Amnesty International Canada | Action Centre

Uganda: Stop the Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-21T05:00:00+01:00

The Ugandan Parliament is considering a bill which supports discrimination and hatred against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been pending since 2009.

On February 7, 2012, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was re-tabled in the Parliament of Uganda. The Bill had previously lapsed with the dissolution of the previous Parliament in May 2011. The Speaker announced that as the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee had already issued a report on the Bill in May 2011, the Committee could decide that the Bill should proceed straight to its Second Reading. This sets the stage for legislative debate and possible passage into law within days. If the Bill is passed, it must still be signed by the President in order to become law.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill would further authorize discrimination against those who are, or who are believed to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The Ugandan Penal Code already prohibits consensual sex between individuals of the same sex; this bill goes much further. It introduces the death penalty for the offence of “aggravated homosexuality”, punishes those who do not report violations of the bill’s provisions within 24 hours, and criminalizes the “promotion” of homosexuality. It would significantly hamper the work of human rights defenders and public health professionals.

Although Amnesty International’s information is that some provisions of the bill may be amended, the content of these amendments remains unclear.

The bill has been revived at a time when human rights are increasingly under attack in Uganda. Since the conclusion of the February 2011 general elections, there has been a ban against all forms of public assembly and peaceful demonstration on the grounds of ensuring public security. Just days after the Bill was reintroduced, on Febraury 14 a Ugandan cabinet minister raided a workshop being run by LGBT activists in Entebbe.

Protests last spring against rising cost of living increases were marred by the excessive use of force by security forces, including the use of firearms against crowds not posing an imminent threat of death or serious injury. At least ten people have been killed and dozens more injured.

Syria: Allow women to exercise their rights

Kate McInturff1 — 2012-02-21T05:00:00+01:00

“This determination and hope can only motivate us to continue our struggle for freedom,” Human rights defender Razan Zeitouneh.

Women human rights defenders have been at the forefront of exposing human rights abuses in Syria and have paid the price for their actions, including arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment. 34-year-old lawyer and journalist Razan Zeitouneh was one of few sources for the international media who documented the brutality of Bashar al-Assad’s regime towards the Syrian people. She reported atrocities committed by security forces, including the kidnapping, arrest, torture and killing of peaceful protestors on her website. Today Razan, like many women activists, has been forced into hiding. Syrian women, like Razan, continue to actively expose violations committed by state authorities to the international community.

The First Lady of Syria, Asma al-Assad has portrayed herself as a champion of women and children’s rights in Syria. In 2007 she sponsored the Women for Peace Cycle ride in a bid to promote women’s rights. For the last ten months of bloodshed in Syria, Asma al-Assad has not publically commented on the brutalities committed by the Syrian security forces.

It is time to remind Asma al-Assad that women’s human rights are universal and that they should be respected in Syria.

Yemen: End legal discrimination against women and girls

Kate McInturff1 — 2012-02-21T05:00:00+01:00

On 7 October 2011, a leading pro-reform Yemeni activist, Tawakkol Karman, was one of three women awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her award highlights the central role played by women activists in the uprisings in the region. Yet women in Yemen face systemic discrimination and endemic violence, with devastating consequences for their lives.

In Yemen, women are not free to marry who they want and some are forced to marry when they are children, sometimes as young as eight. Once married, a woman must obey her husband and obtain his permission to leave the house. Women are also valued as half the worth of men when they testify in court or when their families are compensated if they are murdered. They are also denied equal treatment when it comes to inheritance and are often denied it completely. Women are dealt with more harshly than men when accused of “immoral acts”, and men are treated leniently when they murder female relatives in “honour killings”.

Such discriminatory laws and practices encourage and facilitate violence against women, which is rife in the home and in society at large. There are no specific laws in Yemen that protect women from violence.

Women in Yemen have helped to create a vibrant civil society, and while women’s non-governmental organizations have achieved some success in some campaigns for reform, more reforms are still urgently needed.

Join women in Yemen in calling for the eradication of discriminatory laws and practices against women in Yemen

Saudi Arabia: "Day of Rage" protestor goes on trial

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-21T05:00:00+01:00

Khaled al-Johani, a 40-year-old teacher, was arrested by security forces in Riyadh on 11 March 2011 and taken into detention minutes after he did an interview with BBC Arabic, during which he spoke about the lack of freedoms in Saudi Arabia. He was apparently the sole protester who reached the location of the planned demonstration due to the heavy security presence on the day.

Khaled al-Johani was subsequently charged, reportedly with going to the location of a planned demonstration and communicating with foreign media “in a manner that harmed the reputation of the kingdom”. He has not been allowed to appoint a lawyer of his choice and has not received a copy of the list of charges against him. After nearly a year in detention, he is set to stand to trial on 22 February 2012 before the Specialized Criminal Court, which was established in 2008 to try detainees held on terrorism-related charges.

He is believed to have been held at first in ‘Ulaysha prison and to have spent two months there in solitary confinement. He was then transferred to al-Ha’ir prison where he was allowed access to his family. This month, apparently after a row with fellow inmates, Khaled was reportedly placed in solitary confinement again and, on one occasion, confined to an outside space on a cold day without food or warm clothing. It is reported that he has also been verbally abused and threatened by prison guards and that his psychological state has deteriorated.

Israel: end use of administrative detention and free Khader Adnan

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-21T05:00:00+01:00

Palestinian activist Khader Adnan has been on hunger strike since December 18, 2011 in protest against his detention by the Israeli authorities without charge or trial.

Khader Adnan started his hunger strike the day following his arrest from his home in the occupied West Bank to protest his ill-treatment by the Israel Security Agency (ISA).

On January 10, 2012 he was given a four-month administrative detention order signed by a military commander. It ends on May 8, 2012 but could be renewed indefinitely. The authorities have now said he could be released in mid-April but this changes little.

Khader Adnan is now in a hospital in northern Israel. After more than 60 days on hunger strike, doctors warn that his life is in imminent danger. He is still under detention and is shackled to his hospital bed at all times and under constant armed guard.

Administrative detention is a procedure under which detainees are held without charge or trial for periods of up to six months, which can be renewed repeatedly. Under administrative detention, detainees' rights to a fair trial as guaranteed by Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) are consistently violated.

Khader Adnan is one of 309 Palestinians currently held in administrative detention by the Israeli authorities, including one man held for over five years and 24 Palestinian Legislative Council members. Hundreds of other Palestinian detainees and prisoners have joined Khader Adnan's hunger strike.

Iran: Web programmer at risk of execution

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-17T05:00:00+01:00

Saeed Malekpour, a resident of Canada and Iranian national, aged 36, was again sentenced to death on 19 October 2011 by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, and it was confirmed by Branch 32 of the Supreme Court on 17 January 2012. On 14 February 2012, one of Saeed Malekpour’s lawyers visited both courts to ask about his case, but learned that the file was being held at neither court. Comments from a court official suggested that this is because Saeed Malekpour’s file has been sent to the Office of Implementation of Sentences.

Saeed Malekpour was sentenced to death for “insulting and desecrating Islam” after a programme he had developed for uploading photos online had been used to post pornographic images without his knowledge. Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in October 2010 following a trial that reportedly only lasted 15 minutes. After a June 2011 announcement that the Supreme Court had returned the case for further review, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court imposed again the death sentence as well as prison sentence of seven and a-half years. Amnesty International understands that although he has legal representation now, for much of his detention Saeed Malekpour has had no access to legal counsel.

Saeed Malekpour had been living in Canada since 2005, but was arrested in October 2008 while visiting his family in Iran. He was allegedly tortured while held for over a year in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison. In

2009, Iranian state television repeatedly aired a “confession” by Saeed. In an open letter dated March 2010, Saeed Malekpour stated his “confession” was extracted after prolonged torture following orders by Revolutionary Guard interrogators.

Libya: armed militias must be reined in

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-16T05:00:00+01:00

“Take them all and kill them.” (a militia member talking about a group of 29 detainees whose dead bodies were found three days later)

The armed militias which fought Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi’s repressive regime now threaten Libya’s human rights hopes.

Libyans are trying to rebuild their lives after months of bloody conflict. However, armed militias are taking the law into their own hands – seeking out and exacting revenge against those they believe stayed loyal to al-Gaddafi or fought on his behalf.

Torture is widespread. It is carried out by military and security entities, as well by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework and accountable to no one. Many detainees have died after being tortured. Several people interviewed by Amnesty International said they had confessed to crimes they had not committed just to end the torture.

Whole communities have also been targeted, including people from Tawargha – black Libyans who face revenge attacks after their town was used as a base by al-Gaddafi forces. The entire population of the town was forcibly displaced. Some 30,000 people are now stranded in makeshift camps with no end in sight to their ordeal. The militias also continue to target Sub-African migrants and refugees.

No one has been brought to justice for human rights violations, and survivors and the families of those who died have not received reparation. There have been no effective investigations into cases of torture and deaths in custody. Unless concrete actions are taken abuses won’t stop.

Libya’s new government faces many challenges as it rebuilds. The first must be to get control of the armed militias.

Iran: Release women’s rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh

Kate McInturff1 — 2012-02-16T05:00:00+01:00

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a lawyer, human rights campaigner and women’s rights activist.

Nasrin has defended the rights of many activists who have been arrested, tried unfairly and jailed, including Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi. Nasrin has spoken publicly about the shortcomings of the Iranian legal system and is famous for defending young offenders on death row. Her activities made her a target, and she was arrested in September 2010.
In January 2011, Nasrin was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In mid-September 2011, the Appeals Court reduced her prison sentence to 6 years and a ban against practising law from 20 years to 10. The charges against her include “acts against national security”, “anti-regime propaganda” and belonging to the Centre for Human Rights Defenders.
For most of the past year, Nasrin Sotoudeh has been in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Prison. Three hunger strikes have weakened her health. She took that drastic action to protest her imprisonment, lack of trial and her conditions of detention.
Her detention affects many others. By repressing lawyers like Nasrin and by marginalizing the Iranian Bar Association, the government denies other critics of the government the right to access competent legal representation. One of her own lawyers is currently in detention, too. Nasrin’s husband, Reza Khandan, was pressured with threats and brief imprisonment to make his wife stop her activities. He remains at risk of further harassment and faces a possible trial and imprisonment. They have two children.

Nasrin received the 2011 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. She belongs to several organizations including the One Million Signatures Campaign to Change Discriminatory Laws Against Women, and the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child.
Amnesty International considers Nasrin Sotoudeh to be a prisoner of conscience.

Russia must help stop the bloodshed in Syria

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-10T05:00:00+01:00

As the crisis deepens in Syria, the United Nations Security Council remains blocked from taking action. One of the permanent members – the Russian Federation – continues to stand in the way of human rights protection.

The human rights violations committed by the Syrian security forces and army since mass protests began in mid-March 2011 include thousands of unlawful killings, arrests and torture. They appear to have been committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population and, in some cases, to amount to crimes against humanity. Both the United Nations and the Arab League have released reports citing clear evidence of widespread human rights violations.

The United Nations Security Council has the power to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, to impose an arms embargo and to freeze the assets abroad of the Syrian President and his senior associates. They took these actions and more within days when a crisis exploded in Libya. But Syria is a different story.

On February 4, 2012 Russia and China vetoed a rather weak draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria despite wide spread backing of the resolution by the other UN Security Council members. It was the second time that Russia had vetoed a UNSC resolution on Syria.

Since then there has been a shocking escalation in the use of force by the Syrian authorities against several residential areas of Homs. More than 300 people have been killed – 280 in the city of Homs alone. The majority of the dead are unarmed people. Hundreds others are reported to have been injured and most of them are being treated in makeshift field hospitals or at their homes. Arrests continue to be carried out across Syria and thousands are believed to be detained incommunicado and are at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

It’s time to stop standing in the way of human rights.

Bahrain: one year after the Pearl Roundabout

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-10T05:00:00+01:00

One year ago, on February 14, 2011, the majority of Bahraini people began protests demanding greater civil and political rights. The same day the first demonstrator was killed by security forces. Over the next few months a human rights crisis unfolded. Excessive force was repeatedly used by security forces against peaceful protesters and close to 50 people were killed and hundreds others injured. Hundreds of people were also arrested and tried before military courts, with many reporting they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention. More than 4,000 protesters were dismissed from their jobs or expelled from university for having participated in the protests.

On November 23, 2011 the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), set up by royal decree on 29 June, presented its findings to the King of Bahrain. The BICI’s report concluded that widespread human rights violations had taken place – including the detention of many people simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly – and made a number of recommendations which the King promised to implement.

Months later little action has been taken to fulfill those commitments. Excessive force continues to be used against protesters on almost a daily basis and reports of torture and ill-treatment continue to reach Amnesty International. Many continue to face injustice. Twenty doctors and nurses sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for their involvement in protests are currently appealing their sentences. Fourteen opposition activists, including Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and Ebrahim Sharif, remain behind bars, having been sentenced to up to life in prison in an unfair and politically motivated trial by a military court.

Tunisia: Guarantee human rights in the new constitution

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-10T05:00:00+01:00

One year after protesters ended the repressive rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisians are still waiting for their human rights to be guaranteed.

A National Constituent Assembly (NCA) was elected in October to write a new constitution for Tunisia. Amnesty International is calling on it to ensure that the constitution includes the basic guarantees that would protect Tunisians from the abuses they suffered under Ben Ali: human rights violations like torture, arbitrary arrests and unfair trials.

Under Ben Ali, the constitution lost its power to protect people against human rights violations, and instead the authorities passed new laws which repressed Tunisians even more. The security apparatus and the judicial system answered to the authorities instead of the law, and were used to crush anyone who spoke out against repression or social injustice – or who simply dared to challenge the authorities. Torture was widespread and counter-terrorism was used to justify abuses. The authorities celebrated Tunisia’s “economic miracle” even as many Tunisians were denied their basic economic, social and cultural rights. Tunisians lost hope that human rights violations would be punished and lost faith in the state institutions that had failed them.

The NCA has a chance to put things right. In Tunisia’s next constitution it can guarantee basic human rights, and that those who violate them will be brought to justice. It can make sure that the human rights set out in international treaties signed by Tunisia are enforceable in a court of law. It can guarantee the independence of the judiciary, and put the security forces back where they belong: firmly under the rule of law. It can also ensure that economic and social rights are more than a mere promise.

It will take more than a new constitution to stop human rights violations, but a constitution that enshrines human rights is a powerful tool to prevent them.

Messages of solidarity for a human rights revolution in the Middle East and North Africa

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-02-10T05:00:00+01:00

“I will remember forever that the power is in the people's hands” An activist reflects on the protests.

Human rights were and are at the core of the demands for change that have led to the extraordinary events of the past year.

The Middle East and North Africa shook as ordinary people summoned up the courage to provide a demonstration of “people’s power” such as the region had never seen before. Incredibly, protesters returned day after day, even when the might of the state and its repressive security forces were deployed against them.

Peaceful protest prevailed in Tunisia and Egypt, though many paid a heavy price. In Libya, the uprising spiralled into armed conflict.

In Yemen, the President’s obstinate refusal until almost the end of the year to stand down despite mass protests has left the country divided.

Bahrain’s rulers, backed by Saudi Arabia, also faced down the protests with brutal force. Yet the year ended on a note of hope, with the government committing to reform, reparation and reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Syria remains on the brink of civil war. President al-Asaad, facing unprecedented demands for change, continues to use relentless brute force to crush the protests. The international community struggles to act decisively on the crisis.

Stand in solidarity: join the Global Day of Action

One year ago, following the fall of Hosni Mubarak, hundreds of thousands of people in Egypt and around the world gathered to mark that historic moment. Their courage and jubilation inspired many others to continue their struggles. On and around February 11, Amnesty members are demonstrating solidarity with people in the MENA region who are confronting brutal repression with courage and dignity. We also stand in defiance against those who are opposing human rights change.

You can join this Global Day of Action. Use the form on the right hand panel to add your message of solidarity. Your words will be shared with activists and human rights defenders in the Middle East and North Africa.

Nigeria: Hundreds at risk of forced eviction

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-09T05:00:00+01:00

The governor of Rivers State visited residents living along Port Harcourt’s disused railway line on 6 February, and announced that they had seven days to leave before the buildings they live in were demolished. The residents were not consulted about the demolition. They did not receive any written notice, were not offered any alternative housing or compensation and will be left homeless and vulnerable to a range of other human rights violations if the demolition goes ahead as planned.

The exact number of people living along the railway line is not known, as no survey has ever been carried out, but it is estimated to be home to be several hundred people, some of whom have been living there since the 1990s. Small business owners and traders also work within the community.

The Rivers state government did not tell the community of the reasons for the demolitions but demolished approximately 13 houses and two churches in the same community on 27 January. The residents first received verbal notice of the governor’s intention on 20 January. According to community residents, the governor visited the community, and told people they had seven days to leave before their homes would be demolished. On 23 January, officials from the Rivers state Commission of Urban Development, accompanied by armed police and soldiers, came to the community and told residents that bulldozers were coming and they should leave. On 27 January, a bulldozer arrived, accompanied by armed police and soldiers, and the buildings were demolished. Over 100 people were left homeless, according to residents, and many were forced to sleep either on the street, or with friends and relatives in the remaining buildings. Three weeks later none of those evicted have been re-housed or received any form of emergency relief or compensation for what was done to them.

Panama: Fears for Indigenous protestors after two are killed

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-08T05:00:00+01:00

On 30 January members of the Ngäbe-Buglé people took to the streets to protest against an amendment to a bill which they believe will leave their lands vulnerable to the construction of hydroelectric projects, in the provinces of Chiriquí, Veraguas, and Bocas del Toro in the north of the country. Since then protests have grown and parts of the Pan-American Highway have been blocked by thousands of demonstrators. On 5 February one demonstrator, Jerónimo Rodríguez Tugri, was shot dead in San Felix, Chiriquí province, and there are reports that another protestor is in critical condition. Over 40 others have reportedly been wounded, including police officers. On 7 February the media reported the death of another demonstrator, Mauricio Méndez, in the community of David, Chiriquí province. The circumstances of his death have yet to be confirmed.

There are numerous allegations of excessive force on the part of the police by human rights, environmental and church groups, including the use of firearms to disperse the protestors which resulted in the death of Jerónimo Rodríguez Tugrí.

Media and civil society organizations have also reported the use tear gas in close proximity to medical centres, the denial of access to legal representation of those arrested, and lack of access to medical attention for the injured. After initially denying reports that it had cut off access to the mobile phone network in areas where the demonstrations were occurring, the government has now confirmed it had cut access. As of 7 February, the phone network has been restored.

Demonstrations are likely to continue over the coming days and there are fears that more people could be wounded or killed.

Sudan: Youth activists detained

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-07T05:00:00+01:00

Amar Dirar, Nagi Musa, Gazi Eltayeb, Mohamed Mahjoub, Sharif Kamal and Omar Hamid took part in a forum organized by Girifna on 25 January in the city of Omdurman. The event was held to commemorate the 2005 Beja massacre at Port Sudan and to condemn the lack of justice for the victims. Immediately after the forum, Amar Dirar, Nagi Musa, Gazi Eltayeb, Mohamed Mahjoub and Sharif Kamal were arrested by National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) officials and taken to an undisclosed location. Omar Hamid was arrested on his way home from the forum. On 29 January the six activists were reportedly transferred to Kober Prison in the capital, Khartoum. If they are being held solely for peaceful participation in the forum, Amnesty International would consider them prisoners of conscience.

Nagi Musa and Amar Dirar had previously been arrested by the police on 29 November 2011. They had been taking part in a public forum with other Girifna members in Omdurman market and distributing pamphlets encouraging activism around the issue of deteriorating socio-economic conditions in Sudan. They were detained and reportedly interrogated and tortured by NISS agents before being released days later without charge.

Girifna, or the "we're fed up" movement, was established in October 2009 in the lead up to Sudan's 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections, to campaign against President Omar al-Bashir and the ruling National Congress Party.

Mexico: Human rights defender knifed at home

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-06T05:00:00+01:00

Norma Andrade is one of the founders of Our Daughters Return Home (Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa), a Mexican organisation fighting impunity for the abductions and murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state. On 3 February at approximately 9 am, she was attacked at her home in Mexico City. According to reports, she was with her grandchildren when she answered the door to an unknown man. He then attacked her with a knife. She was cut on her cheek, but managed to defend herself before he fled. Norma’s condition is now stable, and she was released from hospital on the afternoon of 4 February.

The National Commission for Human Rights has called on the Ministry of the Interior to guarantee Norma’s security and integrity and to ensure that she does not suffer a new attack. The local authorities in the Federal District are reportedly providing round-the-clock protection to Norma and her family members, but the national authorities are not coordinating with them, which raises concerns as to whether this protection will be effective. The national authorities failed to protect her from this attack, in spite of protection measures that were ordered after a previous attack by an armed man who shot her five times outside her previous home in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua state, on 2 December 2011. Norma remains in fear for her life.

After the attack in December, Norma was treated in hospital for her injuries for several days. The hospital discharged her after staff received anonymous threats that they would be killed if they continued to provide treatment. After being transferred temporarily to a hotel, she left the city for her and her family’s safety. She sought refuge in Mexico City where she was provided with accommodation and some protection. The new attack appears to be part of a campaign against Norma Andrade. Amnesty International believes she is in imminent danger and should be provided with effective protection, including in the hospital where she is being treated.

Syria: Fears for missing farmer

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-02T05:00:00+01:00

Hussam al-Nabulsi was reportedly arrested by Syrian Military Intelligence officers on 31 December 2011, after he and another man riding with him on a motorbike were shot at. An eyewitness said Hussam al-Nabulsi appeared to be bleeding from the legs and was unable to run away. The other man was not seen to move and his subsequent fate is unknown. According to reports, Hussam al-Nabulsi was beaten and taken away by security forces.

Hussam al-Nabulsi’s family has not been given any information about his whereabouts or wellbeing, despite having inquired about him through numerous channels, including the authorities. He is not thought to have been charged with any offence. A family member outside Syria said Hussam al-Nabulsi had not attended any of the pro-reform demonstrations, but he had given food and money to families who had suffered as a result of the unrest.

Hussam al-Nabulsi is at grave risk of torture or other ill-treatment, indicated in a video added to the YouTube website, showing him with what appears to be blood and severe bruising and swelling on his face, and an injury to his left arm, while almost unable to speak. An independent forensic expert who viewed the video believes the type and distribution of injuries indicates that they are the result of an assault - a beating about the head and face. The date and source of this video are unknown, but a relative of Hussam al-Nabulsi based abroad confirmed to the organization that it was Hussam al-Nabulsi in the video. A former detainee also told the organization that he believes the background is a room in the Military Intelligence branch in Tartus, south of Banias, where he, too, was detained and subjected to torture. The relative abroad also said that another person claims to have seen Hussam al-Nabulsi in this location around ten days ago, around 20 January 2012.

Albania: Romani families made homeless

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-02T05:00:00+01:00

Of 25 Romani families living at a site near the Artificial Lake in Tirana, at least seven have lived on this site for several years. The remaining 18 came to this site after leaving an informal settlement near Tirana Railway Station following attacks by non-Romani men from outside the settlement in February 2011. At the time the authorities undertook to renovate former military barracks for their use, but a year later reconstruction work has not yet started.

The 25 families living at the Artificial Lake claim that on 21 January 2012 officials from Tirana Municipality came to the site and informed them verbally that they had to leave the site. Three days later the officials returned and told them to dismantle their sheds and leave or the authorities would bulldoze them. They therefore pulled down their sheds, wishing to preserve the materials. They were not provided with any alternative accommodation. On 27 January about 16 of these families, unable to find another site, returned to the Artificial Lake site and started to rebuild their sheds. However, they continue to risk imminent eviction.

It seems that none of the families was consulted or provided with adequate or formal notice of eviction. Under international law, evictions may be carried out only as a last resort, once other alternatives have been explored in genuine consultation with the affected communities. The authorities then have a duty to provide them with adequate notice. The authorities must ensure that no families are made homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights as a consequence of eviction. This includes providing them with legal remedies, including provision of compensation for the destruction of their homes, possessions and loss of income. Evictions should not be carried out in winter.

Mexico: Help Inés and Valentina achieve justice and protection

Kathy Price1 — 2012-02-01T05:00:00+01:00

Two Indigenous Me' phaa women Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú were raped by soldiers in separate attacks in Guerrero State in 2002.

The women courageously reported these crimes but saw their cases transferred to the military justice system, a systematic practice in Mexico when soldiers are accused, and an insurmountable obstacle to justice.

Yet the women did not give up, even amidst threats against them. They took their cases all the way to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In August 2010, the court ruled Mexico was responsible for serious flaws in its treatment of the two women, which resulted in impunity and further exposure to harm. The court ordered a full investigation by civilian authorities, reparations for Inés and Valentina and reforms to the military justice system.

*** UPDATE - GOOD NEWS! ***

At a public ceremony on 15 December 2011, Mexico's Interior Minister formally apologized to Valentina Rosendo Cantú and acknowledged the responsibility of the state for the rape and abuse she suffered. The Act of Acknowledgment, one of the steps demanded by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, was attended by other government ministers, together with Valentina and her family. A public Act of Acknowledgment for Inés is to take place in 2012.

This is an enormously welcome development but it is not enough. In a moving message to Amnesty letter writers, Valentina said "Nomaá ("Thank you" in Me' phaa) ... without your letters, your action and your solidarity, we would not have achieved this ..." But Valentina added: "The road to follow is still very long." Continued international pressure is crucial to ensure the Mexican government implements all of the measures ordered by the Inter-American Court, including a full investigation, adequate reparations, protection for the women and their families, and reforms to ensure the experience of Inés and Valentina is not repeated.

Chad: 670 people evicted despite promises from mayor

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-02-01T05:00:00+01:00

On 24 January Chadian authorities carried out forced evictions in Sabangali, N’Djamena, the capital of Chad. At least 62 compounds, where over 670 people lived, were destroyed as well as a local community school frequented by 138 students. The homes and other structures were destroyed by municipal officials to pave the way for the construction of a modern hotel. Many of those evicted are now sleeping under trees near the site of their former homes as they have no alternative place to live. Neither compensation nor alternative housing has been offered to them by the government. The destruction of the community school compromises local children’s right to education.

In November 2011, municipal officials accompanied by the police had painted white crosses on houses in the neighbourhood and informed residents that they should leave their homes. On 12 January, the Mayor of N’Djamena and the government Minister for Internal Security visited the site and asked residents to leave. On 23 January, municipal officials informed residents that they would be evicted the following day. That same day, residents gained assurance from the Mayor that they will be allocated enough time to remove their belongings and for discussions concerning alternative housing and access to education to take place. However the forced eviction took place in spite of these assurances and many residents did not have time to retrieve their belongings.

During the demolition the neighbourhood was cordoned off by soldiers and police who told residents to quickly remove their belongings before bulldozers began destroying their houses. Most of the residents were at work or absent. A group of young boys resisted the destruction of their houses and were seriously beaten. Another man was wounded and taken to hospital. Some residents who tried to photograph the demolition had their cameras destroyed. Some of the residents of Sabangali have been living there for over 30 years. Others have official documents for their homes having bought the land from local chiefs.

Protect protesters in Egypt

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-01-25T05:00:00+01:00

"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces believes that human freedom, the rule of law, support for the value of equality, pluralistic democracy, social justice, and the uprooting of corruption are the bases[sic] for the legitimacy of any system of governance that will lead the country in the upcoming period."
SCAF Constitutional Proclamation of 13 February 2011.

As crowds once again gather in Tahrir square to mark the first anniversary of the ‘January 25 Revolution’, Egypt’s Minister of the Interior warned that that individuals impersonating uniformed police officers and soldiers might attend the protests with the intent of trying to provoke confrontations. At the same time, he made no commitment to protect protesters from such threats. On the contrary, he suggested that officials would sit on the sidelines as events unfolded. One year on, many people are wondering what has happened to their revolution.

Shortly after taking power last February following the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) promised to “carry out their leading role in protecting protesters regardless of their views”. But any promises of reform soon proved to be empty rhetoric.

Demonstrations are routinely dispersed by soldiers, military police and riot police (Central Security Forces). Protesters have faced tear gas, batons, rubber bullets, live ammunition and assaults by groups of “thugs” (baltaguiya). At least 90 people have been killed and thousands more injured during protests where police have used excessive force.

On October 9, the security forces attacked protests demonstrating against religious discrimination in Maspero, Cairo. Twenty-eight people were killed – many crushed by armoured vehicles driven at high speeds into the crowds.

On November 19 & 20, violence returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the uprising. More than 50 protesters were killed and hundreds injured when military and security forces forcibly dispersed crowds calling for an end to military rule. The scene was repeated throughout the country, including Alexandria, Egypt’s second city, as well as Suez.

In mid-December 2011, the security forces’ heavy-handed attempt to clear out a sit-in next to the Ministerial Cabinet building left 17 dead – many from gunshots.

During the crackdowns on demonstrations women protesters have been singled out for abuse, and many have reported being molested and threatened with sexual assault while in detention.

The Egyptian authorities have still not made public the rules issued to the security forces on the use of force despite repeated requests from Amnesty International and other organizations. Under international law, security forces must exercise restraint and use force only when absolutely necessary. Investigations ordered by the military into the violence have effectively whitewashed over the security forces’ actions. Only three military officers have so far been charged with manslaughter and brought to justice in relation to the killing of 14 protesters in Maspero in October.

Egypt: end military trials of civilians

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-01-24T05:00:00+01:00

“The armed forces will carry out their leading role in protecting protesters regardless of their views as a commitment from them to what they have started during the previous period [of the ‘25 January Revolution’].” SCAF 18 February 2011

When Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of mass protests, it filled people with hope that 30 years of brutal emergency rule in Egypt would finally come to an end. But any promises of reform soon proved to be empty rhetoric. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has continued the tradition of repressive rule which the January 25 demonstrators fought so hard to get rid of.

Since the uprising, military courts have tried 12,000 and convicted an estimated 8,000 ordinary Egyptians for crimes like “thuggery”, “breaking curfew” or “insulting the army”. Sentences range from a few months to years in prison. They have even sentenced people to death. The military courts lack the most basic fair trial guarantees and violate Egypt’s international human rights obligations.

In February 2011, military police and soldiers beat and arrested Amr Abdallah Al-Beheiry at a protest in Cairo. Just days later, a military court sentenced him to five years in prison for assaulting a public official and breaking the curfew. Amr Abdallah Al-Beheiry had no chance of a fair trial. His hearing lasted just minutes. The court didn’t allow his family or lawyer into the room. Instead, it chose its own lawyer to defend him. Now, a military appeals court has said Amr Abdallah Al-Beheiry will be retried – by another military court.

Amnesty International considers Amr Abdallah Al-Beheiry to be a prisoner of conscience detained solely for the peaceful expression of their views and has been calling for his immediate and unconditional release.

The SCAF have said they will release nearly 2,000 people locked up after military trials. How many are still held is not known.

Military courts should never be used to try civilians. They must end.

Canadian resident Saeed Malekpour faces imminent execution in Iran

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2012-01-12T05:00:00+01:00

Saeed Malekpour was first sentenced to death in December 2010 following what appears to have been an unfair trial, without access to his lawyer. In March 2010, he wrote an open letter in which he declared that his confessions were extracted under immense pressure, torture, and false promises of release. He reported that he was forced to confess to crimes which he did not commit. He is detained in Evin Prison, has spent more than 12 months in solitary confinement and has been denied access to books, newspapers, and contact with the outside world. In June 2011, a lawyer for Saeed Malekpour announced that the death sentence was overturned. The file was sent for review and the death sentence was re-issued in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in November 2011. The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence.

USA: End detentions at Guantánamo Bay

Hilary Homes1 — 2012-01-10T05:00:00+01:00

On January 11, 2002, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the first detainees were transferred to the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since then, the detention facility there has made the world’s news headlines for the shocking human rights concerns associated with it - including arbitrary detention, secret detention, torture and other ill-treatment, renditions, and unfair trials.

Ten years on more than 150 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay. The majority are in indefinite detention without charge or trial. Those who have been charged face unfair trial by military commission and some can face the death penalty if convicted. The government claims that even those found not guilty can be returned to indefinite detention. There has been essentially no accountability or redress for the human rights violations to which they and other detainees have been subjected.

Human rights concerns in Guantánamo Bay remain an unfinished story. How long before the US government closes the book on Guantánamo and meets its human rights obligations?

ACTION UPDATE: On the eve of the State of the Union address on January 24th, Amnesty delivered over 160,000 signatures from our global petition President Obama. We will continue our campaign to end unlawful detentions at Guantánamo until there are no more anniversaries to mark.

Guantánamo Bay: Selected facts and figures

According to the US authorities, 779 detainees have been held in Guantánamo, the vast majority without charge or criminal trial.

171 men from more than 20 countries were still held at Guantánamo in early December 2011, four of whom were serving sentences after being convicted by military commission.

48 detainees could neither be released nor tried, but should be held in indefinite detention according to the Obama administration.

90 of those still held at Guanánamo are Yemenis, including one serving a life sentence after being convicted by military commission. President Obama imposed a moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen in January 2010. One Yemeni detainee has been released since then.

Since 2002, 6 detainees have been convicted by military commission, 4 of whom pleaded guilty under plea trial arrangements, and 2 of whom have been repatriated.

Since 2002, 8 detainees have died at the base: 6 by reported suicide, 2 as a result of natural causes.

1 Guantánamo detainee has been brought to the USA for trial in federal court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2011.

Zero detainees have been released into the USA.

Iran: New execution fears for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-01-06T05:00:00+01:00

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 44-year-old mother of two from East Azerbaijan province in north-west Iran, was arrested in 2005 following the murder of her husband. She was convicted in an unfair trial of “adultery while married" and separately of complicity in her husband's murder. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani’s initial 10-year prison term for these complicity charges may have been reduced to five years. If so, it would now have expired. "Adultery while married" is punishable by stoning. It is not known whether her lawyer’s July 2010 request for a judicial review of the stoning sentence has been acted upon. If Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is now held solely for consensual sexual relations, Amnesty International would consider her a prisoner of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is held in Tabriz prison in East Azerbaijan, and does not have legal representation as her representative was imprisoned and banned from practising law. According to the officially-licensed Iranian Student News Agency, ISNA, on 25 December 2011, the Head of the East Azerbaijan Provincial Judiciary stated that "Islamic experts are reviewing the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to see if the execution can be carried out by hanging", although he later said that he had been “misquoted”, without clarifying how. This possible change in the method of execution has been discussed previously by judicial officials and has happened previously in other cases. Amnesty International fears that this news report may indicate that she is at renewed risk of execution.

Israel: Palestinian families face renewed demolitions

Marilyn McKim1 — 2012-01-06T05:00:00+01:00

The Civil Administration (Israeli military administration) issued demolition orders on 10 November for 21 structures used as homes and animal pens. Sixteen of the structures threatened with demolition were donated by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and aid organizations following the demolition of 29 structures on 21 June.

The reason given for the demolition orders is a lack of building permits. However, Hadidiya is in Area C of the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli authorities do not allow Palestinian residents to build permanent structures such as brick houses or roads. It is virtually impossible for residents to obtain permits even for makeshift structures like shacks or tents. The demolition orders request that the owners of the structures demolish their property or the army will do it and charge the owners for the costs of doing so.

Abdul Rahim Hussein Bisharat, a resident of Hadidiya whose home is threatened with demolition, told Amnesty International: “They always say we have to have permits, but what do they want me to get permits for? A tent? The tent is open to the wind and could be blown away. Allow me to get a permit for a proper building and I will pay all fees and prove ownership of the land.”

On 12 December residents of Hadidiya, represented by their lawyer, petitioned the Israeli High Court to cancel the demolition orders. The court granted a temporary injunction preventing implementation of the demolition orders. This is valid until another ruling is reached, but does not apply to demolitions that are required for “urgent security reasons”. The court has given the Israeli army until 9 February 2012 to respond to its decision. The Israeli army may argue that all the demolitions are required for “urgent security reasons”.

Colombia: Speak up for the safety of families belonging to the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó

Kathy Price1 — 2011-12-23T05:00:00+01:00

Amnesty International is gravely concerned about the safety of children, women and men who belong to the Peace Community of San José de Apartado, amidst escalating paramilitary activity in the region.

On 19 and 20 November, paramilitaries set up checkpoints on roads around La Esperanza, one of several hamlets and villages forming the Peace Community. They stopped and questioned anyone travelling on these roads, taking away whatever food they were carrying. The paramilitaries told people they were forbidden to take food back to their houses.

On 28 November, 200 paramilitaries came to the hamlet of La Esperanza. They held 50 people captive in the health centre for several hours while they took down their names in order to "investigate" them. The paramilitaries threatened residents that they will take control of any land they require.

These events are part of a long and ongoing history of violence against members of the Peace Community. They face constant danger and count on international denunciations to protect them from harm.

Colombia: Action urgently needed to protect Indigenous peoples struggling for survival

Kathy Price1 — 2011-12-23T05:00:00+01:00

Threats and violence against Indigenous Peoples are intensifying amidst Colombia's ongoing armed conflict.

Guerrilla groups, state security forces and paramilitaries are responsible for killings, enforced disappearances and kidnappings, sexual abuse of women and recruitment of child soldiers. Thousands of Indigenous people have been forced from their land because they live in areas of intense military conflict and that are valued for their natural resources, including oil and minerals. Indigenous leaders and communities that try to defend their land rights commonly experience threats, killings and mass displacement.

The vast majority of these crimes have not been investigated. Lack of justice fuels further abuse.

The situation is nothing less than a human rights emergency.

According to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), the survival of at least 32 different Indigenous peoples in Colombia is at grave risk as a result of the armed conflict, the impacts of large-scale economic projects and a lack of state support.

Canada: Ensure that clean water is a right for all

Craig Benjamin1 — 2011-12-09T05:00:00+01:00

“Every family in this country should have access to clean, safe drinking water and First Nations should not be an exception.” -- Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo

An estimated 20,000 First Nations people living on reserves across Canada have no access to running water or sewage. In addition, the federal government reports that as of October 31, 2011, the tap water in 137 First Nations communities was not safe to drink.

According to an independent expert panel appointed by the federal government, the basic problem is the gap in resources provided to First Nations communities, such as infrastructure and training.

The federal government has failed to close this gap. It has also failed to give priority to the urgent needs of people in communities such as the Lubicon community of Little Buffalo that have no access to any running water or sanitation.

Instead, the federal government has moved to introduce new legislation, if passed, creates a framework for regulating First Nations water without providing any new resources to ensure that the needs of these communities are actually met. The new Bill -- which was brought forward with consultation with First Nations -- would also grant cabinet sweeping powers to override self-government agreements and the constitutionally-protected treaty rights of First Nations.

The international community has recognized that access to safe drinkable water and adequate sanitation are basic human rights. Canada is one of only three United Nations member states that have never acknowledged the right to water in a UN declaration or resolution.

Mexico: Call for action to protect human rights defenders

Kathy Price1 — 2011-12-08T05:00:00+01:00

On 2 December 2011, an unknown man shot Norma Andrade as she left her house in the northern border town of Ciudad Juárez. Luckily, the well known human rights defender survived the attack but remains in hospital.

Norma Andrade, whose daughter Lilia Alejandra was assassinated in 2001, is a founding member of the organization Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa, which campaigns for justice on behalf of hundreds of women and girls who have been killed or disappeared. The organization has played an important role in taking denunciations to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that resulted in a binding ruling against the Mexican government in the so-called Campo Algodonero case. Norma Andrade and other members of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa have received repeated threats.

This is no isolated case. Amnesty International has monitored a pattern of escalating intimidation and violence against human rights defenders. Indeed, Mexico is now one of the most dangerous countries in the Americas for human rights defenders.

Amnesty International believes Mexican authorities are failing in their duty to protect human rights defenders like Norma Andrade and her colleagues from life-threatening harassment and attacks.

Stop Saudi Arabia’s oppressive anti-terror law

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-11-30T05:00:00+01:00

“At a time when people throughout the Middle East and North Africa have been exercising their legitimate right to express dissent and call for change, Saudi Arabian authorities have been seeking to squash this right for its citizens “
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director

A draft anti-terrorism law reviewed in June by Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council -- a government-appointed consultative body -- would offer a cloak of “legality” to long-standing oppressive measures taken by the government in the pretext of countering terrorism.

The Draft Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism would allow the authorities to prosecute peaceful dissent as a terrorist crime. Sentences are harsh and include the death penalty. Questioning the integrity of the King or the Crown Prince would result in at least 10 years imprisonment.

The draft law allows for arbitrary detention, denying detainees the right to be promptly brought before a judge, and to be released or tried within a reasonable time. It gives a specialized court the power to detain without charge or trial for up to a year, and to extend such detention indefinitely. Detainees are not given a means to challenge the lawfulness of their detention in front of a court.

The draft law also fails to include a clear prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. No judicial review or oversight is included in the law.

The last nine months has seen a new wave of repression in Saudi Arabia as authorities have cracked down on protesters and reformists on security grounds. Since March 2011 over 300 people who took part in peaceful protests in al-Qatif, al-Ahsa and Awwamiya have been detained, either at demonstrations or shortly afterwards. Most have been released, often after pledging not to protest again. Many face travel bans.

Elsewhere in the country, protests have been stifled by warnings by the Interior Ministry that the authorities would “take all necessary measures” against those who tried to “disrupt order”. The impact of this has gone beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia: the website of Amnesty’s International Secretariat in the UK was briefly blocked shortly after our criticism of the draft law became public on July 22, 2011.

Amnesty International believes believe that King Abdullah, as head of state, is now the only authority who has the power to stop this assault on human rights.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Guarantee rights of survivors

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-11-24T05:00:00+01:00

During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) thousands of women and girls were raped, often with extreme brutality. The testimonies women gave just after the war resulted in widespread media attention, public outrage and changes in international law. However, after the issue of war time rape disappeared from the international headlines very little has actually been done for the survivors.

Survivors of sexual violence want the BiH authorities to acknowledge their rights as victims of war crimes. Instead, the women still find themselves marginalized and neglected. Like in most other post-conflict societies the needs of war veterans are promoted and prioritized. Women survivors of war crimes of sexual violence are discriminated with regard to social benefits and other support available to them in comparison to war veterans, who enjoy access to health care, generous pensions and other social benefits.

In 2010, as a result of huge international pressure, including by Amnesty International, a number of policy and legal changes were initiated by the government with the aim of ensuring access to justice and reparation to survivors of war crimes of sexual violence. However, those initiatives have still not been developed and implemented due to the major political deadlock following the October 2010 elections.

Please send a message to the leaders of the main political parties in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

Malaysia: Reform Promises Broken

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-11-23T05:00:00+01:00

Malaysian police arrested 13 people in November under the Internal Security Act (ISA). In September, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced his government would repeal the law and replace it with new security legislation.

The ISA allows for indefinite detention without charge or trial, and has been used to imprison critics of the government and opposition politicians as well as suspected militants. Those arrested were detained under a provision which allows for police to arrest anyone without warrant whom they believe might “act in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia.” 

The ISA is contrary to international human rights standards including the right to be free from arbitrary detention and the rights to due process and a fair trial.

When challenged on the discrepancy between promise and action, Deputy Home Minister Abu Seman Yusop was reported as saying that their arrests were not in conflict with the act in any way. He urged people not to be emotional on issues of national security under the ISA. Making further mockery of promised reform on freedom of expression in line with international human rights standards, a planned replacement act appears to contain a similar provision for detention without trial.

Amnesty International believes that if the Malaysian police have grounds to suspect the detainees of a legitimate crime, they should charge them or else release them. Locking people up without charge or trial shows flagrant disrespect for the rule of law.

Rwanda: Allow freedom of expression

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-11-16T05:00:00+01:00

Since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda the government of President Paul Kagame has made security and the maintenance of order a top priority. As important as this goal is, it has resulted in political and press freedoms being unduly limited. Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) argue that this has been necessary in order to prevent the ideas that drove the genocide from taking root again. Unfortunately, the offense of ‘promoting genocide ideology’ has been very broadly defined by Kagame’s government and has resulted in the arrest, exile or killing of many political opponents and rivals.

The killings of a political opponent and a journalist in 2010 are examples of how people who criticize the authorities are often at risk. We believe the Rwandan government should re-open the investigation into the killings of Jean-Leonard Rugambage and André Kagwa Rwisereka by establishing two separate independent commissions of enquiry.

On 24 June 2010, Rwandan journalist and deputy editor of the Kinyarwanda newspaper Umuvugizi, Jean-Leonard Rugambage, was shot dead outside his home in Kigali. There is no evidence that Rwandan police have explored those leads into the killing that pointed towards it being politically motivated.

20 days later, on 14 July 2010, André Kagwa Rwisereka, vice president of the opposition Democratic Green Party, was found dead in Butare, southern Rwanda. He had been beheaded. No-one has been brought to justice for André Kagwa Rwisereka’s murder. The police opened an investigation, but the prosecution claim to have insufficient evidence to press charges.

China: Release Prisoner of Conscience Liu Xiaobo

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-11-04T04:00:00+01:00

Lui Xiaobo is the co-author of Charter 08 which calls for effective protection of universal human rights and democratic reform. The Court considered Charter 08 “slanderous” and an attempt to incite the subversion of the current regime. In six articles, Liu Xiaobo criticized corruption, censorship and one-party rule and advocated developing a democratic multi party political system. The Court considered this ”rumour mongering, slander and smear” which exceeded the limits of freedom of expression, constituting a criminal offence.

Liu Xiaobo is held in Jinzhou Prison, in Liaoning province, north-east China. On completion of his sentence, he will also be deprived of political rights for two years. The day of his sentence, the state-controlled Xinhua news agency reported that the Court had “strictly followed legal procedures" and had "fully protected Liu's litigation rights". This disregarded the fact that Liu Xiaobo had been detained without charge or trial for a whole year and that the authorities barred representation by the lawyer his family initially authorized to represent him. His wife, Liu Xia was also prevented from attending the trial.

Police took Liu Xiaobo from his home in Beijing on 8 December 2008, two days before the International Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was the intended launch date for Charter 08. On 9 December 2008, the police placed him under "residential surveillance", a form of house arrest for criminal suspects and defendants. However, contrary to relevant provisions in China’s Criminal Procedure Law, Liu Xiaobo was removed from his home and family, the authorities did not disclose where he was detained, they held him beyond the six month limit and denied him any access to his legal representatives. During this period, he was only allowed to meet with his wife twice. Contrary to Supreme People’s Court interpretations, this period was not off set against Liu Xiaobo’s prison sentence.

Lui Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia has been under illegal house arrest since 8 October 2010, the day Liu Xiaobo was announced as the Nobel Peace Prize winner for 2010.

Canada: Working toward an Arms Trade Treaty

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-11-01T04:00:00+01:00

Irresponsible arms transfers taking place across the world are destroying both lives and livelihoods. Hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year as a result of foreseeable patterns of armed violence fuelled by the poorly regulated global trade in conventional arms. This terror trade also contributes to hundreds of thousands more men, women and children being injured, raped, displaced, impoverished, and denied other rights – economic, social, cultural, civil and political – established in international law.

An effective Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) should be one that helps to protect lives, livelihoods and rights. The treaty should protect the ability of states to lawfully sell, acquire and possess arms for their security, law enforcement and self-defence, consistent with international law and best practice standards. But to ensure real security, it should also require states not to transfer arms internationally where there is a substantial risk that they will be used in serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law, whose protection forms part of states’ existing international obligations.

An effective ATT should also prevent international arms transfers where there is a substantial risk that they will facilitate patterns of armed violence including terrorist attacks, gender-based violence, violent crime and organized crime; or that they will seriously impair poverty reduction or socio-economic development.

Rigorous risk assessments by arms-transferring states can prevent arms from fuelling human rights abuses. At the end of 2006, the international community agreed and finally committed to the negotiation of an Arms Trade Treaty. But now the negotiations are at risk of being narrowed in scope and derailed.

At the UN ATT preparatory meetings in July 2011, Canada’s long-term support for the treaty took a sudden and surprizing step backwards. Officials began to talk about the ATT negotiations as “too ambitious” or “too detailed” and seeking exemptions for categories of weapons including "hunting rifles". Fortunately, it now appears that Canada will seek to ensure the ATT will not affect legitimate and lawful civilian use of firearms through avenues other than a formal exemption. But other countries may continue to pursue this tactic.

Women must have an equal voice in shaping Egypt’s future

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-10-31T04:00:00+01:00

Egypt’s “25 January Revolution” held great promise. Women and men stood together as equals and demanded respect for their rights.

But less than a month later, women jurists were excluded from a new committee set up to revise the constitution. The new Prime Minister’s cabinet, announced in early March, included just one woman.

Shortly afterwards on March 8 – International Women’s Day – women demonstrating peacefully were attacked by groups of men. But instead of being protected from such attacks, women found themselves at risk from the security services themselves. At least 17 women protesters detained on March 9 in Cairo’s Tahrir Square were beaten in detention, strip searched and forced to undergo degrading ‘virginity tests’.

The creation of a new national committee for women is an important step forward in acknowledging that there is a role for women in the political process. But it cannot become yet another way of sidelining women.

Real change will not happen if women are discriminated against and left out. Equality and non-discrimination must be at the heart of the country’s reform process.

Egyptians will vote for a new parliament starting in November 2011. Women must be full participants in the lead up to the elections.

Israel/OPT: Save Jahalin’s School from Demolition

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-10-10T04:00:00+01:00

The community of Jahalin, just south of Jerusalem, built a school in the middle of 2009 with the help of an Italian NGO Vento di Terra. Israel military authorities ordered the work to stop, but the community finished work and students began attending classes.

In February 2010, the Jahalin tribe petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to grant legal authorization for the school to continue to function. On March 3, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the school could remain open until the end of the school year on June 1, 2010, but rejected the residents’ appeal to “legalize” its presence through a permit. The school has remained open since then and has not been demolished, at least partly, it seems, due to international advocacy and media interest. Yet, local settlers continue to see the school, and the communities it serves, as obstacles to the expansion of the nearby illegal settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim.

On August 1, 2011, a group of Israelis from Kfar Adumim filed a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice seeking an explanation from the Israeli military as to why the school has not already been demolished. The petition cited a demolition order against the school issued by the Israeli military authorities in June 2009; it was issued on the grounds that the school was built without an official permit.

The school serves several Bedouin communities in the Khan al-Ahmar area, which is located in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel has full civil and military control. These Bedouin communities have faced persistent harassment from the Israeli military authorities and Israeli settlers. In July 2011, the Civil Administration upheld final demolition orders for 12 residential structures and four animal shelters in the community. A petition against these demolitions is pending in the Israeli High Court.

Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank face tight restrictions on what they can build. The Israeli authorities condemn as “illegal” homes and other structures built without the permits that they control and rarely allow to Palestinian residents, and then order their destruction.

Iran: Release Yousef Nadarkhani Christian pastor

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-10-07T04:00:00+01:00

Naderkhani, born to Muslim parents in the northern Iranian town of Rasht, was arrested on 13 October 2009, and sentenced to death for “apostasy” in September 2010.

He turned to Christianity at the age of 19, becoming a member of the Only Jesus Church, before being ordained as a pastor in Rasht. He says he was never a practising Muslim.

His arrest may have been linked to the fact that he protested against his child being given mandatory lessons on Islam in school.

Naderkhani refused to recant his beliefs during his four-day trial in September 2011 , reportedly telling the judge: "I am resolute in my faith and Christianity and have no wish to recant." Following an international outcry about his case, an Iranian official was reported by Fars News Agency, which has close links to the Revolutionary Guards, to have said on 30 September 2011 that Yousef Nadarkhani is not facing charges relating to his belief, but for “extortion and rape”. Yousef Nadarkhani’s lawyer has denied that any such charges have been read in any court session which he has attended, nor are any such charges mentioned in the court documents seen by Amnesty International.

Yousef Nadarkhani is one of many lawyers, students, human rights activists, protesters, other dissidents and members of religious and ethnic minorities who are persecuted by the Iranian authorities for expressing opinions or beliefs which diverge from official viewpoints.

Amnesty International considers Yousef Nadarkhani as a prisoner of conscience held solely on the basis of his religious beliefs, and has called on the Iranian authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally. Freedom of expression and belief are guaranteed under international human rights treaties that Iran has ratified. All prisoners of conscience held for their beliefs, including those from the Christian, Baha’i and dervish communities, must be freed.

Afghanistan: Guarantee human rights during talks with the Taleban

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-10-06T04:00:00+01:00

“Afghan women have the most to gain from peace and the most to lose from any form of reconciliation compromising women’s human rights. There cannot be national security without women’s security, there can be no peace when women’s lives are fraught with violence, when our children can’t go to schools, when we cannot step on the streets for fear of acid attacks.” Mary Akrami, Director of the Afghan Women Skills Development Centre, January 2010.

Ten years ago the Afghan government and its international partners pledged to advance women’s rights following the 2001 international intervention to oust the Taleban regime. Since the fall of the Taleban there have been some advances in respect for women’s rights and gender equality, including the establishment of the Ministry for Women’s Affairs, a Constitution that grants women equal legal status to men, improved access to education and representation of women in parliament.

But these advances are at risk if they are compromised for short-term military and political agreements with the Taleban and other insurgent groups.

Today in areas under their control, as when in government, the Taleban have severely curtailed the rights of girls and women, including the denial of education, employment, freedom of movement and political participation and representation. The Taleban and related insurgent groups in Afghanistan have shown little regard for human rights and the laws of war, deliberately targeting civilians, aid workers, and facilities like schools (particularly girls’ schools). According to UN figures, the Taleban and other insurgent groups were responsible for two thirds of the more than 2,400 civilian casualties in Afghanistan last year, the bloodiest year yet since the fall of the Taleban. Similar deals with the Taleban in neighbouring Pakistan led to increased human rights violations in areas under Taleban control and a significant escalation in conflict and insecurity.

Experience from Afghanistan, as well as neighbouring Pakistan, demonstrates that peace without justice or human rights is not real peace and could ultimately lead to further conflict.

On 5 December 2011, a high-level ministerial meeting will take place in Bonn in Germany and the peace process will be an important point of discussion. Let’s use this opportunity to call on the Afghan government to guarantee women’s rights and women’s participation in the peace process.

Zimbabwe: Victims of forced eviction deserve education

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-10-03T04:00:00+01:00

On October 3^rd, World Habitat Day, people around the world will take a stand against forced evictions. In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina left approximately 700,000 Zimbabweans without homes, livelihoods or both. Thousands of children lost their access to education because they were forced to move away from their schools. The destruction of market stalls and other small businesses also meant that families could no longer afford to send their children to school.

The Hopley and Hatcliffe settlements were set up as part of Operation Garikai, an operation intended to organize the many families left homeless after the forced evictions. Survivors living in these communities now live in dilapidated plastic shacks without access to basic services. Children are learning in makeshifts school houses that lack desks, books, stationary or trained teachers. Despite their grave inadequacies, this is the only form of education available. The Zimbabwean government must immediately ensure that children in Hopley, Hatcliffe Extension and other Garikai settlements have access to free, compulsory, primary education.

IRAN: Serious concerns for the safety of Kouhyar Goudarzi

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-09-30T04:00:00+01:00

Since Kouhyar Goudarzi's arrest, neither his family nor his lawyer have been able to find out where he is, or even obtain official confirmation that he has been arrested. He may be in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in Tehran. Kouhyar Goubarzi is believed to have been subjected to an enforced disappearance

Behnam Ganji Khaibari, aged 22, was arrested at the same time as Kouhyar Goudarzi and released from Evin Prison on 8 August 2011. Afterwards, he told a friend that he had been held in solitary confinement in Section 240 of Evin Prison and had no further contact with Kouhyar Goudarzi, though he had heard some of Kouhyar Goudarzi's interrogations. Behnam Ganji Khaibari said that he too had been interrogated, every morning and afternoon, and pressured to make a "confession" incriminating Kouhyar Goudarzi. Behnam Ganji Khaibari committed suicide on 2 September 2011. Amnesty International fears that he may have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated and that this may have contributed to his suicide.

Parvin Mokhtareh, Kouhyar Goudarzi's mother, who was arrested on 1 August 2011 in Kerman, southern Iran, was tried on 6 September 2011 in the Kerman Revolutionary Court on charges said to relate to her advocacy for her son during his earlier detention in 2010. She is still held in a Kerman prison and is reported to have had no access to a lawyer since her arrest.

Send message of support to residents of Liulangzhuang China

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-09-30T04:00:00+01:00

Haidian is a suburban district of Beijing. A large number of the residents who live here are students and migrants and do not have long term residence permits. Nearly every major Chinese city features a migrant community, with many of the buildings they occupy subject to demolition orders by local authorities.

The residents of Liulangzhuang claim they were not consulted about the possible eviction. They want to meet with the authorities to discuss the eviction. While the residents have been offered money to leave their homes they do not believe the money they are being offered is fair compensation.

World Habitat Day is a global day for Amnesty International to take action to end forced evictions and other human rights violations suffered daily by people living in slums.

Help mark this day and support the residents of Liulangzhuang.

Sierra Leone: Free Health Care Policy at a crossroads

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-09-22T04:00:00+01:00

Despite several years of peace in Sierra Leone since the end of its brutal civil war, women have continued to suffer. Available health services for pregnant women are difficult to access, expensive, and not trusted by expectant mothers. Corruption, a lack of resources and the fact that women are not going to the hospital have resulted in Sierra Leone being ranked number one in the world for maternal mortality rates. Thousands of women die every year from pregnancy related complications.

Amnesty International campaigned for and welcomed the launch of the Free Health Care Initiative by the government of Sierra Leone in April 2010. The Initiative represents important progress in lowering financial barriers to health care services for pregnant women. However, despite this step, there have been major implementation problems and many women are still without free health care because of mismanagement, corruption and a lack of public education. As the President of Sierra Leone highlighted, there is a need to identify “the weaknesses of the programme” so that collective measures can be taken to address gaps “that have lead to leakages”.

Without clear action to address the lack of facilities, non-availability of drugs, systemic bad practices, corruption and other challenges, the women of Sierra Leone will continue to suffer. Women must have access to the free health care services that are supposed to be provided for them. When they are denied care, women must be able to use appropriate complaint mechanisms that will result in real change.

Colombia: Demand justice for women victims of sexual violence amidst ongoing armed conflict

Kathy Price1 — 2011-09-21T04:00:00+01:00

Shirley (not her real name) was 17 when a paramilitary group arrived in her village in Antioquia Department in February 2005. She was taken to the paramilitary camp where she was repeatedly raped. When she finally managed to escape six months later, the threats began. ‘You know that if you say anything, we’ll kill you, you whore, you slut.’

But Shirley did report what had happened. “I spoke to a prosecutor. I told her everything. I decided to report it. Why? After all, it does no good to file a complaint, there are the threats, the danger to your life. You demand the right to be respected as a woman but they make threats against you. I reported it so that people would realize that this kind of thing goes on.”

After repeated requests by the NGO supporting Shirley, her case was transferred to the Human Rights Unit of the Attorney General’s Office in Bogota in June 2009. Shirley was put in the government’s protection programme and moved to a safe house in Bogota. However, a paramilitary belonging to the same group as her attackers was also housed there, receiving protection under the so-called Justice and Peace process for demobilizing paramilitaries.

Shirley has left Bogota. She is no longer receiving protection from the state because it did not make her feel safe. She identified more than 35 of her abusers. Not one of them has been held to account. Says Shirley: “I reported it and what happened? How many people went to jail because of what happened to me? Not one. And I have pointed them all out. They ask you, ‘What were you doing in the countryside? Why were you wearing shorts? Why such and such? Are you sure? They point the finger at you, and what happens to them? They get off scot free … really there is no justice … my life has been shattered.”

Shirley's experience is emblematic of what has happened to far too many others. Women and girls in Colombia are often treated as trophies of war. State security forces, paramilitaries and guerrilla groups have all targetted women and girls to exploit them as sexual slaves, to effect revenge on adversaries or to sow terror within communities so that families flee, allowing land to be appropriated. Indigenous women are particularly vulnerable, in a context of multiple discrimination. Very few of those who have committed crimes of sexual violence during Colombia's long-running armed conflict have been brought to justice. Even when women muster the courage to report a case of rape or sexual violence, it is rarely investigated effectively. This denial of justice remains an open wound, intensifying the suffering of survivors and exposing them to other abuses, including threats, harassment and further violence.

Anti-smuggling Bill must protect the rights of refugees and migrants

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-09-19T04:00:00+01:00

Bill C-49 (Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act) was tabled in the previous session of Parliament, but it did not advance to second reading. It was clear that the Bill would have been defeated in the then minority government. The government has now re-introduced the bill in the form of C-4. There are no discernable differences between this bill and its predecesor.

Bill C-4 severely restricts a number of essential rights of refugees and migrants if they arrive “irregularly” in Canada as part of a group that the government designates to be a “human smuggling event.” In effect, their rights are violated solely on the basis of how they have travelled to Canada. The restrictions include detention for one year without review, the denial of access to appeal processes, and serious limitations on freedom of movement and family unity.

This discriminatory treatment, contravenes the well-established right to be free from discrimination, enshrined in several treaties binding on Canada, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Bill not only violates rights, it ignores the reality that many refugees, who have a well-founded fear of persecution, turn to smugglers for assistance in reaching a country of safety such as Canada, because of desperation and a lack of other options.

Amnesty International is concerned that many of the provisions of Bill C-4 will result in serious violations of Canada's international human rights obligations, and that Bill c-4 must be withdrawn. Similar legislative reforms should only be reintroduced if consistent with Canada's international human rights and refugee protection obligations.

Zimbabwe: End discrimination against women and protect human rights defenders

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-08-09T04:00:00+01:00

In 2005, 700,000 Zimbabweans lost their homes or their livelihoods or both during the mass forced eviction program called Operation Murambatsvina. Women were disproportionately affected. Their market stalls were obliterated, destroying their livelihoods. Follow-up government operations that were intended to restore order, such as Operation Garikai, failed to do so. In fact, in many Operation Garikai settlements, such as the Hopley settlement, adequate health care remains unavailable and the lives of women and newborn babies are seriously threatened. Women human rights defenders who stand up against these injustices are frequently detained, harassed and mistreated by the police.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has convened a pre-session working group to prepare for their upcoming review of the status of women in Zimbabwe. Amnesty International’s submission to CEDAW has highlighted the ongoing violations of women’s human rights in Zimbabwe, including violations of the right to work, the right to health of pregnant women and girls, and the arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention on women human rights defenders.

Canada must stop violence against Indigenous women

Kate McInturff1 — 2011-08-08T04:00:00+01:00

"The committee...recommends that [Canada] develop a specific and integrated plan for addressing the particular conditions affecting Aboriginal women... including poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, low school-completion rates, low employment rates, low income and high rates of violence."

UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, November 2008.

Long-standing patterns of marginalization, impoverishment and discrimination are critical factors putting Indigenous women in Canada at risk of violence and exploitation. These same factors have also denied many Indigenous women full protection of the police and justice system.

According to a government statistic, young Indigenous women in Canada are five times more likely than other women of the same age to die as the result of violence. The Native Women's Association of Canada has documented more than 580 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada, most within the last three decades. Because of gaps in police and government reporting, the actual numbers may be much higher.

The Canadian government has condemned the violence and promised to take action. But efforts to date have fallen far short of the comprehensive, coordinated response needed to address such serious and pervasive human rights violations.

Send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling on the Canadian government to take action to end the violence.

Iran: free journalist and prisoner of conscience Ahmad Zeidabadi

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-08-02T04:00:00+01:00

Over 2 years have been passed since the arrest of Ahmad Zeidabadi, a journalist and spokesperson for the Graduates’ Association, which has promoted reform and greater respect for human rights. He was arrested on 21 June 2009, shortly after Iran’s disputed presidential election and held incommunicado in Evin Prison until his appearance on 8 August 2009 in a mass “show trial”. He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in December 2009, five years of internal exile, and was banned for life from all social and political activities. He is a prisoner of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.

On World Press Freedom Day (3 May 2011), Ahmad Zeidabadi was awarded, in his absence, the 2011 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Each year, this prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.

According to his wife, who recently had visited Ahmad in prison, he seemed very weak, and had very noticeably lost a lot of weight. Ahmad will spend his upcoming birthday on August 31 in prison, far away from his wife and children. Let us tell him we never forget him and so many others like him whose precious days are spent in narrow cells of Iranian prisons because they dared to have spoken. Let us also remind Iranian authorities that these brave imprisoned journalists, lawyers, activists and artists might be out of sight, in prison, but never out of our minds.

Canada must help deliver truth, justice and reparations for war crimes in the DRC

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-07-18T04:00:00+01:00

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured over twenty years of widespread conflict and horrific human rights violations. Despite a peace agreement, for many the war has never ended. Civilians continue to be targeted by armed groups and the Congolese army in eastern DRC. Rapes and arbitrary detentions take place on a daily basis. Children are recruited as soldiers. And men, women and children continue to be attacked, killed and displaced.

A broken national court system means that few crimes will be investigated, let alone anyone brought to justice. Many alleged perpetrators hold public office or serve in the Congolese army where they continue to be involved in serious human rights violations. The February 2011 conviction of Lt. Col. Kibibi Mutware and three others for a revenge attack on Fizi village in which 35 women were raped is step in the right direction. But those who bravely came forward as witnesses face intimidation and reprisals.

In an October 2010 Mapping Report on the DRC, the United Nations documented both the serious crimes committed in 1993-2003 and the many shortcomings of the justice system including political interference, threats to justice workers and corruption. A special court proposed in response to the UN report may be too limited to bring real justice to the Congolese people. The next government in the DRC, due to be elected in November, must make rebuilding the justice system a high priority.

The human rights violations in the DRC amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. A long-term and comprehensive action plan must be established to rebuild the civilian justice system and ensure justice, truth and reparations for the victims. The international community has a key role to play in making this happen.

Migrants at Risk in Mexico

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-07-12T04:00:00+01:00

Every year hundreds of thousands of migrants from Central and South America attempt to travel through Mexico to the United States with the hope that they will find work which will allow them to support their families and help them to survive. The journey they take across Mexico is life threatening. They are easy targets of abuse from migration officials, criminal gangs, people traffickers, police and military officials. Thousands of migrants passing through Mexico are victims of beatings, abduction, rape, and murder. They do not file complaints as they fear there will not be an investigation, and instead they will be detained and deported.

It is extremely difficult for migrants to file complaints for the abuses they have suffered. Those responsible for the abuses, whether private citizens or officials are virtually never held to account. This lack of recourse to justice means that the discrimination and abuses suffered by many Central Americans travelling through Mexico, is largely invisible and amounts to a serious scandal which
municipal, state and federal authorities fail to properly address.

Nepal: Justice for the killing of 15-year-old Maina Sunuwar

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-06-28T04:00:00+01:00

On February 17, 2004, members of the Nepal Army took 15 year-old Maina Sunuwar from her home and brought her to a nearby army camp. They repeatedly pushed her head under water and applied electric shocks to her wet hands and feet. She died after an hour and a half of this torture. Her body was buried in a secret grave.

When Maina’s mother, Devi, first started searching for her daughter, the army denied any involvement. Eventually, the army conducted an internal investigation resulting in court martial proceedings for minor offences in September 2005. The three accused were given six-month prison sentences and a fine. Having spent as much time confirmed to barracks, they were promptly released.

The public campaign resulted in Maina’s body being located at the army camp and exhumed in March 2007. In 2008, the three men previously convicted by the military court along with Major Niranjan Basnet of the Nepal Army were charged by a civilian court with the murder of Maina Sunuwar. Only Major Basnet could be located by the authorities: at the time he was serving with UN peacekeeping forces in Chad. Though his reptariation was ordered, Major Basnet was not arrested upon his return to Nepal. Instead, the years continue to pass without those suspected of killing Maina being arrested or tried in a civilian court.

During the Nepalese civil war between 1996 and 2006, Amnesty International documented the killing, enforced disappearance and torture of thousands of civilians. These crimes and other human rights violations were committed by the army, the police and Maoist forces. Years after the signing of a peace agreement, no one has been brought to justice.

On May 20, 2011, the Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara suggested that conflict era cases (including the case against Major Basnet and the others) should be withdrawn from the courts.The politically motivated withdrawal of cases would constitute a breach of the government's obligations under international law,

Saudi Arabia: Young domestic worker Rizana Nafeek at imminent risk of execution

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-06-28T04:00:00+01:00

Rizana Nafeek, a migrant domestic worker from Sri Lanka, was 17-years-old when she was arrested in May 2005 by the Saudi Arabian authorities and charged with murdering an infant in her care. She was convicted and sentenced to death in June 2007.

Rizana Nafeek had no access to lawyers either during interrogation or at the trial. It is believed that she confessed to the murder during police questioning, but later retracted the confession which she says she was forced to make under duress following a physical assault. The man who translated Rizana’s statement was not an officially recognized translator, and it appears that he may not have been able adequately to translate between Tamil and Arabic. He has since left Saudi Arabia.

Her death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia in October 2010, leaving the final appeal in the hands of the King.

All appeals in her case have now been exhausted, leaving Rizana Nafeek is now at risk of imminent execution.

Turkey: Guarantee right to non-discrimination for LGBT people

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-06-23T04:00:00+01:00

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Turkey suffer discrimination in employment, housing and access to public services. Their rights to freedom of expression and association have been repeatedly threatened.

Negative statements by public officials and in the media reflect and further fuel an official toleration of homophobia and transphobia. In this discriminatory climate, violence and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals by police officers and in the military remains unchecked. No effective measures exist to prevent and investigate suspected hate crimes targeting people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The newly elected government in Turkey has pledged to introduce a new constitution containing greater human rights protections. An anti-discrimination law is also scheduled to come before the Turkish parliament. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people’s demands for equality must be put on the agenda.

Take Action in Support of Somali Refugees in Kenya

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-06-17T04:00:00+01:00

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Somalia in search of safety. Most flee to refugee camps in northern Kenya which for many are not safe. Once in these camps, there is often no way out.

Dadaab camp in northern Kenya is one of the largest refugee camps in the world. This camp was designed in the early 1990s, as a temporary solution, to accommodate 90,000 people. Today there are more than 320,000 people living here. The camps’ resources and infrastructure have been stretched beyond capacity.

The homes for new arrivals are inadequate; often built with plastic sheeting and mosquito nets. There is not enough water for all of the camp residents and the water pipe system is old and strained. Newly arrived refugees living on the edge of the camps have to walk long distances to collect their water. The schools cannot meet the needs of the new students. Many children, particularly girls, never went to school when they were living in Somalia, other than a duksi (Koranic school). Many Somalis have been injured or seriously traumatized by the conflict, and there are not enough medical facilities to meet all of their needs.

The camps are not safe. It has been reported that members and sympathisers of al-Shabab, an armed Islamist militia group in Somalia, are present in the camps. The overcrowding leads to theft and sexual abuse, including sexual violence, rape, early and forced marriages, and unwanted pregnancies. The majority of newly arrived refugees are women and children, including children whose parents were killed in the armed conflict in Somalia, or who have been separated from them when fleeing.

The options for Somali refugees in Kenya are very limited. There is no hope in the near furture that they will be able to return to their homes in safety and dignity. Kenya does not provide opportunities for refugees to integrate. Refugees in Kenya are not given permission to work and earn a livilhood, or live freely outside the refugee camps. In the camps they are dependant on aid from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Resettlement to a third country is virtually impossible, but it is the dream that many cling to.

Canada hosts one of the largest Somali diaspora communities in the world, but resettlement to Canada is not easy. Time frames through the visa office in Nairobi are among the slowest in the world. According to statistics published on the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC) website it takes 4.5 years to process the sponosrship of a privately sponsored refugee. It can take just under 3 years to process the sponsorship application of a spouse or child.

The international community must support Kenya and the UNHCR in order to provide safety and security for Somali refugees.

Colombia: Afro-descendent and Indigenous communities at risk in the Curvaradó and Jiguamiandó River Basins

Kathy Price1 — 2011-05-19T04:00:00+01:00

Sixta Tulia Pérez and Blanca Rebolledo are two women leaders of the Afro-descendant community in Caracolí, in the Curvaradó River Basin. On May 5, eleven paramilitaries surrounded the women and tried to rip their clothes off. One of the paramilitaries hit Sixta Tulia Pérez with a whip. “This is a warning,” said the paramilitary. “The boss has money to order the government what to do to get you out of here.” Later that day, the same paramilitaries threatened women leaders in front of soldiers of the XVII Brigade, who maintain a heavy presence in the area. The soldiers did not react when the women asked for help.

This is just one of a continuous series of threats and attacks against Afro-descendent and Indigenous communities asserting their land rights in this area of Colombia.

Soldiers of the XVII Brigade have accused inhabitants of the neighbouring Indigenous resguardo (reservation) of Urada-Jiguamiandó of being “guerrillas and son-of-a-bitch informers”. Amnesty International fears these accusations could encourage physical attacks on people living there, given a large-scale paramilitary presence in the area. Inhabitants who are known to have opposed the development of international mining interests in the area are at particular risk.

Canada: Lubicon Cree deserve answers

Craig Benjamin1 — 2011-05-11T04:00:00+01:00

A pipeline leak has spilled an estimated 28,000 barrels - or 4.5 million litres - of crude oil into wetlands in the traditional territory of the Lubicon Cree in northern Alberta. It is the second largest oil spill in Alberta history and the largest in more than 30 years.

For the Lubicon, it is the latest blow in a decades-long struggle for recognition and protection of their human rights.

After the spill, the school in the nearby Lubicon community of Little Buffalo was closed for more than a week because children and teachers were experiencing headaches and nausea.

It took four more days for the province to publicly acknowledge the scale of the oil spill. Even then, officials with the provincial regulatory body downplayed how close the spill was to the community.

The Alberta Minister of the Environment has apologized for this 'poor communication.' A week after the spill, however, the province acknowledged that it had still not conducted tests for possible ground water contamination.

Community members remain concerned over the impact of the spill on their health and on the land on which they live.

In a public statement issued by the community, Veronica Okemow, a Lubicon mother of six children, said:

“We are deeply concerned about the health effects on the community. It is a scary thing when your children are feeling sick from the air."

Provincial authorities have not attended a meeting with the community as a whole.

Oil company personnel have prevented community members from visiting the site to document the damage for themselves.

Grassy Narrows: Ontario must honour responsibility to uphold Indigenous rights

Craig Benjamin1 — 2011-03-16T04:00:00+01:00

‘Everything around us was disappearing... The clean water, our way of life, our traditions, even the wild rice picking and blueberry picking were all disappearing. It's all connected to the land.’ - Judy DaSilva, Grass Narrows

The Indigenous community of Grassy Narrows, in north-western Ontario, has been pushed to the brink of destruction by the actions of governments and corporations. Their lands have been flooded, the community has been relocated and their waters badly contaminated.

For more than a decade, the community has been fighting against large-scale, clear-cut logging on their traditional lands. They fear their way of life cannot survive the environmental destruction this type of logging leaves in its wake.

In 2008, the provincial authorities entered into talks with Grassy Narrows over how the forest should be managed. But the province made no commitment to stop clear-cutting while a new forest management system is being negotiated.

In fact, Ontario has prepared a contingency plan that would allow more than 27 clearcuts in the Whiskey Jack forest, most of them on the traditional territory of Grassy Narrows. It has been reported that the province may allow logging to resume this fall.

The people of Grassy Narrows continue to call for a moratorium on large-scale industrial development on their lands.

Malaysia: End the caning of refugees and migrants

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-03-11T05:00:00+01:00

"The pain goes to your head. It felt like an electric shock. I don't have the words for it....I only got one and I couldn't take it. I was thinking, how do people who get more take it." Hussian, a 26-year-old Malaysian.

Amnesty International has called for an immediate halt to the caning of refugees and migrants in Malaysia after the government disclosed that almost 30,000 foreigners had been caned over a five-year period. The practice of caning is absolutely prohibited under international law in all circumstances. In contrast to the abolition of judicial caning in most countries, Malaysia has increased the number of offences subject to caning to more than sixty.

Undocumented migrant workers and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable, as Malaysia has not ratified the Convention on Refugees or international treaties on undocumented migrant workers. Thus they are considered illegal entrants deserving of punishment, for example caning, at times imposed after a trial in a language that the accused does not understand.

Guards who carry out the caning are specially trained to cause the maximum pain and are paid a bonus for each stroke. One victim described the lining-up of prisoners outside the caning room, thus hearing the screams of suffering from each prisoner, who is stripped almost naked and tied to a stand. The cane cuts into the flesh of the buttocks, blow after blow on the same area, shredding the naked skin. Blood and flesh splash off the victim's body, often accompanied with urine and faeces and loss of consciousness. Medical personnel may be in attendance to assess the victim's ability to withstand the punishment.

The government of Malaysia must immediately end the use of caning in all circumstances.

Canadian citizen Hamid Ghassemi-Shall wrongful detention

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2011-01-31T05:00:00+01:00

Mr. Ghassemi-Shall was arrested in late May 2008 while visiting his mother in Iran. This arrest took place approximately two weeks after the arrest of his brother, Alborz Ghassemi-Shall.

In November 2009 Hamid’s wife in Canada received reports that both Hamid and Alborz were convicted of espionage and sentenced to death. The legal proceedings were deeply unfair and denied Hamid and Alborz a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. His conviction appears to be based on a document of an alleged email exchange between Hamid and Alborz. Hamid has unequivocally stated that the document is a complete fabrication and that he never sent any such message. Testing and analysis by his lawyer reportedly confirm that to be the case.

Hamid and Alborz were in solitary confinement for 18 months until the end of November 2009 when they were transferred to a general population section in Tehran's Evin prison. On 20 January 2010 Alborz died in prison, reportedly of stomach cancer. Mr. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall reported that both he and Alborz were subject to “extreme pressure” during their detention.

Bring Bashir Makhtal home to Canada

Hilary Homes1 — 2011-01-20T05:00:00+01:00

It’s been five years since Canadian citizen Bashir Makhtal was “extraordinarily rendered” from Kenya to Somalia and on to Ethiopia. He now faces life imprisonment after a grossly unfair trial.

Bashir Makhtal was among a group of people fleeing the renewed fighting in Somalia at the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Instead of safe refuge, they found themselves detained and illegally transferred to Ethiopia. While others were released, Bashir Mahktal was held in secret detention, with no access to lawyers, his family or Canadian consular officials. Eventually he was accused of providing support to an armed group, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). In the absence of credible evidence, the basis for the charges seemed to be the role Mr Makhtal’s grandfather played in the founding of the ONLF.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Ethiopian authorities to bring Bashir Makhtal to trial in proceedings that meet internationally-recognized fair trial standards or to release him immediately and unconditionally. With no prospect for fair legal proceedings, the only remedy after years of injustice in this case is to release Bashir Makhtal and allow him to return to Canada.

Unlike some of the other security-related cases of Canadians detained abroad, several cabinet Ministers, including John Baird (Transport) and Lawrence Cannon (Foreign Affairs), have advocated for Bashir Makhtal’s human rights in meetings with officials in both Canada and Ethiopia. However, these efforts appear to have stalled.

Iran: Be a voice for Zia Nabavi: Prisoner of Conscience.

Gloria Nafziger1 — 2010-12-21T05:00:00+01:00

Zia Nabavi (Sayed Ziaoddin Nabavi) is a member of the Council to Defend the Right to Education, a body set up in 2009 by students barred from further study because of their political activities or on account of their being Baha’is. He was arrested in June 2009, along with his cousin Atefeh Nabavi who was later sentenced to four years in prison. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and 74 lashes in January 2010, which was reduced to 10 years to be served in internal exile.

In September 2010 Zia Nabavi was transferred to Karoun Prison in the city of Ahvaz, in the south-west of Iran to serve his imprisonement in exile far away from his family who live in Semnan, in the north of Iran. It is believed that this penalty amounts to “banishment”, one of the possible punishments for “enmity against God” of which he was convicted. The Iranian authorities have claimed that the PMOI and other groups were responsible for organizing the post-election demonstrations. Zia Nabavi denies all the charges, stressing that he has never had contact with the PMOI and has been extremely careful never to give the impression of doing so, since he has relatives living in PMOI-run camps in Iraq.

Zia is reported to have been severely beaten and held in solitary confinement for 48 hours after his arrival at Karoun Prison. After two days, he was transferred to the special security ward of the prison, where he was able to contact his family and friends. He told them that the conditions in the prison are very poor. He is permitted one meal for breakfast and one for dinner. He was only allowed to use the hygienic facilities once during the first two days. There is only one toilet and one bath in the security ward and the temperature is extremely hot. There is no ventilation system and the prisoners do not have proper access to drinking water.

Zia Nabavi was previously arrested while studying at Mazandaran University, and was later barred from resuming his studies.

Bring Omar Khadr to Justice. Bring him to Canada.

Hilary Homes1 — 2010-09-03T04:00:00+01:00

Following extensive plea negotiations, Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to all five charges against him on October 25, 2010 and received an eight year sentence. He is required to serve one more year in US custody before he will be eligible for a possible transfer to Canada.

Diplomatic notes exchanged between the US and Canadian stated that the “Government of Canada is inclined to favourably consider Mr. Khadr's application to be transferred to Canada to serve the remainder of his sentence.”

However, the Canadian government continued to distance itself from talk of Omar Khadr coming back to Canada and denied any involvement in the plea agreement discussions. Finally on November 1, Lawrence Cannon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, conceded that the government had agreed to implement a US request to return Omar Khadr to Canada.

Although the military commission has now ended, a number of fundamental issues remain unresolved including Omar Khadr’s status as a child soldier, credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and his right to compensation and other remedies. Detention conditions in Guantanamo also remain a serious concern. Following the end of court proceedings, Omar Khadr was transferred to Camp 5 (a special camp designated for convicted prisoners) and now lives in near total isolation. His lawyers have tried to compensate for this with frequent visits and a program of studies designed to help with his eventual reintegration.

For years the government of Canada said it would not intervene until legal proceedings in the US had run their course.

In late May 2011, Omar Khadr's lawyers confirmed that papers had been filed to request his transfer to Canada “on or before November 1”. Having served the first year of his sentence, Omar Khadr is now eligible for a transfer, but the tineline remains unclear.

It’s time for Canada to finally take action on the long-standing human rights violations in the case of Omar Khadr, and support his return to Canada without delay.

A History of delays: the military commission trial

On August 12, 2010, Omar Khadr's military commission trial came to a halt just hours after it started when his lawyer suddenly collapsed in court. After an initial delay of 30 days, a new trial date was set for October 18. On the eve of the trial re-starting, proceedings were delayed for a further week to allow for ongoing plea bargain negotiations.

Court appeal pending in Canada

On January 29, 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously declared that Omar Khadr’s human rights had been violated. The Court found that Canada “actively participated in a process contrary to Canada’s international human rights obligations and contributed to Mr. Khadr’s ongoing detention” in violation of section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Though the Court opted not to suggest a specific remedy – such as seeking Omar Khadr’s repatriation to Canada from Guantánamo Bay – it is nonetheless clear that the Court expects the government to respond in some way. Continued inaction was not an option. Canada subsequently sent a dilpomatic note requesting that evidence collected by Canadian officials not be used during the military commission trial -- a request the US turned down.

On July 5, 2010, a Federal Court judge found that the diplomatic note did not represent adequate action on the case, and gave the Canadian government seven days to propose alternate remedies for the human rights violations in Omar Khadr's case. A stay of this order was granted by the Federal Court of Appeal on 22 July, though a hearing on the main appeal has yet to be scheduled.

A child soldier in illegal detention

Only 15-years-old at the time of his capture by US forces in Afghanistan in the summer of 2002, Omar Khadr was transferred to Guantánamo Bay shortly afterwards. Following President Obama's annoucement that he would close the Guantánamo facility, Omar Khadr was one of the detainees initially designated for transfer to military detention on the US mainland. Hopes that he might face a civilian trial in Federal Court were short-lived, and he continues to face an unfair trial by military commission. Despite reforms announced by the Obama administration in 2009, these military trials still fall far short of international human rights standards.

Amnesty International believes that no one under 18 years old should ever have been transferred to Guantánamo, and that no Guantánamo detainee, let alone one who was a child at the time of his alleged crime, should be subject to a military commission trial. The United Nations Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has expressed concern that the trial will set a dangerous precedent for child soldiers worldwide: "juvenile justice standards are clear -- children should not be tried before military tribunals." These feelings have been echoed for years by NGOs, academics and other international experts including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

USA: Govt must obey court order to release Guantánamo detainee Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif

Hilary Homes1 — 2010-09-01T04:00:00+01:00

On 21 July, Judge Henry Kennedy on the US District Court in Washington, DC, ordered the US administration to “take all necessary and appropriate diplomatic steps to facilitate Latif’s release forthwith”. In his ruling, an unclassified version of which was only made public on 16 August, Judge Kennedy found that the government had failed to demonstrate “by a preponderance of the evidence” that Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif was “part of Al Qaeda or an associated force” and therefore concluded that that his detention was unlawful. Judge Kennedy ordered the Department of Justice to provide him with a “status report” on the case by 20 August.

On 20 August the Department of Justice informed Judge Kennedy that the government “is giving serious consideration to an appeal of the Court’s ruling” and was “taking steps” to obtain a decision from the US Solicitor General as to whether an appeal would be authorized. The Justice Department noted that the government had until 20 September, 60 days from the original order, to seek an appeal. On 17 September they announced that they would pursue an appeal. The case wil be heard by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif has been held in Guantánamo without charge or trial for more than eight years. Amnesty International issued an urgent action on his case in May 2009 after he made an apparent suicide attempt during a meeting with his lawyer. According to his lawyer he had made several previous suicide attempts, including whilst being held in solitary confinement in Guantánamo’s psychiatric ward. In March 2010, he alleged that he had been repeatedly ill-treated by Guantánamo’s Immediate Response Force (IRF), and wrote that the circumstances in which he was living “makes death more desirable than living…I find no taste for life, sleep or rest.”

Amnesty International remains seriously concerned about Abdul Latif’s physical and psychological well-being, particularly now the federal government has decided to appeal against Judge Kennedy’s order to release him. Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif’s indefinite military detention could now be further prolonged.

Independent review of G20 security measures urgently needed. An appeal to the Government of Canada.

Hilary Homes1 — 2010-06-30T04:00:00+01:00

“Five feet away from me… Jesse fell down face first. The same officer [who punched him in the gut] then came and elbowed him in the back. The officer who was escorting me… looked over to me and said ‘Jeez, that shouldn’t have happened, shouldn’t have done that’.” journalist Steve Paikin (TVO)

Governments bear a very important responsibility to ensure security in and around events such as the G20 Summit. They have an equal responsibility to enable and protect the rights associated with peaceful protest, particularly freedoms of expression, assembly and association.

Over 1100 people were detained between June 25 and 28, 2010 in Toronto. While some were connected to acts of violence and vandalism - acts which Amnesty International clearly condemns - many were engaging in peaceful protest or simply caught up in police actions while going about their daily business. Among those targeted were journalists and others attempting to document the protests and the police response. This scale of arrests in connection with protests is unprecedented in Canada.

The G8/G20 Summits were supposed to have been a chance to talk about putting human rights at the heart of global fight against poverty. Instead, the voices of thousands were silenced or ignored and the headlines dominated by images of burning police cars and broken windows.

One year later Canadians are still waiting for answers. We need a comprehensive and independent review of the security measures adopted and the range of police actions taken in association with the G20 Summit in Toronto.

Amnesty International's response to developments over the past year

Over the past year, the Toronto Police Services Board, the Ontario Special Investigations Unit, Ontario's Office of the Independent Police Review Director, Ontario's Ombudsman and former Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry have all undertaken - or are currently undertaking - reviews of the G20 security operations. All of the reports so far have raised concerns about matters within their respective jurisdictions and point to the need for a broader review including, among other considerations, the role of federal officials.

Following the release of the final report of the Toronto Police Service After-Action Review in late June 2011, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said that the force lacked an effective strategy to deal with the policing challenges they faced in and around the summit protests. He also announced that the containment technique of "kettling" will no longer be used.

At the political level, there has been much less activity over the past year.

On July 2, 2010, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced that he did not believe the circumstances warranted an independent review of the G20 security measures. He encouraged concerned individuals to use the existing police complaint procedures. However, this fails to take into account the full range of actors involved beyond the police or the broader public interests at stake. Despite repeated calls, the Premier has maintained this position.

At the Federal level, the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security began hearings on the G20 security measures in 2010. The timeline for completing their study is not known.

While the current reviews are welcome, they are all limited in scope. Some are more independent than others. And some are more expert than others. None examine the complex interplay among the range of actors and decision-makers at both the political and operational levels.

Amnesty International continues to call on the Federal government to undertake a comprehensive and independent review of the G20 security measures.

UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Canada must fully support vital human rights instrument

Craig Benjamin1 — 2009-10-06T04:00:00+01:00

"Adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the General Assembly was a momentous event, and recent statements of formal support, or movement towards support, by the few States that originally voted against its adoption are to be welcomed. But these achievements cannot be seen as the final or principal goals. Rather, it is the faithful implementation of these rights that must be the focus of concerted attention." - The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

On November 12th, the Canadian government finally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The formal statement of support comes after more than four years of federal government opposition to the Declaration, both within Canada and in international meetings. Canada has not repudiated any of it’s previous objections to the Declaration. The public statement says only that the government, having “listened to Aboriginal leaders” and “learned from the experience of other countries”, is “now confident that Canada can interpret the principles expressed in the Declaration in a manner that is consistent with our Constitution and legal framework.”

The Declaration, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007, is a vitally important human rights instrument, addressing the security and well-being of some of the world’s most marginalized and frequently victimized peoples. Its provisions reflect well-established principles of international human rights law,including the prohibition of discrimination, and provides guidance for states and other institutions in ensuring that these rights are fulfilled.

Indigenous peoples' organizations, human rights groups and faith communities are urging the government to now move forward in a principled manner that fully respects the spirit and intent of the Declaration.

Human rights declarations are intended to encourage states to reform laws and policies that fail to protect and uphold the rights of all. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is specifically intended to address the widespread and deeply entrenched discrimination faced by Indigenous peoples around the world.

While Canada is generally known as a leader in the global promotion of human rights, there are clearly significant problems with current laws and policies in respect to the rights and well-being of Indigenous peoples. Canada's endorsement of the Declaration would be meaningless if the government recognized only those provisions that consistent with existing laws and policies and rejected those that would encourage reform and change.

Canada must offer protection to former resident Djamel Ameziane

Hilary Homes1 — 2008-10-30T04:00:00+01:00

Former Canadian resident Djamel Ameziane has been unlawfully detained at Guantánamo Bay for more than eight years. He has never been charged and, without prospect of resettlement, currently faces indefinite detention.

Amnesty International continues to call for the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay to be closed, and for the detainees to be released from US custody unless they are to be charged with a recognizable criminal offence and promptly provided with a fair trial. However, Djamel Ameziane cannot be returned to Algeria (his country of citizenship) because of the risk of serious human rights violations and the stigma of having been suspected of terrorism related activities and detained in Guantánamo. In such cases, a safe alternative location must be found.

The Anglican Diocese of Montreal has applied to resettle Djamel Ameziane to Canada through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program. Canada can be a part of the solution to help close Guantánamo Bay by immediately processing the refugee sponsorship application of the Anglican Diocese and providing Djamel Ameziane with protection in Canada.

Djamel Ameziane was transferred to Guantánamo in February 2002 after he was sold to the U.S. by bounty hunters in late 2001 and initially held at Kandahar Airbase. He has reported to his US lawyers that he has been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during his years in US custody, including physical assaults, abusive searches, intimidation by dogs, sleep disruption or deprivation, excessive use of pepper spray, cold temperatures, and prolonged solitary confinement, including in Guantánamo’s Camp 6. After seven years of detention, interrogation and investigation, the U.S. government never made any allegations that he had engaged in acts of terrorism or hostilities.

Djamel Ameziane previously lived and worked in Montreal for five years during the 1990s. His brother now lives in Canada. His brother and family want to be reunited with him in Canada.