Archive for the 'human rights' Category

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UNJUST, film about women rights defenders, receives award at Movies that Matter film festival

April 13, 2011

This blog has a special interest in HRDs and films. Therefore the following is highlighted:

The jury at the Movies that Matter Festival, which was held in The Hague from March 24 to 31, awarded Suciwati Munir, Angkhana Neelaphaijit and Padma Perera, a Special Jury Award for Josefina Bergsten’s film “UNJUST”. The film documents the struggles of the three wives, mothers and activists to challenge impunity and get justice for their husbands, all of who lost their lives in 2004 due to the murderous intentions of state agents. “Through this film, three women who have seen the worst aspects of their countries’ justice systems have helped the world to understand what it means to be living in these sorts of conditions,” said Basil Fernando, of the Asian Human Rights Commission. His Hong Kong-based regional rights group had already in July 2010 given the film its Asian Human Rights Award for Creative Media.

Suciwati’s husband, Indonesian human rights lawyer Munir, was poisoned on a Garuda Airlines flight in 2004 while travelling from Indonesia to study abroad. A former pilot and former head of the airline were implicated in the murder, and the pilot given a 20-year jail sentence. However, the trail of connections to his killing has led back to the Indonesian secret services, and the masterminds have never been identified.  A five-minute video profile of Suciwati is available on the website: http://www.moviesthatmatterfestival.nl/english_index/nieuws_en/news/169

Thai police abducted Angkhana’s husband, Somchai, from his car on a street in Bangkok. Although five police went on trial, only one was convicted of a minor offence. He has himself disappeared, and an appeal court recently overturned his conviction. All the police are still serving. Angkhana has since set up an organization to work for the victims of enforced disappearances in Thailand, and is now among the country’s best known human rights defenders. In 2006 she was a joint recipient of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights.

Padma’s husband Gerard was a victim of police torture in Sri Lanka who became an outspoken and fearless advocate of human rights. Gunmen connected to the police shot him as he travelled on a public bus, shortly before he was going to depose in court against the officers who were accused of torturing him. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has honoured Padma with an award for the struggle that she has undertaken since to get justice for her husband and to promote human rights in her country.
Persons wishing to obtain copies of “UNJUST” may contact the filmmaker, Josefina Bergsten, at josefina.bergsten@gmail.com.

Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Movies that Matter | 2 Comments »
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Inter-American Commission on Human Rights creates Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders

April 13, 2011

In my post of 5 april I referred to the report of a large group of NGOs denouncing thousands of violations of rights of Human Rights Defenders. On 7 April the  Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), reported the establishment of an Office of the Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. The first Rapporteur will be Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco Henríquez. The Office of the Rapporteur has to foster greater support and visibility to the contribution of human rights defenders and justice operators – who are also included in the mandate – in constructing a democratic society. The Observatory welcomed the IACHR decision and expressed the hope that it will contribute to encourage states to take action for guaranteeing the safety of human rights defenders according to international law and through effective measures of prevention, protection, and investigation, in order to improve the conditions in which human rights defenders in Latin America have to carry out their work. For further information, you could contact: in OMCT: Eric Sottas, Andrea Meraz: + 41 22 809 49 39, or in FIDH: Karine Appy, Arthur Manet: + 33 1 43 55 25 18

Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, IACHR, OMCT | 1 Comment »
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Bahrain, hell for human rights defenders

April 11, 2011

Human Rights Watch and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies reported on Wednesday 6 April that hundreds of people have been detained or arbitrarily arrested in Bahrain, activists barred from traveling abroad and several protesters killed as security forces in balaclavas and military fatigues resort to excessive force and storm villages, hospitals and news organizations. They called on the UN to hold an emergency session on Bahrain.

The same day Mohammad al-Maskati, the head of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, said in an interview with Press TV that the “Bahraini authorities are not only arresting the opposition leaders, but also human rights defenders, doctors, a lot of religious figures … anyone who may affect the situation in Bahrain”.

Bahrain’s leading opposition group, al-Wefaq, also says over 450 opposition activists, including 14 women, have been arrested since the uprising began in the tiny Persian Gulf state in mid-February.

On Thursday 14 April Nabeel Rajab, the president of the Bahrain center for Human Rights added during an interview with the Voice of America that the situation is ‘very critical’. “You have approximately one for every 1,000 citizens detained right now for political reasons”. The interviewer, Hilleary, asked what Rajab believed the detained persons are going through “I am afraid that many bloggers and [those] who are active in the net – on Twitter and Facebook – are facing very hard times at this point in time”. 
The interview then turned to his own risk (“are you fearful of speaking out?”). 
Rajab’s reply is worth quoting in full as it shows the uncompromising dedication that many Human Rights Defenders share: “Arrests, harassments and intimidation will never stop an activist who believes in his work and believes in the importance of his work. I do believe in my work very much. I was arrested, as I told you, and I was beaten up, but that has encouraged me to do more activism, believing [that] this situation cannot continue. And this activism that we are doing – it has a cost. The cost might reach – it might be our life – but, you know, once we believe in our work, once I believe in my work, I am willing to see [through] the changes that I am fighting for.”

The international human rights movement should ensure that it does not have to come to such sacrifices and that is what this little blog is about.

 

Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
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Correction on previous post re Ernst Manirumva

April 8, 2011

The film I mentioned last wednesday – to be shown tonight in Brussels – is not so much on the life of Ernst as on the current work of Human RIghts Defenders in Burundi, in particular one of his colleagues, Pacifique Nininahazwe, one of the nominees of the Martin Ennals Award this year. Of course there is attention paid
to the impunity for Ernest assassination.

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA, Protection International | 1 Comment »
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Protection International made film on assassinated Human Rights Defender Ernest Manirumva, Burundi

April 6, 2011

On the 2nd anniversary of the assassination of the Burundese Human Rights Defender Ernest Manirumva the NGO Protection International launches a film on his work and life. The first screening of the documentary “Justice for Ernest Manirumva” will take place at the Belgian Federal Parliament on Friday 8 April at 11 am. For more information please contact: Pascale Boosten of the Video-advocacy Unit of Protection International.
Tel: 32-2-609 44 07 http://www.protectionline.org

Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, Protection International | 1 Comment »
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Crime pays series: Thai Human Rights Defender still missing after 7 years

April 6, 2011

 

Seven years after Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaijipit went missing, there is still no prospect of justice. Somchai disappeared on 12 March 2004, one day after he had publicly accused the police of torturing his clients, who were in detention. Since then, nothing has been heard of him. Despite pressure from his family and on the national and international level, those responsible have not yet been held accountable. Shortly after the disappearance of Somchai, five police officers were arrested and prosecuted for their alleged involvement in the disappearance. Although there were severe suspicions against all five suspects, the lower court convicted only one officer to a three year prison sentence in January 2006, but acquitted the other four. National and international human rights organizations (such as Human Rights First, Lawyers for Lawyers) observed the trial and believed that this verdict was the result of a failure of the judicial apparatus. The  Appeals Court on 11 March 2011  acquitted all of the five suspects. Furthermore, the court ruled that Somchai’s wife and children are not eligible to exercise his rights as a damaged party, thereby shutting the door for Somchai’s family to uncover the truth and to seek justice in court.

 

Posted in HRF, human rights, L4L | 1 Comment »
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23 NGOs denounce over 2000 violations re Human Rights Defenders in the Americas

April 5, 2011

Most of us think that the situation of human rights defenders in the Americas has at least slightly improved over the last years. NGO reports seem to debunk this. The 2010 report from the United Nations Special Rapporteur points out that between 2004 and 2009, over 146 complaints of threats against human rights defenders were filed in the Americas (mostly Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Peru). Now, on 29 March 2011, a group of 23 NGOs from 11 countries has concluded that the situation is even worse with over 2000 cases since 2002. According to their research, in Colombia more than 1000 human rights defenders were victims of aggression including murder, threats, arbitrary detention, and torture; in Guatemala, 1072 acts of aggression were recorded, and at least 50 human rights defenders have been murdered in Honduras since the coup d’état. At the meeting of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IACHR), where this information was made public, NGOs placed special emphasis on the increase in illegitimate state intelligence activities against human rights defenders.

The organizations called on the IACHR to create a specific office or rapporteurship for the protection of human rights defenders.  They also asked the IACHR to demand that states adopt effective protection measures and improve public policies that guarantee the work of defenders. States were also urged to investigate the acts of violence and threats carried out against people who put their lives at risk to denounce situations of social injustice.

For further information contact: Milli Legrain of CEJIL, Tel +1.202 319 3000, mlegrain@cejil.org

Posted in human rights, IACHR | 1 Comment »
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Front Line expresses grave concern about disappearance of human rights lawyers in Syria

March 31, 2011

Yesterday, Wednesday  30 March, Front Line – one of the 10 NGOs in the Jury of the MEA –  issued an urgent appeal concerning a number of human rights lawyers that have been disappeared amid the upheaval of the last weeks. Between 5 and 27 March 2011, a number of human rights lawyers may have been arrested and remain detained in undisclosed locations in Syria, including Messrs Hussain ‘Issa and Tamer Al-Jahmani, Sulayman Nahili, Nidal Al-Shaykh Hammoud and Muhammad Ibrahim ‘Issa. It is believed that they are at risk of torture and ill treatment.

Front Line notes that “these arrests reflect an ongoing and widescale crackdown by the Syrian authorities against human rights defenders, pro-democracy and political activists across Syria in response to ongoing protests calling for democratic reforms and improved observance of civil and political rights. As part of this crackdown, which has also involved violent attacks on protesters including through the use of live ammunition by security forces, a large number of human rights defenders have been subjected to arrests, detentions and charges solely as a result of exercising their fundamental rights to free assembly and expression”. For more detail see: www.frontlinedefenders.org/

Posted in Front Line, human rights, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
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Chinese Human Rights Defender Liu Xianbin heavily punished

March 31, 2011
On Friday 25 March, a court in Sichuan province sentenced Liu Xianbin to ten years in prison for writing articles calling on human rights and democracy, which is considered inciting ‘subversion’. His wife, Chen Mingxian, said the court did not allow Liu to defend himself. His lawyer, Chen Wei, was also charged on Monday with inciting subversion (as were two other persons  from Sichuan: Yunfei and Ding Mao).
Many human rights organisations from around the world  – including Hong Kong – have criticised the trial and are calling on the Chinese authorities to immediately release Liu (e.g. Amnesty International’s Catherine Baber says the ten-year sentence is “appalling” and a travesty of justice). Liu is a veteran of the human rights movement and has been imprisoned several times for his work. He served 2 years for taking part in the 1989 democracy movement and in 1999 he was sentenced to 13 years after helping to establish the China Democratic Party. He was released early in 2008, but arrested again in June 2010.
This tenacious and courageous HRD deserves admiration and support.

Posted in AI, human rights, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
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Some good news in the crime-should-not-pay series: Iran investigator

March 28, 2011

In 2002 the UN decided not to renew its Special Rapporteur on Iran. He had explicitly been banned from visiting the country in 1996 and this became an example of how non-cooperation by States with UN mechanisms paid off. But now, on Thursday 24 March 2011, the UN Human Rights Council has redeemed itself and voted to step up international scrutiny of Iran by appointing an investigator to monitor the country amid a crackdown on dissent, detention of Human Rights Defenders and a surge in executions. Ending this nine-year break in scrutiny was done by a surprisingly large margin in the Council’s vote ( 22 to 7 and 14 abstentions). This is the first country-specific appointment of a Special Rapporteur by the new Council.

In December last year, the UN General Assembly had expressed “deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations” in Iran, such as “torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations.” High Commissioner Pillay last month also expressed dismay at an increase in executions since the beginning of 2011 and reiterated calls for a moratorium on the death penalty. She had highlighted the executions of “political activists” who were arrested during protests in September 2009 and hanged in January this year.

Posted in human rights, UN | 1 Comment »
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