Posts Tagged ‘Human rights defender’
February 11, 2014
It sounds almost like a joke but it truly happened. On 9 February 2014 Ukrainian border officials barred a Russian human rights defender from entering the country, according to Human Rights Watch: Andrei Yurov, a member of Russia’s presidential human rights council and the Head of its permanent commission on human rights outside Russia, was deported to Russia upon his arrival at Borispyl airport in Kiev. Yurov was to meet in Kiev with Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks, and to work within the International Human Rights Defenders’ Group on the Situation in Ukraine, which was founded on December 1, 2013, in response to the November 30 police violence against peaceful protesters in Kiev.
“Yurov’s expulsion is an unprecedented and wholly regrettable step,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of driving out human rights defenders the Ukrainian government should be open to scrutiny of its human rights record during this crisis.”
via Ukraine: Russian Rights Defender Expelled | Human Rights Watch.
Posted in HRW, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Andrei Yurov, barring, Council of Europe, expulsion, HRW, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Human Rights Watch, International Human Rights Defenders’ Group on the Situation in Ukraine, Kiev, Nils Muižnieks, non-cooperation, Russia, Ukraine, visa denial
February 1, 2014
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM), a member of OMCT SOS-Torture network, about the ongoing judicial harassment against Panayote Dimitras, GHM Spokesperson. According to the information received, on 14 January 2014, Mr. Panayote Dimitras received an indictment from the Misdemeanours Prosecutor of Athens, summoning him on 27 February 27 before the Court to stand trial on charges of “perjury” and “defamation” of Mr. Konstantinos Plevris, a member lawyer of the Athens Bar Association.
The accusation relates Panayote Dimitras’ statement as a witness before the First Chamber of the Five Members Appeals Court of Athens on 23 January 2009, during a hearing of a case against Mr. Konstantinos Plevris, who then stood accused of racial discrimination”. During the hearing, Mr. Dimitras testified that “during the last two months Mr. Plevris ha[d]threatened [his] life”. Yet the indictment accuses Mr. Dimitras of making a false statement that could harm the honour and reputation of Mr. Plevris while knowing that it was untrue.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is concerned that Mr. Panayote Dimitras received this indictment merely one week before the charges become time-barred. Although the events took place in January 2009 and a preliminary investigation took place in February 2010, suddenly charges are pressed. The prescription period is now extended by three years.
OMCT is concerned about these new acts of harassment against Mr. Panayote Dimitras, which seems to merely aim at sanctioning his human rights activities, and in particular his activities against discrimination, anti-Semitism and minority rights in Greece, and calls upon the Greek authorities to ensure that he is able to carry out his legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals. OMCT recalls that this is not the first time that Panayote Dimitras is facing judicial harassment by Konstantinos Plevris, who has been referred to trial several times for, among others, violation of [anti-racism] Law 927/79, concurrent aggravated defamation, and false accusation following GHM complaints.
For more on this procedurally complex but interesting case see:
Greece: Ongoing judicial harassment against human rights defender Mr. Panayote Dimitras / January 30, 2014 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | 1 Comment »
Tags: anti-racism, court, GHM, Greece, Greek Helsinki Monitor, harassment, Human rights defender, independence of the judiciary, judicial harasment, judicial proceedings, Konstantinos Plevris, minorities, OMCT, OMCT SOS-Torture network, Panayote Dimitras, Panayotis Dimitras, Plevris, racism
January 29, 2014
This time just a short presentation of Guatemalan human rights defender Lolita Chávez who spoke in Ottawa, Canada, for a group of supporters some time ago (March 2013): Lolita Chávez says it is love of life that motivates her to risk her own as an outspoken Maya Kiche activist against racism, mining, and hydroelectric project developments in the highlands of Guatemala. As a result of her leadership in Guatemala’s Indigenous movement, she is a frequent target of threats, accusations and attempts to label her as working against the national interest, as some sort of enemy of the state. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in AI, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, IACHR | 1 Comment »
Tags: AI, Canada, environmental issues, Goldcorp, Guatemala, harassment, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, IACHR, indigenous groups, intimidation, land disputes, Lolita Chávez, Maya Kiche, Mining, Ottawa, PBI, Peace Brigades International, resource extraction, woman human rights defender
January 24, 2014
On 21 January 2014, the indigenous Lenca leader and human rights defender, Mr Justo Sorto, was found dead in Jesús de Otoro, Western Honduras. Justo Sorto was an active member for twenty years of the Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Indígenas Populares – COPINH (Civic Council of Popular Indigenous Organisations). The human rights defender was killed by several gunshots from a high-calibre weapon. [ COPINH is an organisation that works for the defence of the land and the environment, and for improving the living conditions of communities and indigenous peoples in Honduras.] The indigenous Lenca community works for the defence of its forests and against the execution of mining projects in the region. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: assassination, Civic Council of Popular Indigenous Organisations, COPINH, environmental issues, Extrajudicial killing, forrest, Front Line (NGO), Honduras, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, Indigenous People, intimidation, Justo Sorto, land disputes, Lenca, Lenca Indigenous People, Mining, Tigre dam, Western Honduras
January 9, 2014
“Defenders issued Card to local HRA” was the proud headline when Abdul Qadeer Dar, Executive Director of Voice of Victims and Chairman of the Peoples Rights Movement in Srinagar, Kashmir, received his card labeling him as a human rights defender. This announcement, dating back to April 2013, is just to illustrate how certain tools for human rights defenders work in practice. The Dublin-based NGO Frontline Defenders has been issuing ‘identity cards’ to local human rights defenders for years. The cards do not have legal status and do not empower the holders to represent Front Line defenders. The card is intended to demonstrate that its holder is human rights defender with whom front Line Defenders has a working relationship. 
Defenders issued I Card to local HRA | Authint Mail Archive.
Posted in Front Line, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Abdul Qadeer Dar, Front Line (NGO), Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, identity card, international protection, Kashmir, Peoples Rights Movement, Srinagar, Voice of Victims
January 8, 2014
The annual Front Line Defenders Award was established in 2005 to honour the work of a human rights defender who, through non-violent work, is making an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the 
human rights of others, often at personal risk to themselves. A cash prize of €15,000 is awarded to the laureate and his/her organisation. Deadline: 24 January 2014
Further information and the online nomination form: http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/front-line-award-human-rights-defenders-risk
Posted in awards, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: 2014, award, deadline, Front Line (NGO), human rights, human rights awards, Human rights defender, nominations
December 23, 2013
On 18 December 2013, human rights defenders, Mr Alan Morrison and Ms Chutima Sidasathian, appeared at the police station in Phuket province. The two human rights defenders are accused of libel and violating the Computer Crime Act for publishing an article entitled “Thai Military Profiting from Trade and Boat people, Says Special Report”, which was published on Phuketwan website on 17 July 2013. The human rights defenders are due to appear at the police station again on 24 December 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Front Line, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Alan Morrison, Australia, Burma, Chutima Sidasathian, freedom of expression, freedom of information, Front Line (NGO), Human rights defender, human trafficking, journalists, Phuket Province, Reuter, Rohingya people, Royal Thai Navy, South China Morning Post, Thailand
December 22, 2013
Djibouti is not the best covered part of the world. Therefore I forward this case of Mohamed Chehem Gadito, brought to my attention by the Djibouti Observatory for the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights [ODDH in its French abbreviation]. According to the ODDH this is a glaring example of the situation of human rights in Djibouti. The young activist was arrested at a meeting of the opposition on Friday 6 December 2013 and officially released 12 December by the Chamber of flagrante delicto, the court of first instance in Djibouti. Unfortunately, he was again arrested by the police at the threshold of the Gabode prison. Placed in illegal detention he was again presented to the court on 17 December which again ruled in favor of an immediate release. Unfortunately, Chehem Gadito was once again placed back into custody. Several members of his family who were waiting outside the Gabode prison were also arrested and forcibly shipped to Nagad, an administrative detention center intended for illegal aliens. Faced with this denial of justice, Chehem Gadito began a hunger strike. This case highlights the failure of the judiciary in its role as guardian of individual freedom and for ensuring compliance with this principle as provided by law.
Countries in the Horn of Africa: Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia
via Djibouti: Chehem Mr. Gadito, a typical case of arbitrary detention | Somalilandpress.com | Somali News Online from Somaliland – Somalia and Horn of Africa.
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Africa, arbitrary arrest, Chehem Gadito Mohamed, Djibouti, Djibouti Observatory for the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights, Gabode, harassment, Horn of Africa, Human rights defender, illegal detention, ODDH, Somalilandpress.com
December 21, 2013
The mission to Honduras was made up of Baltasar Garzón, a Spanish jurist and human rights defender; Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas, attorney and head of the FIDH mission; Lisa Haugaard of the Latin America Working Group; Annie Bird of Rights Action; Mirna Perla, former magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador; Julieta González from APRODEV-Advocacy Program for Central America in Brussels; Susanna Daag from the Copenhagen Initiative for Central America (CIFCA) in Brussels; Hollman Morris, Colombian journalist and human rights defender; Enrique Santiago of the Foro de Abogados of Spain; Beatriz Gil from the Institute for Political Studies on Latin America and Africa (IEPALA) in Spain; and Pascal Paradis from Lawyers without Borders, Canada. The mission was carried out with the support of CIPRODEH.
The report of 20 December 2013 highlights the following:
- deep concern over the attacks and threats made against the human rights defenders mentioned in its November 23, 2013 press release, including journalists and those who work to defend women, indigenous and Garifuna territories, natural resources, and the lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual, and intersexual community. The mission had access to two blacklists targeting leaders of social and labor organizations, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of the Libertad y Refundación political party and indicating they would be murdered.
- concern over the recent and apparently arbitrary transfer of public prosecutors who had been working in the Special Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Prosecutors’ Offices and the impact of these transfers on the work necessary to overcome the high level of impunity in the country.
- number of irregularities in the election process identified through multiple reports from diverse sectors of Honduran civil society.
- a lack of transparency around the funding of political campaigns and the sources of political party funding.
- strong presence of the Armed Forces during the course of the elections.
- reports that during the course of the last few days, four people linked to the Partido Libertad y Refundación have been murdered. These numbers are over and above the 39 murders that have taken place since May of last year, mostly of members of the same party.
for the full text see: International Mission of FIDH with the Support of CIPRODEH on the Honduran Elections – FIDH.
Posted in FIDH, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Baltasar Garzón, Central America, CIPRODEH, death threats, elections, extra judicial killings, FIDH, Honduras, Human rights defender, Human Rights Defenders, International Federation for Human Rights, Latin America Working Group, LGBTI, Luis Guillermo Pérez Casas, military
December 20, 2013
Whether
Edward Snowden is a human rights defender or a criminal has been much debated and was also reported on in this blog. He was nominated for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize and received the Netizen’s award from the NGO Reporters without Borders. Now the highly respected
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), through its Executive Director
Anthony Romero, has taken a clear stand and his article of 17 December 2013 is provided here in full:
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 1 Comment »
Tags: ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, American government, Amnesty, Anthony Romero, Congress, Edward Snowden, electronic surveillance, European Parliament, government surveillance, human rights awards, Human rights defender, National Security Agency, netizens award, NSA, patriot, Reporters without Borders, right to privacy, Sakharov Prize, Snowden, United States, USA, whistleblower
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 