorities to immediately quash these sentences and establish an official moratorium on executions, as a first step towards abolishing the death penalty completely”. Background The 12 men were part of a group of 15 men who were sentenced to death on 6 December 2016 after an unfair mass trial of 32 people arrested across Saudi Arabia in 2013 and 2014. The families of the 12 men learnt in December 2017 that the men’s sentences were ratified by the Supreme Court, rendering their execution imminent as soon as the King ratifies the sentence. Due to the secrecy surrounding the judicial process in Saudi Arabia, the families are given very little information, if any, about the current state of the case and usually not told about the scheduled execution of their relatives. Amnesty International has documented the cases of at least 34 members of Saudi Arabia’s Shia community, including 4 juvenile offenders, who are currently on death row. All were accused of activities deemed a ‘risk to national security’. In June 2017, the King issued a royal decree stripping the Ministry of Interior of much of its powers to investigate and prosecute by creating a new internal security agency, the Presidency of State Security, comprising the General Directorate of Investigation (GDI), Special Security Forces and other bodies that formerly reported to the Minister of Interior. The new created body reports directly to the King, a move which reduces considerably the powers of the Ministry of Interior but further concentrates the powers in the hands of the King. Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to kill the prisoner. The death penalty is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-“We are only an hour from the sea, but I can’t take my children to the beach,” Kamel Daoudi tells me. It is school holidays and Kamel’s wife and three young children have made the long journey across the country to visit him in an isolated town in western France: a town he cannot leave without facing arrest. A decade ago, Kamel – a 44-year-old man originally from Algeria - was subjected to an assigned residence order, which effectively put him under indefinite house arrest. Under the measure he is confined to a town chosen for him by the government – after being moved six times, he is now in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, separated from his family by more than 400km. He lives in a nondescript highway motel, approved by the local authority, and must report to the local police station three times a day. At night he is not allowed to leave his motel due to a curfew. Pre-emptive justice – penalising someone for what they might do, and not what they have done – is not justice at all Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International Kamel’s days are rigidly organised around his journeys to the police station and his curfew – he risks jail if he slips up. “I feel like the main character in the film Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again,” he tells me. “Even prison is less severe than this.” And he should know. In 2005, Kamel was convicted for a terrorism offence and sentenced to imprisonment. During his prosecution he was stripped of his French nationality. He spent six years in prison but, despite having served his sentence, he was not allowed to walk free upon release. Instead, the French authorities ordered him to leave the country. However, due to the fact that he would face torture and ill-treatment in Algeria, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that France could not send him there. French law allows the government to impose assigned residence orders on foreign nationals who, like Kamel, cannot return to their country of nationality. And so began his ordeal, that has left him languishing in a legal limbo that has rendered a normal life impossible. Counter-terrorism control orders introduced as emergency measures have now been embedded into the ordinary legal system Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International As a new report by Amnesty International shows, Kamel is not alone in this injustice. While administrative control measures have long been used in cases of foreign nationals like Kamel, such measures have only recently become a key tool in France’s counter-terrorism arsenal. At first available only as an exceptional measure under the state of emergency, counter-terrorism control orders were brought into the ordinary legal system in October 2017. The Minister of Interior may impose such orders “for the sole purpose of preventing the commission of terrorist acts.” Individuals are targeted on the basis of broad and vague criteria. The person subject to the order typically does not know the evidence against them unless they appeal the order: even if they do appeal, they do not get access to the full case against them and face further obstacles to justice. The measures themselves confine a person to a specific town, require them to report daily to the police and, in some cases, prevent them from contacting certain individuals or visiting certain locations. Should they violate any of these conditions, they risk prison. I feel like the main character in the film Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again Kamel, subject to a control order These measures are inherently unjust. Pre-emptive justice – penalising someone for what they might do, and not what they have done – is not justice at all. If the authorities suspect someone of wrongdoing, they should investigate and, if there is enough evidence, prosecute them. By concentrating power in the hands of the government, completely outside of the normal criminal justice system, administrative control measures are open to abuse and discriminatory application, including toward Muslims. By bypassing the courts, administrative measures deny people the chance to prove their innocence and permit the government to penalise individuals without having to prove their guilt. The increased use of administrative measures in the counter-terrorism context goes beyond France and has seen an alarming increase in recent years. Last year, the Dutch parliament passed a law allowing the government to impose control orders for national security reasons on any person they claim “can be associated with” “terrorist” activities or the support thereof. A bill currently going through the Swiss parliament empowers police to impose restrictions, like bans on contact with certain individuals, on “potentially dangerous persons” without having to charge them with any crime. This law mirrors a similar expansion of powers of the German federal criminal police in May 2017. The vague nature of these preventative measures, which rely on presumptions of “dangerousness” and potential threats rather than hard evidence, coupled with persistent stereotyping of Muslims across Europe, opens the door to discrimination and abuse. If the order on was lifted I would try and make up for all the years that I’ve lost Kamel, subject to a control order Disturbingly, these administrative orders are just part of a wider raft of anti-terror laws introduced across Europe in recent years that have had a corrosive effect on the rule of law and have undermined freedoms that we have long taken for granted. Back in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, crammed into his motel room with his wife and children, I ask Kamel what he would do if the administrative order on him was lifted. “I would live a normal life,” he tells me. “We made a promise with my wife that we would go travelling, as a family. I’d arrange my days around the desires and education of my children. I would try and make up for all the years that I’ve lost.” This article was first published by EuroNews here. | |||||
| Original source: Www.euronews.com | |||||
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| Bahrain: Widespread pre-election clampdown on political opposition and activists | |||||
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| Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Ahead of the Bahraini parliamentary election on 24 November, Amnesty International is gravely concerned over the widespread suppression of the political opposition, activists, and civic leaders. Shi’a public figures have been disproportionately targeted in the pre-election clampdown. Over the past two years, the crackdown in Bahrain has seen the political opposition detained, intimidated and silenced Devin Kenney, Amnesty International’s Bahrain researcher The authorities have extended already repressive legislation to exclude the political opposition in any form of civic or political participation. | |||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | |||||
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| Six things countries must do to protect human rights at COP24 | ||||
Poland is hosting COP24, the most important UN climate change conference since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015.Delegates from around the world have gathered in the town of Katowice, until 14 December, to produce a “rule book” that would flesh out details of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the rise in global average temperatures to between 1.5 and 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Millions of people are already suffering from the catastrophic effects of extreme climate-related... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||||
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| South Sudan: Execution spree targets even children and threatens nursing mothers | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-South Sudan has carried out more executions this year than it has done in any year since gaining independence in 2011, with a child among seven people known to have been executed so far in 2018, Amnesty International revealed today.Amnesty International fears for the lives of another 135 people on death row, who have this year been rounded up from other prisons across the country to two prisons notorious for executions. It is extremely disturbing... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| THOUSANDS OF TORMENTED FAMILIES STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Between late July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of prisoners for their political opinions and dumped their bodies in unmarked individual and mass graves. Minimum estimates put the death toll at around 5,000. | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Palestine: Social justice activist tortured and punished for going on hunger strike | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The Palestinian authorities must urgently investigate the torture and other ill-treatment of Suha Jbara, an activist who has told Amnesty International that she was beaten, slammed against a wall and threatened with sexual violence by her interrogators, the organization said ahead of her court hearing tomorrow. Amnesty International met with her in prison on 4 December and gained first-hand testimony detailing her brutal treatment at the hands of her... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||||
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| Fact vs. Fiction: What you need to know about the caravan passing through Mexico on its way to the USA | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Fiction: If Mexico or the United States doesn’t turn people back or detain them, more people will come Fact: There is scarce evidence to suggest that increasing border restrictions has any effect on whether people leave their country or not. In many cases we are talking about people who have no choice but to leave their homes, and people who will continue to keep trying to find a safe place to live, despite the policies of Mexico, the USA, or... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Why Rohingya refugees shouldn't be sent back to Myanmar | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Since August 2017, more than 720,000 Rohingya have fled a vicious campaign of violence by the Myanmar security forces and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.This week some refugees could be returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar under an agreement reached earlier between the two governments that sidestepped safeguards mandated under international law. Here, Amnesty International explains how this situation has come about and why... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Netanyahu's legal troubles mount as police seek new bribery charges | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police on Sunday said they had found enough evidence for bribery and fraud charges to be brought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife in a third corruption case against the Israeli leader. Authorities allege Netanyahu awarded regulatory favors to Israel’s leading telecommunications company, Bezeq Telecom Israel (BEZQ.TA), in return for more positive coverage of him and his wife on a news website, Walla,... | ||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||||
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| Stranded refugees and migrants must be immediately allowed to dock in Italy or Malta | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Twelve refugees and migrants who have been stranded in the Central Mediterranean on a Spanish fishing boat for almost a week must be allowed to disembark in Europe as soon as possible, said Amnesty International. Six days after they were rescued from the water by the Nuestra Madre de Loreto vessel, the 12 - including two children - remain on board in overcrowded conditions and stormy waters. Under no circumstances should these people be returned... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| “this human world” Human Rights Film Festival / Wien 2018 | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm-Vienna 29.11. - 10.12.2018; Out of the comfort zone into the direct dialogue about the socio-political challenges of our time. The international "this human world" film festival brings about 80 visually stunning, themed documentary, feature and animated films to Vienna. The focus is on Arts, Rights and Justice, My Body My Rules or Working Realities and the competition sections: International, Austria, Expanded Shorts, Up and Coming. In addition,... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Amnesty International launches worlds biggest human rights campaign | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Women human rights defenders around the world are facing unprecedented levels of abuse, intimidation and violence, said Amnesty International as it launched its global Write for Rights campaign, in a bid to shine a spotlight on brave women who have been harassed, jailed, tortured or even killed for their human rights work. Women continue to face multiple forms of discrimination, targeted because of their gender and other characteristics, as well as for... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| China orders halt to gene-editing after outcry over babies | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The Chinese government on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to research activities for people involved in the editing of human genes, after a Chinese scientist said he had edited the genes of twin babies. | ||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||||
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| Saudi Arabia: Families of twelve men fear imminent execution | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Responding to the news that the cases of twelve men from Saudi Arabia’s Shi’a minority who were sentenced to death last year have been transferred to the ‘Presidency of State Security’, a body under the King’s direct authority mandated to address all state security matters, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, said:“The families of the men are terrified by this development and the lack of information... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Bahrain: Widespread pre-election clampdown on political opposition and activists | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Ahead of the Bahraini parliamentary election on 24 November, Amnesty International is gravely concerned over the widespread suppression of the political opposition, activists, and civic leaders. Shi’a public figures have been disproportionately targeted in the pre-election clampdown.Over the past two years, the crackdown in Bahrain has seen the political opposition detained, intimidated and silenced Devin Kenney, Amnesty International’s... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Greece and the EU must move asylum seekers to safety | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The Greek government and its European Union partners should urgently ensure that all asylum seekers on the Aegean islands are transferred to suitable accommodation on the mainland or relocated to other EU countries as winter approaches, 20 human rights and other organizations said today.Despite the Greek government’s recent efforts to transfer asylum seekers from the islands to more suitable accommodation in the mainland, as of December 3, 2018,... | ||||
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| Yemen: Talks should address rights concerns | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Participants to the Yemen talks in Sweden should prioritize key human rights issues, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said today. The issues should include removing impediments to the free flow of humanitarian aid and vital commercial goods such as food and fuel, the fate of detainees, and ending attacks on civilians and civilian objects. Talks should also address how best to ensure justice,... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Egypt: Repeal draconian NGO law following President’s calls for review | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Following comments by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in which he acknowledged the need for a more” balanced” law governing NGOs, Amnesty International has published an open letter to the government calling for the law to be scrapped and replaced with a version that is in line with Egypt’s constitutional and international commitments to ensure the right to freedom of association.“While President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||||
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| Climate justice clashes with an increasingly intolerant Poland | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-This weekend world leaders arrive in the Polish city of Katowice for the COP24 climate summit, where they will set out plans for implementing the Paris Climate Agreement. Over the course of two weeks governments are expected to make decisions which could move us closer to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Failure to achieve this would have serious consequences and crossing this threshold by even half a degree will trigger catastrophic... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||||
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| Honduras: Half-truths for Berta Cáceres and her family | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The irregularities in the investigation and court proceedings relating to the murder of prominent human rights defender Berta Cáceres, combined with the fact all those who masterminded the crime have still not been identified, lead to the conclusion that neither the right to justice, the right to the truth, nor the right to reparation have been guaranteed in this emblematic case, Amnesty International said today. “By excluding the victims from the... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Google must not capitulate to China's censorship demands | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Yesterday Google staff published an open letter in support of Amnesty International’s campaign for Google to #Drop Dragonfly. Part of the letter reads:“Many of us accepted employment at Google with the company’s values in mind, including its previous position on Chinese censorship and surveillance, and an understanding that Google was a company willing to place its values above its profits. After a year of disappointments including Project... | ||||
| Original source: WWW.AMNESTY.ORG | ||||
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| Egyptian Actress Dressed to Impress. She Could Be Jailed for Debauchery | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-CAIRO — When an Egyptian actress strutted down the red carpet in Cairo last week, twirling and smiling in a revealing lace dress, she had hoped to turn heads in the movie world.Instead, she attracted the attention of three lawyers known for using the courts to engage in moral vigilantism. Now she faces criminal charges that could potentially land her in prison. Three Egyptian lawyers filed a lawsuit against the actress, Rania Youssef, accusing... | ||||
| Original source: Www.nytime.com | ||||
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| Former President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-(Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, who presided over the end of the Cold War and routed Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army but lost a chance for a second term after breaking a no-new-taxes pledge, died on Friday at the age of 94. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, who lived longer than any of his predecessors and possessed one of the most impressive resumes in American political history, died peacefully at his home in Houston,... | ||||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||||
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| Diamond industry fails to clean up its act | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-The diamond industry must deliver on its promise that consumers can trust the diamonds they purchase are sourced, traded, and processed responsibly, said a coalition of concerned civil society organizations today.“Time is up for the diamond industry. Image is everything to the value of diamonds, yet the industry continues to be tainted by association with human rights abuses like child labour and forced labour, as well as conflict, environmental damage,... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Israel: ‘Rogue’ NSO Group must have licence revoked over controversial surveillance software | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Amnesty International is taking legal advice in order to revoke the export licence of Israeli-based NSO Group, after it was revealed the cyber firm’s spyware had been used in an attempt to spy on an Amnesty staff member.A recent investigation by Haaretz newspaper uncovered the firm’s sophisticated surveillance tool “Pegasus” was offered to authorities in Saudi Arabia last year. Two weeks ago, Amnesty International Israel submitted an urgent... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Key facts about the migrant and refugee caravans making their way to the USA | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-Groups of families, including many young people and small children escaping violence, poverty and persecution in Central America, are not a new phenomenon.For several years, people have fled Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and other countries to head north towards the USA. Travelling as a group, many make the exhausting and dangerous journey through Mexico. Some travel with their children. Many have the aim of seeking protection... | ||||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.orG | ||||
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| Freedom, Equality, Absurdity | ||||
Middle East today / Sweden / Stockholm:-“We are only an hour from the sea, but I can’t take my children to the beach,” Kamel Daoudi tells me. It is school holidays and Kamel’s wife and three young children have made the long journey across the country to visit him in an isolated town in western France: a town he cannot leave without facing arrest.A decade ago, Kamel – a 44-year-old man originally from Algeria - was subjected to an assigned residence order, which effectively... | ||||
| Original source: Www.euronews.com | ||||
| External links: | ||||
| This article was first published by EuroNews here | ||||
| Www.amnesty.org | ||||
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| Six things countries must do to protect human rights at COP24 | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||
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| Greece and the EU must move asylum seekers to safety | ||
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| South Sudan: Execution spree targets even children and threatens nursing mothers | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Yemen: Talks should address rights concerns | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| THOUSANDS OF TORMENTED FAMILIES STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Egypt: Repeal draconian NGO law following President’s calls for review | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||
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| Palestine: Social justice activist tortured and punished for going on hunger strike | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||
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| Climate justice clashes with an increasingly intolerant Poland | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.com | ||
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| Fact vs. Fiction: What you need to know about the caravan passing through Mexico on its way to the USA | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Honduras: Half-truths for Berta Cáceres and her family | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Why Rohingya refugees shouldn't be sent back to Myanmar | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Google must not capitulate to China's censorship demands | ||
| Original source: WWW.AMNESTY.ORG | ||
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| Netanyahu's legal troubles mount as police seek new bribery charges | ||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||
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| Egyptian Actress Dressed to Impress. She Could Be Jailed for Debauchery | ||
| Original source: Www.nytime.com | ||
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| Stranded refugees and migrants must be immediately allowed to dock in Italy or Malta | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Former President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 | ||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||
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| “this human world” Human Rights Film Festival / Wien 2018 | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Diamond industry fails to clean up its act | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Amnesty International launches worlds biggest human rights campaign | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| Israel: ‘Rogue’ NSO Group must have licence revoked over controversial surveillance software | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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| China orders halt to gene-editing after outcry over babies | ||
| Original source: Www.reuters.com | ||
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| Key facts about the migrant and refugee caravans making their way to the USA | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.orG | ||
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| Saudi Arabia: Families of twelve men fear imminent execution | ||
| Original source: Www.amnesty.org | ||
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