iraq fighting puts civilians at risk
31 March 2008
fighting and carnage increases in basra...
iraq fighting puts civilians at risk
30 March 2008
after 29 months freedom for ethiopian anti-poverty campaigners...
from available evidence it appears that these two men did not commit any acts for which they needed to seek pardon...they were prisoners of conscience, detained and convicted solely for their peaceful work as human rights defenders...they should have their convictions unconditionally pardoned, and should receive compensation for the period they were unfairly imprisoned...
daniel bekele is the policy manager of actionaid in ethiopia...netsanet demissie is the founder and director of the organization for social justice in ethiopia...both are prominent human rights lawyers...
both men chose to enter a defence, unlike other co-accused, during a trial that ran for over two years...in december 2007, they were convicted by a majority verdict of the ethiopian federal high court of provoking and preparing “outrages against the constitution” and were sentenced to 30 months imprisonment...
29 March 2008
be the voice for those facing imminent, life-threatening human rights violations...
recent news about the crackdown on rights and freedoms in tibet is a clear case for urgent action...hundreds of monks took to the streets in peaceful protest against the government's "patriotic re-education" campaign which forced them to renounce the dalai lama...as demonstrations spread throughout various communities, chinese authorities responded with force...citizens reportedly were dragged from their homes and beaten...
get connected to the urgent action network, stay connected to human rights...make yours one of the thousands of messages that send a powerful signal to government officials that their actions are being watched...your letters can make a difference and are the reason so many of our cases result in success...
28 March 2008
it's time to release aung san suu kyi...
27 March 2008
pakistani supreme court justices released from house arrest...
“Amnesty International is pleased to hear that the new prime minister, upon his swearing in, released Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and other judges from house arrest. Today’s release is the first step in healing Pakistan’s wounds from President Pervez Musharraf’s suspension of fundamental rights. Now the new government must immediately stay true to its promise that these senior justices are immediately reinstated to the court. The Bush administration must also strongly encourage Prime Minister Gilani and his new government to restore the justices without delay. Prime Minister Gilani has a major opportunity to exert his leadership and provide his nation hope that human rights, the constitution and the judiciary are never again viewed as dispensable and at the beck and call of those in power.”
26 March 2008
hundreds of tibet protesters arrested in nepal...
"Nepal is sending a message of no-tolerance of dissent by arresting peaceful demonstrators," said Amnesty International, cautioning that the latest wave of repression extends beyond Tibet-related protests. "This is the latest in a series of clampdowns on peaceful demonstration as elections approach."
"The authorities' interference in peaceful protests by Tibetans and other human rights activists is unconstitutional," said Amnesty Inetrnational. "The move by the District Administration to prevent a peaceful demonstration from taking place is against Article 12 of the Constitution of Nepal. There are also no legal grounds to pre-ban demonstrations."
25 March 2008
help pass the unprecedented international violence against women act...
now, for the first time, the united states has an historic opportunity to raise this issue in its diplomatic work and have an impact on the suffering of millions of women and girls...
act now and contact your senator!
i-vawa is a groundbreaking piece of legislation...the bill lays out a powerful international agenda to combat violence against women and girls...such violence is a critical international development issue that must be addressed in order to achieve prosperity and stability around the world...amnesty international usa, family violence prevention fund and women's edge coalition provided advice on the drafting of the legislation with the input of 150 international and domestic experts...the time is now to capitalize on this awareness and support and to enact this comprehensive vision to address the problem of violence against women...
24 March 2008
freedom for moroccan jailed over facebook profile...
23 March 2008
turkish activist eren keskin sticks to her guns - gets jail sentence for being a peacenik...
22 March 2008
experience guantanamo in a town near you...
in guantánamo's maximum security facilities, detainees are kept for up to 23 hours per day in complete isolation...watch a panoramic photo from inside the cell to get an idea of what it's like...
together you and i can take action to end the human rights violations guantánamo stands for: illegal detention, torture, denial of habeas corpus, extraordinary rendition and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment...
together we can close guantánamo...
take action right now:
sign our global petition to close guantánamo
read about guantánamo and ‘war on terror’ related human rights abuses
donate to support the cell tour
21 March 2008
tibet: police and soldiers raid homes in search of protesters...
"The authorities must also fully account for all those detained, ensuring they are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, have access to lawyers and medical care, are brought promptly before an independent court and are able to challenge their detention," said Catherine Baber, Acting Director of the Asia-Pacific Programme."China must allow full and unimpeded access to Tibet and other Tibetan areas to journalists and other independent observers as well as allowing independent UN investigation into the events of the last week."
20 March 2008
reprise: court ruling puts man with innocence case at risk of execution...
the case has been tainted from the start, with a questionable police investigation, a lack of funding to ensure adequate defense, and an increasingly restrictive appeals process, which has thwarted attempts to present new evidence in the case...
read the report finality over fairness: the case of troy davis
19 March 2008
celebrate an anniversary: five years of carnage and despair in iraq...
18 March 2008
my home state's redneck court refuses new trial in face of massive recantations...
with this decision, the supreme court is demonstrating a blatant disregard for justice and turning its back on the fundamental flaws that taint mr. davis's case at every level...
tell the georgia board of pardon and paroles to commute the death sentence for troy anthony davis....
troy davis was convicted of the murder of savannah police officer mark macphail in 1991...no murder weapon was found and no physical evidence linked davis to the crime...since his conviction, seven out of nine original witnesses have either recanted or changed their testimony. officer macphail's life was cut tragically short, and his family and the people of georgia also deserve true justice...however, this will not be accomplished by executing a man with such strong claims of innocence...
On Aug. 3, the court stayed Mr. Davis’s impending execution to consider new testimony by 13 witnesses that Mr. Davis was not the one who shot the officer in the 1989 case. The shooting killed Mark A. MacPhail, an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard at a Greyhound bus station in Savannah when he tried to break up a fight between two men who were throwing punches over beer.
Amnesty International, a human rights group that has collected more than 60,000 signatures in a petition calling for a new trial for Mr. Davis, blasted the court’s decision.
17 March 2008
what do you think of the chinese crackdown on tibetan demonstrators?
i beleive that chinese authorities to exercise restraint in responding to continuing protests, to fully account for all detainees in lhasa and other tbetan areas during the crackdown on protests over the last week, and to release those detained for peacefully expressing their views and exercising their freedom of expression, association and assembly...
police and military forces have surrounded three major monasteries in the lhasa area, confining monks inside and beating those who have attempted to leave...monks from sera monastery are reported to have started a hunger strike demanding the withdrawal of military forces from their monastery...
16 March 2008
former detainee reveals dirty details of secret cia program...
“At no point during his 32-month confinement was Khaled al-Maqtari told where he was or why. He did not have access to lawyers, relatives or any person other than his interrogators and the personnel involved in his detention and transfers. This clearly violates the USA’s international obligations. The US government has a case to answer”, said Anne FitzGerald, Senior Adviser at Amnesty International, who interviewed Khaled al-Maqtari.
read more
15 March 2008
new reports and disturbing stories of torture and injustice...
in a new report, 31-year-old yemeni national khaled abdu ahmed saleh al-maqtari, first detained at abu ghraib, recounts a regime of beatings, sleep deprivation, suspension upside-down in painful positions, intimidation by dogs, induced hypothermia and other forms of torture...
and in a new interview, murat kurnaz recounts in detail the torture, interrogation and illegal detention he endured for over five years...captured for a $3000 bounty, kurnaz was released in 2006 even though u.s. and german authorities determined his innocence in 2002...
the new report and interview come out the same week amnesty international observed a disturbing pre-trial proceeding at guantánamo of mohammed jawad...
detained when only 16 and visibly agitated at the hearing, jawad said he was tortured, the trials were unfair, and that he had been made permanently ill from being detained in a cell under bright florescent lights for five years...
from abu ghraib to secret cia custody: the case of khaled al-maqtari
read the full murat kurnaz interview
read the full account of this week's pre-trial proceeding at guantánamo
13 March 2008
the universal declaration of human rights celebrates its 60th birthday this year...
the universal declaration of human rights (udhr) -- which confirms the acceptance of 30 rights - was adopted by u.n. member states on 10 december 1948...it began as an initiative of governments, but today it is the common goal of people everywhere...
in the run-up to the 60th anniversary, amnesty international will organize a series of activities that celebrate the udhr - and focus on what must be done to make that promise of universal, indivisible human rights a reality...
every single person has rights - that is the essence of our humanity...each of us has the duty to stand up, not just for our own rights, but also for those of others...
- i believe human rights abuses anywhere are the concern of people everywhere...
- i pledge to harness the power of individuals to galvanize action for justice and equality...
- i am outraged at our leaders' betrayal and are determined to hold them to account...
- i am committed to creating a world in which every person can realize their human rights...
- i will carry the udhr message of hope to every region of the world in its 60th anniversary year...
12 March 2008
continued violence sparks new resolutions for darfur...
new resolutions introduced in the u.s. house and the senate could finally mean protection for civilians in the darfur conflict region...both senators and representatives have crafted legislation aimed at ending the increased armed conflict and human rights violations...
11 March 2008
make it clear that the people of the united states abhor what the lameduck president condones...
in the face of this brutal affront to human rights, we must show that president bush does not represent the vast majority of american citizens...this starts with each and every one of us acting in our own communities...
it took thousands of calls, letters and emails from human rights activists like you to persuade congress to pass tough anti-torture legislation...and now, it's going to take just as much energy and determination to counter bush’s unconscionable veto...
let's make it clear that torture is wrong everywhere, all the time, no matter the circumstances, and no matter which agency does it...and so is putting people on "trial" based on torture-tainted evidence...bush has acted...and now you have to act...call your local radio station...write a letter to the editor...forward this blog to as many people as possible...
10 March 2008
call on zimbabwe's police to allow peaceful protests, meetings, and rallies...
09 March 2008
have you got alberto fujimori in a can? well don't let him out...
as a latin american studies major at usc (east coast) in the 90's i remember this story very well...
while alberto fujimori was head of state of peru from 1990-2000, torture, arbitrary detentions and unfair trials were widespread, and hundreds of people "disappeared" or were killed...investigations into these violations were deliberately impeded, covering up those responsible and preventing their punishment...
in 2000, fujimori fled peru for japan, where he remained in a self-imposed exile until 2005...during fujimori’s stay in japan, peru asked japan for his extradition but japan refused...the japanese economy had tanked and perhaps, maybe, the very well off fujimori was eating enough sushi to keep the treasutry afloat...who knows...
in november 2005, this egomaniac left japan to run in the peruvian presidential election, and was detained upon his arrival in chile at the request of peruvian authorities...fujimori faces charges brought in peru related to the 1991 massacre of fifteen persons at barrios altos, lima, and the 1992 killings and forced disappearances of nine students and a professor at la cantuta university...
on september 21, 2007, the chilean supreme court announced its decision to allow fujimori’s extradition to peru on the above-mentioned two human rights cases plus six others that include kidnappings, illegal wire-tapping, usurpation of constitutional powers and corruption...the decision sent a strong message that no one stands above the law..the trial of alberto fujimori began on december 10, 2007 in lima, peru...
help protect human rights defenders involved in fujimori case...
members of aprodeh, asociación pro derechos humanos (association for the protection of human rights) received death threats through an anonymous telephone call in december 2007...the threats particularly targeted human rights lawyer dr. gloria cano legua, who has been working on legal cases for victims of human rights violations allegedly committed under former president alberto fujimori and for which he is currently on trial...
take action now...
read the blog of hayden gore, a denver-based activist attending the trial of alberto fujimori as an international observer...
take a minute to read the letter from gisela ortiz to aiusa activists the day following fujimori's extradition...
listen to the interview with gisela ortiz, by claudia cragg of kgnu-denver/boulder...
read aiusa's december 7 public statement about the start of the trial...
peace out <3
08 March 2008
petition for safe schools for girls on international women's day...
education is a crucial step in this journey...it is crucial to breaking cycles of poverty, violence and disease...education is a human right, and therefore every girl’s right...
as the 100 year anniversary of international women’s day draws close, and 60 years after human rights were enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights, girls across the world find a range of barriers to education:
- girls are assaulted on the way to school, attacked in schools grounds and teased by their classmates...some are threatened with sexual assault by other students, coerced into sex by teachers, even raped in the staff room...
- in countries wracked by war, girls are at risk from armed groups and from attacks on their schools...sexual abuse and exploitation are problems for girls living in refugee camps or displaced people’s camps...
- certain girls face an increased risk of violence at school...certain aspects of girls’ identities, including their sexuality, status as migrants, orphans or refugees, caste, ethnicity and race, can increase their risk of abuse...
- although free primary education should be available to all children, schools around the world commonly charge user fees...girls are more likely to be excluded than boys when there isn’t enough money to go round...
violence leads to countless girls being kept out of school, dropping out, or not fully participating in school life...effects range from pain and fear, to lowered self-esteem, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies and depression...in many cases, abuses go unreported...
the problem is exacerbated by the fact that girls often choose not to report what continues to be a taboo issue in some societies, or for fear of retaliation...that leaves such acts under-reported and allows their perpetrators to go unpunished...
there is no justification for the lack of action...the issue is not about resources but political will...governments, teachers and school authorities must work to prevent violence against girls in schools, must promptly investigate reports of abuse, impose appropriate punishments on offenders, support those who have suffered from violence to recover and ensure that such abuses do not recur...
join amnesty international’s campaign to protect girls’ rights to safety, equality and education...make schools safe for girls...
read more:
safe schools
stop violence against women
peace out <3
07 March 2008
you have the chance to make history for women this month...
06 March 2008
what kind of olympic legacy will china leave behind...
peaceful dissidents who have exercised their rights to free expression remain locked up under ill-defined charges and senseless prison terms...one chinese journalist, shi tao, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sending an email...
05 March 2008
video: maybe you haven't gotten the message yet - stop violence against women...
peace out <3
04 March 2008
you'll say "what the %#@$&^*#"?: haitians trapped by the "war on terror"...
Daniel Joseph doesn't understand why he is still locked up, or why Attorney General John Ashcroft thinks it would threaten national security to release him. Joseph fled Haiti on a wooden boat with his brother and more than 200 others last October. When, after four and a-half days at sea, he made it to Miami, the skinny 17-year-old thought he would be free.
03 March 2008
egyptian guards shoot another refugee trying to cross israeli border...
want more info?...migrant shot dead trying to cross egypt/israel border...
02 March 2008
fear of illegal killings coincides with thaksin's thai return: protect human rights defenders...
at least 2,500 people were killed between february and may 2003 as part of former prime minister thaksin shinawatra's campaign against drug trafficking...yet according to recent public findings by a special committee set up by the military government in 2007, more than 1,000 of the victims had little or no connection to the drugs trade...despite these findings, as well as evidence of written instructions by senior government officials to use heavy-handed tactics during the campaign, not a single government or police official has been brought to account for the killings in 2003...said catherine baber, amnesty international's asia-pacific program director...
"It is almost inconceivable that such a large number of killings could go on without a single prosecution, especially when a government committee found that at least 1,000 were utterly innocent. Impunity on that scale indicates that the Thai government places very little value on the rule of law or on the lives of its citizens."
"The Prime Minister is now preparing another war on drugs, adding insult to injury to a situation in which crimes against humanity may have occurred. The Prime Minister went on to say that police officers responsible for illegal killings would face legal consequences, yet these assurances ring hollow in view of the record to date."
you can make a difference! protect human rights defenders in thailand (ua 54/08)
01 March 2008
what if american censors jailed you for your emails: take action for chinese journalists here...
...deny him the right to freely express himself...shi tao, a chinese journalist, used his yahoo! email account to send a message to a u.s.-based pro-democracy website...seven months later, he was arrested and charged with the vaguely-worded crime of "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities"...
...harass his family...daily questioning and intimidation tactics were all too much for shi tao's wife...security officials persistently pressured her to divorce shi tao...eventually, she did...
china currently holds the record for the largest known number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world...every email, instant message, and online communication passes through a government-controlled router where it is carefully scrutinized...government officials can filter, block and even discard personal information...