Human Rights Update Nov. 30-Dec. 5

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

AFGHANISTAN
Terrible amendments to the penal code are being put forward. They include at least 26 amendments to the country’s Penal Code such as::

• public stoning to death for ‘adultery’ by married people
• amputation of hands and feet for theft and robbery
• up to 100 lashes for unmarried people found guilty of ‘adultery’.   

Please act at once.

Bringing back stoning is a betrayal of the Afghan people © UNHCR / J. Tanner

 Global Campaign Targets Violence Against Women And Girls Caused By 'militarism'
 Please join this campaign sponsored by Amnesty International. There are actions aimed at several countries. Please do as many as you can. 

Human Rights Action Update Nov. 22-28

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

MEXICO
We have in the past called for action to obtain justice for Miriam Lopez who was raped by Mexican soldiers and then held for seven months on false charges. She had the courage to complain, but nothing has been done. Our friends from Amnesty Australia are running a campaign for her. Let us all join them.  It is a good idea to send a copy to your local Mexican embassy. As AI Australia write on their site:

Without your help, Miriam will not receive the justice she deserves for the awful crimes committed against her.

On Human Rights Day, 10 December, we will close this action and present all your names to Jesús Murillo Karam, Mexico’s Federal Attorney General. It will mark two years that Miriam has been waiting for justice.
In our experience, emails can be go down when flooded with actions from around the world. Take action and send your email now to Jesús Murillo Karam.

Demand justice for Miriam López © Amnesty International

 



NOMADS IN BRAZIL 
The plight of the Awa people in Brazil has attracted major media attention. They have been recently featured in both Vanity Fair and the Sunday Times. The result has been 55,000 letters to the Brazilian authorities and suddenly they have become a priority.

STANDING TALL Awá men and boys, in the Território Indígena Awá, in the Brazilian Amazon.

We applaud the media celebrities who have joined this campaign and are proud to have been part of it. We shall continue to monitor this action. We invite you to display the Awaicon. 
 

MOROCCO
 In Morocco a girl who has been raped is forced by law to marry her rapist. This of course condemns her to a life of misery at the mercy of a man who attacked her and will continue to do so.  Please sign a petition to put an end to this terrible practice.

Human Rights Action Update Nov. 15-21

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

BRAZIL
Sixty families from two rural communities in the state of Maranhão, northeast Brazil, were left homeless and landless after being forcibly evicted by Maranhão police. The community Campo da Bandeira has also been threatened and intimidated by gunmen patrolling the area. Four community leaders have been “marked down for death”. Please act on this issue. A template letter to the Brazilian authorities is available for personalized editing on your part.


MEXICO 
Acts of intimidation are being carried out and false charges are being raised against labor activists in Mexico. Please protest and demand the dropping of the charges. If the form comes up with my details, just erase them and put in your own. The site can be too user-friendly at times.

SRI LANKA: STOP EMPLOYMENT OF SCABS
Australian-based manufacturer of medical gloves and condoms, Ansell continues to attack its workers. Suspending striking trade union members in Sri Lanka and replacing them with contracted scabs puts a bad stain on Ansell’s products that are exported throughout the world. Please join this campaign here. Also please send the solidarity message to our sisters and brothers in the free trade zone of Sir Lanka.

 

Human Rights Action Update Nov.8-14

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

JUSTICE IN BANGLADESH
In 1996 the Pahari activist, Kalpana Chakma, from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, disappeared. At 23 years old, she was abducted from her home in Lallyagona village, Baghaichari, Rangamati district. Since then the police have done little or nothing to bring her abductors to justice. The courts have rejected the feeble "reports" and excuses of the police. Please click to sent a letter to the Home Minister demanding justice for Kalpana Chakma.

ETHIOPIA-RELEASE FREE SPEECH ACTIVIST ESKENDER NEGA
Eskinder is serving an 18 year prison sentence in Ethiopia for ‘incitement to commit terrorist acts’ and ‘treason’ - but he is neither a terrorist nor a traitor. He is a firm believer in free speech and an honest journalist, which frightens dictators. . Please sign the petition to bring him home.

 

 He is a brave activist who wrote:

‘Individuals can be penalised, made to suffer (oh, how I miss my child) and even killed. But… I will live to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may or may not be a long wait. Whichever way events go, I shall persevere.’
Eskinder Nega

MURDER AND THREATS TO TRADE UNION ACTIVISTS IN COLOMBIA
Oscar López Triviño was murdered on November 9 in the Colombian city of Bugalagrande a day after he and other members of his union, SINALTRAINAL, received death threats from paramilitaries. The union had been on hunger strike at Nestlé beginning November 5. Please join the protest of the  IUF against this anti-union terrorism and the call for action on the part of the Colombian government.

ILLEGAL UNION BUSTING IN NEW ZEALAND












Sean Bailey has been fired by McDonald's in New Zealand as punishment for testifying before a Parliamentary committee about labor abuses by his employer. This is not only immoral and unjust, but also illegal since penalties for testimony in Parliament are a violation of the law. Please click and join the protest against this action and demand Sean Bailey's reinstatement. 

Human Rights Action update Nov. 1-7

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

CHINA
We have an update on the case of the human rights defender Cao Shunli who is in detention for her
human rights activities. A template letter to the authorities is provided Feel free to edit and personalize it. While we have acted on her behalf in the recent past, Amnesty International is calling on all of us to keep up the pressure on the Chinese authorities with respect to Cao Shunli. Please help put in this terrible case.

MYANMAR(BURMA)
Human rights defender Kyaw Hla Aung remains arbitrarily detained in Myanmar over three months after he was arrested in connection with his peaceful activities. He has been charged with multiple offenses and is facing a lengthy prison sentence. There are serious concerns regarding his lack of access to his lawyer. Please act.  A template letter is available which you may edit and personalize.

TIBET
 Human rights abuses by the Chinese government continue unabated in Tibet. 
 
 China’s leaders are mounting an intense campaign to draw a veil over their rights abuses and persuade governments to vote them onto the UN Human Rights Council. So if enough of us shine a light on what’s going on in Tibet -- squashing an ancient religion, banning journalists, dawn arrests --we can get China to back away from its hard-line policy in order to be sure of getting the 97 votes it needs. Please sign the AVAAZ petition.

Human Rights Action update Oct. 26-31

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

BOTSWANA: PERSECUTION OF BUSHMEN
The indigenous people of Botswana are being subject to systematic persecution by the government of Botswana. Despite court orders to enable them to maintain their hunting-gathering life style, the government is pushing them out of their ancestral lands under the bogus claim of conservation. The truth is that their lands happen to be rich in diamonds and the DeBeer Corporation is using various blandishments to obtain mining concessions from the government. Please act on behalf of the Bushmen.
 


Survival International is calling for protests and a tourist boycott of Botswana.

Botswana attracts tourists with images of the Kalahari Bushmen, whilst driving them off their lands

© www.botswanatourism.co.bw

WORKERS' RIGHTS IN TURKEY

Since Jun e 2012 aviation workers in Turkey have been in dispute with Turkish Airlines (THY) over their right to strike and the dismissal of 305 workers who took industrial action on May 29, 2012 to protest the government's plan to ban strikes in the aviation sector. Turkish Airlines responded by sacking these workers via text message and email. CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO TURKISH AIRLINES.

WORK SAFETY IN BANGLADESH AND DELAYS IN COMPENSATION

Over six months have passed since the Rana Plaza disaster and compensation has been paid to only a tiny fraction of the victims.The INTERNATIONAL LABOR RIGHTS FORUM  is calling for protests. We quote them:
"Since 2005, over 1,800 workers have been killed in preventable factory fires and building collapses in the Bangladesh garment industry. Now over 100 companies have joined together in the Accord on Fire and Building Safety to prevent further tragedies. But most US companies are still refusing to join the Accord and to pay their fair share of compensation to the victims of factory disasters. 
This week marks six months since the Rana Plaza building collapse - read our new report: Still Waiting: Six months after history's deadliest apparel industry disaster, workers continue to fight for compensation. "
Please act and think twice before enjoying the low prices of Walmart and Gap. Those prices represent blood.If the petition comes up with my details, just erase and put in your own.

Human Rights Action Update Oct. 18-24

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

This month we mark the passing of a year since the death of our beloved Miriam. Her daughters marked the event with a memorial that included a lecture by a linguist on the influence of foreign languages on Hebrew. This was an appropriate memorial for Miriam's career as a translator. Her efforts on medical translation in which she strove to bring medical services to marginalized populations merged her professional persona with her human rights defender aspect. Her attitude towards human rights defense was that it was something to do and not to talk about too much. This blog is dedicated to her memory and we hope we are getting someone somewhere to do something for human rights. Now to work:

CHINA
The pattern of forced evictions goes on.  Demolition without any warning took place in Bagou village, Haidian district, Beijing. Please act on this. A template letter is available. Just remove my formatting and use it freely.

MEXICO
AWID calls our attention to a series of death threats against community activists in Oaxaco State in Mexico. Please respond to the request for actions. A template letter is available.

UNITED STATES
Nearly 2 years ago, 14-year-old Daisy Coleman* was raped at a party by a high school football star and grandson of a powerful local politician in Maryville, Missouri. But now, he’s walking free while Daisy and her family struggle to survive with what happened to her. Please sign the petition to put an end to the cover up. It is a repeat of the Steubenville rape story.