Fritt Ord and ZEIT-Stiftung have given their 2016 awards to: Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the 'Human Rights Defenders' Category
Fritt Ord and ZEIT awards to Eastern European media: Elena Milashina, Seymour Hazi and Nashi Groshi
May 13, 2016Kyrgyzstan today: Parliament rejects foreign agents bill!
May 12, 2016
Bishkek (AKIpress)
In 2013 it was feared that Kyrgyzstan would follow the bad example of Russia with regard to introducing a foreign agent law even if the President had his doubts. [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/kyrgyz-president-says-no-need-for-foreign-agent-law/]. On 13 April 2016 the Observatory published an urgent appeal to the lawmakers to reject the bill.[Kyrgyzstan: Parliament must reject discriminatory bill targeting NGOs / April 13, 2016 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT]. Today AKI press agency reports the good news that the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan rejected the bill. Only 46 MPs voted for the bill and 65 MPs voted against it
Source: http://www.akipress.com/news:576990/
Indonesian LGBT defender to be honored with de Souza award on 16 May 2016
May 12, 2016
Yuli Rustinawati is the founder and chair of Arus Pelangi, one of Indonesia’s leading LGBT organizations. Photo: www.stonewall25.org.uk
Yuli Rustinawati, 40, is a lesbian who is the founder and chair of Arus Pelangi, one of Indonesia‘s leading LGBT organizations. The award comes amidst a rash on anti-gay rhetoric by political leaders in Indonesia in recent months. During the past three months Indonesian politicians have vowed to criminalize homosexuality; ban LGBT people from receiving education, employment, access to health care, and housing; called for the removal of gay characters on popular TV shows; and called upon tech companies to remove same-sex emojis from smart phone apps and social media. Rustinawati is setting up a foundation for sexual orientation and gender variant human rights defenders that will provide an emergency assistance program for its safe house, relocation assistance, a network with other human rights organizations, and an information and referral hotline. The foundation is also launching “You Are Not Alone,” a campaign to educate people about LGBTs and encourage more gay people to be visible.
On 5 May 2016 the Bay Area Reporter Online (Heather Cassel) published the news that Indonesian LGBT human rights defender Yuli Rustinawati will receive the Felipa De Souza Award 2016 at OutRight’s Celebration of Courage Gala on16 May. Bisexual actor Alan Cumming will host the event and the awards will be presented by celebrity stylist Carson Kressley.
For more on the award see: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/felipa-de-souza-award
For earlier posts on LGBT human rights see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/lgbt-human-rights/
For more information: http://www.alturi.org/indonesia_campaign and http://www.outrightinternational.org/events/celebration-courage-2016.
Source: The Bay Area Reporter Online | Indonesian lesbian activist honored with award
Runners up for Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders 2016 announced
May 11, 2016
has announced that the finalists for its 2016 award are human rights defenders from Azerbaijan, Burma/Myanmar, Colombia, Honduras, Palestine, and Tanzania. For more information on the annual Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/front-line-defenders-award.
The 6 finalists for 2016 are Read the rest of this entry »
Pakistan: the recent killing of Zaki and the non-progress in the case of Perveen Rehman
May 10, 2016Pakistan remains one to the worst places for human rights defenders as they are threatened by both religious extremists and powerful economic interests, while the State is either unwilling or too weak to stop this trend. A recent example is that of human rights defender Khurram Zaki who was killed on 7 May 2016 by four unidentified gunmen who opened fire at a restaurant in Karachi, killing him and wounding two others. That government efforts to find the killers are unlikely to yield result is shown in the follow-up in the case of human rights defender Perveen Rehman, who was killed on 13 March 2013 (see below). Read the rest of this entry »
AI’s Ambassador of Conscience Award 2016 shared by Angelique Kidjo and African youth groups
May 7, 2016Every year, the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award celebrates individuals and groups who speak out for justice. The 2016, award will be shared between world-renowned musician Angélique Kidjo from Benin and three African youth activist groups: Y’en a marre from Senegal, Le Balai Citoyen from Burkina Faso and LUCHA from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Angélique Kidjo. Credit: Pierre Marie Ziimmerman.
Grammy-winning artist Kidjo fled her homeland Benin in the 1980s after being pressured to perform for the country’s repressive regime. In a 40-year-career spawning 12 albums, she has been a prominent campaigner for freedom of expression and for the education of girls in Africa, as well as against female genital mutilation.
LUCHA, DRC. Credit: Private.
2016 Havel Prize of the Human Rights Foundation goes to Atena Farghadani, Petr Pavlensky, and Umida Akhmedova
May 5, 2016The New-York based Human Rights Foundation announced on 5 May 2016 that the laureates of the 2016 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent are:
- Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani,
- Russian performance artist Petr Pavlensky, and
- Uzbek photojournalist Umida Akhmedova.
ISHR starts campaign to monitor Committee that throttles NGO access to the UN
May 4, 2016I have written earlier about the worrying trends in the ‘obscure’ “ECOSOC Committee on NGOs” (https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/ecosoc/) which is supposed to consider applications by NGOs for ECOSOC accreditation and, as such, is a key gateway for NGOs to gain access to the UN.
The International Service of Human Rights (ISHR) – which issued earlier a guide [https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/practical-guide-to-the-un-committee-on-ngos/] -has now come out with a statement that the “practice of the Committee is wholly unacceptable and must change”.
It has addressed a letter to ECOSOC – the parent body of the Committee – and copied to all Member States, the UN Secretary General, President of the General Assembly, and the President of the Human Rights Council. The letter expresses concern regarding the practice of the Committee. It intends to signal the level of concern NGOs feel about restrictions on civil society participation at the UN. The ISHR hopes that a large number of others will sign.
In addition to the letter, on Tuesday 24 May the ISHR encourages all NGOs to join in the public gallery at the upcoming Committee session in New York. Although the sessions are public, few NGOs attend and the sessions are not webcast. It is important that Committee members are aware the sessions are being monitored and reported on.
If you have any questions, please contact the International Service for Human Rights: information@ishr.ch
Civil Society condemns charging of Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia
May 4, 2016On 2 May 2016, a broad range of 59 human rights and civil society organizations condemned the politically-motivated charging of six human rights defenders from a Cambodian human rights group, the country’s National Election Committee (NEC) and the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR). The targeting of these individuals, five of whom were sent to pre-trial detention today, is the latest escalation in a far-reaching government assault on civil society ahead of upcoming local and national elections, and is a clear reprisal for support provided by rights workers in a politically-sensitive case.
Four senior staff of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) – Ny Sokha, Nay Vanda, Yi Soksan and Lim Mony – were today charged with bribery of a witness under Criminal Code Article 548 and sent to CC1 and CC2 prisons in Phnom Penh. In addition, former ADHOC staffer Ny Chakrya, recently appointed deputy secretary-general of the NEC, and UNOHCHR staffer Soen Sally were charged as accomplices to bribery of a witness (Criminal Code Articles 29 & 548). Ny Chakrya was sent to Police Judiciare (PJ) prison. If convicted, all six could be sentenced to between five and ten years’ imprisonment.
The six human rights defenders were summoned by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) for questioning last week and all but the UNOHCHR staffer subject to at least four days of interrogation – firstly by the ACU and then by the prosecutor – in relation to a complaint signed by Khom Chandaraty, also known as Srey Mom. The complaint was lodged following her questioning by anti-terrorism police and a prosecutor about an alleged affair with deputy opposition leader Khem Sokha, after ADHOC responded to Srey Mom’s request for legal and material assistance. In the context of such support, ADHOC provided Srey Mom with $204 to cover food and transport costs, including to attend questioning by judicial authorities. This legitimate expenditure of a small sum of money to cover basic expenses of a client is now grotesquely being portrayed by the ACU as bribery and corruption.
The targeting of UNOHCHR staffer Soen Sally by the ACU and the court has disregarded his diplomatic immunity as an employee of the United Nations. The ACU, and later the Prime Minister himself, both argued that Soen Sally does not enjoy such protection.
The case is a farcical use of both the criminal justice system and state institutions as tools to intimidate, criminalise and punish the legitimate activities of human rights defenders and civil society. The ACU was created to tackle the endemic corruption prevalent in Cambodia, not to operate as a vehicle for government repression of civil society. The involvement of Ministry of Interior Central Security officers alongside ACU personnel dealing with the case clearly demonstrates the securitization of civil society activities.
Under international human rights law, including treaties that Cambodia has ratified, Cambodia is legally bound to respect and protect the human rights of all people under its jurisdiction, including the rights to freedom from arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
“The charges brought against the six human rights defenders are blatantly politically-motivated and a direct attack against those serving people who fall prey to Cambodia’s government,” said Naly Pilorge, LICADHO director. “These mounting attacks represent an alarming tightening of the noose around civil society and those who work to uphold human rights, and clearly show that the government’s ultimate aim is total control ahead of the upcoming elections.”
Civil society reiterates its strong condemnation of the charges, demands the release on bail of the five and reaffirms the rights and fundamental freedoms of peaceful human rights defenders to conduct their activities free from threats and punishment. We further call for the judicial investigation to be conducted impartially and call for an end to executive interference in the judiciary.
This statement is endorsed by:
- Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT)
- Boeung Kak Community
- Boeung Trabek Community
- Borei Keila Community
- Beung Pram Land Community
- Building and Wood Workers Trade Union (BWTUC)
- Building Community Voice (BCV)
- CamASEAN Youth
- Cambodia Development People Life Association
- Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU)
- Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
- Cambodian Domestic Workers Network (CDWN)
- Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation (CFSWF)
- Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)
- Cambodian Independent Civil-Servants Association (CICA)
- Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA)
- Cambodian Informal Economic Workers Association (CIWA)
- Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC)
- Cambodian League for the Promotion & Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)
- Cambodian NGO Committee on CEDAW (NGO-CEDAW)
- Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers Federation (CTSWF)
- Cambodian Youth Network (CYN)
- Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL)
- Christians for Social Justice
- Coalition for Integrity & Social Accountability (CISA)
- Coalition of Cambodian farmer Community (CCFC)
- Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)
- Community Peace-Building Network (CPN)
- Equitable Cambodia
- FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Former Boeung Kak Women Network Community
- Forum Asia
- Gender and Development for Cambodia (GADC)
- Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF)
- Independent Democratic Association of Informal Economic (IDEA)
- Independent Monk Network for Social Justice (IMNSJ)
- Indigenous Youth at Brome Commune, Preah Vihear Province
- Indradevi Association (IDA)
- Land Community, I Village Preah Sihanouk Province
- Land Community, Prek Chik Village, Koh Kong Province
- LICADHO Canada
- Lor Peang community, Kampong Chhnang Province
- Mother Nature
- Peace Bridges Organization (PBO)
- Phnom Bat Community
- Phum 23 Community
- Ponlok Khmer
- Prek Takung Community
- Prek Tanou Community
- Samakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
- SOS International AirPort Community
- Strey Khmer
- Thmor Kol Community (TK)
- Toul Sangke B Community
- Tumnop II Community
- Urban Poor Women Development
- Wat Than Monk Network
- World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
- Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP)
On 28 April 2016, 27 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had already signed a joint statement calling on the authorities to cease harassment of human rights defenders [http://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/transparency_international_calls_on_the_cambodian_authorities_to_stop_haras]
For earlier posts on Cambodia: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/cambodia/
Sources:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/05/03/cambodia-cease-campaign-curtail-rights-monitoring
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/kem-sokha-summonsed-over-sovantha-suit
Cartoonists Gado (Kenya) and Zunar (Malaysia) get 2016 Cartooning for Peace Prize
May 4, 2016
Today – in order to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day on the 3rd of May – it was announced that the 2016 International Editorial Cartoons Prize is awarded to the Kenyan caricaturist, Gado, and the Malaysian cartoonist, Lunar. Some of their cartoons are shown below:
“Gado and Zunar remind us how fragile this liberty remains in Africa and in Asia as well as in other regions of the world. Through their commitment towards open and transparent societies, Gado and Zunar, who have received threats in their countries of origin and can no longer practice their profession, confront us with our responsibility to preserve freedom of expression and act in order to support the combat of those who cannot express themselves through their art”, declared Mr Kofi Annan, he Honorary President of the Swiss Foundation.
The cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, jury member, added: “For having had the courage to draw the king naked, Gado and Zunar are faced with a power machine that seeks to silence them. What this Prize seeks to do is just the opposite: to amplify their voices, which are those of democracy and justice.”
This prize, awarded every two years in Geneva, rewards a cartoonist for his/her courage, talent and commitment to the values of peace, tolerance as well as for his/her fight for freedom of expression. The event goes with an exhibition presented along the quai Wilson in Geneva until June 4th, 2016. For more information, click here!
For 2014 event see: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/cartooning-for-peace-award-handed-over-by-kofi-annan-in-geneva/
Gado (Kenya)
Gado (Kenya)
Gado (Kenya)
Gado (Kenya)
Zunar (Malaysia)
Zunar (Malaysia)
Zunar (Malaysia)
Zunar (Malaysia)
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 