Priority Concerns
Human Rights Defenders
Kimy Pernía Domicó is a prominent defender of the rights of Indigenous peoples in Colombia. He came to Canada twice to speak out against a dam project - partially funded by the Canadian government - that he said threatened the lands and livelihoods of his people.
On the evening of June 2, 2001, Kimy Pernía was abducted by three armed gunmen thought to be army-backed paramilitaries. His family and friends have not seen him again. Amnesty International is appealing to the Colombian authorities to thoroughly investigate Kimy Pernía’s “disappearance” and bring to justice those responsible.
In countries around the world, people such as Kimy Pernia courageously defend human rights in the face of intimidation and violent attack. They publicly denounce human rights violations and demand to know the truth behind what their governments want to hide. They also work to strengthen public understanding of human rights.
Amnesty International stands alongside human rights defenders - working to protect them from harm and ensuring that they have safe environments in which to do their important work.
During 2001 Amnesty members across Canada created 17 solidarity quilts to demonstrate support for human rights defenders in Colombia.
The solidarity quilts - with inspiring messages and images of hope in English, French and Spanish - were presented to Colombian human rights defenders in Bogota in September 2002, amidst considerable media interest.
During the presentation, Amnesty Canada Secretary General Alex Neve said: “I have come to Colombia on behalf of thousands of Canadians, from every walk of life ...to stand in solidarity with the vital and courageous work of Colombia’s human rights defenders. To say that we are with you and will not rest until defending human rights is no longer one of Colombia’s most dangerous occupations, but rather is celebrated, respected and cherished in every corner of the country.”
Take action to defend the defenders
Women
Samia Sarwar decided to seek a divorce after suffering years of abuse from her violent husband in Pakistan.
But in a horrifying effort to preserve family honour, Samia’s parents arranged for the ultimate punishment. She was shot dead in April 1999. Today the police have still not laid charges, even though the circumstances of her death are well known.
Women around the world suffer particular kinds of human rights abuses solely because they are women. People who defend women’s rights often become targets of abuse themselves - as has happened to Samia’s lawyer.
Amnesty International Canada places a high priority on defending and promoting the human rights of women.
Identity-based Violations
In 1997, Katya Ivanova's neighbours in Moscow began making threats against her for being a lesbian. Katya went to the local police station for help. But instead of protecting her, the police officer assigned to her case allegedly stalked and repeatedly raped her.
Katya fled to the United States where she sought refuge from this violence. She told Amnesty International, “I pray that I am granted asylum, so that my nightmare can finally end.”
In May 2001, with the help of Amnesty International, Katya Ivanova was accepted as a refugee in the United States. Amnesty members continue to call on the Russian government to stop violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
What happened to Katya Ivanova is part of a widespread pattern of human rights abuses against people because of who they are or how they are seen by others - because of their “identity.”
Identity can be based on our gender, race, sexual identity, religion or other qualities. Individuals as well as groups of people are attacked and then denied justice because other people hold hostile - discriminatory or prejudicial - attitudes towards their real or perceived identity.
In addition, people who are the targets of identity-based violations may be reluctant to seek justice for fear of further intimidation or violence by the authorities.
Amnesty International Canada places a priority on opposing human rights violations based on identity. We take up the cases of people who have suffered torture, the death penalty or other violations because of how they are seen by others, and how they are treated by the legal system. Examples include abuses against gay and lesbian people, Indigenous peoples, and women.
Discrimination is a key cause of identity-based violations. It reduces respect for the common dignity of all people and
sets the stage for abuses against targeted groups.
Amnesty calls on all states to take measures to prevent discrimination, both by their own officials and by private individuals. We lobby states to agree to international treaties that forbid discrimination, such as the Convention on Discrimination Against Women and the Optional Protocol associated with this Convention.
We also carry out public education programs aimed at challenging and stopping discrimination.
>> Take action on the human rights of Indigenous people.
>> Take action on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Stop Impunity
It’s morning - January 24, 1997 - in the Kekchi Mayan village of El Sauce, Guatemala. A group of women are making breakfast. Suddenly 70 to 100 heavily armed men attack. Shots are fired, killing one woman and injuring her son. Homes, crops and the community chapel are destroyed.
Community members say this attack was carried out by a local landowner and his private security guards. But more than five years later, no one has been brought to justice for this crime, and the families live in fear of further violence.
“Impunity” is the word used to describe situations like this - situations where those responsible for human rights violations are not brought to justice.
Where there is no justice, people who commit human rights violations know that they can repeat their crimes without fear. Because of this, “impunity” is one of the most important causes of ongoing human rights abuses.
Ending impunity - ensuring that justice is done - is a priority of Amnesty International. We demand that anyone who violates human rights should be brought to justice. No one should be above the law.
  Meet more human rights defenders >> |
- We appeal to governments to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations, and to ensure that victims receive reparations for past violations.
- We urge governments to ensure their laws and judicial systems prohibit impunity.
- We have also played a leading role in establishing the permanent International Criminal Court and having anti-impunity clauses included in international agreements.
Amnesty International Canada members participate in all these actions, as well as the following:
- We call on the Canadian government to establish an independent investigative body to follow-up allegations of torture and ill-treatment against Indigenous and other people in Canada.
- We pressure our government to ensure that human rights violators who come to Canada do not escape justice.
- Along with other Canadian organizations, we have also been involved in establishing the Canadian Centre for International Justice. This new Canadian agency will call for legal action against human rights violators from abroad who live, visit, or keep assets in Canada.
 Meet other members >> |
Impunity is held in check where justice prevails.
Justice helps break the cycle of repeated violations by holding violators to account. Justice tells possible violators that no one, not even the highest ranking official in a government, is above or outside the law.
Where justice comes first, societies learn from their experience and create new institutions and practices to prevent violations from recurring in the future.
Above all, the victims of human rights violations and their families deserve to see the truth disclosed and justice done.
Business And Human Rights
Mabinte Bangura and her family have paid a terrible price for the international trade in diamonds mined in their country, Sierra Leone.
First they fled to Guinea to escape the systematic killings, rape, torture and enslavement that has shattered the lives of millions in Sierra Leone for ten years. When their refugee camp was attacked, they had to flee again. This time armed men beat Mabinte’s son and kidnapped her daughter.
The suffering of Mabinte and her family is part of a global human rights crisis in which many of the world’s wealthiest countries are deeply implicated.
Rebels in Sierra Leone - like armed groups in some other countries - have fought for control of resources, particularly diamonds. Diamonds mined in these conflict zones are smuggled onto the international market and sold in stores around the world, including Canada - unknown to consumers and retailers alike.
This trade in “conflict diamonds” allows various factions involved in these conflicts in Africa to buy weapons. Among the largest suppliers of arms today are G-8 countries, such as the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom.
In March 2002, governments and industry agreed to create an international tracking and certification system for diamonds to help curb their trade for guns. Pressure from Amnesty Canada and other Canadian organizations played a critical role in bringing about this groundbreaking agreement.
But our work cannot end here. The agreement relies of voluntary compliance. Amnesty says that only a mandatory system can really help to close down the trade in diamonds for guns.
Stopping the global trade in human suffering and strengthening commerce with a conscience is a priority for Amnesty International Canada.
Here are more examples of recent Amnesty activities:
- Urge Canadian resource extraction companies with international operations - such as Ivanhoe (Myanmar, copper) - to take action to prevent human rights abuses in their fields of operation.
- Lobby the Canadian government to investigate the role of resource industries, such as oil production, in fueling armed conflict, and set a plan of action to hold corporations accountable for human rights violations resulting from their actions.
- Appeal to Canadian trade missions - and delegates to global trade conferences such as the G8 - to protect human rights in any trade deals.
- Participate in training seminars on corporate social responsibility. Publish educational materials on business and human rights principles.
Learn more and order a copy >>  “The expertise and economic clout of today's multinational corporations can dwarf the resources of many countries and communities. That's why it's important for organizations such as Amnesty International to hold companies accountable for the human rights impact of their investments and operations.”
Jeff Flood, Amnesty Canada member and a volunteer in our work on business and human rights.
Read more >> |
>> Learn more about our work on business and human rights.
Prevent mass violations
Amnesty International’s first ever urgent appeal on behalf of an entire people was issued in 1999 for the East Timor population.
When the East Timorese voted for independence, they were viciously attacked by Indonesian militias. Using email and other rapid forms of communication, Amnesty International members around the world pressured their political leaders to condemn Indonesia’s actions. Amnesty also dispatched human rights monitors to the area.
A political analyst with the United Nations mission to East Timor in 1999 had this to say about Amnesty’s response:
“Amnesty’s intervention saved lives. It was an important force in bringing about the incredible pressure on the government of Indonesia, which led to the fastest every deployment of an international force and a quick end to the Indonesian military occupation.”
Since the 1970s, we have seen a sharp increase in mass human rights violations against civilians in every region of the world. Situations of mass abuse are typically fueled by the denial of justice (impunity) and the international trade in arms.
These violations often take place amidst armed civil conflicts or systematic attacks by government forces against their own civilians. Examples include Guatemala in the 1970s and 1980s, Cambodia in 1975-1979, and Burundi, Kosovo, East Timor and Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries in the 1990s.
Amnesty International places a priority on preventing mass human rights crises. We make every possible effort to call attention to situations where there is a great likelihood that mass human rights violations will take place - and we urgently appeal for international action.
Meet more Amnesty members |
- We also urge governments to stop the international trade in arms that fuel mass conflicts.
- We appeal to governments not to accept the abuse of human rights by their allies - or allow systems of discrimination that breed hatred and increase the likelihood of mass violence.
- We take action to stop “impunity” - a situation where human rights violations continue and often increase because violators are not brought to justice.
- We actively oppose abuses by all combatants, not just governments.
- We urge governments to live up to their international obligation to ensure the safety of people who are seeking safety from mass violations.
>> Take action to prevent mass human rights violations.
Protect Refugees
The swift protests of Amnesty International supporters around the world probably saved the life of Sadiq Shek Elmi.
Sadiq sought asylum in Australia from the dangers of his war-torn Somalia. Astonishingly, the Australian authorities rejected his appeal for sanctuary. Sadiq was transported under guard from Melbourne to Perth, where he was to be deported to Somalia – and, likely, his death at the hands of clan militias.
In response, Amnesty mounted an urgent global campaign on his behalf. Less than six hours later, the authorities relented and issued a reprieve to Sadiq. The airplane left Perth without him. Later, Sadiq said it was like “walking down a corridor of death and being taken out.”
Every day people make the agonizing decision to leave their homes, communities and countries - because they are afraid. They are afraid for their lives.
Some have seen loved ones massacred, their homes destroyed, or their crops ruined by soldiers or armed groups. Some have been jailed and tortured for defending human rights. Some have been attacked because of who they are or how they are seen.
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Each person who becomes a refugee knows that it is too dangerous to stay where they are. They finally make the choice to flee - often taking to the road by foot, heading to the nearest border looking for refuge.
Every person who becomes a refugee does so because of a government’s failure to protect basic human rights. Some governments and armed groups commit violations. Some tolerate such abuses. Others are unable to prevent them. The result is human uprootedness and terrible suffering that can be prevented.
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Amnesty International Canada places a priority on protecting refugees, especially people escaping persecution or other serious human rights violations.
We also work to prevent situations that force people to become refugees - such as human rights crises fueled by the arms trade or systematic impunity leading to widespread human rights violations.
>> Listen to “Searching for Safety,” an audio program about refugees.