Human Rights Action Update November 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 

This week we call your attention the Center for Victims of Torture. Their missions are many, one of them healing.

Healing the Wounds of Torture

We rebuild lives by extending healing care to survivors of  torture. Our healing care in Minnesota, Georgia, Africa and the Middle East restores hope so survivors can once again live healthy, productive and peaceful lives.They have a high rating from Charity Navigator. Please donate.

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. 
Tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world. But they are being illegally evicted from their ancestral homelands in the name of conservation. They face arrest and beatings, torture and death, while big game trophy hunters are encouraged. Please join the call for a new approach to conservation.

Takwarentxia with a monkey, Juriti community, Brazil.

© Fiona Watson/Survival

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:

 

 
Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

A major food component, palm oil, is obtained by child labor. Read the report from Amnesty International and protest to the corporations that exploit child labor. Nine multinational companies confirmed they get palm oil from Wilmar's Indonesia operations, but only two would confirm which products the palm oil goes in. Tweet at your favorite brands to ask companies if they are using palm oil tainted by human rights abuses.

Child transporting a wheelbarrow full of heavy palm fruit bunches over a narrow bridge on a plantation that was investigated in North Sumatra, name of company and location withheld for safety. Credit: Amnesty International/Watchdoc

 

WRITE FOR RIGHTS 

This is the time of year to take action on human rights in a big way. 

Amnesty International offers its Write for Rights program.
Write like someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes a letter can change someone’s life. That’s the premise of Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global letter-writing campaign. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest human rights events.
Every December, Amnesty supporters across the globe will write millions of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. They are people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.

And it’s not just letters – it could be petitions, emails, Tweets, Facebook posts, photos, postcards. Your words really can change lives. Join us.

INDONESIA 

Take Action! - Peaceful Activist Sentenced To A Year In Prison

Peaceful Papuan political activist, Steven Itlay, has been convicted of ‘incitement’ and sentenced to one year imprisonment in Timika, Papua province. Please call for his immediate and unconditional release.

CHINA 

Take Action! - Missing Lawyer At Risk Of Torture

Beijing human rights lawyer, Jiang Tianyong, has not been heard from since 21 November when he was due to board a train to Beijing from Changsha, Hunan. He has been previously detained and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

Please call for an immediate, impartial, independent and effective investigation into Jiang Tianyang's fate and whereabouts, with public disclosure  of its findings and bringing those responsible to justice.

GAMBIA 

Take Action! - Ex-Government Official Held Incommunicado

Mamadou Sajo Jallow, an ex-deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has been held incommunicado for more than two months at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) without access to his family or a lawyer. He remains in detention despite a court granting him bail. Please call for his immediate release.

TURKEY 

More Action Needed! - Hundreds Of NGOs Permanently Closed

375 registered associations and NGOs were permanently closed and their assets seized following an executive decree No. 677 issued on 22 November. NGOs whose activities had been suspended on 11 November are among those who appear on the list of closed organizations. Even under the state of emergency, this closure cannot be justified. Please call for repeal of the decree and the reopening of the NGO's.

Human Rights Action Update November 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 

This week we call your attention to Oxfam International, a most effective NGO that is one of the first, if not the first relief body on site when a disaster strikes.
Oxfam is an international confederation of 18 organizations working together with partners and local communities in more than 90 countries. Their mission:

One person in three in the world lives in poverty. Oxfam is determined to change that world by mobilizing the power of people against poverty.

Around the globe, Oxfam works to find practical, innovative ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty and thrive. We save lives and help rebuild livelihoods when crisis strikes. And we campaign so that the voices of the poor influence the local and global decisions that affect them.

In all we do, Oxfam works with partner organizations and alongside vulnerable women and men to end the injustices that cause poverty. 

Ongoing conflict with Boko Haram, across West Africa’s Lake Chad Basin region, has forced more than 2.6 million people to flee terrifying violence in Nigeria, Niger and Chad. Having left everything behind, their homes ruined and their lives completely disrupted, they live in extreme vulnerability. You can help.

Please donate

 

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. 
This week we direct your attention to the aboriginal people of Australia. 
There are many ways to help them, vid. the end of the web page.

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:

 

 
Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

Help victims of enslavement in the UK. It should not be tolerated anywhere, but certainly not in a country of Western Europe.

CUBA 

Take Action! - Human Rights Lawyers Face Intimidation By Authorities 

Members of Cubalex, a Havana-based organization of human rights lawyers, have been subjected to months of harassment and intimidation by the Cuban authorities for their work. Please protest to the Cuban authorities

FRANCE 

Take Action! - Two Young Men At Serious Risk If Returned To Sudan 

Two young Sudanese nationals are at risk of being forcibly returned from France to Sudan, where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations. The two men are in a detention centre near Paris awaiting their expulsion. Please act on their behalf.

ARGENTINA 

More Action Needed! - Social Leader Remains In Arbitrary Detention 

The social leader Milagro Sala has been arbitrarily detained since 16 January. The Argentine government has not complied with the UN decision of 27 October ordering her immediate release. Please call for her immediate release.

MYANMAR 

Take Action! - Safety Concern For Communities In Northern Rakhine State 

After attacks on police outposts in the north of Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the authorities initiated a major security operation placing thousands of already vulnerable people at risk. Amid reports of human rights violations by security forces, access for humanitarian organizations, independent journalists and human rights monitors has been restricted. Please raise your voice in protest. We append a description of what is happening every day to the Rohingya population.

MALAWI

Demand that Malawi protect Annie Alfred and other people with albinism from murder

Annie Alfred is like any other child in Malawi, but some people believe her body has magic powers. Annie was born with albinism, an inherited condition that prevents her skin cells from producing enough color. And like other people with albinism in Malawi, Annie could be killed for her body parts because some think this will make them rich. Thousands like Annie are at risk. Demand that Malawi protect people with albinism from murder. Please sign the petition calling for protection for albinos.

IRAN 

Teacher union leader from Tehran, Mr Esmail Abdi has been sentenced to six-year jail on bogus charges, including one for “assembling and colluding against national security”. These charges are unjust and contravene various human right conventions, including those protecting freedom of expression and association, as well as the right of unions to be consulted on education policies. The authorities are attempting to silence teachers’ grievances through repression and the extended incarceration of unionists and activists. Please join the protest.If you get my details, erase them and add your own.

Human Rights Action Update November 9-16

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

This week we mark the fourth anniversary of the loss of our beloved Miriam. Friends and human rights activists will gather at her grave on Friday to remember her together.

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 

This week we call your attention to the 7.8 Richter earthquake that hit New Zealand on Monday. We ask you to donate to the New Zealand Red Cross who appear to be the only NGO on the scene. Please help.

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. 
This week we ask you to inform yourself about the Bushmen of Africa and to take steps on their behalf.

Bushman woman Xoroxloo Duxee from the Metsiamenong community, died of dehydration and starvation in 2005 after the government blockaded the reserve and armed guards prevented her people from hunting, gathering or obtaining water, Botswana.

© Survival International

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:

 

 
Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

Please join the campaign to stop the flow of profits to Western companies from enslaved workers in Eritrea.

 

17 Angola Youth Activists Granted Amnesty  

The 17 Angolan youth activists arrested, detained and convicted for attending a meeting to discuss politics and governance concerns in the country were granted amnesty by the Supreme Court on 16 September. Instead of the amnesty, 16 of them would prefer to have their conviction quashed.
 No further action is requested of the UA network. Many thanks to those who sent appeals.

Thailand 

Take Action! Human Rights Lawyer Faces Up To 15 Years' Imprisonment

Human rights lawyer Sirikan Charoensiri (also known as June) faces an unfair trial in a military court together with 14 peaceful student activists she legally represented in June 2015. If convicted, she could face up to fifteen years’ imprisonment. Please call for the dropping of these unjust charges.

India

More Action Needed! - Detained Journalist Beaten For Peaceful Protest

Police in Chhattisgarh, a state in Central India, used batons to beat detained journalist Santosh Yadav and seven other prisoners for protesting against the quality of food served in the Jagdalpur central jail. Santosh Yadav’s relatives say they have not been allowed to see him since the incident. Please join the protest against mistreatment of prisoners in India.

 Azerbaijan 

Take Action! - End Harassment Of Human Rights Lawyer And Family

Prominent lawyer Elchin Sadigov was threatened by an official from the Ministry of the Interior for exposing torture of his client on 2 November. Since then, he and his family have been subjected to harassment, including online. Please call for an investigation and protection for him.

Singapore

Take Action! - Halt Execution For Drug-Related Conviction

The execution of Nigerian national Chijioke Stephen Obioha has been set for 18 November. He was convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore and was given the mandatory death sentence. A new clemency application is pending before the President. Please support his plea for clemency and call for the abolition of the death penalty.

PAKISTAN

Pepsico is refusing to recognize a union of its women workers. PepsiCo has responded to the workers' demand for rights and recognition by harassing and threatening union officers, pressuring workers to leave the union and creating a bogus union to usurp collective bargaining rights. Please click to send Pepsico a message.

USA

This not a call for action, but a report on an incident in California which shows how racism and police brutality work together. Ali Afshar a California physician was driving along when he saw a black man in police custody.  As you may or may not know, the incidence and relapse rates of schizophrenia in African-Caribbean males in Western countries has been reported as being much higher than equivalent white male cohorts. E.g.

We found remarkably high IRRs (inter-rater reliability) for both schizophrenia and manic psychosis in both African-Caribbeans (schizophrenia 9.1, manic psychosis 8.0) and Black Africans (schizophrenia 5.8, manic psychosis 6.2) in men and women Fearon et al, 2006 

He saw what looked like severe mental issues with the prisoner and stopped to offer medical help. The reaction of the cops is something you must read.

 

Human Rights Action Blog Update November 2-9

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 

This week we call your attention to a major international human rights defender, Human Rights Watch. They monitor human rights violations around the world. Their mission statement:"Human Rights Watch exposes human rights abuses like torture, violence against women, and child exploitation. In order to maintain our independence, we accept no money from any government.

We rely solely on the generosity of people like you to defend human rights."

Nobel Prize Winner
Human Rights Watch shared in the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to establish the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty that protects civilians from the brutality of weapons that main and kill indiscriminately.
Please open the site and donate.

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. 

Tribal conservationists

Tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world. But they are being illegally evicted from their ancestral homelands in the name of conservation. They face arrest and beatings, torture and death, while big game trophy hunters are encouraged.
Join the call for a new approach to conservation
Demand a ban of India’s brutal ‘shoot on sight’ policy

A park guard in India’s infamous “shoot on sight” national park has shot a 7 year-old tribal boy. Akash (pictured) is in a critical condition and may lose his leg.

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:

 

 
Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

alone and at risk of slavery: UNACCOMPANIED CHILD REFUGEES

Please act for the unaccompanied children arriving in Europe from war zones.

Venezuela

More Action Needed! - LGBT Activist And Prisoner Of Conscience Requires Medical Care

Prisoner of conscience Rosmit Mantilla was scheduled to undergo surgery on 31 October, however, despite a court order, agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service have taken him back to prison, where he was placed in a punishment cell while his health continues to deteriorate. Please act on his behalf.

Take Action! - Four Young Men Arrested After Publishing Video

Andrés Moreno Febres-Cordero, Marco Trejo, James Mathison and César Cuellar were arrested at the end of September for producing a video for the opposition party Primero Justicia. They are worryingly being tried for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. Please call for their release since no crime has been committed.

 

Russian Federation

Take Action! - Prisoner Of Conscience Writes Of Torture

In a letter addressed to his wife and published on a news website on 1 November, prisoner of conscience Ildar Dadin revealed that prison staff, including the director of the prison colony in Segezha, in the Karelia region of Russia, have beaten and tortured him since his arrival on 10 September. Please act for him.

Singapore

Take Action! - Activists Fined For Peaceful Protest

Three activists have been convicted for organising a peaceful protest in 2014 and have been ordered by the court to pay substantial fines. Please call for the quashing of  their convictions and the cancellation of the fines.

Turkey

Take Action! - Massive Crackdown On Media After July Coup Attempt

Nine journalists and board members of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet were imprisoned pending trial on 4 November. At least 112 journalists and other media workers have been remanded in pre-trial detention since the 15 July coup attempt and the declaration of the state of emergency on 21 July. A total of 169 media outlets have been shut down during the same period by executive decree.

Please call for their release and dropping of charges.

Human Rights Action Update October 27-November 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/

CHARITY CORNER 

A dedicated team of caregivers at one of our CF clinics

This week we ask you to donate to an Israeli charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Israel. Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive, genetic, multi-system disease to which there is no cure. In Israel, there are some 350,000 CF carriers and 650 patients, half of whom are children.

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Israel emotionally and financially supports all the CF patients in Israel as well as their families. Given the progressive nature of their disease, CF patients require intensive and time consuming daily treatments that include lung drainage, inhalation, medication and daily physiotherapy sessions. Due to the high risk of infection from other diseases, CF patients are frequently hospitalized for short term intensive treatments. Cystic Fibrosis patients have to undergo daily treatment that last 4 hours and include taking 50 different kinds of medications. Please donate.

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. 
We suggest you consider the plight of the Harpy Eagle tribe in Brazil.
Waves of ranchers and other settlers are overrunning the territory of a recently-contacted Brazilian tribe with the support of local politicians. It is being described in the region as “the worst land invasion in decades” and could wipe out nearby uncontacted people.
The Uru Eu Wau Wau Indians are known as the “Harpy Eagle” people, as they use the bird’s huge feathers to make hunting arrows and headdresses. They call their uncontacted neighbors the Jururei, meaning “brave ones.”

The Uru Eu Wau Wau are famous for tattooing around their mouths with genipapo, a black dye made from an Amazonian fruit.

© Fiona Watson/Survival (1991)

We know very little about uncontacted peoples, but we do know that whole populations are being wiped out by genocidal violence from outsiders who steal their land and resources, and by diseases like flu and measles to which they have no resistance. The Uru Eu Wau Wau were decimated following first contact in the 1980s. Please open this link and share the story on all your social networks to cause embarrassment to the Brazilian government and to make them protect the land rights that were given to this tribe 25 years ago.

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:

 

 
Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.




We again ask you to help end the slavery in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 

Sentences of Two Ukrainian Men Upheld After Unfair Trial

On 26 October the Russian Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Stanislav Klykh and Mykola Karpyuk who had been sentenced after an unfair trial to 20 and 22 years respectively for allegedly killing Russian soldiers in Chechnya in 1994 – 1996. Please act for them.

 CHINA 

More Action Needed! - Release Last G20 Journalist In Detention

One of the citizen journalists detained for covering protests prior to the G20 summit, Yuan Ying, was released on 27 October and sources have attributed international pressure, including action taken by Amnesty International, to her release. The last of the six citizen journalist’s from the Sichuan-based website “64 Tianwang”, Qin Chao, is still being detained. Please call for his release.

VIET NAM 

Take Action! - Three Environmental Activists Face Harassment And Risk Arrest 

Three human rights defenders engaged in activism relating to an ecological disaster in Viet Nam are facing severe harassment, including public denunciations, prosecution and death threats. They could be arrested for “conducting propaganda” against the state. Please call upon the authorities to  end the harassment, attacks and threats against peaceful activists immediately.

CAMEROON 

Fomusoh Ivo Feh Facing 20 years in jail for a text

Fomusoh Ivo Feh was just about to start university when an SMS message changed everything. One
 day, he forwarded a sarcastic text to a friend. The message joked that even Boko Haram (an armed group), wouldn’t hire you unless you passed five high school subjects. That text got Ivo arrested. Now he faces up to 20 years in prison. He is a prisoner of conscience. Please open the link and take the steps requested, especially the download of the case sheet.