Human Rights Action Update July 6-13

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 

Health care where needed

This week your attention is drawn to Doctors Without Borders. Their mission: "We are Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). We help people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care." We recommend you read this tough article about their work in Syria where the regime targets medical personnel.Certainly they are worthy of a generous donation from all of us and are highly rated by all charity monitors.

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. We send you to the campaign page and urge you to choose a cause to support.  View this video.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers' supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

 

Think of your own child or grandchild

Blast it out and make it go viral. Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

PERU

Defend 2,074 Forcibly Sterilized Women

The right to justice of thousands of women - mainly peasant, Indigenous and Quechua-speaking women who were sterilized against their will is at risk, after authorities failed to file charges against those responsible before the legal deadline passed. Please raise your voice in this call for justice.
 

CHINA

Release Lu Yuyu and his Girlfriend 

Lawyers met with Lu Yuyu and his girlfriend Li Tingyu, two bloggers who compiled and released data on protests in China. They were criminally detained on 15 June 2016 on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. They are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Please act for them.

BANGLADESH

Release Hasnat Karim

Hasnat Karim, his wife and two children were among the surviving hostages from a recent attack in a restaurant in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on 1 July. The family was then taken into custody by the Police Detective Branch for questioning. His wife and children were released on 3 July but Hasnat Karim has not been seen since 2 July. His family has not been informed of his exact whereabouts or  Please act on his behalf.

AUSTRALIA

Carlton United Breweries, maker of Australia's most popular beers, has sacked 54 union machine maintenance workers at its Melbourne brewery ahead of the impending merger between Carlton United's parent company SABMiller and AB InBev. The workers, members of the IUF-affiliated AMWU and the Electrical Trades Union ETU, were told their jobs would be contracted out but they could return to work as employees of the subcontractor - with a 65% pay cut! Please join the protest against this brutal behavior of an employer.

 

USA 

Casino workers and members of UNITE HERE Local 54 in Atlantic City have been fighting companies and billionaires who are undercutting middle-class jobs in New Jersey. Add your name to tell Carl Icahn, owner of the Trump Taj Mahal casino, that you will stand by the 1,100 Trump Taj Mahal casino workers throughout their fight.