Human Rights Action Update April 30-May 6

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

EMBASSY FINDER Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.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 target the illicit trade in wildlife and invite you to contribute to the WildAid foundation.  The mission statement: "WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. We envision a world where people no longer buy wildlife products such as shark fin, elephant ivory and rhino horn."


While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement.

CHEERS FOR THE NIGERIAN PEOPLE WHO TOOK ON SHELL OIL AND WON 

We are pleased to report the payment of compensation to the victims of Shell's decades of pollution in Nigeria. The people of the Niger valley thank all people and organizations who participated in the campaign against Shell Oil.

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 focus on the the Papuan people who live in the western half of the island of New Guinea which is under the rule of Indonesia and is distinct from the independent country of Papua New Guinea.  The region is home to around 312 different tribes, including some uncontacted peoples. The central mountainous region of Papua is populated by the highland peoples, who practice pig husbandry and sweet potato cultivation.

A Korowai man and child in West Papua
© Survival International

The lowland peoples live in swampy and malarial coastal regions, and live by hunting the abundant game, and gathering. They are subject to severe abuse from the Indonesian authorities. Please act to protect their human rights and their freedom to choose their way of life.

PARAGUAY 

The life of a 10-year-old girl who is pregnant after having been raped by her stepfather is in danger. Despite the high risk this pregnancy poses and her mother’s request, access to safe abortion has not been yet provided. Please raise your voice for this poor child.

CHINA 

Tibetan monk Choephel Dawa has not been heard from since he was detained by police on 28 March. It is not known where he is being held, or the charges against him, and he is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Please act on his behalf.

ROMANIA 

Eight Roma families, are at risk of forced eviction in Eforie, in south-east Romania by 30 April. The authorities must put in place key international human rights safeguards and ensure that no one is forcibly evicted. Please write to the authorities involved.

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. If they are convicted, they could face up to 3 years in jail.
Please open the link and act.

Human Rights Action Update April 23-29

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

A FEW CHANGES

In light of the retirement of the Titan and Pollyanna blogs, we are moving the CHARITY CORNER to this blog and will ask you each week to consider donating to a chosen charity. We will refer you to those we consider relevant to the thrust of this blog and who meet standards of efficiency and transparency as reviewed by reliable monitoring agencies. We will also send this blog to the readers of Titan and Pollyanna. There will be some unavoidable overlap, so if you receive this blog link twice, we apologize.

EMBASSY FINDER Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.

CHARITY CORNER 

This week the overriding need is for aid to the victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal.  Please help out with a donation. We recommend the Mercy Corps who are usually the first to respond and are already on the ground there.

A massive 7.8 earthquake in Nepal has shattered hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. Homes and buildings were reduced to rubble by the worst quake to hit the region in 80 years. 

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.

Palawan planting upland rice in the Philippines.
© Dario Novellino

This week we focus on the the Palawan who live in the south of Palawan Island in the Philippines, both in the mountainous interior and in the lowlands. There are around 40,000 Palawan in total. Some of those in the interior are very isolated and have little contact with outsiders. They are under severe threat from mining interests. Please write to the Philippine government, with a copy to your local Philippine embassy,  on their behalf. A letter text is available on the site.

MEXICO 

Mexican police tortured Adrián Vasquez Lagunes in order to accuse him of serious crimes. He has been detained since September 2012 in the northern city of Tijuana. All the evidence against him was obtained under torture and on other violations of due process. On 7 April 2015 three of the possible torturers were charged. The authorities must release Adrián Vasquez and bring all responsible to account. Please act on his behalf.

COLOMBIA 

Members of the Indigenous community of Cerro Tijeras in northern Cauca Department, south-western Colombia, have been killed and others possibly forcibly disappeared. Further death threats against Indigenous Peoples in the area have also been reported. Please join the outcry.

Israel/OPT: Palestinian parliamentarian charged

The Israeli military brought 12 charges against Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar on 15 April. They will review her eligibility for bail on 29 April but she is also being held under a system allowing indefinite detention without charge which precludes release on remand.  Please act.

EUROPEAN UNION 

EU migration policies are putting lives at risk

Every year millions of people around the world are forced from their homes by conflict, persecution and poverty.  Only a small proportion of these seek sanctuary and a better life in the European Union.  But EU countries are increasingly determined to keep them out.  In the last few years they have been busy building fences, real and invisible, that have raised the stakes for those still desperate enough to risk the journey.

Every year hundreds of people die trying to reach Europe’s shores. Countless others are violently pushed back at Europe’s borders or trapped in neighboring countries that do not respect their rights. Please sign the petition to the leaders of Europe.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR WORKING PEOPLE

Eric Lee sums up the last year for Labor Start. Thanks to all who helped.

Reza Shahabi, a leader of the bus workers' union in Tehran.  Jailed since 2010.  Over 8,000 of you sent messages demanding his release in a LabourStart campaign last year.  Please support our campaigns by making a donation today --

Human Rights Update

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

The blog has been silent for a few weeks because of vacation in Canada and the USA. The human rights violators never take vacation, alas.

EMBASSY FINDER
Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.

GOOD NEWS

USA 

Celia Ismalej and her 18-month-old son have been released from detention after being granted asylum protection in the USA.

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 usually 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 focus on the Khanty people of Russia. They are semi-nomadic, as are most herding peoples. In their homeland, the Siberian taiga, temperatures can reach as low as -50 degrees Celsius, and little grows. Traditionally, the Khanty have moved around with their reindeer, sometimes staying in ‘chum’ (reindeer-skin teepees), and sometimes in log houses in which a fire is kept burning at all times. They need your help badly. The Khanty were persecuted under the Soviet regime in the 1930s – their children taken and put in boarding schools and their shamans killed – but today it is oil companies which threaten them. Oil exploitation on Khanty land is polluting their forests and sacred lakes, killing the reindeer and scaring off other game. Please take action in accordance with the suggestions of Survival International at the bottom of the page. There is no pre-written letter this week.

UZBEKISTAN 

The horror of the regime is indescribable. Please read the link and sign the petition of Amnesty International.

 

RUSSIA 

On 15 April 2015, the Kirsanovskii District Court in Tambov Region rejected Yevgeniy Vitishko’s request for parole. His defence team is going to appeal the decision.  Please join the protest.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Four human right activists were arrested in Goma on 7 April, when they were encouraging bystanders to take part in a symbolic action to demand the release of their colleagues held in secret detention in Kinshasa. Please act.
 

CAMEROON 

Foudama Ousmane has been detained for more than six months without charge. He has lost sight in both eyes and contracted pulmonary tuberculosis while in custody. He is not receiving the health care that he needs. Please write on his behalf.
 

SWAZILAND

Attacks on trade unionists intensify.  Please act. Erase my details and insert your own. 

Human Rights Action Update March 18-25

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/

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 focus on the Jumma people of Bangladesh. These are tribes who live in the Chittagong Hills region of the country. The Bangladesh government has long seen the Chittagong Hill Tracts as empty land onto which it can move poor Bengali settlers, with scant regard for the area’s Jumma inhabitants. Ever since Bangladesh gained independence, the Jumma tribes have experienced waves of murder, torture and rape, and had their villages burnt down in a genocidal campaign against them.

Marma baby playing at his mother's feet. In the last 60 years, the Jumma tribes have gone from being practically the sole inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts to being almost outnumbered by settlers.
© Mark McEvoy/Survival

In the last 65 years, the Jummas have gone from being practically the sole inhabitants of the Hill Tracts to now being outnumbered by settlers.

As well as being displaced by the settlers, who are given the best land, the Jummas have long faced violent repression from the Bangladesh military. Please act in accordance with the suggestions given in the site.

Some things you should add in your letter are the ban on speaking to foreigners or outsiders unless in the presence of supervision and the rampant sexual abuse of Jumma women which goes on in total impunity.

Jumma women and girls are often attacked when they are alone in the forest, or when they go to the river to collect water or bathe.

© GMB Akash/Survival

CHINA 

The husband and brother of detained women’s rights activist Su Changlan have been released on bail. Su Changlan remains behind bars, and has now been detained for over four months without having access to a lawyer. Please act on her behalf.

MEXICO 

Dafne Alejandra de la Cruz is at risk of reprisals from soldiers in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas State, in relation to a complaint she filed against the Army for the death of her husband. There are fears for her safety and concerns that authorities need to do more to provide effective protection. Please write to call for her protection.

CAMEROON 

Human rights defender and journalist Gerard Kuissu is being held in an unknown location in Cameroon following his arrest on 14 March. His lawyer was told that he had been transferred to the State Defense Secretariat in Yaoundé, but the authorities in Yaoundé have denied that he ever arrived. Please write on his behalf to the authorities in Cameroon.

MAURITANIA

Free Mauritania’s anti-slavery activists.

Mauritania remains one of the main regions in which slavery is practiced openly. Anti-slavery activists have been sentenced to prison. Please sign the petition to free them NOW!

Human Rights Action Update March 11-18

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

EMBASSY FINDER Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/

GOOD NEWS

FIJI ABOLISHES THE DEATH PENALTY 

A couple of weeks ago, on 13 February, we woke up to the good news that Fiji had joined the ranks of countries and had abolished the death penalty for all crimes. There are now 99 countries who have completely scrapped the ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment from their laws – exactly half of all states in the world.

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 focus on the Jawara of Andaman Island, India. The tribes of the Andaman Islands – the Jarawa, Great Andamanese, Onge and Sentinelese – are believed to have lived in their Indian Ocean home for up to 55,000 years.

The Jarawa thatch their shelters with leaves from the forest.

© Survival

They are now vastly outnumbered by several hundred thousand Indians, who have settled on the islands in recent decades. Although India’s Supreme Court in 2002 ordered that the highway through the Jarawa’s reserve should be closed, it remains open – and tourists use it for ‘human safaris’ to the Jarawa.
Poachers enter the Jarawa’s forest and steal the animals the tribe rely on for their survival. They have also introduced alcohol and marijuana and are known to sexually abuse Jarawa women.
In 1999 and 2006, the Jarawa suffered outbreaks of measles – a disease that has wiped out many tribes worldwide following contact with outsiders. Please act to protect them. The Web page will show you how.

ZIMBABWE 

Journalist and pro-democracy activist, Itai Dzamara, was abducted on the morning of 9 March by five men while at a barber shop in Harare’s Glen View suburb. The men accused him of stealing cattle before handcuffing him and driving off with him in a white truck. His whereabouts are unknown. Please act for him.

HONDURAS 

A Honduran journalist received a verbal death threat and has faced discrimination, believed to be in connection to his journalistic work. There is fear for his safety. Please act for him.

AUSTRALIA

NUW fights for the rights of workers exploited by poultry company while on holiday in Australia. Travelers and backpackers work to support their holidays. The biggest poultry processing company in Australia employs them and exploits them. B&E Poultry and their subcontractors pay their employees' wages that are below the legal minimum. Their workers are now owed tens of thousands of dollars in back pay and B&E is refusing to pay up. Backpackers in Australia on working holidays have joined the NUW and are demanding back pay now!

Go here to sign the union petition to demand the company pay dozens of backpackers who are owed tens of thousands in backpay!  B&E poultry should abide by Australian workplace law and stop exploiting workers on holiday in Australia that have language barriers or a lack of Australian workplace knowledge.

KENYA

Truckers held at gunpoint for protesting over 24 hour shifts--please click to support the abused workers.

Human Rights Action blog March 6-12

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

GOOD NEWS 

PROMINENT JOURNALIST RELEASED

Journalist Bob Rugurika was released on bail on 19 February 2015 after being detained for a month. The Bujumbura Court of Appeal ordered his provisional release on 1 8 February 2015 with his bail set at Burundi francs 15,000,000 (around US$9,430) . He was released on condition that he appears monthly before the relevant investigating magistrate and does not leave the country without the magistrate’s authorization.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

‘We are born of this earth, and this earth is ours. Niyamgiri belongs to us.’— Laksa Majhi photo Jason Taylor

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 focus on the Dongria Kondh of India. We are not asking you for action, but we would like to share their story of a major victory. The Dongria Kondh of India’s Niyamgiri Hills have won a heroic victory against mining giant Vedanta Resources to save their sacred hills. The Supreme Court told Vedanta in 2013 that the Dongria must decide whether to allow mining on the Mountain of the Law. The Dongria answered with an unequivocal ‘No’. Their story of resistance to a plan to mine bauxite in their territory, which would have meant the complete destruction of a people and a way of life is inspiring and we invite you to read it.

While we have no indigenous tribe action this week, we have a heavier than usual load of human rights and labor actions.  Since the violators of human rights are hyperactive, it is our job to try to match them.

TURKEY 

Thanks to Guy and Tilly for this one. Arubika Suleymanova, a Russian citizen of Chechen origin, is facing deportation to the Russian Federation or to an as yet unknown third country. If returned she is at risk of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Please act on her behalf.

INDIA 

DETAINED FOR POSSESSING ‘ PRO - MAOIST’ MATERIAL 

Human rights activist Jaison C Cooper and Thushar Nirmal Sarathy were arrested on 30 January on suspicion of being involved in unlawful activities because they had ‘pro - Maoist’ materials in their homes. They were denied bail on 3 March, and continue to be held in judicial custody. Please act on their behalf because their only "offense" is possession of printed material which has been ruled to be not a crime by Indian courts.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 

The detention of Tatar rights activist Rafis Kashapov has been extended until 27 April. There are concerns about his health and prison conditions.  Please act on his behalf and call for the right of free expression in Russia.

CHINA 

Five young women activists have been detained in unknown location s in China after planning to hold events against sexual harassment to mark International Women’s Day . They have not had access to a lawyer and are at risk of torture and other ill - treatment. Please act on their behalf.

ECUADOR 

 
Trade union leader Jimena Lopez was sacked from her cabin crew job after a successful organizing drive at her workplace. Please join the worldwide campaign to get Jimena her job back. Firing for union organizing activity is an attack on working people everywhere.

Human Rights Update Feb.26-March 4

Miriam, human rights defender, 1947-2012

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country.
http://embassy.goabroad.com/

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

A Batak man harvests honey from the forest canopy

© Dario Novellino/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 focus on the Batak people of the Philippines. They live in the forests of northern Palawan in the western Philippines. They depend on a varied mix of cultivation, hunting, gathering and fishing. Now their traditional way of life is threatened and their numbers have diminished greatly, to a large extent from malnutrition. Please read about them and write to the Philippine government with a request to allow the Batak to use their own resources.

VENEZUELA 

A 14-year-old boy was killed during an anti - government protest amid reports of excessive use of force by the security forces. There are concerns the violence will intensify if the authorities do not send a clear message that peaceful protest is permitted and that excessive use of force will not be tolerated.  Please write to demand an investigation of the death and punishment of the perpetrators.

SPAIN 

A parliamentary group has put forward a proposal to change current legislation and require 16 and 17 year old girls and some women with mental disabilities to obtain parental or guardian consent before they can access safe and legal abortion services. Please join the action to block this initiative.

MACEDONIA 

Hundreds of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants of all ages are being unlawfully detained in the Reception Centre for Foreigner s “Gazi Baba” in Skopje , the capital. The center is overcrowded and conditions are inhuman and degrading, with extremely limited access to adequate sanitation and healthcare. In some cases people are having to sleep on the floor. They have no access to legal aid or protection. Please raise your voice in protest.
.

GAMBIA 

A union in Gabon reports that 38 workers on strike at Rain Forest Management (RFM) were illegally dismissed on 17 February -  and then forcibly removed by police from the camp where they were housed in deplorable sanitary conditions, among rats, cockroaches and snakes. Please support these workers.

WORLDWIDE 

Please sign a petition to eliminate the right to rape. Every minute of every day, men around the world murder, beat, rape and abuse women. While under international law no man has the right to rape, 2.6 billion women live in countries where it’s not explicitly outlawed for their husbands to rape them. FYI, the Talmud outlawed marital rape nearly 2,000 years ago. Britain outlawed it in 1958 and in 73 countries there is a concept of implied marital consent.