Archive for the 'Human Rights Defenders' Category
February 15, 2012
Further to my post from yesterday I am glad to report that MEA Laureate Kahsa is for the moment safe. But I cannot resist to provide some quotes from the Guardian article which speak for themselves in demonstrating the state of mind of the minister concerned which is, to use an understatement, confused and, when invoking terrorism, even dangerous :
“Simon Lokodo, the minister for ethics and integrity, was accompanied by police to a hotel where he told activists their workshop was an “illegal assembly” and ordered them out. Defending his actions later, Lokodo told the Guardian: “You should not allow people to plan the destruction of your country. You cannot allow terrorists to organise to destroy your country. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists are reportedly referring to the shutting down of Tuesday’s workshop at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel in Entebbe as a “Valentine’s massacre”. But Lokodo expressed no regrets. “It was an illegal meeting because we were not informed,” he said. “We found out the meeting was being organised by people from within and without. People from Europe and other African countries outside Uganda. They were recruiting people to go out and divulge the ideology of LGBT. In Uganda, the culture, tradition and laws do not support bestiality and lesbianism. They were illegally associating.” He added: “We tolerate them, we give them liberty and freedom to do their business, but we don’t like them to organise and associate.”
The minister also tried to order the arrest of Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, a prominent LGBT rights activist. The winner of the 2011 Martin Ennals award for human rights defenders was forced to flee the hotel. “I wanted to arrest a lady who was abusing me and calling me a liar,” Lokodo said. “I want to subject her to a court of law. She must be arrested. This is hooliganism. You cannot be insulted in this country. We must be a civilised country. This particular one was talking like she came from the bush.”
Ugandan minister shuts down gay rights conference | World news | The Guardian.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: arrest, award, freedom of association, gay rights, Guardian, Human Rights Defenders, Kasha, LGBT, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, Uganda
February 14, 2012
Amnesty International reports today that a Ugandan cabinet minister raided a workshop run by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Entebbe.
The Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Simon Lokodo, who was accompanied by police, announced that the workshop was illegal and ordered the rights activists out of the hotel where it was being held. He told activists that if they did not leave immediately, he would use force against them.
“This is an outrageous attempt to prevent lawful and peaceful activities of human rights defenders in Uganda,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
The Minister also attempted to order the arrest of Kasha Jacqueline Nabagasera, a prominent LGBT rights activist and winner of the 2011 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, who was forced to flee from the hotel. The reasons for the attempted arrest were not immediately clear, but were reported to be linked to Kasha Jacqueline’s attempt to challenge the Minister’s actions.
The move comes days after the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was re-tabled in the Ugandan Parliament. The Government of Uganda has sought to distance itself from the Bill, stating that the bill did not enjoy government support. However, “the Government’s claimed opposition to the Bill needs to be supported through their actions. The Ugandan government must allow legitimate, peaceful gatherings of human rights defenders, including those working on LGBT rights,” said Salil Shetty.
If the Anti-Homosexuality Bill becomes law, it would violate international human rights law and lead to further human rights violations.
via Uganda: Government raid on LGBT-rights workshop | Amnesty International.
Posted in Amnesty international, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 4 Comments »
Tags: Amnesty International, anti-homosexuality, Kasha, LGBT rights, Martin Ennals Award, MEA, Salil Shetty, Uganda
February 13, 2012
The following story illustrates very well how HRDs straddle the issue of civil rights in relation to social and economic rights. It comes from the reliable Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC).
A troop of twenty-five rangers illegally raided the house of Mr. Muhammad Ali Shah, a human rights activist and chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.
On Thursday 9 February, 2012 around 7pm in the evening, Mr. Shah participated in a protest organised by the labourers of M/S MASCO (A German Garments Factory in Karachi) against the unjust and inhuman working conditions imposed by the management. The peaceful protesters were fired upon resulting in many casualties. Moreover, a number of protesters were abducted by the police. They were given no reason for their arrest. Mr. Shah condemned the acts of the factory management and unlawful support of the police. He talked to the officials and had the labourers released. This infuriated the factory owner and he contacted one of his friends in the Rangers named Lt. Col. Jawaid.
The Rangers already had a grudge against Mr. Shah and. Lt. Col. Jawaid therefore wasted no time in taking up his friend’s unofficial complaint. The same evening he phoned Mr. Muhammad Ali Shah, abused him verbally and threatened him with kidnapping and death. He warned Mr. Shah to keep himself away from social work or get ready to bear the harsh consequences. Mr. Shah replied that he was not undertaking any unlawful acts and that he was only showing support to the people who are victims of injustice.
Lt. Col. Jawaid became even angrier and sent 20-25 armed Rangers at around midnight to kidnap Mr. Shah and teach him a lesson. The soldiers cordoned off the area where Mr. Shah lives as if they were acting against some terrorist threat and raided his house without having any legal order or complaint in black and white. Fortunately, Mr, Shah was not at home at that time otherwise he might have been treated brutally before being abducted.
The urgent appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission then goes on to give more detailed background information and to issue a call for action. See: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-022-2012
Posted in AHRC, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Asian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights and Liberties, Human rights defender, Pakistan, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, protest, Rangers
February 9, 2012
Three out of every four female human rights defenders in Mexico have been violently attacked for their work, according to the book “Human Rights Defenders in Mexico: A Diagnostic of 2010-2011 on the Risks of Performing their Work”, which was presented on 19 January this year.
The report, which was researched by organizations such as the Association for Justice and Women´s Network of Ciudad Juárez, say that the activists are the target of persecution and threats, regardless of whether they work defending the environment, sexual health rights or against violence against women. Between 2010 and 2011 nine Mexican women who worked in human rights were killed.
“In recent years, the risk and attacks against women human rights defenders has increased in the entire country,” said the report.
Journalists, indigenous leaders, and LGBT activists are among the main persons at risk.
The human rights defenders tend to be targets of violence just for being women, and for being women who promote and defend human rights, which breaks with the traditionally accepted female identity, said the report. In other words: “Sexual violence is the main threat to women activists”. For the full report, in Spanish, go to: http://issuu.com/cencos/docs/diagnostico-defensoras-imprenta-final
Posted in books, Human Rights Defenders | 3 Comments »
Tags: book, Human rights defender, Mexico, Violence against women, women human rights defenders
February 9, 2012
In my latest post I referred to the this video which is now available on: http://www.facebook.com/pages/True-Heroes-Films/270725636332332
Posted in films, Human Rights Defenders, THF | 1 Comment »
Tags: award, China, facebook, Human Rights Defenders, Ni Yulan, THF, True Heroes Foundation, Tulip
February 3, 2012
The christian group that nominated Ms Ni Yulan reported on the ceremony as follows:
“Tulip Prize Jury Emphasizes Human Rights over Economic Interests By Jeremy Reynalds
SURREY, ENGLAND — At an official ceremony to award the Dutch Government’s Human Rights Defenders Tulip Prize for 2011 to Chinese legal activist Ni Yulan, the chair of the jury stressed the importance of highlighting China’s human rights record in spite of economic considerations. According to a news release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Cisca Dresselhuys, Chair of the Human Rights Defenders Tulip Award 2011 Jury said, “Economic interests must never be a reason to close our mouths on human rights. We should rather have one Human Rights Tulip Award than one exported tulip to China.” CSW said that Ni Yulan was unable to attend the ceremony due to her detention in Beijing, and her daughter, Dong Xuan, was recently banned from leaving China to accept the prize on her mother’s behalf. Ni Yulan was nominated for the Tulip Award by CSW and China Aid. Her work as a housing rights activist, defending Beijing residents whose homes were demolished to make way for the 2008 Olympics, resulted in her being imprisoned on several occasions.
CSW said she has also worked on a number of high-profile religious freedom cases. Ni Yulan is in a wheelchair due to beatings received in prison, which left her unable to walk and in poor health. She was put on trial with her husband in Beijing in Dec. 2011 for “creating a disturbance,” and testified evidence from a hospital bed while on oxygen. The trial did not reach a verdict and the couple remain detained in Beijing. ….
CSW said Dresselhuys added, “We give the award with pleasure, reverence and joy, but with immense pain in our hearts because she cannot be here.”
A video of Ni Yulan’s life and work [produced by True Heroes, films for HRDS, I may add]was shown at the ceremony, in which she is seen in her wheelchair living in a tent in a park. She says, “In this difficult time the support from others really encourages us. It keeps us alive. I will continue to defend others’ rights. We cannot give up.”
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice. For further information, go to www.csw.org.uk.
Posted in films, Human Rights Defenders, THF | 3 Comments »
Tags: award, China, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Human rights defender, Ni Yulan, THF, True Heroes Foundation, Tulip
January 29, 2012
The ex-dictator of Guatemala, General Efraín Ríos Montt, has to face charges of genocide in a Guatemalan court and was placed under house arrest. The culmination of decades of work by human rights advocates, forensic scientists and survivors of the Guatemalan genocide forced former dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt to appear in court Thursday after 30 years of impunity, for a hearing to decide whether there was enough evidence to take him to trial on charges of genocide. This was a major event in Guatemala with hundreds of Maya people coming down from the highlands to gather in front of the courthouse, holding a candle vigil for the their murdered family members.
The prosecution spent hours presenting overwhelming evidence in the form of military documents, exhumation reports, photos and footage from the film Granito: How To Nail A Dictator, linking Ríos Montt directly to hundreds of deaths and disappearances. Surviving family members, Ixil Maya in traditional dress, crowded the standing room only courtroom in stunned silence. Some wept. Outside the courthouse, in an open area now named Human Rights Plaza, hundreds more watched the proceedings on a huge screen. I reported in an earlier post on the film Granito: How To Nail A Dictator which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. (The defense argued that Ríos Montt did not have command responsibility over his Army officers in the highlands, and that he was not responsible for the massacres. This is belied by a clip from Granito that the prosecution and the Guatemalan media used to show the general taking command responsibility, saying that “If I don’t control the army, then who does?”)
Judge Carol Patricia Flores deliberated for hours and returned her decision to prosecute Ríos Montt on charges of genocide, place him under house arrest, and set bail for USD $65,000. People hugged, cheered and set off firecrackers outside when the Judge read her decision stating that “the extermination of the civilian population was the result of military plans, and that these plans were executed under the command of Ríos Montt.”
Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: Efraín Ríos Montt, genocide, Granito, Guatemala, human rights, Maya peoples, Sundance Film Festival
January 26, 2012
It is good to see that not only human rights functionaries in the EU express themselves when confronted with human rights issues: Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, met the Vice-President of the Belarusian Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, Valiantin Stefanovic, to discuss the situation of human rights activists in Belarus. In this context, the Commissioner expressed his concerns about the ongoing politically motivated targeting of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”.
Their meeting took place after the Minsk City Court rejected the cassation appeal of renowned human rights defender and President of “Viasna” and Vice-President of the
International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski, who was sentenced on 24 November 2011 on politically motivated grounds as a consequence of his work to the benefit of victims of repression.
Commissioner Füle expressed his deep concern over this decision and reiterated the EU’s call on Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mr Bialiatski and to drop the charges against him and against his deputy Valiantsin Stefanovic.
Belarus: Commissioner Füle with the activists of Viasna and FIDH.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Ales Bialiatski, Belarus, European Neighbourhood Policy, European Union, Human right, human rights, International Federation for Human Rights, Viasna Human Rights Centre, Štefan Füle
January 23, 2012
On 22 january Human Rights Watch (HRW) published its World Report 2012. The 676-page report summarizes major rights issues in more than 90 countries, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2011 by its staff. On events in the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch said that firm and consistent international support for peaceful protesters and government critics is the best way to pressure the region’s autocrats to end abuses and enhance basic freedoms. A principled insistence on respect for rights is also the best way to help popular movements steer clear of the intolerance, lawlessness, and revenge that can threaten a revolution from within, Human Rights Watch said………
The repercussions of the Arab Spring have been felt around the world, Human Rights Watch said. Leaders in China, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan seem to be living in fear of the precedent of people ousting their autocratic governments. But even democracies such as India, Brazil, and South Africa have been reluctant to support change. Relying on outmoded views of human rights promotion as imperialism and ignoring the international support that their own people historically enjoyed when seeking their rights, these democracies often failed at the United Nations to stand with people facing repression.
Human Rights Watch said the international community could play an important role in fostering the growth of rights-respecting democracies in the Middle East and North Africa. Rather than refusing to countenance the rise of political Islam, as sometimes occurred in the past, democratic governments should recognize that political Islam may represent a majority preference, Human Rights Watch said. However, the international community should insist that Islamist governments abide by international human rights obligations, particularly with respect to women’s rights and religious freedom, as with any government.
………….
“Rights-respecting governments should support international justice regardless of political considerations. It’s misguided to believe that allowing countries to sweep past abuses under the rug will somehow avoid encouraging future atrocities,” Roth said. “As we mark the first anniversary of the Arab Spring, we should stand firmly for the rights and aspirations of the individual over the spoils of the tyrant.”
World Report 2012: Strengthen Support for ‘Arab Spring’ | Human Rights Watch.
Posted in books, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 2 Comments »
Tags: annual report, Arab spring, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Roth
January 20, 2012
In the series ‘crime (non coöperation) shouldn’t pay’ I am bringing to your attention the behavior of Bahrain. It has denied Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley’s request to visit the kingdom next week. The Government of Bahrain suggested such visits should be delayed until March. The latest denial comes less than two weeks after Bahrain refused to admit Rick Sollom of the U.S.-based nonprofit organization Physicians for Human Rights. This is rather shocking given that only last November the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry had been allowed a surprisingly frank public report. It turns out to be lip service. Brian Dooley himself, the head of the Human Rights Defenders Program of HRF had the following to say about the refusal on 17 January 2012:
‘With delicious irony, the Government of Bahrain sent out a press release last week declaring that it “welcomes visits by all human rights organizations,” and that its “open-door policy remains in place” on the same day it sent me a letter saying it wouldn’t let me into the country.
I had been planning to go to Bahrain on January 19 to meet human rights activists and Bahraini government officials, as I have on three previous visits in the last nine months. I told the Bahraini government on December 20 I’d be coming, but it wasn’t until January 11 that it responded, saying my trip must wait until March, when a committee set up to implement reforms will have done its work. I said I’d be happy to go now and in March. No good.
Last week, Rick Sollom from Physicians for Human Rights was turned away when he landed in Bahrain. Authorities told him that “all government officials are under tremendous work pressure” and that he should come back after the end of February when a trip would be “more beneficial.”
These are stiff reminders that the Bahraini government should be judged on its actions, not its words. Denying (rather, “delaying”) access to human rights organizations is a hallmark of repressive regimes. Bahrain already ticked many of those boxes in 2011. Mass arrests? Check. Torture? Check? Deaths in custody? Check. Shootings of civilians? Unfair trials? Attacks on places of worship? Targeting of peaceful dissidents? Check check check check.…………………
By shutting out those who report on human rights, the regime confirms that its alleged commitment to reform and transparency doesn’t go any deeper than words.”
FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE EXCHANGE OF LETTERS GO TO: humanrightsfirst.org
Posted in HRF, Human Rights Defenders | 4 Comments »
Tags: Bahrain, Brian Dooley, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights First, monitoring, refusal
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 