Archive for the 'organisations' Category
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: Asma Jahangir, human rights, Jahangir, MEA, Pakistan, threats
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: anti-racism, Cyprus, Doros Polycarpou, Gostas Gazis, Human Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, KISA, Larnaca, Observatory for the Protection of HRDs, Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Rainbow Festival, trial observation, World Organisation Against Torture
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.
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: Australia, Elder Law, human rights, International Commission of Jurists, Old age, rights of the elderly, Rodney Lewis
May 31, 2012
On 28 May 2012 there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel. Nabeel Rajab was released on bail and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja ended his hunger strike. Another HRD Zainab Al-Khawaja was also freed. I reported several times on these cases related to the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), the 2012 nominee of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
Throughout Al-Khawaja’s hunger strike he was able to draw international attention to the on-going human rights violations that are taking place in Bahrain. The hunger strike brought attention to the plight of human rights defenders and political activists who are in detention or have been subjected to human rights violations by the authorities. Despite the primary demand of his hunger strike of “freedom or death” not being met, he has achieved one of his main goals by attracting global attention and focus on the human rights situation in the country. In a statement the human rights defender thanked his family for their support and expressed his gratitude to all those who had shown solidarity with him both inside and outside Bahrain. He will now begin a special diet in order for his body to recover from the 110-day hunger strike.
That Nabeel Rajab was released on bail is of course excellent but we should not forget that he should never have been arrested (on the 5th of May) to start with. He was charged with ‘insulting the statuary bodies” the so-called “Twitter Defamation case”, “participating in illegal assembly and calling others to join” through social networking sites. (See GCHR appeal dated 05-05- 2012 (http://gc4hr.org/news/view/138)
He was released on bail of 300 Bahraini Dinars (appr. $796). However, a travel ban remains in place and the trials will continue (a hearing on the “illegal assembly” case is scheduled for 17 June while another session for the “twitter case” is scheduled for 24 June).
Furthermore, human rights defender Zainab Alkhawaja @angryarabiya was released on 29th May 2012, after more than 1 month imprisonment. She is still facing trials in 2 cases. One of the hearing sessions on the case of “illegal assembly, assaulting a police officer and inciting hatred against the regime is scheduled on June 24th, while the case of “obstructing traffic” is scheduled for November 1st 2012.
While the BCHR welcomes the ending of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja’s hunger strike and the release of both Nabeel Rajab on bail and Zainab Al-Khawaja, it expresses serious concern for the on-going trials of the released activists, the on-going violations of human rights by Bahraini authorities and the continued detention of human rights defenders including Abdulhadi Alkhawaja on fabricated charges.
Posted in Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, Bahrain, Bahrain Center for Human Rights, hungerstrike, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA, Nabeel Rajab
May 24, 2012
We have just learned that the Venerable Luon Savath been released and is now at the office of the NGO LICADHO. But not sure that this is the end of the story and will keep you posted.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, MEA | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Cambodia, detention, human rights, LICADHO, Luon Savath, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, MEA, release
May 22, 2012
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) welcomes the strong stand taken by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on the political, security and humanitarian confllicts and crises raging on the continent, at its 51st Session. FIDH now urges African Union (AU) Member States to give immediate effect to the recently adopted resolutions. The document published by allAfrica.com refers to the recent conflict between Sudan and South Sudan the unconstitutional changes of government that lately occured in Mali and Guinea-Bissau, the territorial integrity of Mali and a West African region where several armed groups, like in Nigeria, still perpetrate violations. On HRDs the document of FIDH states the following:
“The African Commission considered with a particular attention the civil and political rights’ violations happening in several countries. The Commission condemned the recurring impediment to Human rights defenders’ action in countries like Ethiopia – where the Charities and Civil Societies Proclamation adopted in 2009 continues to place excessive restrictions on Human rights organisations’ work – Swaziland – where authorities keep opposing the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association – and Somalia, where journalists are taken in the grip of the ongoing armed conflict and are openly murdered. The FIDH welcomes the African Commission’s clear call for the amendment of the Ethiopian Charities and Civil Societies Proclamation, for the respect of the rights to fundamental freedoms in Swaziland and for justice to be rendered to the murdered journalists in Somalia. All these recommandations were supported by our organisation.”
Posted in books, FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, African Union, Ethiopia, FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, Somalia, Swaziland
May 17, 2012
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Amnesty International shows its ‘new’ broadened mandate with this short video on forced evictions in Africa. In 4 languages on YouTube: video by AI on forced evictions in Africa. It highlights the kind of human rights violations that the 2012 nominee of the MEA in Cambodia is dealing with: see short film on the multimedia monk on http://www.martinennalsaward.org
Posted in AI, Amnesty international, films, human rights | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, Amnesty International, Cambodia, Eviction, human rights, Luon Sovath, MEA
May 15, 2012
On 14 May 2012 an exceptional group of international experts urged the Government of Mexico to protect better Human Rights Defenders and journalists. “The killings and threats repeatedly suffered by rights defenders and journalists in Mexico must stop immediately,” urged a group of four experts from the United Nations and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, calling on the Government to move ahead with the swift promulgation and effective implementation of the ‘Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists’.
Highlighting the immediacy of the threats facing defenders and journalists, the experts also urged the Government to implement existing protection mechanisms as a matter of urgency, in order to avoid further attacks and loss of life and to complement the new provisions when they come into effect.The Bill, which has been approved by both chambers of the Federal Congress, seeks to guarantee and safeguard the life, integrity and security of human rights defenders and journalists by creating a mechanism with the authority to implement measures to protect those at risk, as well as at preventing such risks from arising in the future.
“Human rights defenders in Mexico desperately need the State’s effective protection now,” said Margaret Sekaggya, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. “They continue to suffer killings, attacks, harassment, threats, stigmatization and other serious human rights violations.” “The State has to implement, as a matter of priority, a global protection policy for human rights defenders. The lack of appropriate and effective systems for implementing specialized protection measures are related to the situation of defenselessness in which many human rights defenders find themselves, which has caused the death of many of them in recent years,” stressed Santiago A. Canton, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the Rapporteurship of Human Rights Defenders*.
“We have to break the cycle of impunity in Mexico, which is becoming an increasingly violent place for journalists,” said Frank La Rue, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. “The recent killing of four press workers in Veracruz underscores the dire need for concrete steps to be taken to guarantee the safety of journalists and put an end to impunity.”
Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, stressed that “safeguarding journalists and human rights defenders is not only compatible with the fight against crime, it is an essential element of this struggle. The Mexican authorities should take immediate measures to protect those journalists and human rights defenders that are being threatened, as well as to make definitive advances in the struggle against impunity for the crimes that have been committed against them.”
The four experts commended the Federal Congress for approving the Bill, pointing out that it would provide added impetus and sustainability to existing protection frameworks, while also strengthening these frameworks.The Bill was drafted in consultation with civil society organizations, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico provided technical advice throughout the drafting process.
The human rights experts praised the consultative process which allowed multiple stakeholders to play an important role in the drafting of the Bill, and called for the same participatory approach throughout the implementation process. However, they emphasized the urgency of providing effective protection to those at risk and ensuring that human rights violations against journalists and human rights defenders do not go unpunished.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/LACRegion/Pages/MXIndex.aspx
For more information:
Human rights defenders: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/SRHRDefendersIndex.aspx
Freedom of opinion and expression:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomOpinion/Pages/OpinionIndex.aspx
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights:http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/default.asp
Posted in books, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, IACHR, UN | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, journalists, Margaret Sekaggya, Mexico, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, protection, United Nations, United Nations Special Rapporteur
May 11, 2012
This recent film is not directly about Human Rights Defenders (although they are certainly victims of it) nor about the treatment of ethnic minorities. Rather is demonstrates. through a large variety of interviews with victims, lawyers – including Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission – and experts, how a lack of investigative skills and high-level condoning have led the Sri Lankan policy to use torture routinely. Most shockingly a former police officers confirms that this is what is expected from the police by the system. It has become a mindset at all levels, including most of the judiciary. It is a long film but worth it. The Danish film maker, Josefina Bergsten, manages to demonstrate the disconnect between international procedures (which are based on functioning institutions that have to address a few bad apples) and the reality on the ground in Sri Lanka where the good apples are the exception. See it and forward it: https://vimeo.com/41898677
Posted in AHRC, films, human rights | 8 Comments »
Tags: Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando, film, Human rights defender, ill treatment, law enforcement, Sri Lanka, torture, UN procedures, video, Vimeo
May 8, 2012
On May 7, 2012, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), reports and protests the arbitrary arrest and judicial harassment of Mr. Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) and FIDH Deputy Secretary General. The Centre was announced only two weeks ago as one of the nominees of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (for a short film on their work see http://www.martinennalsaward.org)
On May 5, 2012, Mr. Nabeel Rajab was arrested by plain clothes police officers upon arrival at Manama airport from Lebanon and transferred to Al Hawra police station. The police officers who proceeded to the arrest stated that they were following orders by the Public Prosecutor, however neither Mr. Rajab nor his lawyers were then informed of the reasons for his arrest.
Mr. Rajab had returned to Bahrain in order to attend a hearing for charges of “participating in an illegal assembly” and “calling others to join”, relating to a protest organised on March 31, 2012 in Manama to denounce the detention of human rights defender Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, former BCHR President and former MENA Director at Front Line.On May 6, Mr. Rajab was accordingly taken to court, where he denied the charges against him. The trial was postponed to May 22, 2012.
Later the same day, Mr. Rajab was presented before the Public Prosecutor, who informed him of the reasons for his arrest. According to Mr. Rajab’s lawyers, charges of “insulting the statutory bodies”, pursuant to Article 216 of the Penal Code, which carry an imprisonment for a term of up to three years and a fine, are pressed against him in relation to tweets he posted deemed “insulting” to the Ministry of Interior. Mr. Rajab replied that he was the author of tweets posted through his account and that he did not recognise the jurisdiction of the Court and the Prosecution due to their lack of independence from the Executive. The Public Prosecutor remanded Mr. Rajab to detention for seven days.
The Observatory firmly denounces the arbitrary detention as well as the judicial harassment of Mr. Nabeel Rajab, which seem to merely aim at sanctioning his legitimate human rights activities. It recalls that according to international standards pre-trial detention should only be used where other measures of restraint are not possible.
The Observatory recalls that these events occur within the context of an intensified crackdown against activists, including human rights defenders, who have supported or are alleged to have supported the protest movement which started in Bahrain in February 2011.
Bahrain: Arbitrary arrest and judicial harassment … – FIDH.
Posted in FIDH, Front Line, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, Bahrain, detention, FIDH, Human rights defender, independence of the judiciary, International Federation for Human Rights, lawyers, MEA, Nabeel Rajab, Observatory for the Protection of HRDs, OMCT, World Organisation Against Torture
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 