Human Rights Action Update February 15-22

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

Disclaimer: Any ads or commercial material appearing with this blog have been placed there without permission of the owner of the blog. Please ignore them.

 

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 direct your attention to Physicians for Reproductive Health.  There mission is to protect the reproduction rights of women and girls. They have a 100% rating from Charity Watch. Please donate and support.

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 raise the issue of enforced "progress." and its deadly effect on uncontacted tribes.  For example:


Please open the links and post them wherever you can.

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.

 

 VIETNAM 

• Urgent Action

  Three Human Rights Defenders Held Incommunicado
  Within 10 days of each other, three unassociated Vietnamese human rights defenders were arrested in January and are currently being held in incommunicado pre-trial detention. With no access to lawyers, they are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Please call for their release.

•  Urgent Action Update: Growing Health Fears For Prisoner Of Conscience  

  Denied proper medical treatment by prison authorities since April 2015, when she was first diagnosed with a tumour on her uterus, Trần Thị Thúy is no longer able to walk without assistance. A prisoner of conscience, she has been detained since her arrest in 2010 and has expressed fears of death due to appalling prison conditions. Please call for her immediate release and medical treatment for her

PERU 

Urgent Action: Indigenous Community At Risk Due To Threats

More than 60 heavily armed individuals entered Asháninka Meantari Indigenous community territory in the Central Peruvian rainforest and forced out 21 families by subjecting them to death threats. Please call upon the government to protect them.

THAILAND 

Urgent Action Update: Activists Could Be Charged For Exposing Torture

A decision by the Public Prosecutor on whether to prosecute three human rights defenders on criminal defamation and computer crimes in connection with their online documentation of torture in Thailand is expected imminently. The charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment plus fines of up to 300,000 baht (US $8,330). The group are to report to Pattani Police Station on 21 February 2017. Please take action on their behalf.

HUNGARY  

On January 13 four trade unionists were sacked during the wage negotiation round by the CEO of the Fővárosi Közterület-fenntartó Nonprofit - FKFZrt (Capital Public Domain Maintenance Company). The union representatives demanded a fair wage increase and expressed readiness to resort to strike action due to the dissatisfaction of workers. Please click and join the protest.

 

 

 

 

 

 AUSTRALIA 

Workers at the Lactalis/Parmalat dairy factory in Echuca, in Australia's Victoria state, have been locked out since January 18 in a dispute over the company's insistence on radically slashing pay for new employees. Please join the protest against this unacceptable behavior of a huge corporation