Amnesty International News & Updates Feed

Danish government must arrest Sudanese President if he attends climate conference

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:05:21 +0000

Amnesty International has learned that the Danish government has invited Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, to attend a meeting in Copenhagen on climate change in December.

“Denmark needs to make it clear that it will arrest President al Bashir if he travels to Copenhagen,” said Christopher Keith Hall, Senior Legal Adviser at Amnesty International.

“The International Criminal Court needs the cooperation of its member states. Under the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, Denmark has a duty to arrest and surrender any person within its territory who is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the ICC.”

“Denmark can and must demonstrate its leadership on bringing alleged perpetrators of the worst crimes to justice by acknowledging its duty to arrest,” said Christopher Keith Hall.

Amnesty International received the information during a meeting of member states to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for President al Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur earlier this year.

Russia moves one step closer to death penalty abolition

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:08:19 +0000

Amnesty International has welcomed a decision by Russia's Constitutional Court that brings the country a step closer to full abolition of the death penalty.

The Court decided on Thursday to extend the current moratorium on executions, which was due to expire in January, and recommended abolishing the death penalty completely.

“By taking this decision, the court frees the people of Russia from the fear of being put to death by their government. As long as Russia remains execution free, the inherent dangers of the wrongful use of the death penalty are removed,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Director at Amnesty International.

A moratorium has been in place since 1999 and was due to expire when all regions of the Russian Federation had introduced jury trials. This is set to happen on 1 January 2010 when jury trials are introduced in Chechnya.

The Court has now extended that moratorium, stating that: “The path towards the full abolition of the death penalty is irreversible."

Amnesty International has now called on the Russian authorities to remove the death penalty from law and ratify Protocol 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

“Russia has long been a supporter of abolition in the international arena and it is high time the country undertakes the last step and removes the death penalty in law," said Nicola Duckworth.

When Russia joined the Council of Europe in 1996, it promised to abolish the death penalty by 1999. The country stopped imposing the death penalty in 1998 and the Constitutional Court ordered a moratorium in 1999.

Chinese activists under threat after Obama visit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:51:31 +0000

Chinese authorities must stop the harassment and arbitrary detention of dozens of human rights lawyers and activists who were targeted during US President Obama’s visit to the country earlier this week, Amnesty International said on Friday.

Security forces have kept dozens of lawyers and activists under house arrest or under surveillance during President Obama’s visit and prevented them from having any contact with foreign journalists reporting on the visit.

“It is a very negative sign that the Chinese government now actually steps up its repressive tactics during sensitive public events,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director.

“This is a clear signal to China’s civil society, as well as to the United States, that the Chinese government will not abide by its international human rights obligations even when it knows the whole world is watching,” said Sam Zarifi.

On the morning of November 19th Jiang Tianyong, a lawyer, was blocked by police at the gate of his home in Beijing’s Haidian district as he was walking his daughter to school. Jiang had just returned from the US two days earlier.

Jiang Tianyong was held for 13 hours and questioned by police in Yangfangdian district police station near his home in Beijing.

The police did not provide him with any documentation authorizing his detention. When Jiang challenged the lawfulness of his detention the police told him that he was held for “attacking the police”.

Police also questioned his seven year-old daughter at school while he was in custody. He was released on November 19th, but the police told him that “the issue is not ended yet”. On the morning of November 20th at least six police officers were stationed at the gate to Jiang Tianyong’s house. The police initially blocked him from leaving but relented after negotiation.

“The Chinese government’s intimidation and harassment of lawyers and activists shows a complete disregard for human rights, the law and legal professionals,” said Sam Zarifi. “These are not the actions of a government that is committed to the rule of law.”

Other human rights lawyers including Li Xiongbing, Li Heping and Mo Shaoping also faced harassment, with three or four police officers stationed in front of their homes. Some of the police officers remain outside the lawyers’ homes.

Before President Obama’s visit to the country many activist and petitioners complained of state intimidation with police being posted outside their homes in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere in the country.

During the visit, some activists were escorted out of Beijing or were held in unofficial places of detention often knows as “black jails”.

Human rights activist and lawyers in China face violations of their own human rights, including torture and other ill-treatment, intimidation and arbitrary detention for their peaceful human rights work.

Time for world leaders to ratify disappearances treaty

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:12:59 +0000

Amnesty International has called on world leaders to help prevent enforced disappearances by urging them to ratify a landmark treaty at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (Disappearances Convention) needs just four more ratifications to become binding.

The UNGA third committee adopted a resolution on Thursday, with an unprecedented number of co-sponsors calling on all states to sign or ratify the convention without delay and bring the convention into force by December.

The convention aims to establish the truth about enforced disappearances, punish perpetrators and provide reparations to victims and their families.

"The Disappearances Convention is one of the strongest human rights treaties ever adopted by the United Nations," said Christopher Keith Hall.

"In the past, perpetrators of this crime have acted in the knowledge that they were unlikely to be held accountable, while the families of victims have been denied their right to justice. The Disappearances Convention is an important tool for the international community to halt this trend."

Ecuador became the 16th state to ratify the Convention on 20 October, while Germany and Spain did so on 24 September. In total, 81 countries have signed it.

The UNGA has expressed concern at the increase in enforced disappearances around the world. There are a growing number of reports of harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation of witnesses or relatives of persons who have disappeared.

The Disappearances Convention represents the culmination of a long effort by many families of disappeared persons, NGOs and governments to address the continuing problem of enforced disappearance through international law.

"Amnesty International urges all states that have not done so already to ratify the Convention at the earliest opportunity and to make the declarations to recognize the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive and consider both individuals’ and states’ communications," said Christopher Keith Hall.

"Victims of enforced disappearances and their families have waited long enough. If the international community acts swiftly, 2009 could finally bring them a new tool to search for their loved ones and obtain justice."

Ohio moves to resume executions under new protocol

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:22:26 +0000

Amnesty International is appealing to the authorities in the state of Ohio not to resume executions, following their adoption of a new lethal injection protocol.

Ohio's decision to introduce the new lethal injection procedures followed the state's failed attempt to execute Romell Broom on 15 September.

Over two hours, the execution team repeatedly tried and failed to find a useable vein in which to insert the lethal injection needle. They finally gave up.

Ohio is seeking to execute Kenneth Biros on 8 December. Six other death row inmates are scheduled for execution in Ohio in the six months after that.

Ohio's Attorney General revealed on 13 November that the state had decided to alter its lethal injection procedures, arguing that the changes should end all claims raised in the litigation about how Ohio state authorities carries out executions.

The state authorities have decided to change from a three-drug process to a procedure that uses a large dose of one chemical, thiopental sodium, an anaesthetic.

Secondly, the state has developed a "back-up procedure" for cases when a suitable vein could not be found in a condemned inmate for his or her execution.

This procedure would involve injecting a combination of two chemicals, midazolam and hydromorphone, into a large muscle of the prisoner such as the thigh.

Ohio would be the first state to change to this method. Jonathan Groner MD, Professor of Clinical Surgery at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, has described Ohio’s proposal to Amnesty International as “an experiment”.

The Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has said that the changes would become effective by 30 November 2009, "in sufficient time to conduct the execution of Kenneth Biros".

On 13 November, the District Court judge overseeing the litigation rejected the state's bid for an expedited schedule so that it could execute Kenneth Biros with its new method on 8 December.

The state has appealed to the US Court of Appeals to have the current stay of execution, previously imposed by the District Court, lifted.

On 17 November, the Ohio parole board recommended against clemency.

The six other Ohio inmates currently scheduled for execution are: Abdullah Sharif Kaazim Mahdi (7 January 2010); Mark Brown (4 February); Lawrence Reynolds (9 March); Darryl Durr (20 April); Michael Beuke (15 May); and Richard Nields (10 June).

Amnesty International considers that the death penalty can never be rendered humane, regardless of the method of execution.

The organization is reminding the Ohio authorities that a clear majority of countries have abandoned executions and that the death penalty is not an option even in international tribunals considering the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

It is calling for a moratorium on executions in the State of Ohio, pending abolition of the death penalty.

Soldiers convicted for ill-treatment of conscientious objector in Turkey

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:26:59 +0000

Amnesty International has welcomed the conviction of three Turkish soldiers for “intentionally wounding” a conscientious objector while he was in military custody.

A military court in Istanbul sentenced the soldiers to three months and 10 days' imprisonment on 13 November for the “intentional wounding” of Mehmet Bal in June 2008.

Mehmet Bal was arrested for evading military service on 8 June and detained at Hasdal Military Prison in Istanbul.

His lawyers told Amnesty International that the next day, a senior military officer took Mehmet Bal into a prison ward and ordered military prisoners to “do what is necessary to remind him of prison rules”.

Prisoners in the cell then kicked Mehmet Bal and beat his face and body with a plank of wood.

After the attack, Mehmet Bal was taken to Gümüşsuyu Military Hospital for treatment. He was then sent back to Hasdal Military Prison on 10 June, reportedly without having fully recovered from his injuries. Mehmet Bal was eventually released on 24 June and found not guilty of the charges against him in December 2008.

The three soldiers convicted of intentional wounding were all prisoners being held in the cell at the time of Mehmet Bal’s detention.

No charges have been brought against the military officer who allegedly instructed the prisoners to beat Mehmet Bal, nor against any other official at the prison.

Lawyers representing Mehmet Bal have appealed the verdict on the grounds that the men should have been convicted of the more serious offence of "torment" (eziyet).

“We welcome the fact that soldiers who ill-treated Mehmet Bal have been convicted. However, Mehmet Bal should never have been detained in the first place for simply exercising his right to freedom of conscience in refusing to perform military service,” said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International’s researcher on Turkey.

Conscientious objectors are frequently ill-treated in Turkish military custody after being arrested and detained for their refusal to perform military service.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Turkish authorities to stop the prosecutions of conscientious objectors and to introduce a civilian alternative to military service in line with European and international standards and recommendations

Legislation allowing the repeated prosecution and conviction of conscientious objectors for their refusal to perform military service remains in force despite a European Court of Human Rights ruling that such practices represent a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights (prohibition of torture or other ill-treatment).

In the vast majority of cases, effective investigations are not held following allegations of torture and other ill-treatment by state officials and those responsible are not brought to justice.

Egyptian Military Court of Appeals fails to rectify injustice

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:35:23 +0000

Amnesty International condemns the failure of Egypt's military appeals court to overturn sentences imposed on leading members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood organization after unfair trials and calls on the authorities to stop trying civilians in military tribunals.

“The decision of the Supreme Court of Military Appeals to confirm the sentences of up to seven years’ imprisonment imposed on 18 Muslim Brotherhood members – all of them civilians – is a stark failure to remedy the injustice done after a grossly unfair trial,” said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa programme.

The appeal court's decision on Tuesday means that five of the 18 who remain imprisoned – the others were released in July by order of an administrative court – must now serve the remainder of their prison sentences. The five include Khairat al-Shatir, the third highest ranking Muslim Brotherhood leader, who was sentenced to seven years in prison.

On 17 November, the Supreme Court of Military Appeals rejected the appeals filed by all 18 defendants after they were convicted and sentenced to prison terms on 15 February 2008 after an unfair trial before the Supreme Military Court of Haikstip, northern Cairo. Seven others who had escaped arrest were tried in their absence at the same time and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

“Trying civilians before military courts, whose judges are serving members of the military, flouts international standards of fair trial and is inherently unjust, regardless of whether the defendants are allowed a right of appeal or not.”

A total of 25 defendants were sentenced on terrorism and money-laundering charges in connection with their membership of the Muslim Brotherhood. Fifteen others were acquitted. All denied the charges. Their trial opened on 26 April 2007, after President Mubarak ordered in February 2007 that they should be tried before a military court. Earlier, a civilian court had thrown out charges against 17 of them.

International observers sent by Amnesty International and other organizations were prevented from attending the trial sessions by the Egyptian authorities.

The Supreme Court of Military Appeals ruling came a month after the UN's leading expert on human rights and counter terrorism, Martin Scheinin, issued a damning report calling on the Egyptian authorities to stop trying civilians before military courts.

Another UN group, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, ruled in 2008 that the detention of 26 members of the Muslim Brotherhood arrested between December 2006 and January 2007 was arbitrary and urged the authorities to release them. Fourteen of the 26 were among those whose appeals were rejected on Tuesday.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Egyptian government to stop trying civilians before military courts. The procedures of military trials violate the right to a fair and public hearing before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

In military court trials, the right to appeal to a higher tribunal is limited to hearings before the Supreme Court for Military Appeals which is composed exclusively of military officers and which only examines the law, its interpretation and procedural issues, rather than the evidence itself or the factual basis of the charges.

“All of those who remain imprisoned as a result of this unfair trial and appeal process should be immediately retried by a civilian court that conforms to international fair trial standards or else released,” said Malcolm Smart.

Singapore defamation case threatens press freedom

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:07:15 +0000

The Singaporean parliament should enact new legislation protecting freedom of expression, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, after a magazine and its editor agreed to pay S$405,000 (Approximately US$290,000) following a fine by the country’s highest court for alleged defamation.

The Dow Jones Company-owned Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) magazine and its editor Hugo Restal had published an article critical of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

The 2006 article entitled "Singapore's 'Martyr', Chee Soon Juan", contained allegations against the two leaders, including of corruption, which the Singapore Court of Appeal ruled as defamatory.

Dow Jones Company denied any wrongdoing but said they had to pay the fine.

In its ruling, the Singapore Court of Appeal held that “constitutional free speech in Singapore is conferred on Singapore citizens only.” It further held that Singapore does not recognize a special function for the press as a "watchdog".

“Laws that allow the authorities to impose restrictions on freedom of expression together with a pattern of politically motivated defamation suits, have created a climate of political intimidation and self-censorship in Singapore.” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director. “This ruling further illustrates how press freedom is under threat in Singapore and sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression and journalism in the region.”

Amnesty International urges the Singapore parliament to enact legislation that would ensure the media's ability to perform its vital function as a watchdog while removing discrimination and undue restrictions from the laws on freedom of expression, to bring them into line with international law and standards.

The government of Singapore has a history of using civil defamation actions to stifle political opposition. Such defamation suits place unreasonable restrictions on the right of Singaporeans to peacefully express their opinions and to participate fully in public life.

Amnesty International remains concerned about the continuing use of restrictive laws and civil defamation suits in Singapore to penalise and silence peaceful critics of the government.

"If Singapore has pretensions to being an international commercial center, especially in the age of the internet, its legislature must immediately act to bring the country in line with commonly accepted concepts of free expression and media activity,"
said Sam Zarifi.

Journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to work without interference from the governing People's Action Party.

Background

International law recognizes limitations to the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 19 of Universal Declaration on Human Rights however these restrictions must be demonstrably necessary for and proportionate to certain permissible purposes. The permissible purposes for such restrictions include “securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.”

However, it is well established under international law that public officials must tolerate more, rather than less, criticism than private individuals.

Haiti government must eradicate child slavery

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:43:34 +0000

Authorities in Haiti must enact legislation to protect children working as domestic help in conditions that amount to slavery, said Amnesty International ahead of Universal Children’s Day.

Amnesty International launched a campaign on Wednesday to press the government in Haiti to enact measures to protect child domestic workers from abuse, ill-treatment and exploitation.

Many Haitian families, too poor to support their children, are forced to send them to work as domestic help. The children -- most of them girls -- end up working long hours cleaning, cooking, fetching water for the whole household and looking after other children in the family.

“Most child domestic workers in Haiti live as virtual slaves,” said Gerardo Ducos, Haiti researcher at Amnesty International. “They work in inhuman conditions, suffering violence and abuse by their hosts, only for a plate of food.”

UNICEF estimated that there were as many as 100,000 girl domestic workers in Haiti in 2007.

Trapped in a situation of total dependence, many girls are compelled to put up with violence and sexual abuse. Some flee the employer or host family and live on the streets where they may have no option but to sell their bodies for sex in order to survive.

15-year-old Régina told Amnesty International that when she was 10, she was sent to work as a domestic servant, but she ran away because the beatings became unbearable. She spent the next four years at Foyer Maurice Sixto, a shelter for children who have been domestic workers. During that time she was able to go to school. When she turned 14, Régina went back home, were she suffered further abuse.

“Girls in Haiti are trapped in a spiral of poverty and violence,” said Gerardo Ducos. ”The eradication of this modern form of slavery is the only way to protect the rights of thousands of children."

Haitian laws do not provide a protective framework for children.

In 2003, the Law for the prohibition and elimination of all kind of abuses, violence and inhuman treatment of children came into force. This law removed a chapter of the Labor Code that regulated the work of children in domestic service but failed to ban the practice of children in domestic service.

The Code had prohibited the “employment” of children under 12 as domestic workers and had provided guarantees that those aged over 15 would receive a salary for their work. The Code required foster families, among other things, to request authorization from the Institute of Social Welfare and Research if they wished to employ a child as domestic worker.

“Ahead of Universal Children’s Day, Haiti should step up its commitment to the protection of girl domestic workers and take concrete steps to improve their situation,” said Gerardo Ducos.

Appeal for action

Protect girls in domestic labour in Haiti

Afghanistan's President Karzai must commit to human rights

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:57:45 +0000

Amnesty International has urged Afghanistan's newly re-elected President Hamid Karzai to prioritize human rights and the rule of law in his second term in order to strengthen the country's stability and security.

"Afghans from around the country continue to tell us that they suffer from poor governance, endemic corruption, a weak and inept justice system and lack of respect for human rights and rule of law," said Sam Zarifi, director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific programme. "All these factors weaken support for the government and its international allies."

Amnesty International noted that the recent presidential elections were marred by human rights abuses by the candidates as well as the Taleban's increasing attacks against civilians. The organization raised concerns that the upcoming parliamentary elections, currently scheduled for August or September 2010, faced potentially even greater human rights violations as well as Taleban violence.

"Government officials and parliamentarians suspected of serious human rights violations and war crimes are enjoying blatant impunity. Many are also widely believed to be involved in corruption and criminal activities, but are rarely held accountable," said Sam Zarifi.

"In order to rebuild the trust of the Afghan people and the international community, government officials and parliamentarians suspected of serious human rights violations must be kept out of the election process and held to account."