Below is an index of features from June 2007
"Lost year" for the rights of Indigenous peoples worldwide: Canada must stop stalling on vital United Nations declaration
Posted: 29 June 2007
On June 29, 2006 the Human Rights Council voted to adopt the long awaited Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The UN General Assembly has still not given its final approval. A small number of states, including Canada, have insisted on further consultation ... Read more
The UN Convention against Torture at 20 - remarkable achievements, formidable challenges
Posted: 26 June 2007
Amnesty International calls on all states to eradicate the scourge of torture and all other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The call comes as the world prepares to mark the 20th anniversary, on 26 June 2007, of the entry into force of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted in 1984 for signature and ratification after long campaigning by Amnesty International and other organizations ... Read more
USA: Guantánamo must be closed immediately
Posted: 25 June 2007
"Last week's cancelled meeting about the future of the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay should be rescheduled as a matter of priority. Every day that this prison camp remains open is a day too many."
"It is more than a year since President Bush first said he would like to close Guantánamo. While there are undoubtedly challenges to closing the facility, the solution in principle is simple, and the government must turn its energies to this end. It should either charge the detainees with recognizable criminal offences and bring them to trial in the ordinary civilian courts, or it should release them with full protections against further abuses. Other governments should do all they can to bring an end to this human rights scandal and actively consider accepting released detainees." ... ... Read more
Afghanistan: Mounting civilian death toll - all sides must do more to protect civilians
Posted: 25 June 2007
Amnesty International is increasingly concerned at the escalating numbers of Afghan civilians killed and injured in the ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan. Scores of civilians have been killed in recent weeks during aerial and land attacks against the Taleban insurgency by US, NATO and Afghan forces ... Read more
Kenya: Respect the rights of refugees
Posted: 20 June 2007
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, June 20, take action on behalf of thousands of Somalis who have been forced to seek asylum in Kenya and have been met with a "closed" border ... Take Action
Iraq: Two million refugees need resettlement
Posted: 20 June 2007
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 40,000-50,000 people a month are now fleeing their homes in Iraq . The neighbouring countries of Jordan and Syria struggle to meet the needs of an estimated two million Iraqi refugees. The situation is so bad that these countries are threatening to close their borders and to turn away people fleeing violence and persecution. This would put individual lives at risk, and would be a serious threat to the international refugee protection system ... Take Action
World Refugee Day: Celebrate their strength
Posted: 20 June 2007
On Wednesday June 20, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with the support of Amnesty International Canada, Canadian Red Cross, COSTI Immigrant Services, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, Right To Play and World Vision Reception Centre, will hold a jam packed entertainment event in Toronto to celebrate World Refugee Day. Farley Flex, Canadian Idol Judge will emcee the event that will feature a talented line-up of artists including Divine Brown, Donné Robert, Lindy, Belinda Brady, Kemer Yousef, Marcelo Puente, the Omo dance company and many more special performances. World renowned physicist and humanitarian advocate, Dr.Ursula Franklin, and Toronto Mayor David Miller will open the event at Yonge and Dundas Square, which will run from noon until 7 p.m. ... Find out what's happening in Toronto | View schedule for events across Canada
Canada: Open Letter to the Government of Canada asking for intervention in the case of Omar Khadr, the Canadian detained by the United States military at Guantánamo Bay since 2002
Posted: 14 June 2007
Now 20, Khadr was apprehended when he was 15 years old and has spent a quarter of his life in US detention. Khadr has twice been brought before military commissions in Guantánamo – and twice the charges have been dismissed. In June 2006, the first case against him was dismissed when the United States Supreme Court declared the entire commission system set up by President Bush unlawful. Only days ago, the charges brought against him under the new Congressionally-authorized military commissions were also dismissed when the judge determined the commissions did not have jurisdiction to hear the case. Khadr has now been returned to detention without charge as the United States government tries to decide what to do next. ... Read the letter | Take Action
Open Letter to the Government of Canada from Amnesty International regarding the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Updated: 11 June 2007
Canada has long enjoyed an international reputation as a leader in the promotion of human rights. Canada's influence was put to good effect in the final years of negotiation of the Declaration when Canadian representatives were able to bring states and Indigenous peoples together around a common vision of human rights protection.
Regrettably, Canada's reversal of its position has had a negative impact on the prospects for the adoption of the Declaration. Although the draft Declaration was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council on 29 June 2007 the UN General Assembly went on to call for further "consultation." Today, it is uncertain whether the Declaration will return to the General Assembly later this year for final adoption or will be consigned to an endless cycle of renegotiation. ... Read the letter | Take Action
Eyes on Darfur: Amnesty uses satellite cameras to monitor events on the ground, to protect civilians
Posted: 6 June 2007
Cameras are focussed on 12 highly vulnerable villages in the war-torn country. Amnesty is inviting ordinary people worldwide to monitor activity by visiting the Eyes on Darfur project website ... News Release | www.eyesondarfur.org
Taste for Justice: Dine out to stop violence against women June 1-15
Posted: 5 June 2007
Between June 1-15, dine out at participating Taste for Justice restaurants in your city. 65 restaurants across Canada are donating part of their proceeds towards Amnesty International's work to stop violence against women ... Find a restaurant near you: Vancouver | Whitehorse | Yellowknife | Alberta | Windsor | Toronto | Ottawa | Halifax | PEI
Canada: Justice for Dudley George long overdue - Amnesty International urges action on the report of the Ipperwash Inquiry
Updated: 5 June 2007
"Today's ruling is the most significant setback since the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the original military commissions. It also signals that these commissions need to be scrapped and the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay must be closed now. The judge's decision clearly indicates that a fair trial is not possible within a system that is being developed as it proceeds. It raises more questions about the Bush administration and Congress' wisdom and logic in rushing to patch together a new system of justice, when there are fully functioning federal courts that can not only offer fair trials but also come with established procedure." ... News Release | Report of Amnesty International's observer Jumana Musa on the arraignment proceedings before military commissions at Guant namo on 4 June 2007 in the case of Omar Khadr and Salim Ahmed Hamdan