Archive for the 'human rights' Category

« Older posts
Newer posts »

Iran should Immediately release imprisoned Human Rights Defenders

June 19, 2012

Several human rights organizations, including AI, called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Abdolfattaf Soltani, a prominent lawyer and founding member of the Center for Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), an organization co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

Abdolfattah Soltani was originally sentenced by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court to 18 years’ imprisonment to be served in the remote city of Borazjan, some 620 miles south-west of Tehran, which will make it hard for his family to visit him. Soltani was also banned from practicing law for 20 years.

His lawyer and family were informed of the initial sentence March 4. On June 4, his family was informed that Branch 54 of the Appeal Court of Tehran had reduced his sentence to 13 years’ imprisonment and overturned the ban on practicing law for 20 years; the court confirmed that his imprisonment sentence is to be served in the city of Borazjan.

Arrested on September 10, 2011 on charges including “spreading propaganda against the system,” “setting up an illegal opposition group [the CHRD],” and “gathering and colluding with intent to harm national security,” Soltani also faced charges of “accepting an illegal prize and illegal earnings” relating to his acceptance of the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 2009.

On at least two occasions since his imprisonment, Soltani was pressured to “confess” on camera, including “confessing” that the center had received funding from foreign sources to encourage a “soft revolution” in Iran – which Soltani denies.

Since the CHRD was forcibly closed in December 2008, Iranian authorities carried out a campaign of prosecution and harsh sentencing against anyone with actual or perceived links to the center. Its members have continued to carry out their work in support of human rights but have faced repeated harassment, intimidation, arrest and imprisonment. Several are currently serving prison sentences in Tehran’s Evin Prison, including Narges Mohammadi  (six-year sentence),  Mohammad Seyfzadeh (a two-year prison sentence), Mohammad Ali Dadkhah (nine years’ imprisonment – currently at liberty, though he may be called to serve his sentence at any time) and MEA 2012 nominee Nasrin Sotoudeh (6-year jail term).

Iran: Immediately Release Imprisoned Human Rights Defenders | Amnesty International USA.

Related articles

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, nominees | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,

Amnesty short video on refugees on YouTube

June 19, 2012

It is only 2 minutes long but tells a lot:  when you don’t exist

Posted in Amnesty international, films, human rights | 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , ,

Targeting of Bahraini Human Rights Defenders Intensifies

June 19, 2012

Human Rights First reports the continued targeting of Bahraini Human Rights Defenders

By Brian Dooley
12 June 2012

The Bahraini government’s crackdown has no end in sight as leading human rights defenders continue to be targeted. Nabeel Rajab was arrested and detained again last week, only days after being released from custody. Rajab is the President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, a leading NGO in Bahrain that documents and publicizes human rights violations in the country. The work of Rajab and the Center has been consistently acknowledged by international human rights organizations, and within just the last year, won the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty, the Ion Ratiu Democracy Award and is a nominee for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA) 2012.

Charged with multiple offences, Rajab is to spend at least a week in custody. According to his lawyer, these include taking part in an illegal gathering and tweeting criticism of the government.
Other defenders have also been targets of government harassment.

via HRF: Targeting of Bahraini Human Rights Defenders Intensifies | Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Posted in HRF, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , ,

Blogger and symbol of Syria uprising, RAZAN GHAZZAWI, wins Front Line human rights award

June 11, 2012

MARY FITZGERALD, Foreign Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times, did an excellent profile on this courageous woman, who is on trial in a military court for her part in the anti-regime protest. It is worth reading in full: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0609/1224317568749.html

IN HER OWN WORDS: THE POSTINGS OF RAZAN GHAZZAWI:

“Do you understand, that I was scared to protest, but now I am no longer scared? Do you understand that I was scared of detention and now we don’t even think about it? ‘Fuck it all. My people are being killed,’ is what everyone is saying.”

“There is a common feeling that is generally discussed in Syria, well, at least in Damascus where I live. It has to do with the question: ‘What can I do more for the revolution?’”

“I can write about those amazing revolutionaries who left their families and children and [are] living solely for this revolution . . . some were detained and tortured, you stand listening to them speak about their experience with detention, and you know that what you witnessed from detention is nothing compared to theirs, those unknown activists, the unprivileged, who don’t have Facebook nor Twitter, but they are the very ones who inspire you and make you truly believe that there is hope.”

“People who do not live in a country that is living a revolution may not know that time is revolutionaries’ biggest enemy . . .

“I have a 10-to-5 job, after that I go to do some other work till 9, sometimes till 11.

“I get home to check my email and

Facebook to discover new massacres, new statements, and further escalations on many levels.”

“Yesterday, regime army bombed the neighborhood of Karm El- Zeitoun in the city of Homs and destroyed several buildings, two whole streets were evacuated, and 27 civilians killed, many were injured . . . [the] regime’s violence keeps surprising us. Last night when I saw this picture I froze for a moment before I ‘shared’ it on my [Facebook] wall. I didn’t cry, I didn’t have room for more anger, I just felt helpless, I felt time was, is, not on my side . . . After last night’s massacre, Syrians now feel more outraged and will cry for the right to self-defense, even if they didn’t agree with the term the day before.

“That’s precisely how regime violence is pushing the country to more violence, that’s precisely how time moves very rapidly, and leaves you back in history.”

Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Call for Nominations for the 2012 Human Rights Defenders Tulip

June 11, 2012

Nominations for the 2012 Human Rights Defenders Tulip are welcome but deadline is  15 June.

Nominations can be submitted online, by email, fax or post. They will only be accepted if accompanied by a completed nomination form and the necessary documents. Submissions can be made in Dutch, English, French or Spanish.  The nomination form is available in these four languages. You can find additional information here. To learn more, please visit http://www.humanrightstulip.org or contact Chris Collier at the Human Rights Tulip secretariat, by email (secretariat@humanrightstulip.org) or phone (+31 (0)6 3493 6026).

Call for Nominations for the 2012 Human Rights Defenders Tulip.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , ,

Asma Jahangir, Pakistan’s outstanding HRD, threatened

June 11, 2012

Asma Jahangir MEA Laureate

The Friday Times of June 8, 2012 carries an interesting article in which Raza Rumi talks to Ali Dayan Hasan, the Pakistan Director at Human Rights Watch. The response to the question: “But critics would argue that Asma Jahangir is a politicised figure and she has offered no proof to substantiate her allegations…” is so good and clear it is worth quoting in full: “Let me be blunt. Asma Jahangir is no ordinary person. She is an activist of 30 years with a demonstrable record of unflinching integrity. Not only is she a figure viewed with admiration in Pakistan, she is seen as an icon by many in the international human rights movement. During these decades, she has been a consistent critic of the military and intelligence agencies but has never made such an allegation. But when she speaks the world hears respectfully and with attention. It is for the government of Pakistan to fully investigate the matter and unearth the truth of the matter. And I want to be absolutely clear: the intelligence apparatus must understand that if any harm comes to Asma Jahangir, the response from the international community will be severe.”. Asma was the second person to win the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 1995!.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,

Good breaking news from Cyprus: HRD Doros Polycarpou acquitted!

June 5, 2012

Today, 5 June 2012, Doros Polycarpou, the Executive Director of Cypriot anti-racist NGO KISA, was acquitted of the charge of rioting during the 2010 Rainbow Festival in Larnaca. This decision is final and is not open for appeal. The judge found the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses to be not credible. The Observatory for Human Rights  Defenders (OMCT-FIDH joint project) had sent Cretan lawyer Costaz Gazis as trial observer.

This ruling confirms the view of a wide coalition of international NGOs that the accusations were manifestly false and were an attempt by the Cypriot authorities to silence KISA, an organisation that has being fighting xenophobia and racism in Cyprus for 14 years.

The same NGOs deplore that, despite repeated requests to the Attorney General and the Council of Ministers, no independent investigation was carried out about the events that occurred in Larnaca in 2010, in particular with respect to the alleged failure of police to protect the Rainbow Festival’s participants. More than a year and a half later, no one has been charged with the crimes which resulted in serious injuries and hospitalisation of people who participated in the Festival. The evidence points to the fact that attackers were motivated by xenophobia and racism.

The organisations mentioned below add that they regret the charges were not withdrawn earlier and urge the Cypriot authorities to use the occasion of Doros Polycarpou’s acquittal to mark the beginning of new cooperation between the Cyprus state and human rights defenders.

Signatories

European Association for Human Rights/ Association Européenne des droits de l’Homme (AEDH)

Euro-Mediterranean Network for Human Rights

European Network Against Racism

Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Programme

Front Line Defenders

Migreurop

Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (joint programme OMCT-FIDH)

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants

Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Human Rights and the Elderly: the future

June 1, 2012

This post is not directly about human rights defenders but rather touches an area where they are not so commonly engaged. My interest in the area is of course to a large extent self-interest as the 65 benchmark is nearing but was piqued by a recent visitor from Australia, my good friends Rodney and Noni Lewis.

Rodney Lewis is a practicing lawyer engaged in resolving legal problems for the aged and the ageing in our community. He is based in Mona Vale, a suburb of Sydney. He has been a practising lawyer for over 40 years. He is the author of the legal text Elder Law in Australia (published by Lexis Nexis Sydney, in 2004). Rodney’s interest in Aged Care came through his wife Noni who is a registered nurse. His inquiries sprang from their discussions and led to his research, writing, lecturing and the preparation of the only text book on the subject. Rodney’s interest in Elder Law and the legal rights of older persons also stems from his interest and commitment to human rights. (Rodney has been active with the International Commission of Jurists, and assisted me greatly in writing the book on Human Rights in Indonesia; he also undertook trail observations missions).

Over the past several decades a massive change has taken place in a key demographic area of the planet’s human population: age. If the current trend of lowering birth rates and lowering death rates continues, by the year 2050 one out of five people will be aged 60 years or older and by 2150, one out of every three people will be aged 60 years or older. Additionally, the older-person support ratio is falling in both more and less developed regions, which could further lessen the ability of societies and governments to care for their aging populations.

These demographic trends create unique challenges for all people, particularly for the governments of nation-states around the globe. Elderly individuals are often subject to discrimination and abuse because they are perceived as easily taken advantage of. There is also a prevalent belief among many that elderly persons are worthless in today’s fast-paced, globalized and increasingly industrialized world. Obviously, with the number of elderly people on earth at any one time rising rapidly, there is an increased urgency to address the rights and roles of elderly persons in our world.

For more on this a good starting point is Human Rights Education Associates on: http://www.hrea.org/index.php?doc_id=435
From a cursory glance at the internet it seems that Canada and Australia have gone furthest in organizing elder law, e.g. http://www.elderlaw.com.au/

Posted in human rights, ICJ | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , ,

Loreen’s meeting also on YouTube

May 28, 2012

Swedish Eurovision contestant Loreen at her own initiative visited IRFS offices to meet with IRFS chairman Emin Huseynov, Human Rights Club chairman Rasul Jafarov, and Norwegian Human Rights House foundation co-coordinator Shahla Ismayilova. Her aim was to learn about the state of human rights in Azerbaijan and in particular the Sing for Democracy campaign. The event took place at IRFS with the support of the Swedish Civil Rights Defenders organization and Norwegian Human Rights House foundation. A number of international press representatives attended.

Jafarov guided Loreen through a photo exhibition depicting illegal housing demolitions, and spoke about the general human rights situation in Azerbaijan. The campaign video along with footage from the afternoon’s protest was also shown.

Loreen meets press and HRDs

Posted in human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Exceptional: Loreen is a Eurovision winner interested in human rights defenders

May 28, 2012

Loreen supports human rights

Photo: Stian Skaget

It is right to congratulate Loreen as she was the only of the contesting artists who stood up for human rights. During her visit to Baku she visited human rights defenders at risk during a meeting the NGO Civil Rights Defenders arranged. The Government of Azerbaijan may have tried to downplay the issue by saying that music and human rights have to be separate but that did not work.

http://www.civilrightsdefenders.org/news/loreen-is-a-winner/

See more pictures from Loreen’s meetings with human rights defenders in Azerbaijan, on Civil Rights Defenders Facebook page

Related articles

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,

« Older posts
Newer posts »