Amnesty International News & Updates Feed

Zimbabwe accused of using food for political gain

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:16:17 +0100

The government of Zimbabwe has banned field operations by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country. Amnesty International has accused the government of using food for political ends and called on them to immediately lift the ban.

"The suspension of field operations by all NGOs on the order of the Zimbabwean government is likely to increase food insecurity in Zimbabwe and expose millions of people to hunger," said Amnesty International. "The suspension is yet another attempt by the government to manipulate food distribution for political ends."

"Suspension of humanitarian operations by NGOs ensures that the government has a monopoly over food distribution through the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board (GMB) during the pre-election period."

Since 2000, Amnesty International has documented how GMB food has been used as a political tool against perceived government opponents.

Without giving specific reasons for his action, the Zimbabwean Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Nicholas Goche, wrote to all private voluntary organisations and NGOs on 4 June 2008, instructing them to stop their operations. The Minister gave his intention to invoke Section (10), Subsection (c), of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act [Chapter 17:05] as the basis for his action.

Amnesty International said that the restrictions will not only have a detrimental effect on food security in Zimbabwe, but also serve as a means for the government to prevent aid workers from witnessing the sharply increased levels of state-sponsored political violence taking place in the country since presidential and parliamentary elections were held on 29 March.

"By closing off the space for NGOs in Zimbabwe, the government is attempting to hide the worst of the human rights violations taking place in the country," said Amnesty International. "The Zimbabwean authorities must ensure that food is distributed to all on the basis of need -- irrespective of real or perceived political affiliation."

"Humanitarian organisations and other NGOs should be allowed go about their legitimate work without interference. By deliberately blocking life-sustaining aid, the government of Zimbabwe may be violating the right of its citizens to life, food, and health."

Since 2000, millions of people in Zimbabwe have had great difficulty in gaining access to adequate food. One of the major causes of the food crisis in Zimbabwe has been the drop in domestic food production.

While climatic factors, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and economic problems have all played a role in declining agricultural productivity, government policies and practices have exacerbated Zimbabwe's food security problems.

The poorest Zimbabweans will be worst affected by the ban. They will be increasingly exposed to life-threatening diseases, since the suspension affects water and sanitation projects. The ban will also severely impact the care of Zimbabwe's over one million children orphaned by AIDS, and the terminally ill who are on home-based care programmes.

Myanmar obstructionism costs lives

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:24:02 +0100

In the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which has already killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around a million more, the government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is deliberately impeding life-saving assistance. Its failure to open the borders to the massive relief efforts required, including expertise, will lead to further deaths and suffering for those affected by the cyclone.

Amnesty International has repeated its urgent call on the government to allow aid, expertise, and materials to reach all cyclone-affected areas, while ensuring that aid is provided on the basis of need without discrimination.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International said that the organization believes that, by deliberately blocking life-sustaining aid, the government of Myanmar may be violating the right of its citizens to life, food and health.

"Every block hindering access for the urgently needed assistance risks increasing the already extremely high death toll," said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher.

Myanmar’s government has stated that nearly 23,000 people died as a result of the cyclone, though independent observers estimate that as many as 100,000 people may have died. Cyclone Nargis left more than a million people homeless and without essential food, shelter or health care.

Myanmar's government has grown increasingly isolated from the rest of the world due to its record of systematic human rights abuses and war crimes. It has not provided desperately needed assistance to hundreds of thousands of its own hard-hit citizens, and it has so far blocked international aid workers and supplies from reaching the most affected areas.

Amnesty International has said that it fears thousands more may die as a result of malnutrition, communicable diseases and exposure to the elements. Each passing day that the cyclone's survivors do not receive necessary aid greatly increases the risk of death or permanent injury.

In a statement quoted in the media, the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said that the country would not receive "rescue and information teams from foreign countries." Instead, he is reported to have said that it would receive and distribute aid "with its own resources."

As a consequence, the Thai Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, who had planned to travel to Myanmar to meet with the government, cancelled his trip. A team of rescue workers flying in to Yangon from Qatar was reported to have been turned back.

In addition to turning much-needed relief expertise away, the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok is reported to have closed on Friday for a local holiday, rather than issuing visas to relief expertise waiting in the Thai capital.

Following what they described as "unacceptable restrictions", the World Food Programme briefly halted relief flights and human rights groups reported that local authorities in Yangon had been selling rooftop materials rather than distributing them.

Amnesty International has called on Myanmar's neighbours, in particular those that have friendly relations with the Myanmar government – China, India, Thailand and Viet Nam – to continue to press the country's government to facilitate aid efforts and to establish transparent coordination efforts with the international community.

Myanmar's government has announced that it will proceed with plans for holding a national referendum regarding a new constitution on 10 May. Amnesty International has said that the document is an effort to undermine respect for human rights and to entrench military rule and impunity.

Even as hundreds of thousands of its citizens struggle for basic shelter, food and health care, Myanmar's government has prioritized acceptance of the new constitution.

"Myanmar’s leaders are again demonstrating their disregard for the well-being of their own people," Zawacki said. "Instead of helping hundreds of thousands of people in desperate condition, the government is more concerned about shoring up its own power."

South Africa: Rural women the losers in HIV response

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:15:34 +0000

Rural women living with HIV in circumstances of poverty in South Africa face discrimination in relationships and in communities because of their gender, HIV status and economic marginalization.

A new Amnesty International report based on interviews with rural women, the majority of them living with HIV, exposes the overwhelming challenges they face in the midst of the severe HIV epidemic affecting the country.

"Rural women in South Africa are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment," said Mary Rayner, Amnesty International's South Africa researcher.

"They continue to experience discriminatory attitudes and practices -- particularly from male partners – and live in an environment rife with high levels of sexual and other gender-based violence."

Despite gradual improvements in the government's response to the HIV epidemic and the adoption of a widely-welcomed five-year plan, five and a half million South Africans are HIV-infected – one of the highest numbers in any country in the world. Fifty-five percent of them are women. South African women under 25 are between three and four times more likely to be HIV-infected than men in the same age group.

Many women interviewed by Amnesty International said that they were often unable to protect themselves against HIV infection because they felt at risk of violence when they suggested condom use.

One woman told Amnesty International that her husband, a truck driver, spent much of his time on the road. On his days off, he would visit her, but he refused to use condoms when she asked him. After he abandoned the family, she became sick and discovered at the local clinic that she was infected with HIV. She has no knowledge of her husband's health since he left the family.

Several other women interviewed by Amnesty International described being beaten and forced to have sex by husbands who actively refused to use condoms.

"Rural South African women's lives are scarred by persistent violence in their families, homes and in under-policed, unsafe communities," said Michelle Kagari, Deputy Director of AI's Africa Programme.

"The co-existence of epidemics of both HIV and violence against women has raised the costs of violence for South African women and girls – both physically and psychologically," said Kagari.

The majority of rural women interviewed by Amnesty International said that their male partners were reluctant to test for HIV or refused to be tested -- even when there were strong indications they might be HIV-infected. Many of the women faced abuse from their partners when they tried to access health services for HIV-related treatment and care.

Effective treatment for HIV and AIDS requires regular visits to hospitals and clinics and adequate daily food with which to take medication. Rural women living with HIV in poverty and unemployment face constant challenges in having regular access to food and often cannot afford transportation to health facilities accredited to provide treatment.

"Lack of physical access to treatment centres is tantamount to a denial of access to health care services, and the government must take more responsibility in ensuring this access," said Michelle Kagari.

Amnesty International's report offers specific recommendations to national and provincial authorities on how to tackle the challenges facing rural women living with HIV. It also makes recommendations to donor countries and institutions that support health initiatives in South Africa.

Gazans cut off after Egypt seals border

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:25:12 +0000

Following the re-sealing of the Gaza-Egypt border on 3 February, Amnesty International is concerned about the increasingly difficult human rights situation and living conditions of some 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"Egypt has the right to secure its border with Gaza, but a return to the situation whereby the Gaza-Egypt border – Gazans' only means of passage to the outside world – is completely sealed, as it has been for the past seven months, is not acceptable," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

"Whatever agreement about the management of the border is reached between the governments of Israel and Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas de-facto administration in Gaza, it must respect fully the fundamental rights of the population of Gaza."

With the exception of the 10-day period after the breaching of the Gaza-Egypt border at Rafah by Palestinian militants on 23 January, the entire 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip has been locked down since June 2007.

Even patients in urgent need of medical care not available in Gaza have been denied passage out of Gaza by the Israeli authorities. Dozens of those who were unable to leave Gaza for medical care abroad have died in recent months.

In the past few days, hundreds of patients who have been waiting to leave Gaza for months and who crossed into Egypt through the breached border were allowed by the Egyptian authorities to access hospitals there or travel to other countries to obtain treatment. However, many more remain in Gaza and now, once again, are unable to leave.

Medical facilities in Gaza lack the specialized staff and equipment to treat a range of serious and life-threatening conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular illnesses. In recent months, a lack of spare parts for hospital equipment and increasingly frequent power cuts have further reduced the capacity of hospitals and health clinics.

The Israeli authorities continue to maintain a stifling blockade on Gaza, which prevents the passage of essential goods, including medical supplies and humanitarian assistance, into and out of Gaza.

Prior to the tightening of the Israeli blockade on Gaza last June, an average of 250 trucks of goods entered Gaza daily, but between 18 and 29 January the Israeli authorities permitted only 32 truckloads of goods into Gaza. UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have complained for months that the Israeli blockade prevents them from delivering adequate quantities of aid to satisfy the growing humanitarian needs of the population of Gaza.

Most of Gaza’s population is living in abject poverty and has been forced to depend on international humanitarian assistance as a result of the Israeli blockade, which has destroyed the local economy.

The Israeli government claims that the tightening of the blockade on Gaza is in response to the frequent firing of home-made rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza into neighbouring areas in southern Israel. On 30 January, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by 10 Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations seeking to stop the Israeli government from cutting supplies of fuel and electricity to the Gaza Strip.

Israel has a right to take measures to protect its population from Palestinian rocket attacks, which target Israeli civilians and violate international law. However, its imposition of such a punitive blockade on Gaza’s entire population for the action of some Palestinian militants constitutes collective punishment and violates international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International is renewing its call on the Israeli authorities to lift its blockade on Gaza and to expedite access to medical care for patients in need of urgent medical treatment not available in Gaza. It is urging Hamas, as the de-facto administration in Gaza, to put an immediate end to the firing of rockets – by its own militias and by other armed groups.

It is urging Israel, the Egyptian Government and the Palestinian Authority, the Hamas de-facto administration in Gaza and the international community to work constructively for a solution that ensures the security of the civilian population in Israel, Egypt and Gaza, and that ensures that the rights of 1.5 millions of Palestinians in Gaza are respected.

Egypt blocks Gazans' access to the outside world

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:05:55 +0000

More than 1,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have become stuck in the northern Sinai region of Egypt as the Egyptian authorities try to force them back into Gaza. The authorities have prevented the Gazans from travelling abroad to receive medical treatment that is not available in Gaza or to reach their places of work and study in different countries.

In the last week, the Egyptian authorities have been stepping up efforts to reseal the border wall, which had been blown open by Palestinian militants on 23 January. The breach allowed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to cross into Egypt to buy food, medicines, fuel and other basic necessities that have been sorely lacking in Gaza due to the stringent blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip.

Many of the people now stuck in Sinai became trapped in Gaza in June 2007, despite having legitimate reasons to travel to other countries. Some had already been travelling abroad for medical treatment, or had appointments for treatment, while others have jobs or are students studying at universities and other educational institutions abroad.

The Gaza-Egypt border was sealed in June, virtually imprisoning the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza. Most live in abject poverty as a result of stringent Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza, which has destroyed the Palestinian economy.

The food and other supplies available in the small towns in Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip, ran out within days. The Egyptian authorities have, since 26 January, been preventing the local stores and markets from receiving new supplies – an attempt to discourage Gazans from crossing into Egypt to buy supplies and to force Gazans who had already crossed to return to Gaza.

"Egypt has the right to secure its border with Gaza, but a return to the situation whereby the Gaza-Egypt border – Gazans' only means of passage to the outside world – is completely sealed, as it has been for the past seven months, is not acceptable," said Malcolm Smart, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme.

"Whatever agreement about the management of the border is reached between the governments of Israel and Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas de-facto administration in Gaza, it must respect fully the fundamental rights of the population of Gaza."

The wall was breached following the Israeli authorities' tightening of their already stifling blockade on Gaza, preventing the passage of essential goods, such as fuel and humanitarian assistance.

On 30 January, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition by 10 Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations seeking to stop the Israeli government from cutting supplies of fuel and electricity to the Gaza Strip. The petitioners contended that it was a punitive measure, which constitutes collective punishment and violates international humanitarian law.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, has said that only 32 truckloads of goods entered Gaza between 18 and 29 January due to Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, causing a backlog of some 224 trucks belonging to various UN agencies to build up.

Prior to the tightening of the Israeli blockade on Gaza imposed last June, an average of 250 trucks of goods entered Gaza daily. UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have been complaining for months that the Israeli blockade prevents them from delivering the necessary quantities of aid to satisfy the needs of the population of Gaza.

The situation remains dire even though the Israeli authorities are now allowing limited quantities of fuel and other basic necessities to enter Gaza, but rolling power cuts continue to severely affect hospitals and health clinics and their treatment of the sick.

Medical facilities in Gaza also lack the specialized staff and equipment to treat a range of conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular illnesses. Amnesty International is urging the Egyptian authorities to facilitate access to medical care for patients from Gaza who are now in Egypt and renews its call on the Israeli authorities to expedite access to medical care for patients in need of urgent medical treatment not available in Gaza.

The organization is also calling on the Palestinian Authority and the Jordanian government to help facilitate access to healthcare for these patients.

Gaza must not be cut off from the world

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:59:29 +0000

The Egyptian authorities began efforts to reclose the country's border with Gaza on Friday morning. Their actions come three days after Palestinian militants blew open breaches in the Gaza-Egypt border wall, allowing hundreds of thousands of Gazans to cross into Egypt to buy food, medicines, fuel and other basic necessities.

The Gaza-Egypt border had been sealed since June 2007, virtually imprisoning the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip, most of them in abject poverty as a result of the stringent Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza.

Amnesty International said that Egypt has the right to secure its border, but a return to the situation whereby the Egypt-Gaza border, Gazans’ only means of passage to the outside world, is completely sealed, as it has been for the past seven months, is not acceptable.

"Whatever agreement about the management of the border is reached between the governments of Israel and Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas de-facto administration in Gaza, it must respect fully the fundamental rights of the population of Gaza," said Malcolm Smart, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. "Notably their right not to be subjected to collective punishment, including arbitrary restrictions on movement and their rights to health, an adequate standard of living and freedom of movement."

Amnesty International also called for patients in need of urgent medical treatment that is not available in Gaza to be allowed prompt passage out of Gaza — not left to die for lack of medical care. Some 40 patients died in recent months after having been refused passage out of Gaza by the Israeli authorities.

"Gazans should be allowed to leave by normal means, not have to rely on such extraordinary measures as the breach in the border wall to provide their only possible means of exit. They should not have to risk being denied the possibility to return home if the border is sealed again while they are abroad receiving desperately needed hospital treatment," added Malcolm Smart.

The wall was breached following the Israeli authorities' tightening last week of their already stifling blockade on Gaza, preventing the passage of even essential goods, such as fuel and humanitarian assistance. Medical supplies quickly started to run out and Gaza's only electricity generating plant was forced to close down on 20 January for lack of fuel.

As electricity supplies were cut, hospitals in Gaza were only able to keep functioning using back-up generators and had to cut most services. Health workers faced problems getting to work as petrol shortages curtailed transport.

Following the electricity plant's closure, the Israeli authorities allowed some fuel supplies into Gaza on Tuesday (22 January), enabling the power plant to resume operation, though at reduced capacity. However, the situation remains dire and power cuts are expected to continue.

Hospitals remain in a state of emergency due to the lack of and uncertainty about fuel supplies and their heavy reliance on back up generators during power cuts and shortages has increased generator breakdowns at a time when the blockade makes it difficult or impossible to get spare parts.

At the Gaza European Hospital and at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), all treatment has to be suspended except for emergencies and cases in Intensive Care Units (ICU) whenever there are electricity cuts.

"Hospitals need a constant power supply and adequate back-up contingency provisions — not a drip supply and the uncertainty that even that may be cut off at whim in retaliation for developments in unrelated sectors," said Malcolm Smart.

Medical facilities in Gaza lack the specialized staff and equipment to treat a range of conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular illnesses. Amnesty International continues to urge the Israeli authorities to expedite access to medical care for patients in need of urgent medical treatment not available in Gaza.

The organization is also calling on the Palestinian Authority and the governments of Egypt and Jordan to help facilitate access to healthcare for these patients, and on the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the security forces deployed at the border do not use excessive force against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip who pass or attempt to pass through the border.

Israel cuts electricity and food supplies to Gaza

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:05:35 +0000

Israel has cut off the supply of electricity, fuel and humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza, a move Amnesty International has condemned as collective punishment.

With the blockade likely to lead to a public health emergency, Amnesty International called for an immediate lifting of the blockade on fuel, humanitarian aid and basic necessities, as well as other restrictions that have effectively prevented entry or exit of people and goods from the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control in the territory in June 2007.

"More than 40 seriously ill patients have died since the Israeli authorities closed Gaza's borders last June, denying them access to hospital treatment abroad," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa programme director. "Now the entire Gaza population is being out at risk as electricity, fuel and other supplies run out."

Amnesty International acknowledged Israel's right to take measures to protect its population from rocket and other attacks by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, but condemned the Israeli authorities' decision to cut off essential supplies to Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants.

"This action appears calculated to make an already dire humanitarian situation worse, one in which the most vulnerable -- the sick, the elderly, women and children -- will bear the brunt, not those responsible for the attacks against Israel," said Malcolm Smart.

Electricity and fuel, which have already been in short supply in Gaza for some time due to the Israeli blockades, are used to pump water. Shortages in these supplies have disastrous consequences for the health and well-being of a population already facing insufficient supplies of clean water for drinking and personal hygiene, as well as inadequate sewage treatment and waste disposal.

Without power, the population is unable to refrigerate already scarce food and medicines, which are getting spoilt. Critically ill patients in urgent need of medical treatment that is not available in Gaza are prohibited from leaving Gaza and some 40 have died in recent months as a result.

The Israeli authorities cite unspecified "security" reasons, but have proposed no alternative, proportionate means of addressing security concerns. The closure by Israel of Gaza's border with Egypt since early June, Gaza's only border crossing, has left the population effectively trapped and cut off from the outside world.

Patients are prevented from travelling to other countries for medical care and traders and students are denied the possibility to leave Gaza to take advantage of employment and education opportunities elsewhere.

The already stringent Israeli blockade imposed on the passage of goods into and out of Gaza has forced most of Gaza's population to live below the poverty line and depend on international aid. Amnesty International says that further tightening of the blockade will only prolong and worsen the paralysis of Gaza's economy.

"Now, even crucial aid is not allowed to reach those that need it most in Gaza. These measures must be stopped and the passage of aid, fuel and electricity and other basic necessities must be allowed to resume immediately," said Malcolm Smart.

Empowering the poor in Bangladesh

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:53:13 +0000

Amnesty International met with a leading NGO in Bangladesh to explore how the poor are organizing themselves to overcome poverty, gender inequality and illiteracy.

The AI delegation visited projects in Tangail and Rajshahi in northern Bangladesh run by BRAC (an international development organization) on Sunday. They met with women at a village micro-finance meeting, observed a human rights education class for women and visited a primary school and maternal health centre. They saw at first hand how active participation of the poor contributes to strengthening economic and social rights of the marginalized rural population.

In Rajshahi, Amnesty International met victims of violence carried out by Islamist group, Jama'atul Mujahideen (JMB). Many explained they had received no compensation and couldn’t return to their homes, which in some cases had been destroyed. Despite action by the authorities against some JMB leaders, the victims claimed they continue to live in fear for their safety as JMB cadres and officials who had collaborated with them roam freely in the area.

The delegation also met with Rajshahi University professors, who were prosecuted, convicted and then pardoned by the President following their arrest last August. They were charged with inciting students to protest against the government.

Amnesty International believes the prosecutions were politically motivated and made on the basis of insufficient and inadequate evidence. The individuals have said they will appeal, claiming the pardon is not sufficient.

Amnesty International believes an acquittal would be the fairest outcome and calls on the government not to oppose any appeal.