Human Rights Action update March 23-30

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

 

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER 

In the wake of the closing of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are continuing the charity corner here.  This week we refer you the Malala Fund for education for girls in the Third World. Malala's story of how she was shot by the Taliban for blogging for education for girls is well known. Last year she celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon by opening the Malala Fund’s “Malala Yousafzai All-Girls School” near the Syrian border, which will provide quality secondary education to more than 200 Syrian girls living in informal camps and out of school in the Bekaa Valley region.

Happy birthday Malala

Good News!

China: Zhang Kai Released (UA 190/15)

A prominent human rights lawyer supporting churches resisting the removal of crosses was released on 23 March after being detained for seven months. 

Many thanks to those who sent appeals. No further action is requested of the UA network.

 

 

 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.  

This week we call your attention to the issue of mercury poisoning among the Yanomami and Yekuana tribes in the Amazon rainforest. A study of hair samples from Indians of 19 communities was conducted by Brazilian health foundation Fiocruz, together with the Hutukara Yanomami Association, Brazilian NGO ISA (Socio-Environmental Institute), and APYB, the Yekuana Association. It found that over 90% of Indians in one region are severely affected.

llegal miners are polluting the Yanomami and Yekuana tribes' rivers.

© Fiona Watson/Survival

Illegal gold miners operating on Yanomami land are polluting the Indians’ rivers with mercury, used in the gold-extraction process. The metal then enters the food chain via the river water which the Yanomami drink, and the fish on which they rely as a key part of their diet. Please send your outcry to the Brazilian government and your local Brazilian embassy (vid. the site) and share it loudly on all your social media.

 

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY 

We have added a new section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the site of the CNN Freedom Project  where you can find a large number of campaigns against manifestations of slavery in different countries. The number of people living in slavery is of the order of 35 million, which indicates the extent of the problem. We suggest that you look up the Fair Trade movement in your country and make an effort to avoid buying slave-produced products.   Look for these logos:
 

 

 This week we refer you to Antislavery International, a UK based campaigning organization. There are choices of campaigns on their Web site.  Please act on the issue that hits you hardest.

BANGLADESH 

Leader of political party Jamaat-e-Islami, Motiur Rahman Nizami, is at imminent risk of execution following the Supreme Court of Bangladesh’s decision on 6 March to uphold his death sentence. Nizami is seeking to have the Supreme Court review its decision but should this be rejected, Nizami could be executed in less than two weeks. Please call on the government to halt this and all other scheduled executions and to abolish capital punishment.

CHAD  

Mahamat Nour Ibedou, Younous Mahadjir, Nadjo Kaina Palmer and Celine Narmadji are being detained by the judicial police of N’Djamena, Chad, for planning to organise peaceful demonstrations that were to take place on 22 March and 29 March, to protest against President Idriss Deby’s re-election bid. They are charged with ‘disturbing public order’ and ‘disobeying a lawful order’. Please call for their release and the dropping of all charges.

INDIA

Prabhat Singh, a journalist from the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh has been arrested and charged for allegedly sharing a message on Whatsapp criticising the state police. If convicted he could face up to three years of imprisonment.


Please act and demand his immediate and conditional release and investigation into allegations of torture.
 

Human Rights Action Update March 16-23

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

 

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER 

In the wake of the closing of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are continuing the charity corner here.  This week we refer you to the India Development and Relief Fund.

Life is difficult even after the rains

Our Mission

Breaking the cycle of poverty in India and Nepal by empowering marginalized people with skills, services and infrastructure grounded in sustainable development
Our Philosophy

We believe a lasting change in impoverished regions can happen only when local people take charge and lead the change.  Our method puts power, not charity, in hands of the poor. We steer our programs to produce benefits for children and women who are powerful players in the fight against poverty.  We empower marginalized people with education, livelihood skills and self-governance capabilities so they are equipped to make changes to their lives and their children's.

We also believe every person has the right to survive and prosper with dignity.  IDRF’s programs serve the disadvantaged without regard to religion, caste or creed.

Their rating by Charity Navigator is very high with 96.5% of its budget spent on programs and operations.

Good News! - Democratic Republic of Congo: 

Nine Peaceful Protesters Released Two activists from Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA), Juvin Kombi Narcisse and Pascal Byumanine have been sentenced to three months in prison and fined 100,000 Congolese Francs (about 100 US Dollars) for organizing an ‘illegal’ demonstration. Seven others who were arrested with them have been acquitted. Thanks to all who helped. 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. This week we call your attention to the Ogiek tribe of hunter-gatherers in Kenya. A man from Kenya’s Ogiek tribe was shot dead on Sunday March 13. Stephen Munyereri was reportedly trying to salvage what remained of his son’s home after it was destroyed by illegal settlers.

Stephen Munyereri was allegedly shot dead by an illegal settler in full sight of local police

© PRO-HOME

Mr Munyereri was allegedly shot at close range by a settler, within sight of local police. The suspected killer is now said to be under police protection.

The Ogiek have lived in the Mau Forest since time immemorial, but have long been victims of state­-sponsored landgrabs. In 2013 the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights ordered the Kenyan government to halt their programme of Ogiek evictions. In 2014 Kenya’s courts ordered that the Ogiek’s land be identified as soon as possible.

Yet this ruling was never implemented, and over the past two weeks more than 100 Ogiek families are said to have fled their homes. Their houses and possessions have reportedly been torched with the support of the police. Please click on the link to email the Kenyan government.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY 

We have added a new section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the site of the CNN Freedom Project  where you can find a large number of campaigns against manifestations of slavery in different countries. The number of people living in slavery is of the order of 35 million, which indicates the extent of the problem. We suggest that you look up the Fair Trade movement in your country and make an effort to avoid buying slave-produced products.   Look for these logos:
 

 

This week we take you to Cambodia, a major center for the commerce in girls and women. Watch the video and blast it out to all your social media.

DEATH PENALTY  

In 1995, Obie Anthony was wrongfully convicted of murder. At the time, he was only 19 years old. It was not until almost two decades later that his name was cleared. Obie narrowly avoided being sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit… but his story is far too common. Please act against the death penalty.

CHINA 

Prominent journalist and columnist Jia Jia went missing while he was at the Beijing airport, about to board a flight to Hong Kong. Friends believe that his disappearance may be related to an open letter published on a website on 4 March calling for President Xi Jinping to resign. Please act on his behalf.

UKRAINE 

Investigate the Disappearance of Yuri Grabovski and Protect Oksana Sokolovskaya (UA 67/16). 

Two Ukrainian lawyers have been under sustained pressure from the Ukrainian authorities in connection with a high profile and deeply politicized case they are working on. One of them went missing on 6 March is suspicious circumstances. Please act.

APPLE CORPORATION

Apple is failing to do basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child laborers and adults working in hazardous conditions has not been used in their products. It is time Apple took some responsibility for the mining of the raw materials that make their lucrative products and you, the consumer, can force them to do so.

Children as miners

TAKE ACTION and call on Apple to investigate their cobalt supply chain and prove they are addressing human rights abuses

Human Rights Action Update March 9-16

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

 

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER 

In the wake of the closing of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are continuing the charity corner here.  This week we refer you to Burma UK in honor of the election of the first civilian president in Burma in decades. Despite the nominal return to democracy, there are still political  repression and human rights infringements.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. This week we call your attention to the Wanniyala-Aetto (‘forest people’), who live in a region of tropical forest to the east of Sri Lanka’s central mountain massif. They are thought to have lived in Sri Lanka for many millennia before the arrival of the now dominant Sinhalese and Tamils.I n 1983, the Wanniyala-Aetto’s last forest refuge was designated as the Maduru Oya National Park. They were moved to government villages and banned from entering their forest without a permit. They were also banned from hunting and gathering.

The transition to this new life has been difficult, and many families struggle to grow enough food on the small plots they were given by the government.

Children are now taught the language and religion of the dominant Sinhalese population. Alcoholism and mental illness are rife in the new communities.

Since 1998, some men have been granted permits to hunt and gather in a small area of their forest, but those without permits continue to face fines or imprisonment if caught.

In recent years, three Wanniyala-Aetto, all with permits, have been shot dead by park guards. Many Wanniyala-Aetto want to return to their land in Maduru Oya. Please act for them as requested in the site.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY  

We have added a new section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the site of the CNN Freedom Project  where you can find a large number of campaigns against manifestations of slavery in different countries. The number of people living in slavery is of the order of 35 million, which indicates the extent of the problem. We suggest that you look up the Fair Trade movement in your country and make an effort to avoid buying slave-produced products.   Look for these logos:
 

 

A crucial component of the struggle against slavery is education. This week we refer you to the World at School movement who, together with walk free, are working to help the 59 million children who are out of school. You can help, for example with the  #UpForSchool petition.

Girls should be in school

MYANMAR(BURMA) 

Two union leaders, Naing Htay Lwin and Myo Min Min, were arrested in February 2015 for asking for a pay rise of $1 a day for garment workers. They have been detained in the notorious Insein Prison in Rangoon. They have been sentenced to two years and six months in Insein Prison in Rangoon. Please act for them.

Garment workers in Burma

HONDURAS  

Honduran authorities have ordered Mexican human rights defender Gustavo Castro Soto, sole witness to the murder of Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres and victim of the attack, to remain another 30 days in the country. He has already provided testimony and fears for his safety in Honduras. Please call for his release and permission to return to Mexico.

COLOMBIA 

Dr. Miguel Ángel Beltrán, a Colombian academic and member of the higher education union ASPU, was arrested on charges of rebellion in July 2015 and unjustly sentenced to 8 years' imprisonment in a high security prison in Bogota. Please join the call for his release

 

Human Rights Action updetae March 2 to 9

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

 

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER 

In the wake of the closing of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are continuing the charity corner here. This week we, in the wake of the takeover by force of a newspaper in Turkey, to Reporters Without Borders, who protect press freedom worldwide.

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS' DAY 

March 8 was International Womens' Day, The glacial rate of progress towards true parity has slowed in the past year. So how do we want to celebrate International Women's Day 2016?

We say by Pledging For Parity! Please click here and take the pledge.




Everyone - men and women - can pledge to take a concrete step to help achieve gender parity more quickly - whether to help women and girls achieve their ambitions, call for gender-balanced leadership, respect and value difference, develop more inclusive and flexible cultures or root out workplace bias. Each of us can be a leader within our own spheres of influence and commit to take pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. This week we call your attention to the the Sentinelese, an uncontacted tribe living on North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. They vigorously reject all contact with outsiders.

The Sentinelese enjoy excellent health, unlike those Andamans tribes whose lands have been destroyed.
© Survival International

It is vital that their wish to remain uncontacted be respected – if not, the entire tribe could be wiped out by diseases to which they have no immunity. Contact imposed upon other Andaman tribes has had a devastating impact. Please act to support the effort to protect them.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY  

We have added a new section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the site of the CNN Freedom Project  where you can find a large number of campaigns against manifestations of slavery in different countries. The number of people living in slavery is of the order of 35 million, which indicates the extent of the problem. We suggest that you look up the Fair Trade movement in your country and make an effort to avoid buying slave-produced products.   Look for these logos:
 

 

This week we  refer you to the the state of people in various states of abuse and enslavement in Thailand. The site NotForSale provides vivid descriptions of the trafficking and exploitation of stateless people. Thailand is a ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. Conservative estimates place the number of victims forced into labor or exploited in the sex trade in the tens of thousands. Migrant workers, ethnic minorities and stateless children are the most at-risk populations of trafficking. Internationally recognized as a sex tourism destination, Thailand is often more visibly associated with sex trafficking. However, labor trafficking is also rampant in the country with a large portion of victims operating in commercial fishing, low-end garment production and domestic work.

Save them from slavery

Please put this information out to the world on all your social media.

HONDURAS 

Berta Cáceres was realistic about the risks she faced, but said she felt obliged to fight on and urged others to do so. Photograph: The Guardian

Berta Cáceres, leader and co-founder of the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras (COPINH), was shot dead in her home on March 3 in the town of La Esperanza, in the province of Intibucá, west Honduras. Human rights organizations have condemned the killing and call for the government of Honduras to take steps to find the killers and bring them to justice. Between 2010 and 2014, 101 campaigners were killed in Honduras, a higher death toll relative to population than anywhere else, according to the study How Many More? by NGO Global Witness. It said a disproportionately high number of them were from indigenous communities who resisted development projects or the encroachment of farms on their territory. Please call for justice for Berta Caceres on your social media.

CHINA  

There are fears that a young Tibetan woman, who has been imprisoned for moving the body of a man who set himself on fire, could be subjected to unnecessary medical procedures against her will.

Please write and call for protection for Dolma Tso.

VIETNAM

There are increasing fears for the safety and security of Vietnamese Trần Minh Nhật, a former prisoner of conscience, who is facing ongoing harassment, intimidation and other human rights abuses by police in the province of Lâm Đồng in the south of Việt Nam. Please act on his behalf.

EU/GREECE

Thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are trapped in Greece in dire conditions, with no access to protection due to arbitrary and discriminatory border closures on the Western Balkans route. As thousands are arriving, the humanitarian situation will deteriorate unless EU states urgently start accepting refugees from Greece.

The EU-Turkey agreement now being worked out is a calamity. We quote from Amnesty International "EU and Turkish leaders have today sunk to a new low, effectively horse trading away the rights and dignity of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The idea of bartering refugees for refugees is not only dangerously dehumanising, but also offers no sustainable long term solution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” said Iverna McGowan, Head of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.

Please protest to the EU.

TURKEY

Syrian refugee M.K. has been arbitrarily detained under inhumane conditions at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport since 9 November 2015. He is at risk of being returned to Syria, where his life would be in danger. Please act at once to save his life.

Human Rights Action Update February 24-March 2

Miriam,  human rights defender, 1947-2012

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

 

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

GOOD NEWS

TUNISIA 

Tunisian teacher Abdelfattah Said has been freed. His case was dismissed by a court of appeal on 5 February.  Thanks to all who acted for him.

SOUTH SUDAN   

Joseph Afandi, a journalist with the El Tabeer daily newspaper who was held incommunicado by the South Sudanese National Security Service (NSS) since 29 December 2015 has been released. Thanks to all who helped.

CHARITY CORNER 

In the wake of the closing of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are continuing the charity corner here. This week we refer you again to the Kasiisi Project Girls Support Program. Their mission is threefold:  keeping girls in school, informed about their sexual health, and economically independent. The Kasiisi Project Girls Support Program has developed initiatives to assist girls in successfully completing their education. These programs include: Supplying sanitary pads to girls who are menstruating; Constructing private 'girls only' latrines; Providing accurate health information and mentorship through a female health worker. This may seem to be a somewhat delicate issue to raise, but it is a human rights problem and the future of the developing world depends on providing education to girls and young women. The Kasiisi Project is a most worthy cause.

Primary school girls

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

The Dongria unanimously rejected the mining project and have vowed to protect the Niyamgiri hills

© Bikash Khemka/Survival

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. 

This week we call your attention to the Dongria Kondh, a tribe in eastern India, who are facing a new threat from mining on their ancestral land, despite having won a major “David & Goliath” legal battle in 2014.
The Dongria Kondh were originally threatened by international mining corporation Vedanta Resources, who tried to open a bauxite mine in their sacred Niyamgiri hills, but were prevented by the Indian Supreme Court, which ruled that the Dongria should decide whether to allow the mine to go ahead.

The tribe unanimously rejected Vedanta’s plans to mine their hills during a historic referendum in which all twelve villages that were consulted voted against the mine. The mining company is back with the aid of the state government.
Please blast this scandal out to the world on all your social networks and take the steps requested on the site.

 

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY  

We have added a new section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the site of the CNN Freedom Project  where you can find a large number of campaigns against manifestations of slavery in different countries. The number of people living in slavery is of the order of 35 million, which indicates the extent of the problem. We suggest that you look up the Fair Trade movement in your country and make an effort to avoid buying slave-produced products.   Look for these logos:
 

 

      

This week we  refer you to the the issue of children kidnapped into forced begging in Bangladesh. Read and watch the story of a seven year old who was mutilated after refusing to beg. Four men surrounded the 7-year-old boy, bound his hands and feet and cracked open his head with a brick. They held him down and took a switchblade to his throat. They sliced his chest and belly in an upside down cross. And in a final brutal act, they hacked him sideways, chopping off his penis and his right testicle. He survived and now we must all try to put an end to this evil. Put this out on all your social media.

EGYPT 

People all over the world were shocked and saddened to learn of the torture and murder of Giulio Regeni, a young academic who was in Egypt to research the situation of independent trade unions. There was a great response as reported by Eric Lee, but more pressure is needed. 

A big thanks to the more than 10,000 of you who very quickly turned our campaign demanding justice for murdered Italian researcher Giulio Regeni into one of our largest.  But we need many more people to sign up, so please share this link widely. Please join the protests and demand true answers from the government of Egypt.

 

CHINA 

A young Tibetan writer and blogger, Druklo (pen-name Shokjang), was sentenced to three years imprisonment, almost one year after he was first detained. It is believed that this is as a result of an article he wrote describing the increased presence of Chinese security officers ahead of a politically-sensitive Tibetan anniversary. Please call for his immediate and unconditional release.

PAKISTAN 

Please join an AVAAZ initiative to support laws against so-called honor killings in Pakistan. You may also join a call to President Obama to throw the support of the US government behind the struggle to eliminate this atrocity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 

Blogger Darya Poliudova was sentenced on 21 December 2015 to two years’ imprisonment in an open prison colony for criticizing the Russian government. The appeal hearing will take place on 10 March. Please call for the sentence to be quashed and for the right of free expression to be protected.

 

MOROCCO 

 Said Elhairech - who has continued to lead his union, Union des Syndicats UMT des Transports - has been dismissed from his job by Somaport, the CMA-CGM owned port operator. Please click and tell CMA-CGM to give Said back his job and to stop attacking trade union rights in Morocco.