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Showing posts with label International. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International. Show all posts
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Friday, December 23, 2011
CHINA: Writer Chen Wei Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison
23 December 2011
The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International condemns the imprisonment of the writer Chen Wei. An honorary member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre and winner of the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write award, Chen Wei was sentenced on 23 December 2011 to nine years in prison for ‘subversive writing.’ The conviction is based on articles published on Chinese websites overseas. The WiPC calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Chen Wei.
Below is a report from the BBC on Chen Wei’s case:
Chinese writer Chen Wei has been sentenced to nine years in jail for “inciting subversion of state power”.
Mr Chen published several essays online calling for freedom of speech and reform of China’s one-party system. He was among hundreds of dissidents detained earlier this year after online calls for protests in China inspired by the uprisings in the Middle East. He told the court he was not guilty and that “democracy will prevail” in China, say reports. Mr Chen has always insisted he was simply expressing his opinions as allowed under the Chinese constitution. His wife told the BBC the trial had been “a performance” and that the verdict had been decided before it began.
The indictment against Mr Chen listed several essays he wrote for foreign websites on topics including pieces which criticised the political system in China and praised the growth of civil society.
The trial in Suining was held behind closed doors and lasted only two hours. In addition to the jail sentence, Mr Chen had his political rights taken away for a further two years. It is believed to be one of the harshest sentences imposed on those involved in the so-called Jasmine Revolution – the attempt to replicate the Arab Spring uprising in China.
Mr Chen’s lawyer, Zheng Jianwei, said that after the verdict was announced, Mr Chen told the court: “Dictatorship will fail, democracy will prevail.” His wife, Wang Xiaoyan, told the BBC she was “very unhappy” with the verdict. “I think today’s trial is just a show. It’s a performance. The verdict had been decided in advance. They don’t allow people to speak. There is no freedom of speech.” She said his essays had been misinterpreted their meaning distorted, and he had done nothing to incite subversion. “He is a very patriotic man. He did criticise the Communist Party, but that’s stating the facts. That is not subversion.”
Mrs Wang, who was present in court, said her husband had decided not to launch an appeal, and that she respected his decision. “He said the verdict would be decided in advance and there is no point appealing. He wants to finish serving the terms quickly and come home quickly,” she said. “We have a daughter who is not even 10 years old. I need to slowly explain to my daughter why her father is in jail.”
Human rights observers at the court for the trial said there were a large police presence and that two activists had been questioned taken away.
Campaign group Human Rights in China (HRC) said Mrs Wang and other members of Mr Chen’s family have faced harassment from the police during his detention, and that he had only been permitted to meet his lawyers twice since he was detained.
Defence lawyers had been told to keep their comments brief in the courtroom, said the group, in a sign they wanted the trial to be over quickly.
Mr Chen is a veteran pro-democracy campaigner, having been jailed for his part in the student protest in 1989 which were crushed in Tiananmen Square.
He is also a sign signatory of Charter 08 – a manifesto for democratic reform that was co-written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
Mr Liu is serving an 11-year jail term for his role in producing the document, a sentence which has been widely criticised by governments and rights groups around the world.For further information see the following links:
Chinese writer Chen Wei has been sentenced to nine years in jail for “inciting subversion of state power”.
Mr Chen published several essays online calling for freedom of speech and reform of China’s one-party system. He was among hundreds of dissidents detained earlier this year after online calls for protests in China inspired by the uprisings in the Middle East. He told the court he was not guilty and that “democracy will prevail” in China, say reports. Mr Chen has always insisted he was simply expressing his opinions as allowed under the Chinese constitution. His wife told the BBC the trial had been “a performance” and that the verdict had been decided before it began.
The indictment against Mr Chen listed several essays he wrote for foreign websites on topics including pieces which criticised the political system in China and praised the growth of civil society.
The trial in Suining was held behind closed doors and lasted only two hours. In addition to the jail sentence, Mr Chen had his political rights taken away for a further two years. It is believed to be one of the harshest sentences imposed on those involved in the so-called Jasmine Revolution – the attempt to replicate the Arab Spring uprising in China.
Mr Chen’s lawyer, Zheng Jianwei, said that after the verdict was announced, Mr Chen told the court: “Dictatorship will fail, democracy will prevail.” His wife, Wang Xiaoyan, told the BBC she was “very unhappy” with the verdict. “I think today’s trial is just a show. It’s a performance. The verdict had been decided in advance. They don’t allow people to speak. There is no freedom of speech.” She said his essays had been misinterpreted their meaning distorted, and he had done nothing to incite subversion. “He is a very patriotic man. He did criticise the Communist Party, but that’s stating the facts. That is not subversion.”
Mrs Wang, who was present in court, said her husband had decided not to launch an appeal, and that she respected his decision. “He said the verdict would be decided in advance and there is no point appealing. He wants to finish serving the terms quickly and come home quickly,” she said. “We have a daughter who is not even 10 years old. I need to slowly explain to my daughter why her father is in jail.”
Human rights observers at the court for the trial said there were a large police presence and that two activists had been questioned taken away.
Campaign group Human Rights in China (HRC) said Mrs Wang and other members of Mr Chen’s family have faced harassment from the police during his detention, and that he had only been permitted to meet his lawyers twice since he was detained.
Defence lawyers had been told to keep their comments brief in the courtroom, said the group, in a sign they wanted the trial to be over quickly.
Mr Chen is a veteran pro-democracy campaigner, having been jailed for his part in the student protest in 1989 which were crushed in Tiananmen Square.
He is also a sign signatory of Charter 08 – a manifesto for democratic reform that was co-written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
Mr Liu is serving an 11-year jail term for his role in producing the document, a sentence which has been widely criticised by governments and rights groups around the world.For further information see the following links:
News reports:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/23/china-jails-activist-chen-wei?newsfeed=true
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16312065
Please send appeals:Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Chen Wei, imprisoned by the P.R.China for the peaceful exercise of his right to free expression; Expressing alarm at the crackdown on dissent in which writers, journalists and human rights defenders are amongst those to have been targeted; Reminding the Chinese authorities of their obligations under Article 35 of the Chinese constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which it is a state party.
Send appeals to:
His Excellency Hu JintaoPresident of the People’s Republic of ChinaState Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China
Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau
MA Zhenchuan JuzhangBeijingshi Gong’anju
9 Dongdajie, Qianmen
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100740
People’s Republic of China.
Fax: +86 1065242927
Minister of Justice
WU Aiying BuzhangSifabu
10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyangqu
Beijingshi 100020
People’s Republic of China.
Minister of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China
MENG JianzhuGong’anbu
14 Dongchang’anjie
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100741
People’s Republic of China.
Please note that there are no fax numbers for the Chinese authorities. WiPC recommends that you copy your appeal to the Chinese embassy in your country asking them to forward it and welcoming any comments.
You may find it easier to write to the Chinese ambassador in your own country asking him or her to forward your appeal. Most embassies are obliged to forward such appeals to the relevant officials in the country. A letter or petition signed by an eminent member of your Centre may give make it more likely for your appeal to be considered. Similarly if your appeal is published in your local press and copied to the Chinese ambassador, this too may have greater impact.
See this useful link to find the contact details of the Chinese embassy in your country Chinese embassies abroad
**Please contact the PEN WiPC office in London if sending appeals after 22 February 2012**
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/23/china-jails-activist-chen-wei?newsfeed=true
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16312065
Please send appeals:Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Chen Wei, imprisoned by the P.R.China for the peaceful exercise of his right to free expression; Expressing alarm at the crackdown on dissent in which writers, journalists and human rights defenders are amongst those to have been targeted; Reminding the Chinese authorities of their obligations under Article 35 of the Chinese constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which it is a state party.
Send appeals to:
His Excellency Hu JintaoPresident of the People’s Republic of ChinaState Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China
Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau
MA Zhenchuan JuzhangBeijingshi Gong’anju
9 Dongdajie, Qianmen
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100740
People’s Republic of China.
Fax: +86 1065242927
Minister of Justice
WU Aiying BuzhangSifabu
10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie
Chaoyangqu
Beijingshi 100020
People’s Republic of China.
Minister of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China
MENG JianzhuGong’anbu
14 Dongchang’anjie
Dongchengqu
Beijingshi 100741
People’s Republic of China.
Please note that there are no fax numbers for the Chinese authorities. WiPC recommends that you copy your appeal to the Chinese embassy in your country asking them to forward it and welcoming any comments.
You may find it easier to write to the Chinese ambassador in your own country asking him or her to forward your appeal. Most embassies are obliged to forward such appeals to the relevant officials in the country. A letter or petition signed by an eminent member of your Centre may give make it more likely for your appeal to be considered. Similarly if your appeal is published in your local press and copied to the Chinese ambassador, this too may have greater impact.
See this useful link to find the contact details of the Chinese embassy in your country Chinese embassies abroad
**Please contact the PEN WiPC office in London if sending appeals after 22 February 2012**
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Egypt: Prosecute Sexual Assaults on Protesters
Beirut
There is an escalating pattern of physical attacks by Egyptian military and police officers against women and male protesters, journalists, and activists in Cairo, some of which are sexual in nature, Human Rights Watch said today. News reports and images of protesters in Cairo being stripped, beaten, and dragged through the street in the past several days are just the latest incidents.
The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Ministry should order an immediate halt to these attacks, Human Rights Watch said. The Office of the Public Prosecutor, the civilian judicial authority, should speedily, vigorously, and transparently investigate assaults on demonstrators by military and police officers and by civilians, and prosecute those responsible, to put an end to a climate of impunity for sexual crimes.
“Images of military and police who strip, grope, and beat protesters have horrified the world and brought into sharp focus the sexual brutality Egyptian women face in public life,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africa women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The military and civilian authorities need to put a halt to criminal attacks on demonstrators once and for all.”
On December 16, 2011, security forces attacked and beat demonstrators protesting in front of the Egyptian Cabinet. The Health Ministry said on December 19 that 500 protesters or bystanders had been injured since December 16, and 12 were killed. On the same day, news outlets broadcast footage of Egyptian military police beating, stomping on, and hitting protesters with bars, including a veiled woman whose clothes had been torn off, exposing her torso.
On December 19, Gen. Adel Emara commented on the attack of the veiled woman, telling journalists “yes this scene actually happened and we are investigating it. We will disclose the investigation results in full. We do not want to conceal anything.” The military cannot investigate itself with any independence, and only an investigation by Egypt’s civilian judicial authorities with full cooperation from the military can provide a remedy to all protesters, Human Rights Watch said.
Egyptian women’s rights groups, including the New Woman Foundation, that have been documenting attacks on women demonstrators, told Human Rights Watch that at least nine women were arrested during last weekend’s protests, and some of them said security forces had physically and verbally assaulted them.
Salma al Naqqash, coordinator of the Women Human Rights Defenders program at Nazra for Feminist Studies, a research group, told Human Rights Watch that there is a pattern of security forces and civilians preventing women from exercising their right to protest. Al Naqqash said that security forces and private individuals have subjected women demonstrators to verbal and physical assault, threatened them with rape in detention, and stripped them in the street to deter them from protesting.
Ghada Kamal Abdel Khaleq, 28, said in a video posted on YouTube that about 10 security forces beat her severely in the street adjacent to the Egyptian Cabinet on December 16 as she was taking part in a protest and rushed to help a wounded woman beaten to the ground. She said that she was detained, and at least one officer physically and verbally attacked her in detention, including making sexual threats against her. She said security forces beat her all over her body, pulled her hair, stepped on her face and chest, and verbally assaulted her. Abdel Khaleq said she saw other women who had been detained bleeding from head injuries and that the women told her security forces had also insulted and threatened them.
Women in public in Egypt, whether demonstrators, journalists, activists, or simply passers-by going about their business, frequently experience sexual harassment and assaults, Human Rights Watch said. The ruling military council has continued the poor record of the ousted Mubarak administration by failing to prevent, investigate, or punish such attacks.
While the SCAF amended penal code provisions on sexual assault in March to increase penalties for rape and “indecency,” it has failed to enforce the existing law in cases that fall short of rape, allowing sexual harassment to go unpunished and creating a climate of impunity, Human Rights Watch said.
As party to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Egypt is under an obligation to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cases of violence against women, and to take action to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. The United Nations body that monitors implementation of this treaty has expressed serious concern about violence against women in Egypt, including the culture of silence and impunity for such crimes. Egypt remains one of only four members of the African Union not to have signed or ratified the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, the key African treaty on women's rights.
“At this crucial stage in Egypt’s history, women need to be able to take part in demonstrations and elections without fear,” Khalife said. “Security forces’ disgraceful attacks and the government’s broader failure to address sexual violence and harassment do not bode well for Egypt’s women.”
A Pattern of Attacks on Women by Security Forces
In late November 2011, Egypt’s Central Security Forces (CSF or riot police) arrested several female journalists and activists in Cairo’s Tahrir Square area, and sexually assaulted and beat at least two of them. Prosecutors have not opened an investigation into the attacks, nor have the security forces announced any disciplinary action against the attackers.
On November 19, riot police arrested Sanaa Youssef during a demonstration on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, near Tahrir Square, and took her behind police lines. Youssef wrote on her blog later:
The Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Ministry should order an immediate halt to these attacks, Human Rights Watch said. The Office of the Public Prosecutor, the civilian judicial authority, should speedily, vigorously, and transparently investigate assaults on demonstrators by military and police officers and by civilians, and prosecute those responsible, to put an end to a climate of impunity for sexual crimes.
“Images of military and police who strip, grope, and beat protesters have horrified the world and brought into sharp focus the sexual brutality Egyptian women face in public life,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africa women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The military and civilian authorities need to put a halt to criminal attacks on demonstrators once and for all.”
On December 16, 2011, security forces attacked and beat demonstrators protesting in front of the Egyptian Cabinet. The Health Ministry said on December 19 that 500 protesters or bystanders had been injured since December 16, and 12 were killed. On the same day, news outlets broadcast footage of Egyptian military police beating, stomping on, and hitting protesters with bars, including a veiled woman whose clothes had been torn off, exposing her torso.
On December 19, Gen. Adel Emara commented on the attack of the veiled woman, telling journalists “yes this scene actually happened and we are investigating it. We will disclose the investigation results in full. We do not want to conceal anything.” The military cannot investigate itself with any independence, and only an investigation by Egypt’s civilian judicial authorities with full cooperation from the military can provide a remedy to all protesters, Human Rights Watch said.
Egyptian women’s rights groups, including the New Woman Foundation, that have been documenting attacks on women demonstrators, told Human Rights Watch that at least nine women were arrested during last weekend’s protests, and some of them said security forces had physically and verbally assaulted them.
Salma al Naqqash, coordinator of the Women Human Rights Defenders program at Nazra for Feminist Studies, a research group, told Human Rights Watch that there is a pattern of security forces and civilians preventing women from exercising their right to protest. Al Naqqash said that security forces and private individuals have subjected women demonstrators to verbal and physical assault, threatened them with rape in detention, and stripped them in the street to deter them from protesting.
Ghada Kamal Abdel Khaleq, 28, said in a video posted on YouTube that about 10 security forces beat her severely in the street adjacent to the Egyptian Cabinet on December 16 as she was taking part in a protest and rushed to help a wounded woman beaten to the ground. She said that she was detained, and at least one officer physically and verbally attacked her in detention, including making sexual threats against her. She said security forces beat her all over her body, pulled her hair, stepped on her face and chest, and verbally assaulted her. Abdel Khaleq said she saw other women who had been detained bleeding from head injuries and that the women told her security forces had also insulted and threatened them.
Women in public in Egypt, whether demonstrators, journalists, activists, or simply passers-by going about their business, frequently experience sexual harassment and assaults, Human Rights Watch said. The ruling military council has continued the poor record of the ousted Mubarak administration by failing to prevent, investigate, or punish such attacks.
While the SCAF amended penal code provisions on sexual assault in March to increase penalties for rape and “indecency,” it has failed to enforce the existing law in cases that fall short of rape, allowing sexual harassment to go unpunished and creating a climate of impunity, Human Rights Watch said.
As party to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Egypt is under an obligation to act with due diligence to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cases of violence against women, and to take action to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women. The United Nations body that monitors implementation of this treaty has expressed serious concern about violence against women in Egypt, including the culture of silence and impunity for such crimes. Egypt remains one of only four members of the African Union not to have signed or ratified the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, the key African treaty on women's rights.
“At this crucial stage in Egypt’s history, women need to be able to take part in demonstrations and elections without fear,” Khalife said. “Security forces’ disgraceful attacks and the government’s broader failure to address sexual violence and harassment do not bode well for Egypt’s women.”
A Pattern of Attacks on Women by Security Forces
In late November 2011, Egypt’s Central Security Forces (CSF or riot police) arrested several female journalists and activists in Cairo’s Tahrir Square area, and sexually assaulted and beat at least two of them. Prosecutors have not opened an investigation into the attacks, nor have the security forces announced any disciplinary action against the attackers.
On November 19, riot police arrested Sanaa Youssef during a demonstration on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, near Tahrir Square, and took her behind police lines. Youssef wrote on her blog later:
I was in the midst of around 25 or 30 officers in CSF uniforms and plain clothes. One officer lifted his hand and said, “Don’t touch her.” It was as if this was a secret code to say, “Do whatever you want with her.” One of them hit me on the face and another kicked me while a third pulled me by my hair so that I couldn’t move my head to the right or left and this helped keep my head still so that they could slap me. I wish it had stopped there but unfortunately with great pain I have to confess that their hands did not have mercy on my body and they harassed me with all their filth and brutality and lack of conscience. What made it worse is that two of them grabbed the two ends of my scarf around my neck and pulled them in opposite directions. I felt like I was choking and tried to pull the scarf away from my throat while they were continuing to harass me.
A US-based Egyptian journalist, Mona Al Tahawy, told Human Rights Watch that on November 23, CSF agents arrested her on Mohamed Mahmoud Street and that at least four men then beat and sexually assaulted her. Al Tahawy told Human Rights Watch:
They were beating me with their sticks. I lifted my left arm to protect myself but they hit that too, which is when they broke it. While they were hitting me they were grabbing my breasts and my genital area, putting their hands into my trousers. I kept saying, Stop it! Stop it! All this time they were insulting me, saying, “You whore, You daughter of ...” They then pulled me by my hair toward the Ministry of Interior, still groping me whenever they could. They were like a pack of wild animals.
The Egyptian military and civilian authorities have failed to respond to these incidents with appropriate seriousness, Human Rights Watch said. Col. Islam Jaffar of the Egyptian military was quoted in The New York Times as saying, when questioned about the attack on Al Tahawy:
She complained to me that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by Central Security Forces….But what did she expect would happen? She was in the middle of the streets, in the midst of clashes, with no press card or form of ID. The press center had not given her permission to be in the streets as a journalist. The country is in a sensitive situation. We are under threat. She could be a spy for all we know.
Military officers, including soldiers from the military police and other military units, have also attacked peaceful women demonstrators and in some cases sexually assaulted them. A woman who took part in a protest on October 9 told Human Rights Watch, “They (military officers) beat us with sticks and electric rods...they hit us on our backs... and as I fell I heard someone saying, ‘Let them go’...but someone [a member of the security forces] responded, ‘Those are dogs and whores.’”
For months, the Egyptian military refused to reveal whether it was conducting a genuine investigation into or prosecuting any of the military officers who conducted “virginity tests”– another form of sexual assault – on women being held in the military prison in Hikestep on March 10. It was only on December 20, after the latest incidents of sexual attacks on women that Adel Morsy said in a press release that “the virginity test incident has been referred to the High Military Court and is currently at the trial stage.”
Human rights lawyers representing one of the victims, Samira Ibrahim, filed a complaint on June 23 at the office of the military prosecutor. Ibrahim’s lawyers filed a civil complaint on her behalf before the Council of State, Egypt’s administrative court, to challenge the military’s lack of action. The case challenges the administrative decision to conduct the virginity tests in the military prison. A decision is expected on December 27.
“Security forces sexually assault women on the street, and the officials in charge shrug their shoulders and look the other way,” Khalife said. “The military cannot investigate itself with any independence, so the civilian Public Prosecutor should immediately order an investigation of the assaults on demonstrators, including on Al Tahawy and other women, and hold the attackers accountable.”
Sexual Assault by Civilians
Over the past year, women have frequently reported verbal and physical sexual harassment by civilians in Tahrir Square. Human Rights Watch interviewed several women who took part in a rally in Tahrir Square on March 8 in celebration of International Women's Day and who were sexually assaulted by men in civilian clothes. One woman said, “The group of men were getting closer to us, and [then they started] groping me in every part of my body....About 15 men ripped off my clothes...they ripped off my shirt and pants.... There were 20 of us.... No one bothered to help us.”
The Egyptian authorities have failed to condemn or investigate several well-publicized incidents of sexual assault by private actors, including the attack and sexual assault on the US journalist Lara Logan on February 11 by a mob of men in Tahrir square.On November 23, a mob assaulted the French journalist Caroline Sinz in the Tahrir square area. Human Rights Watch is unaware of any investigation into the attack. Sinz told Agence France-Presse:
For months, the Egyptian military refused to reveal whether it was conducting a genuine investigation into or prosecuting any of the military officers who conducted “virginity tests”– another form of sexual assault – on women being held in the military prison in Hikestep on March 10. It was only on December 20, after the latest incidents of sexual attacks on women that Adel Morsy said in a press release that “the virginity test incident has been referred to the High Military Court and is currently at the trial stage.”
Human rights lawyers representing one of the victims, Samira Ibrahim, filed a complaint on June 23 at the office of the military prosecutor. Ibrahim’s lawyers filed a civil complaint on her behalf before the Council of State, Egypt’s administrative court, to challenge the military’s lack of action. The case challenges the administrative decision to conduct the virginity tests in the military prison. A decision is expected on December 27.
“Security forces sexually assault women on the street, and the officials in charge shrug their shoulders and look the other way,” Khalife said. “The military cannot investigate itself with any independence, so the civilian Public Prosecutor should immediately order an investigation of the assaults on demonstrators, including on Al Tahawy and other women, and hold the attackers accountable.”
Sexual Assault by Civilians
Over the past year, women have frequently reported verbal and physical sexual harassment by civilians in Tahrir Square. Human Rights Watch interviewed several women who took part in a rally in Tahrir Square on March 8 in celebration of International Women's Day and who were sexually assaulted by men in civilian clothes. One woman said, “The group of men were getting closer to us, and [then they started] groping me in every part of my body....About 15 men ripped off my clothes...they ripped off my shirt and pants.... There were 20 of us.... No one bothered to help us.”
The Egyptian authorities have failed to condemn or investigate several well-publicized incidents of sexual assault by private actors, including the attack and sexual assault on the US journalist Lara Logan on February 11 by a mob of men in Tahrir square.On November 23, a mob assaulted the French journalist Caroline Sinz in the Tahrir square area. Human Rights Watch is unaware of any investigation into the attack. Sinz told Agence France-Presse:
We were filming in Mohammed Mahmud Street when we were mobbed by young people who were about 14 or 15… We were then assaulted by a crowd of men. I was beaten by a group of youngsters and adults who tore my clothes [and molested me in a way that] would be considered rape…Some people tried to help me but failed….It lasted three quarters of an hour before I was taken out. I thought I was going to die.
TURKEY: Year Closes with 30 Writers in Prison, Over 70 on Trial and 25 new arrests
22 December 2011
PEN International is deeply concerned that as this year closes, 30 writers are held in Turkish prisons, more than 70 others are on trial, and that there were 25 new arrests in recent days. This, alongside increasing surveillance, is having a chilling effect on writers and raises concerns for the coming year. PEN calls for a halt to the arrests, and the release of writers and journalists who are detained for the legitimate practice of their right to free expression, a right to which Turkey is committed under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights.
PEN has on its records 30 cases of writers in prison in Turkey, and over 70 more on trial. On 20 December, a further 20 to 25 journalists were arrested. The most widely used legislation in these cases is the Anti Terror Law (ATL), a law that is applied so broadly that crimes of membership or support of “illegal organisations” encompass a wide spread of commentary, ranging from writings on Kurdish issues to allegations of inappropriate links between the police and religious figures. Over the past year, Turkish writers, publishers and journalists have told PEN that surveillance has risen markedly, and this, accompanied by the escalating arrests, has increased anxiety and is having a chilling effect on free expression.
Among the detainees is the well-known publisher Ragip Zarakolu who has campaigned for free expression for decades. He was arrested on 28 October and is facing trial under the ATL for “membership of an illegal organisation”, reportedly for a speech he made to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and articles he has written. Taken to prison the same day on similar charges is the respected academic and writer Busra Erslani. She is an expert on constitutional law and had been working with the BDP’s Constitutional Commission at the time of her arrest. Zarakolu’s son, Deniz, also an academic and translator, was arrested two weeks earlier for similar reasons.
Zarakolu and Ersanli were arrested under what is known as the Democratic Society Congress (Koma Civaken Kurdistan – KCK) operation that has been under way since 2009 and which has led to several hundred, some say over 1,000, arrests and trials. The KCK is seen as the civil/political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Among the organisations being linked to the KCK is the BDP despite the fact that 30 of its representatives took their seats in the Turkish parliament on 1 October. Among the early KCK operation arrests was Muharrem Erbey, a lawyer and writer arrested in December 2009 who is still detained, one example of the extremely lengthy pre-trial detentions. On 20 December, there were further arrests under the KCK operation that included around 20 to 25 journalists who were taken from their homes in various cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Diyabakir. All are journalists working for various pro-Kurdish newspapers and agencies. It is not clear how many remain detained today, 22 December.
Other high profile writers in prison include Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık arrested on 6 March 2011 for being members of ‘Ergenekon’. Since June 2007 there have been a series of arrests of leading figures in the military, politics and police, as well as writers, academics and journalists. Now numbering over 200, they are accused of membership of a neo-nationalist organisation known as Ergenekon. Its aim is said to be to overthrow the government and it is linked to several assassinations. Şener and Şık are detained for their research into and writings about Ergenekon. Şener’s book, Fetullah Gülen and the Gülen Community in Ergenekon Documents is one of the sources of the charges. The Gülen movement is an Islamic organisation that promotes inter-faith dialogue. It is thought that Şener’s arrest is linked to his research into suggestions that the movement holds undue influence in the Ergenekon investigation. Ahmet Şık has also written on Ergenekon and he too is said to have looked into the alleged affiliation of police to Gülen .
That two writers investigating Ergenekon should find themselves on trial for being members of the group they are researching is absurd, a view shared by 125 Turkish writers who, in November 2011, publicly announced their support for Ahmet Şik by publishing in print his book that was seized from his computer files and banned. The writers had all played a role in editing the book, and are listed as co-editors and proof-readers, willingly making themselves liable for prosecution.
Writers are also among those arrested as Ergenekon suspects. One is Mustafa Balbay, a well-known contributor to the Cumhuriyet newspaper, an outspoken opponent of the government and secularist. He has been detained since July 2008 and remains in pre-trial detention three years later. Evidence against him is said to be notes he took during meetings with various figures who themselves were arrested under Ergenekon, and that Balbay was aware of plans to stage a coup, charges he denies.
Zarakolu, Şık, Şener, Erbey and Balbay are all members of PEN Turkey.
Among the 70 and more other cases of writers before the courts being tried under numerous and diverse legislations, are the obscenity trial against the publishers and translator of the Turkish edition of William Burrough’s Soft Machine. Also under way is that against the owners of another publishing house accused of defaming religion for producing a 2010 calendar featuring quotes from secular writers including George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein and James Joyce.
Please send appeals:-
Expressing alarm about the rising numbers of writers and journalists in prison and on trial for the legitimate practice of their right to freedom of expression;-
Referring to Turkey’s commitments to Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, both of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression;
Calling for an end to these arrests, the release of all writers and journalists held in prison, and an end to trials that contravene the right to freedom of expression;
Urging that there a review of all legislation that allows for the prosecution of writers and journalists and to bring Turkey in line to its commitments under international human rights standards.
Send appeals to:
Mr Sadullah Ergin
Minister of Justice
06669 Kizilay
Ankara
Turkey
Fax: 00 90 312 419 3370
Email: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Also to the Turkish ambassador in your country.
**Please contact the PEN WiPC office in London if sending appeals after 15 February 2012**
PEN International is deeply concerned that as this year closes, 30 writers are held in Turkish prisons, more than 70 others are on trial, and that there were 25 new arrests in recent days. This, alongside increasing surveillance, is having a chilling effect on writers and raises concerns for the coming year. PEN calls for a halt to the arrests, and the release of writers and journalists who are detained for the legitimate practice of their right to free expression, a right to which Turkey is committed under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights.
PEN has on its records 30 cases of writers in prison in Turkey, and over 70 more on trial. On 20 December, a further 20 to 25 journalists were arrested. The most widely used legislation in these cases is the Anti Terror Law (ATL), a law that is applied so broadly that crimes of membership or support of “illegal organisations” encompass a wide spread of commentary, ranging from writings on Kurdish issues to allegations of inappropriate links between the police and religious figures. Over the past year, Turkish writers, publishers and journalists have told PEN that surveillance has risen markedly, and this, accompanied by the escalating arrests, has increased anxiety and is having a chilling effect on free expression.
Among the detainees is the well-known publisher Ragip Zarakolu who has campaigned for free expression for decades. He was arrested on 28 October and is facing trial under the ATL for “membership of an illegal organisation”, reportedly for a speech he made to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and articles he has written. Taken to prison the same day on similar charges is the respected academic and writer Busra Erslani. She is an expert on constitutional law and had been working with the BDP’s Constitutional Commission at the time of her arrest. Zarakolu’s son, Deniz, also an academic and translator, was arrested two weeks earlier for similar reasons.
Zarakolu and Ersanli were arrested under what is known as the Democratic Society Congress (Koma Civaken Kurdistan – KCK) operation that has been under way since 2009 and which has led to several hundred, some say over 1,000, arrests and trials. The KCK is seen as the civil/political wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Among the organisations being linked to the KCK is the BDP despite the fact that 30 of its representatives took their seats in the Turkish parliament on 1 October. Among the early KCK operation arrests was Muharrem Erbey, a lawyer and writer arrested in December 2009 who is still detained, one example of the extremely lengthy pre-trial detentions. On 20 December, there were further arrests under the KCK operation that included around 20 to 25 journalists who were taken from their homes in various cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Diyabakir. All are journalists working for various pro-Kurdish newspapers and agencies. It is not clear how many remain detained today, 22 December.
Other high profile writers in prison include Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık arrested on 6 March 2011 for being members of ‘Ergenekon’. Since June 2007 there have been a series of arrests of leading figures in the military, politics and police, as well as writers, academics and journalists. Now numbering over 200, they are accused of membership of a neo-nationalist organisation known as Ergenekon. Its aim is said to be to overthrow the government and it is linked to several assassinations. Şener and Şık are detained for their research into and writings about Ergenekon. Şener’s book, Fetullah Gülen and the Gülen Community in Ergenekon Documents is one of the sources of the charges. The Gülen movement is an Islamic organisation that promotes inter-faith dialogue. It is thought that Şener’s arrest is linked to his research into suggestions that the movement holds undue influence in the Ergenekon investigation. Ahmet Şık has also written on Ergenekon and he too is said to have looked into the alleged affiliation of police to Gülen .
That two writers investigating Ergenekon should find themselves on trial for being members of the group they are researching is absurd, a view shared by 125 Turkish writers who, in November 2011, publicly announced their support for Ahmet Şik by publishing in print his book that was seized from his computer files and banned. The writers had all played a role in editing the book, and are listed as co-editors and proof-readers, willingly making themselves liable for prosecution.
Writers are also among those arrested as Ergenekon suspects. One is Mustafa Balbay, a well-known contributor to the Cumhuriyet newspaper, an outspoken opponent of the government and secularist. He has been detained since July 2008 and remains in pre-trial detention three years later. Evidence against him is said to be notes he took during meetings with various figures who themselves were arrested under Ergenekon, and that Balbay was aware of plans to stage a coup, charges he denies.
Zarakolu, Şık, Şener, Erbey and Balbay are all members of PEN Turkey.
Among the 70 and more other cases of writers before the courts being tried under numerous and diverse legislations, are the obscenity trial against the publishers and translator of the Turkish edition of William Burrough’s Soft Machine. Also under way is that against the owners of another publishing house accused of defaming religion for producing a 2010 calendar featuring quotes from secular writers including George Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein and James Joyce.
Please send appeals:-
Expressing alarm about the rising numbers of writers and journalists in prison and on trial for the legitimate practice of their right to freedom of expression;-
Referring to Turkey’s commitments to Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, both of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression;
Calling for an end to these arrests, the release of all writers and journalists held in prison, and an end to trials that contravene the right to freedom of expression;
Urging that there a review of all legislation that allows for the prosecution of writers and journalists and to bring Turkey in line to its commitments under international human rights standards.
Send appeals to:
Mr Sadullah Ergin
Minister of Justice
06669 Kizilay
Ankara
Turkey
Fax: 00 90 312 419 3370
Email: sadullahergin@adalet.gov.tr
Also to the Turkish ambassador in your country.
**Please contact the PEN WiPC office in London if sending appeals after 15 February 2012**
Monday, December 19, 2011
Russia: Leading journalist Khadzhimurad Kamalov assassinated
The Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International is alarmed at the killing of prominent journalist and newspaper founder Khadzhimurad Kamalov on 15 December 2011 in Dagestan. Kamalov, who had previously been subject to numerous threats, was gunned down as he was leaving the offices of his newspaper by a masked assailant. PEN calls on the Russian authorities to ensure that a full and impartial investigation in conducted to ensure that those responsible for the assassination are brought to justice.
Khadzhimurad Kamalov, the founder of the independent weekly Chernovik, was reportedly shot up to fourteen times by a masked assailant outside the paper’s offices in the Dagestan capital, Makhachkala, as he left work shortly before midnight on 15 December 2011. The gunman reportedly fled the scene by car.
There has been a long history of harassment towards the staff of Chernovik, with five of its journalists being arrested on trumped-up charges of “extremism” between 2008 and 2011. The newspaper has frequently addressed highly sensitive topics in the southern republic of Dagestan, in particular reports of police abuses in neighbouring Chechnya. The Centre to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also states that, in a recent television interview, Kamalov had made critical comments about alleged regional government corruption.
Kamalov had reportedly received numerous threats since founding the paper in 2003. Writing in the British Guardian newspaper, the journalist’s former colleague Nadira Isayeva said she was not surprised that Kamalov had been murdered, claiming that “Throughout my seven-year association with Khadzhimurad Kamalov I have been waiting for this day. The day they killed him”.
Please send appeals:Condemning the assassination of journalist and newspaper founder Khadzhimurad Kamalov.
Calling for a full and impartial investigation into the murder, in particular examining whether the killing was the result of Kamalov’s journalistic activity
Calling on the Russian authorities to live up to their commitments to protect freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to ensure that threats against journalists are fully investigated as a matter of priority.
Send appeals to: Mr Dmitry Medvedev
President of the Russian Federation
Kremlin
Moscow
Russia
Fax: 7 095 206 5173 / 230 2408
Email: president@gov.ru
Mr Chaika Yuri Yakovlevich
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Ishaya Dmitrovka 1 a GSP e
Moscow 12599 3
Russia
Fax 7 095 292 88 48
Please also send copies of your appeal to the Russian representative in your own country.
A full list of all Russian embassies and consulates worldwide, along with contact details, can be found at http://www.russianembassy.net/
**Please contact this office if sending appeals after 31 January 2012***
Khadzhimurad Kamalov, the founder of the independent weekly Chernovik, was reportedly shot up to fourteen times by a masked assailant outside the paper’s offices in the Dagestan capital, Makhachkala, as he left work shortly before midnight on 15 December 2011. The gunman reportedly fled the scene by car.
There has been a long history of harassment towards the staff of Chernovik, with five of its journalists being arrested on trumped-up charges of “extremism” between 2008 and 2011. The newspaper has frequently addressed highly sensitive topics in the southern republic of Dagestan, in particular reports of police abuses in neighbouring Chechnya. The Centre to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also states that, in a recent television interview, Kamalov had made critical comments about alleged regional government corruption.
Kamalov had reportedly received numerous threats since founding the paper in 2003. Writing in the British Guardian newspaper, the journalist’s former colleague Nadira Isayeva said she was not surprised that Kamalov had been murdered, claiming that “Throughout my seven-year association with Khadzhimurad Kamalov I have been waiting for this day. The day they killed him”.
Please send appeals:Condemning the assassination of journalist and newspaper founder Khadzhimurad Kamalov.
Calling for a full and impartial investigation into the murder, in particular examining whether the killing was the result of Kamalov’s journalistic activity
Calling on the Russian authorities to live up to their commitments to protect freedom of expression under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to ensure that threats against journalists are fully investigated as a matter of priority.
Send appeals to: Mr Dmitry Medvedev
President of the Russian Federation
Kremlin
Moscow
Russia
Fax: 7 095 206 5173 / 230 2408
Email: president@gov.ru
Mr Chaika Yuri Yakovlevich
Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Ishaya Dmitrovka 1 a GSP e
Moscow 12599 3
Russia
Fax 7 095 292 88 48
Please also send copies of your appeal to the Russian representative in your own country.
A full list of all Russian embassies and consulates worldwide, along with contact details, can be found at http://www.russianembassy.net/
**Please contact this office if sending appeals after 31 January 2012***
A FUNDRAISING APPEAL
Bulgaria
Kukeri
Foundation is a Bulgarian not-for-profit organization related to the masquerade custom in the Region of Karlovo, Central
Bulgaria
We are now raising funds for the Kukerfest Karlovo
2012. The minimum budget is 3000 Euro. Any kind of support would be highly appreciated ie:
- Donation;
- Purchase of e-advertising on some of our web-sites
- Engaging some Kuker band of Karlovo region for a performance (probably only applicable in Europe);
- Purchasing a souvenir from some of the Souvenir pages on www.kukeri-karlovsko.eu .
For contact information please see the above website.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sri Lanka: Report Fails to Advance Accountability
New York
The report of the Sri Lankan government’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) disregards the worst abuses by government forces, rehashes longstanding recommendations, and fails to advance accountability for victims of Sri Lanka’s civil armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. The serious shortcomings of the 388-page report, which was posted on a government website on December 16, 2011, highlight the need for an international investigative mechanism into the conflict as recommended by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts in April.
The LLRC report was long awaited, but provided little new information or recommendations on accountability that could not have already been put into effect by the government, Human Rights Watch said. While the UN Panel of Experts recommended the establishment of an independent international mechanism to conduct investigations into the alleged violations, the LLRC report provides no realistic pathway for holding accountable military and government officials implicated in serious abuses.
“Governments and UN bodies have held back for the past 18 months to allow the Sri Lankan commission to make progress on accountability,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The commission’s failure to provide a road map for investigating and prosecuting wartime perpetrators shows the dire need for an independent, international commission.”
The LLRC’s findings, largely exonerating government forces for laws-of-war violations, stand in stark contrast to those by the UN Panel of Experts, the UN special envoy on extrajudicial executions, and other independent organizations. The UN Panel of Experts concluded that both government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) conducted military operations "with flagrant disregard for the protection, rights, welfare and lives of civilians and failed to respect the norms of international law."
The LLRC report does sweep aside Sri Lankan government claims that its forces committed no civilian casualties during the final stages of the conflict with the LTTE, which ended in May 2009. In the face of overwhelming evidence, the LLRC concluded that there were “considerable civilian casualties” during the final stages of the fighting and that hospitals had been shelled “causing damage and resulting in casualties.” However, the report largely exonerates the government, blaming the casualties, either directly or indirectly, on the LTTE, Human Rights Watch said.
“It is important that a government-appointed body has laid to rest the bizarre claims of the government that its forces caused no civilian casualties,” Adams said. “Yet the commission shockingly fails to call for any criminal investigations into artillery shelling of crowded areas in which tens of thousands of civilians died.”
The LLRC report failed to examine the use of heavy artillery against civilian areas as possible indiscriminate attacks in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said. While summarily rejecting that the military’s attacks either deliberately targeted civilians or caused disproportionate civilian harm, the LLRC did not even consider whether any attacks failed to discriminate between civilians and combatants, a major finding by the UN panel and Human Rights Watch.
The report lists only five incidents of shelling for further investigation in which government forces were implicated. It simply dismisses the widely reported shelling of hospitals by noting that civilian witnesses could not pinpoint who was responsible for the attacks, or excuses the attacks on the grounds that LTTE forces were nearby.
While the report strongly condemns the LTTE for abuses previously reported by Human Rights Watch and others, the LLRC consistently seeks to justify wrongdoing by government forces by blaming the LTTE. The report states, for example, that “account must also be taken of the fact that military operations had to be conducted against an enemy who had no qualms in resorting to a combat strategy which paid little heed to the safety of the civilian population and in fact made the civilian population very much a part of such strategy.” While the LTTE committed horrendous abuses during the fighting, statements such as this fail to recognize that violations by one party to a conflict do not justify violations by the other, Human Rights Watch said.
Among the many omissions, the LLRC report does not examine allegations that government forces executed several LTTE leaders who attempted to surrender to the government during the last days of the war in what has been called the “white flag” incident. The report limits its analysis of the so-called Channel 4 video, which appears to show government soldiers executing handcuffed and blindfolded prisoners, to a technical discussion of the video’s authenticity without mentioning the government’s admission that its forces killed a young woman visible in the footage.
Sexual violence is not discussed in the report, a likely product of the nature of the commission’s proceedings, which did not provide for witness protection. The report also does not mention torture or ill-treatment of detainees, the illegal, several-months-long detention of 300,000 people displaced by the fighting, or the denial of due process rights to more than 10,000 alleged LTTE members whom the government detained in so-called rehabilitation centers.
The report includes evidence of enforced disappearances allegedly committed by government security forces. While the LLRC recommends investigations and possible prosecutions, similar recommendations have been made by earlier government appointed commission with little effect, Human Rights Watch said. Other recommendations on a range of human rights issues, while positive, have repeatedly been made to the government in the past. The LLRC even made a call for its own interim recommendations to be carried out, which the government has not done.
Several governments, including the US and the UK, have said that they will support the establishment of an international investigation unless the Sri Lankan government demonstrates progress on accountability for wartime abuses. The LLRC report has often been cited as a crucial test of the government’s commitment to accountability. During a trip to Sri Lanka in September 2011, for example, US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake said, referring to the LLRC, “There will be pressure if it's not a credible process [leading to accountability], there will be pressure for some sort of alternative mechanism.”
“It is clear that justice for conflict-related abuses is not going to happen within Sri Lanka’s domestic institutions,” Adams said. “The government has been playing for time by appointing the LLRC. That time has now run out.”
The LLRC report was long awaited, but provided little new information or recommendations on accountability that could not have already been put into effect by the government, Human Rights Watch said. While the UN Panel of Experts recommended the establishment of an independent international mechanism to conduct investigations into the alleged violations, the LLRC report provides no realistic pathway for holding accountable military and government officials implicated in serious abuses.
“Governments and UN bodies have held back for the past 18 months to allow the Sri Lankan commission to make progress on accountability,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The commission’s failure to provide a road map for investigating and prosecuting wartime perpetrators shows the dire need for an independent, international commission.”
The LLRC’s findings, largely exonerating government forces for laws-of-war violations, stand in stark contrast to those by the UN Panel of Experts, the UN special envoy on extrajudicial executions, and other independent organizations. The UN Panel of Experts concluded that both government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) conducted military operations "with flagrant disregard for the protection, rights, welfare and lives of civilians and failed to respect the norms of international law."
The LLRC report does sweep aside Sri Lankan government claims that its forces committed no civilian casualties during the final stages of the conflict with the LTTE, which ended in May 2009. In the face of overwhelming evidence, the LLRC concluded that there were “considerable civilian casualties” during the final stages of the fighting and that hospitals had been shelled “causing damage and resulting in casualties.” However, the report largely exonerates the government, blaming the casualties, either directly or indirectly, on the LTTE, Human Rights Watch said.
“It is important that a government-appointed body has laid to rest the bizarre claims of the government that its forces caused no civilian casualties,” Adams said. “Yet the commission shockingly fails to call for any criminal investigations into artillery shelling of crowded areas in which tens of thousands of civilians died.”
The LLRC report failed to examine the use of heavy artillery against civilian areas as possible indiscriminate attacks in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said. While summarily rejecting that the military’s attacks either deliberately targeted civilians or caused disproportionate civilian harm, the LLRC did not even consider whether any attacks failed to discriminate between civilians and combatants, a major finding by the UN panel and Human Rights Watch.
The report lists only five incidents of shelling for further investigation in which government forces were implicated. It simply dismisses the widely reported shelling of hospitals by noting that civilian witnesses could not pinpoint who was responsible for the attacks, or excuses the attacks on the grounds that LTTE forces were nearby.
While the report strongly condemns the LTTE for abuses previously reported by Human Rights Watch and others, the LLRC consistently seeks to justify wrongdoing by government forces by blaming the LTTE. The report states, for example, that “account must also be taken of the fact that military operations had to be conducted against an enemy who had no qualms in resorting to a combat strategy which paid little heed to the safety of the civilian population and in fact made the civilian population very much a part of such strategy.” While the LTTE committed horrendous abuses during the fighting, statements such as this fail to recognize that violations by one party to a conflict do not justify violations by the other, Human Rights Watch said.
Among the many omissions, the LLRC report does not examine allegations that government forces executed several LTTE leaders who attempted to surrender to the government during the last days of the war in what has been called the “white flag” incident. The report limits its analysis of the so-called Channel 4 video, which appears to show government soldiers executing handcuffed and blindfolded prisoners, to a technical discussion of the video’s authenticity without mentioning the government’s admission that its forces killed a young woman visible in the footage.
Sexual violence is not discussed in the report, a likely product of the nature of the commission’s proceedings, which did not provide for witness protection. The report also does not mention torture or ill-treatment of detainees, the illegal, several-months-long detention of 300,000 people displaced by the fighting, or the denial of due process rights to more than 10,000 alleged LTTE members whom the government detained in so-called rehabilitation centers.
The report includes evidence of enforced disappearances allegedly committed by government security forces. While the LLRC recommends investigations and possible prosecutions, similar recommendations have been made by earlier government appointed commission with little effect, Human Rights Watch said. Other recommendations on a range of human rights issues, while positive, have repeatedly been made to the government in the past. The LLRC even made a call for its own interim recommendations to be carried out, which the government has not done.
Several governments, including the US and the UK, have said that they will support the establishment of an international investigation unless the Sri Lankan government demonstrates progress on accountability for wartime abuses. The LLRC report has often been cited as a crucial test of the government’s commitment to accountability. During a trip to Sri Lanka in September 2011, for example, US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake said, referring to the LLRC, “There will be pressure if it's not a credible process [leading to accountability], there will be pressure for some sort of alternative mechanism.”
“It is clear that justice for conflict-related abuses is not going to happen within Sri Lanka’s domestic institutions,” Adams said. “The government has been playing for time by appointing the LLRC. That time has now run out.”
Thursday, December 15, 2011
US Congress: Protect Cuban Americans’ Right to Visit Family
Washington, DC
The US Congress should not approve rules to restrict the right of Cuban Americans to visit relatives on the island, Human Rights Watch said today.
The proposed restrictions – which have been proposed as part of larger budget negotiations –would limit the number of visits Cuban Americans could make to the island to one every three years, and cap the remittances they could send to relatives to $1,200 annually.
“The ability of Cuban Americans to visit their families is a fundamental right, not a political bargaining chip,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.
In April 2009, President Barack Obama issued an executive order allowing Cuban Americans unrestricted travel to visit family members on the island, and removed limits on the remittances they could send to relatives there.
The order reversed restricted travel and remittance polices put in place during the George W. Bush administration. A Human Rights Watch report, “Families Torn Apart,” documented the considerable suffering that these Bush-era travel restrictions imposed by the United States – together with restrictions imposed by the Cuban government – caused for Cuban American and Cuban families.
The report also found that these restrictions infringed upon the internationally recognized right to freedom of movement and violated the international prohibition on the involuntary separation of families.
“The proposed restrictions would double down on an embargo policy that has failed for five decades to curb the Cuban government’s abuses or promote rights,” Vivanco said. “And the ones who will bear the cost are Cuban Americans and Cuban families.”
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Nowegian PEN - delegation denied entry to Belarus
In the early hours of Monday morning, 5 December, on arrival at Minsk airport in Belarus, a four-person delegation, three from Norwegian PEN – publishers William Nygaard and Trygve Åslund, and the Centre’s Secretary General Carl Morten Iversen – as well as Danish PEN board member journalist Niels-Ivar Larsen, were denied visas and consequently barred from entering Belarus. The delegation had planned to visit members of PEN Belarus, the Belarusian Writers Union, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and local writers and publishers. The visit had been planned months in advance.
Upon arrival at at 1 am, the delegation applied for visitors’ visas for a two-day stay in Minsk. The group travelled as tourists as this is the only way that such a delegation can enter the country. The group had received a formal invitation from a local travel agency. The visa applications, as well as air transport and hotel bookings, were handled by a local Norwegian travel agent specializing in Eastern Europe. All the paperwork was correctly presented to the visa officer at the airport visa office.
“The officer’s initial reaction upon presentation of my application and passport, was that he wanted to talk to the person who was going to pick us up and drive us to Minsk“, says Iversen who had organized the trip. “I called him and they talked. Obviously, this was not enough and the officer then wanted to talk to representatives from the travel agency that invited us. I called an emergency number without result. I also called the Norwegian travel agent who tried to help, again with no result. I told the officer that nobody picked up the phone as it was the middle of the night – 3 am local time. His response was that we should have arrived on an earlier flight.
The atmosphere at the visa-office counter was building as two ladies arriving from Macedonia not connected with the delegation got into a heated argument with the officer. After they left, the officer seemingly started processing our visa applications. At one point he asked for the visa fee and we gave a total of 360 Euros for four visas. After about 20 minutes, a lady in uniform arrived, took our passports from the officer, told us to stay and wait and then disappeared. After a little while we were escorted down to luggage reception to get our luggage as the airport was closing. We were then escorted back to the visa office. An airport or border police official, it was not clear which, then escorted us to a transit area were we were told to wait, guarded by a female officer. Very little information was given, but we understood that we had to wait until the morning departure flights. We would then be sent back to Norway and Denmark. Our passports would be given back upon boarding of the return flights.
No further explanation was given. At one point, a female customs officer who spoke decent English arrived and explained that this was the decision of the “consul” and the decision could not be challenged. She also said that the Belarusian authorities had the right to deny entry, while still claiming the visa fee.
We were kept in a place with no access to food or water. At one point, one of the members of the delegation who has a heart condition, said he needed water to take his medicine. The female guard did not understand and thought he wanted a doctor. After a while, a female doctor arrived and wanted to examine him, something he denied – he only wanted water. The incident lead to a heated discussion between the doctor and our guard. Around 6 am local time, two seats were available on the morning flight to Frankfurt, and two of the delegation members left. Their passports were returned at the gate. The two remaining delegation members left on a return flight out of Minsk at 3.30 in the afternoon.
Delegation member, William Nygaard told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten´s web-edition: “It is important for us to show the world what kind of regime that rules in Belarus – this is among the issues PEN is focusing on. Belarus is a UN-member and it is important that we react when they behave like this.”
PEN International protests the refusal by the Belarus authorities to allow PEN members to visit the country to meet with their Belarus colleagues, and demands an official explanation for the action.
Upon arrival at at 1 am, the delegation applied for visitors’ visas for a two-day stay in Minsk. The group travelled as tourists as this is the only way that such a delegation can enter the country. The group had received a formal invitation from a local travel agency. The visa applications, as well as air transport and hotel bookings, were handled by a local Norwegian travel agent specializing in Eastern Europe. All the paperwork was correctly presented to the visa officer at the airport visa office.
“The officer’s initial reaction upon presentation of my application and passport, was that he wanted to talk to the person who was going to pick us up and drive us to Minsk“, says Iversen who had organized the trip. “I called him and they talked. Obviously, this was not enough and the officer then wanted to talk to representatives from the travel agency that invited us. I called an emergency number without result. I also called the Norwegian travel agent who tried to help, again with no result. I told the officer that nobody picked up the phone as it was the middle of the night – 3 am local time. His response was that we should have arrived on an earlier flight.
The atmosphere at the visa-office counter was building as two ladies arriving from Macedonia not connected with the delegation got into a heated argument with the officer. After they left, the officer seemingly started processing our visa applications. At one point he asked for the visa fee and we gave a total of 360 Euros for four visas. After about 20 minutes, a lady in uniform arrived, took our passports from the officer, told us to stay and wait and then disappeared. After a little while we were escorted down to luggage reception to get our luggage as the airport was closing. We were then escorted back to the visa office. An airport or border police official, it was not clear which, then escorted us to a transit area were we were told to wait, guarded by a female officer. Very little information was given, but we understood that we had to wait until the morning departure flights. We would then be sent back to Norway and Denmark. Our passports would be given back upon boarding of the return flights.
No further explanation was given. At one point, a female customs officer who spoke decent English arrived and explained that this was the decision of the “consul” and the decision could not be challenged. She also said that the Belarusian authorities had the right to deny entry, while still claiming the visa fee.
We were kept in a place with no access to food or water. At one point, one of the members of the delegation who has a heart condition, said he needed water to take his medicine. The female guard did not understand and thought he wanted a doctor. After a while, a female doctor arrived and wanted to examine him, something he denied – he only wanted water. The incident lead to a heated discussion between the doctor and our guard. Around 6 am local time, two seats were available on the morning flight to Frankfurt, and two of the delegation members left. Their passports were returned at the gate. The two remaining delegation members left on a return flight out of Minsk at 3.30 in the afternoon.
Delegation member, William Nygaard told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten´s web-edition: “It is important for us to show the world what kind of regime that rules in Belarus – this is among the issues PEN is focusing on. Belarus is a UN-member and it is important that we react when they behave like this.”
PEN International protests the refusal by the Belarus authorities to allow PEN members to visit the country to meet with their Belarus colleagues, and demands an official explanation for the action.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
International Water Law Scholarship Programme
The
Global Water Partnership together with IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law,
Policy and Science, under the auspices of UNESCO, at the University of
Dundee, is looking to build on their successful 2011 International Water
Law Programme (http://www.dundee.ac.uk/water/workshop), and offer scholarships for 30 participants to undertake a module in International Water Law, in Dundee 11-29 June 2012.
Scholarship recipients are responsible for all travel (to/from Dundee) and subsistence (food/accommodation) costs. GWP is aiming at providing funding for travel and subsistence for a limited number of successful Scholarship applicants. Even though final funding is pending, GWP and the University of Dundee now invite applications from suitable candidates.
Applications will be accepted from 24 November 2011 to 3 February 2012. Successful candidates will be notified at the beginning of March 2012 to allow as much time as possible to obtain visas, additional funding, etc.
The module is aimed at persons working in water resources who wish to acquire specialist knowledge of international water law, especially as it relates to transboundary water challenges in the GWP regions.
Applicants to the joint GWP-University of Dundee IWL Programme should be from GWP Partner organisations and are required to be proficient in English, either as native speakers, or to a standard of an IELTS score of 6.5. A university degree is required in Hydrology, Environmental Science, Law, Agriculture, or related field.
Read more and apply here: http://www.gwp.org/GWP-Dundee-2012
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Balochistan: Pakistan's response to crisis failing
29 September 2011
Two separate attacks on civilians in Balochistan highlight the failure of Pakistan to tackle escalating insecurity in the region, said Amnesty International.
Yesterday, Baloch politician Abdul Salam was assassinated in the city of Khuzdar by unknown assailants. Abdul Salam was a human rights defender who worked on behalf of hundreds of victims of enforced disappearance in Balochistan.
“A brazen assassination like this in a city as heavily militarised as Khuzdar raises serious questions about the will or ability of Pakistan’s security forces to protect the people of Balochistan,” said Mustafa Qadri, Amnesty International’s Pakistan researcher.
Three employees of the BGP Oil and Gas company were killed and 4 injured in an attack in eastern Balochistan yesterday. The Baloch Liberation Army, an armed group that demands a separate homeland for ethnic Baloch, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The Pakistan government's military response to the crisis in Balochistan has failed to protect the rights of Pakistani citizens living there. It's crucial for the government, including the civilian and military authorities, to commit to the rule of law and establish accountability for all perpetrators,” said Mustafa Qadri.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Vote for Saudi women no guarantee of rights
26 September 2011
Saudi Arabia must take immediate steps to end all discrimination against women in the kingdom, Amnesty International said today following moves to give women the right to vote.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that women will have the right to vote and run in municipal elections, the kingdom’s only public poll, from 2015 and be appointed to the Shura Council, a body that advises the monarchy.
However, under Saudi Arabia’s repressive laws, a woman is unable to travel, engage in paid work or higher education, or marry without the permission of a male guardian.
“It is a welcome, albeit limited, step along the long road towards gender equality in Saudi Arabia, and a testament to the long struggle of women’s rights activists there,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“It is, however, much overdue and does not go nearly far enough.”
Women are also still unable to legally drive in the kingdom. A high profile right to drive campaign launched by Saudi women in June this year led to dozens of arrests.
The women were all released shortly afterwards, but only after being forced to sign a pledge that they would not drive again. Several are reported to be facing court cases.
“The whole system of women’s subordination to men in Saudi Arabia needs to be dismantled,” said Philip Luther.
“We can only hope that this announcement on voting will be the first in a long line of reforms that guarantee Saudi women the rights that they have been demanding for so long.”
The concept of guardianship of men over women, as applied in Saudi Arabia, severely limits women’s rights in their private and public lives, In addition, Saudi Arabian women married to foreign nationals cannot pass on their nationality to their children, unlike the case for Saudi Arabian men in a similar situation.
Domestic violence against women is reported to be rife in the country.
“While moving in the right direction, Saudi Arabia is moving far too slowly. Ultimately, it is no great achievement to be one of the last countries in the world to grant women the vote,” said Philip Luther.
Leading Iran rights activist sentenced to 11 years
28 September 2011
The 11-year sentence handed down to leading human rights activist Narges Mohammadi is another blatant attempt by the Iranian government to crush human rights organizations, Amnesty International said today.
Narges Mohammadi, the Executive chairperson of Iran’s Centre for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), was sentenced yesterday after her conviction for “propaganda against the system”, and membership of a group “whose object is to disturb the security of the country.”
The verdict issued by Revolutionary Court said Narges Mohammadi’s peaceful activities were ‘lies’, and that her true aims were to tarnish the country’s reputation.
The CHRD was co-founded by prominent Iranian lawyers and activists, and is headed by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Shirin Ebadi told Amnesty International that “regrettably, Iran’s Judiciary has lost its independence and has become a puppet of intelligence service interrogators.”
“All of Narges Mohammadi’s activities related to human rights and it was this that angered security officials. Narges continued her activism with deep conviction but the court ignored her defence and sentenced her to 11 years’ imprisonment. It is an unjust sentence and is inconsistent not only with human rights provisions but also with Iran’s own laws,” said Shirin Ebadi.
Amnesty International is calling for the sentence to be overturned. If imprisoned to serve this sentence, Narges Mohammadi would be a prisoner of conscience.
“It is inexplicable how Narges Mohammadi, a long-standing and dedicated human rights activist, should be subjected to such an absurd verdict for her totally legitimate work,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa programme.
“It is not Narges Mohammadi who is tarnishing Iran’s image but rather the actions of its security forces and the failures of the justice system.”
Narges Mohammadi has campaigned in support of transparent elections and for an end to the execution of those under 18 years of age.
She also co-founded the National Peace Council which aims to relax international tensions over Iran’s nuclear policy.
Her work over many years has led to human rights awards in several countries, but she was banned from travelling in 2009 when her passport was confiscated.
Mohammadi spoke to Amnesty International about her ongoing health issues due to her time behind bars, and said many other Iranians had come out of jail with serious medical problems. Her travel ban means she has been unable to travel to seek recommended medical care.
“We are seeing blanket criminalization of human rights work in Iran. Now nearly every defence lawyer and activist – both those in her organization and others - is being targeted for arrest and prosecution on specious ‘national security’ charges,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
Other founders of the CHRD, Abdolfattah Soltani, arrested on 12 September 2011, and Mohammad Seyfzadeh, serving a two-year prison sentence for his role in founding the CHRD, are also currently being held.
Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, another co-founder has been sentenced to a nine year prison term and a fine, but is free pending his appeal.
Shirin Ebadi told Amnesty International that security officials had earlier threatened Narges with a sentence as heavy as prominent defence lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh’s, if she continued her activism.
Sotoudeh, who has defended human rights activists, is serving a six-year prison term for her activities as a defence lawyer, reduced on appeal from 11 years. Her husband Reza Khandan has faced repeated questioning over his advocacy for his wife, and was questioned today at a court inside Evin Prison.
“While Iran tells the international community that it cooperates with domestic and international human rights groups, it forcibly closed the CHRD in December 2008 and continues to target members of other human rights organizations,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.
Other groups under pressure from the Iranian authorities include the Committee for the Defence of Political Prisoners in Iran, Human Rights Activists in Iran and the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, as well as those advocating for greater minority rights.
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