Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
International Child Rights Day- 19 Nov., "Come together for real implementation of rule of law. Act together globally."
Indian authorities must release 14-year-old held in Kashmir without charge
Anti-government protests are common during the ongoing unrest in Kashmir
18 November 2010
Amnesty International has urged authorities in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to release a 14-year-old child who has been detained without charge or trial for seven months, for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.
The authorities claim that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh was part of a large crowd which threw stones at police and security forces in the state capital Srinagar in April, as part of the ongoing unrest in Kashmir.
Police say that Mushtag Ahmad Sheikh is 19-years-old but his family claim that he was born in 1996 and is 14-years-old. Prison records reportedly confirm that he is a child.
"Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh must either be charged with a recognizable criminal offence or released immediately," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.
"If he is charged, he should be treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, held and tried in special facilities for children."
Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh was first arrested in Srinagar on 9 April. He was released on bail after eight days in custody and rearrested on 21 April.
His family was not officially told that he had been detained but found out about it through a local resident.
Initially held at Udhampur Jail, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is now held at Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu.
Both prisons do not have special facilities for detaining children. Prison Conditions in Jammu are harsh with limited health care.
In May, Amnesty International raised Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh's detention at a meeting with the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the State Human Rights Commission. To date, despite their assurances, nothing appears to have been done.
Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh is detained under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act – a law that allows the authorities to hold people for up to two years without any judicial review.
This year, at least 322 people are reported to have been detained without trial under the act. A number of them, including children, have been detained on similar grounds of stone throwing and rioting during protests against the Indian government.
Over the summer demonstrators in Jammu and Kashmir voiced their concerns about the lack of accountability of the security forces; the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and the removal of Army camps – along with the underlying demand of independence for Kashmir.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kareem Amer has reportedly been beaten and abused in custody
Egyptian blogger held despite completing prison sentence
Kareem Amer has reportedly been beaten and abused in custody
© Amnesty International
11 November 2010
Amnesty International today called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release a blogger who the authorities continue to hold despite his completion of a four year prison sentence.
Kareem Amer, who was jailed for criticizing President Hosni Mubarak and Islam on his blog, is being held at a State Security Intelligence (SSI) detention centre in Alexandria despite being due for release on 5 November.
Lawyers from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reported that he has been beaten and abused by State Security Intelligence (SSI) officers.
"Kareem Amer has already served his sentence of four years, which in itself was handed down for actions that amounted to no more than exercising his right to freedom of expression, and yet he remains detained." said Amnesty International.
"The Egyptian authorities need to investigate allegations of beatings and other ill-treatment, and explain on what legal grounds Kareem Amer is now being detained."
Kareem Amer was beaten by a junior SSI officer who threatened him in order to stop him writing about Islam and Christians. The officer also threatened to extend Amer’s original detention sentence.
Kareem had initially understood that he was being taken to the SSI office merely to complete the release papers.
In 2007, Kareem Amer was convicted of "inciting strife and defaming Muslims on the internet by describing the Prophet of Islam and his comrades as murderers, which disturbs national peace", and "insulting the President of the Republic by writing on the internet".
In November 2008, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared Kareem Amer's detention "arbitrary" on the grounds that being arrested for online criticism and for exercising his right to freedom of expression violated freedoms guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Prison guards had previously assaulted Kareem Amer and also placed him in solitary confinement for allegedly assaulting another inmate, in October 2007.
"The Egyptian authorities have persisted in persecuting Kareem Amer, and others like him, for criticising the Egyptian government," said Amnesty International
Amnesty International said it considers Karim Amer to be a prisoner of conscience and continues to campaign for his release.
Amnesty International also called on President Hosni Mubarak to curb the powers of the SSI and ensure that SSI officials who breach the law or are responsible for abusing prisoners are brought to justice.
Kareem Amer has reportedly been beaten and abused in custody
© Amnesty International
11 November 2010
Amnesty International today called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release a blogger who the authorities continue to hold despite his completion of a four year prison sentence.
Kareem Amer, who was jailed for criticizing President Hosni Mubarak and Islam on his blog, is being held at a State Security Intelligence (SSI) detention centre in Alexandria despite being due for release on 5 November.
Lawyers from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reported that he has been beaten and abused by State Security Intelligence (SSI) officers.
"Kareem Amer has already served his sentence of four years, which in itself was handed down for actions that amounted to no more than exercising his right to freedom of expression, and yet he remains detained." said Amnesty International.
"The Egyptian authorities need to investigate allegations of beatings and other ill-treatment, and explain on what legal grounds Kareem Amer is now being detained."
Kareem Amer was beaten by a junior SSI officer who threatened him in order to stop him writing about Islam and Christians. The officer also threatened to extend Amer’s original detention sentence.
Kareem had initially understood that he was being taken to the SSI office merely to complete the release papers.
In 2007, Kareem Amer was convicted of "inciting strife and defaming Muslims on the internet by describing the Prophet of Islam and his comrades as murderers, which disturbs national peace", and "insulting the President of the Republic by writing on the internet".
In November 2008, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared Kareem Amer's detention "arbitrary" on the grounds that being arrested for online criticism and for exercising his right to freedom of expression violated freedoms guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Prison guards had previously assaulted Kareem Amer and also placed him in solitary confinement for allegedly assaulting another inmate, in October 2007.
"The Egyptian authorities have persisted in persecuting Kareem Amer, and others like him, for criticising the Egyptian government," said Amnesty International
Amnesty International said it considers Karim Amer to be a prisoner of conscience and continues to campaign for his release.
Amnesty International also called on President Hosni Mubarak to curb the powers of the SSI and ensure that SSI officials who breach the law or are responsible for abusing prisoners are brought to justice.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI Index: ASA20/031/2010
1 November 2010
India: Chhattisgarh authorities must immediately release Prisoner of Conscience Kartam Joga
Amnesty International has been closely following the case of Kartam Joga, an adivasi (Indigenous) political activist who has been imprisoned in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 40-year-old Kartam Joga has been in Dantewada district jail since 14 September 2010.
Amnesty International considers Kartam Joga to be a Prisoner of Conscience and that the charges brought against him are politically motivated and a pretext to detain him on account of his political activism which has never involved the use or advocacy of violence. The organization believes that the authorities in Chhattisgarh decided to imprison and charge him in response to the Supreme Court criticism
The organization believes that the real reason for Kartam Joga’s imprisonment is his peaceful political activities as an activist of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and an elected member of a local self-government body and his defence of human rights of adivasi communities.
In 2007 he had participated in petitioning India’s Supreme Court regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh and impunity for security forces and Salwa Judum, widely held to be a state-supported militia who were involved in operations against the armed Maoists in the Bastar region of the state since 2005.
The charges against him include collaborating with the Maoists in ambushing and killing 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on 6 April 2010, murdering a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Budhram Sodi in May 2010, killing the father of a special police officer attached to the CRPF in August 2010, and ambushing a truck and killing four persons on 7 December 2009.
Kartam Joga’s arrest and the bringing of these charges came after India’s Supreme Court, on 31 August 2010, criticized the Chhattisgarh government for being “wholly vague and indefinite” while replying to several questions raised by two petitions filed three years ago seeking an end to impunity and violations by the Salwa Judum and the security forces engaged in operations against the armed Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2005. The first of the two petitions had been filed by Kartam Joga and two other CPI activists, and the second, by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramachandra Guha, and E.A.S. Sarma, a former civil servant.
The charges against him and his imprisonment are another glaring example of how the authorities in Chhattisgarh target those who have sought to consistently defend the human rights of the adivasi communities since 2005.
Two other human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh – medical doctor Dr Binayak Sen and cinematographer TG Ajay – spent two years since 2007 and three months in 2008 respectively in jail on charges of collaborating with the Maoists before they were released on bail. In May 2009, another human rights defender Himanshu Kumar, and some staff of his organization, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, which continued to document the violations and abuses against the adivasi communities, had to flee the Bastar area after persistent harassment by the police and district authorities.
Kartam Joga underwent medical treatment and an operation for injuries he received when he was attacked by members of the Salwa Judum’s militia in 2005. Since then, he has been in the forefront of documenting and exposing human rights abuses against adivasis, including more than 500 unlawful killings and instances of sexual assault, rape and burning down of adivasi hamlets and houses and the displacement of more than 30,000 adivasis during the conflict in Chhattisgarh since 2005.
Acting on the petitions filed by Kartam Joga and others, the Supreme Court, in April 2008, directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to ascertain the veracity of the allegations; eight months later, an NHRC report confirmed some of the allegations and said there was a need for further investigation into the complaints of violence perpetrated by the Salwa Judum, the security forces and Maoists. Three months later, the Supreme Court asked the Chhattisgarh authorities to list the measures it had taken to disband the Salwa Judum militia, register and investigate complaints of violent acts during the conflict, and compensate and rehabilitate the victims.
The Supreme Court has now asked the Chhattisgarh government to file a comprehensive affidavit in response to the allegations made in the petitions. In On a specific point made by the petitioners that the Salwa Judum militiamen were acting as part of a new organization, Dandakaranya Shanti Sangharsh Samiti, the state authorities have claimed that the Salwa Judum “no longer exists” and that the investigations into its violence were hampered by difficult terrain, inaccessibility of villages, inclement weather and hostility from the Maoists. A further hearing in the case is due on 18 November.
ENDS/
Public Document
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org
****************************************
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI Index: ASA20/031/2010
1 November 2010
India: Chhattisgarh authorities must immediately release Prisoner of Conscience Kartam Joga
Amnesty International has been closely following the case of Kartam Joga, an adivasi (Indigenous) political activist who has been imprisoned in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 40-year-old Kartam Joga has been in Dantewada district jail since 14 September 2010.
Amnesty International considers Kartam Joga to be a Prisoner of Conscience and that the charges brought against him are politically motivated and a pretext to detain him on account of his political activism which has never involved the use or advocacy of violence. The organization believes that the authorities in Chhattisgarh decided to imprison and charge him in response to the Supreme Court criticism
The organization believes that the real reason for Kartam Joga’s imprisonment is his peaceful political activities as an activist of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and an elected member of a local self-government body and his defence of human rights of adivasi communities.
In 2007 he had participated in petitioning India’s Supreme Court regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh and impunity for security forces and Salwa Judum, widely held to be a state-supported militia who were involved in operations against the armed Maoists in the Bastar region of the state since 2005.
The charges against him include collaborating with the Maoists in ambushing and killing 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on 6 April 2010, murdering a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Budhram Sodi in May 2010, killing the father of a special police officer attached to the CRPF in August 2010, and ambushing a truck and killing four persons on 7 December 2009.
Kartam Joga’s arrest and the bringing of these charges came after India’s Supreme Court, on 31 August 2010, criticized the Chhattisgarh government for being “wholly vague and indefinite” while replying to several questions raised by two petitions filed three years ago seeking an end to impunity and violations by the Salwa Judum and the security forces engaged in operations against the armed Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2005. The first of the two petitions had been filed by Kartam Joga and two other CPI activists, and the second, by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramachandra Guha, and E.A.S. Sarma, a former civil servant.
The charges against him and his imprisonment are another glaring example of how the authorities in Chhattisgarh target those who have sought to consistently defend the human rights of the adivasi communities since 2005.
Two other human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh – medical doctor Dr Binayak Sen and cinematographer TG Ajay – spent two years since 2007 and three months in 2008 respectively in jail on charges of collaborating with the Maoists before they were released on bail. In May 2009, another human rights defender Himanshu Kumar, and some staff of his organization, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, which continued to document the violations and abuses against the adivasi communities, had to flee the Bastar area after persistent harassment by the police and district authorities.
Kartam Joga underwent medical treatment and an operation for injuries he received when he was attacked by members of the Salwa Judum’s militia in 2005. Since then, he has been in the forefront of documenting and exposing human rights abuses against adivasis, including more than 500 unlawful killings and instances of sexual assault, rape and burning down of adivasi hamlets and houses and the displacement of more than 30,000 adivasis during the conflict in Chhattisgarh since 2005.
Acting on the petitions filed by Kartam Joga and others, the Supreme Court, in April 2008, directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to ascertain the veracity of the allegations; eight months later, an NHRC report confirmed some of the allegations and said there was a need for further investigation into the complaints of violence perpetrated by the Salwa Judum, the security forces and Maoists. Three months later, the Supreme Court asked the Chhattisgarh authorities to list the measures it had taken to disband the Salwa Judum militia, register and investigate complaints of violent acts during the conflict, and compensate and rehabilitate the victims.
The Supreme Court has now asked the Chhattisgarh government to file a comprehensive affidavit in response to the allegations made in the petitions. In On a specific point made by the petitioners that the Salwa Judum militiamen were acting as part of a new organization, Dandakaranya Shanti Sangharsh Samiti, the state authorities have claimed that the Salwa Judum “no longer exists” and that the investigations into its violence were hampered by difficult terrain, inaccessibility of villages, inclement weather and hostility from the Maoists. A further hearing in the case is due on 18 November.
ENDS/
Public Document
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org
****************************************
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENTAI Index: ASA20/031/2010
1 November 2010
India: Chhattisgarh authorities must immediately release Prisoner of Conscience Kartam Joga
Amnesty International has been closely following the case of Kartam Joga, an adivasi (Indigenous) political activist who has been imprisoned in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 40-year-old Kartam Joga has been in Dantewada district jail since 14 September 2010.
Amnesty International considers Kartam Joga to be a Prisoner of Conscience and that the charges brought against him are politically motivated and a pretext to detain him on account of his political activism which has never involved the use or advocacy of violence. The organization believes that the authorities in Chhattisgarh decided to imprison and charge him in response to the Supreme Court criticism
The organization believes that the real reason for Kartam Joga’s imprisonment is his peaceful political activities as an activist of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and an elected member of a local self-government body and his defence of human rights of adivasi communities.
In 2007 he had participated in petitioning India’s Supreme Court regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh and impunity for security forces and Salwa Judum, widely held to be a state-supported militia who were involved in operations against the armed Maoists in the Bastar region of the state since 2005.
The charges against him include collaborating with the Maoists in ambushing and killing 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on 6 April 2010, murdering a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Budhram Sodi in May 2010, killing the father of a special police officer attached to the CRPF in August 2010, and ambushing a truck and killing four persons on 7 December 2009.
Kartam Joga’s arrest and the bringing of these charges came after India’s Supreme Court, on 31 August 2010, criticized the Chhattisgarh government for being “wholly vague and indefinite” while replying to several questions raised by two petitions filed three years ago seeking an end to impunity and violations by the Salwa Judum and the security forces engaged in operations against the armed Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2005. The first of the two petitions had been filed by Kartam Joga and two other CPI activists, and the second, by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramachandra Guha, and E.A.S. Sarma, a former civil servant.
The charges against him and his imprisonment are another glaring example of how the authorities in Chhattisgarh target those who have sought to consistently defend the human rights of the adivasi communities since 2005.
Two other human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh – medical doctor Dr Binayak Sen and cinematographer TG Ajay – spent two years since 2007 and three months in 2008 respectively in jail on charges of collaborating with the Maoists before they were released on bail. In May 2009, another human rights defender Himanshu Kumar, and some staff of his organization, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, which continued to document the violations and abuses against the adivasi communities, had to flee the Bastar area after persistent harassment by the police and district authorities.
Kartam Joga underwent medical treatment and an operation for injuries he received when he was attacked by members of the Salwa Judum’s militia in 2005. Since then, he has been in the forefront of documenting and exposing human rights abuses against adivasis, including more than 500 unlawful killings and instances of sexual assault, rape and burning down of adivasi hamlets and houses and the displacement of more than 30,000 adivasis during the conflict in Chhattisgarh since 2005.
Acting on the petitions filed by Kartam Joga and others, the Supreme Court, in April 2008, directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to ascertain the veracity of the allegations; eight months later, an NHRC report confirmed some of the allegations and said there was a need for further investigation into the complaints of violence perpetrated by the Salwa Judum, the security forces and Maoists. Three months later, the Supreme Court asked the Chhattisgarh authorities to list the measures it had taken to disband the Salwa Judum militia, register and investigate complaints of violent acts during the conflict, and compensate and rehabilitate the victims.
The Supreme Court has now asked the Chhattisgarh government to file a comprehensive affidavit in response to the allegations made in the petitions. In On a specific point made by the petitioners that the Salwa Judum militiamen were acting as part of a new organization, Dandakaranya Shanti Sangharsh Samiti, the state authorities have claimed that the Salwa Judum “no longer exists” and that the investigations into its violence were hampered by difficult terrain, inaccessibility of villages, inclement weather and hostility from the Maoists. A further hearing in the case is due on 18 November.
ENDS/
Public Document
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org
****************************************
PUBLIC STATEMENTAI Index: ASA20/031/2010
1 November 2010
India: Chhattisgarh authorities must immediately release Prisoner of Conscience Kartam Joga
Amnesty International has been closely following the case of Kartam Joga, an adivasi (Indigenous) political activist who has been imprisoned in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. 40-year-old Kartam Joga has been in Dantewada district jail since 14 September 2010.
Amnesty International considers Kartam Joga to be a Prisoner of Conscience and that the charges brought against him are politically motivated and a pretext to detain him on account of his political activism which has never involved the use or advocacy of violence. The organization believes that the authorities in Chhattisgarh decided to imprison and charge him in response to the Supreme Court criticism
The organization believes that the real reason for Kartam Joga’s imprisonment is his peaceful political activities as an activist of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and an elected member of a local self-government body and his defence of human rights of adivasi communities.
In 2007 he had participated in petitioning India’s Supreme Court regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh and impunity for security forces and Salwa Judum, widely held to be a state-supported militia who were involved in operations against the armed Maoists in the Bastar region of the state since 2005.
The charges against him include collaborating with the Maoists in ambushing and killing 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on 6 April 2010, murdering a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Budhram Sodi in May 2010, killing the father of a special police officer attached to the CRPF in August 2010, and ambushing a truck and killing four persons on 7 December 2009.
Kartam Joga’s arrest and the bringing of these charges came after India’s Supreme Court, on 31 August 2010, criticized the Chhattisgarh government for being “wholly vague and indefinite” while replying to several questions raised by two petitions filed three years ago seeking an end to impunity and violations by the Salwa Judum and the security forces engaged in operations against the armed Maoists in Chhattisgarh since 2005. The first of the two petitions had been filed by Kartam Joga and two other CPI activists, and the second, by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramachandra Guha, and E.A.S. Sarma, a former civil servant.
The charges against him and his imprisonment are another glaring example of how the authorities in Chhattisgarh target those who have sought to consistently defend the human rights of the adivasi communities since 2005.
Two other human rights defenders in Chhattisgarh – medical doctor Dr Binayak Sen and cinematographer TG Ajay – spent two years since 2007 and three months in 2008 respectively in jail on charges of collaborating with the Maoists before they were released on bail. In May 2009, another human rights defender Himanshu Kumar, and some staff of his organization, Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, which continued to document the violations and abuses against the adivasi communities, had to flee the Bastar area after persistent harassment by the police and district authorities.
Kartam Joga underwent medical treatment and an operation for injuries he received when he was attacked by members of the Salwa Judum’s militia in 2005. Since then, he has been in the forefront of documenting and exposing human rights abuses against adivasis, including more than 500 unlawful killings and instances of sexual assault, rape and burning down of adivasi hamlets and houses and the displacement of more than 30,000 adivasis during the conflict in Chhattisgarh since 2005.
Acting on the petitions filed by Kartam Joga and others, the Supreme Court, in April 2008, directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to ascertain the veracity of the allegations; eight months later, an NHRC report confirmed some of the allegations and said there was a need for further investigation into the complaints of violence perpetrated by the Salwa Judum, the security forces and Maoists. Three months later, the Supreme Court asked the Chhattisgarh authorities to list the measures it had taken to disband the Salwa Judum militia, register and investigate complaints of violent acts during the conflict, and compensate and rehabilitate the victims.
The Supreme Court has now asked the Chhattisgarh government to file a comprehensive affidavit in response to the allegations made in the petitions. In On a specific point made by the petitioners that the Salwa Judum militiamen were acting as part of a new organization, Dandakaranya Shanti Sangharsh Samiti, the state authorities have claimed that the Salwa Judum “no longer exists” and that the investigations into its violence were hampered by difficult terrain, inaccessibility of villages, inclement weather and hostility from the Maoists. A further hearing in the case is due on 18 November.
ENDS/
Public Document
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org
****************************************
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Indian government should ensure torture law meets international standards
Indian government should ensure torture law meets international standards
14 October 2010
Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to help end the routine torture of those held by police and prison authorities by ensuring the new Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 meets international standards before adopting it.
The Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Select Committee of the Upper House (Rayja Sabha) of the Indian Parliament on 17 October, will address many forms of torture routinely employed by Indian police and prison officials. The Bill was passed by the Lower house (Lok Sabha) on 6 May 2010.
"If India is serious about its aspiration to be a regional and global power, it needs to address the issue of torture and ensure that the human rights of those it arrests and detains are protected," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director.
Amnesty International said the Bill must be amended to bring it in line with international standards, including limiting torture to practices causing physical suffering, keeping a six-month deadline for making complaints about torture and not annulling current provisions which allow law enforcement officials and security forces virtual immunity against prosecution for perpetrating torture and recommends solutions.
Torture in state detention is endemic in India, involving a range of practices including shackling, beatings and the administration of electric shocks. Disadvantaged and maginalized groups including women, Dalits, Adivasis and suspected members of armed opposition groups are those most commonly abused.
According to official reports, 127 people died in police custody in India in 2008-09, although the figure could be higher since several states failed to report such deaths.
Torture is also reportedly widespread in prisons. The National Human Rights Commission registered 1,596 complaints of torture of prisoners in 2008-09. The number of deaths due to torture is not routinely reported.
The vast majority of cases of torture inflicted on detained people in India are unlawful and punishable under current Indian law, however prosecutions are extremely rare.
Law enforcement personnel enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution for torture and other human rights abuses, and prosecutions remain sporadic and rare.
In "disturbed areas", such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in effect, Armed Forces personnel enjoy additional immunity protection and there is virtually no accountability for violations.
In 1996, the Indian Supreme Court issued specific guidelines to authorities safeguarding detainee's rights in all cases of arrest or detention, however they are seldom enforced.
There is also a lack of effective systems to independently monitor the conduct of the authorities with regards to torture and other forms of mistreatment.
The Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 is meant to bring India closer in line with the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. India signed the Convention in 1997 but has yet to ratify it.
"The Indian government should adopt this Bill to help address key issues, but more needs to be done to ensure India is able to meet international conventions against torture," said Madhu Malhotra.
"The Indian government further needs to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture ensuring people are no longer mistreated while they are detained."
14 October 2010
Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to help end the routine torture of those held by police and prison authorities by ensuring the new Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 meets international standards before adopting it.
The Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Select Committee of the Upper House (Rayja Sabha) of the Indian Parliament on 17 October, will address many forms of torture routinely employed by Indian police and prison officials. The Bill was passed by the Lower house (Lok Sabha) on 6 May 2010.
"If India is serious about its aspiration to be a regional and global power, it needs to address the issue of torture and ensure that the human rights of those it arrests and detains are protected," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director.
Amnesty International said the Bill must be amended to bring it in line with international standards, including limiting torture to practices causing physical suffering, keeping a six-month deadline for making complaints about torture and not annulling current provisions which allow law enforcement officials and security forces virtual immunity against prosecution for perpetrating torture and recommends solutions.
Torture in state detention is endemic in India, involving a range of practices including shackling, beatings and the administration of electric shocks. Disadvantaged and maginalized groups including women, Dalits, Adivasis and suspected members of armed opposition groups are those most commonly abused.
According to official reports, 127 people died in police custody in India in 2008-09, although the figure could be higher since several states failed to report such deaths.
Torture is also reportedly widespread in prisons. The National Human Rights Commission registered 1,596 complaints of torture of prisoners in 2008-09. The number of deaths due to torture is not routinely reported.
The vast majority of cases of torture inflicted on detained people in India are unlawful and punishable under current Indian law, however prosecutions are extremely rare.
Law enforcement personnel enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution for torture and other human rights abuses, and prosecutions remain sporadic and rare.
In "disturbed areas", such as Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states where the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is in effect, Armed Forces personnel enjoy additional immunity protection and there is virtually no accountability for violations.
In 1996, the Indian Supreme Court issued specific guidelines to authorities safeguarding detainee's rights in all cases of arrest or detention, however they are seldom enforced.
There is also a lack of effective systems to independently monitor the conduct of the authorities with regards to torture and other forms of mistreatment.
The Prevention of Torture Bill in India, 2010 is meant to bring India closer in line with the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. India signed the Convention in 1997 but has yet to ratify it.
"The Indian government should adopt this Bill to help address key issues, but more needs to be done to ensure India is able to meet international conventions against torture," said Madhu Malhotra.
"The Indian government further needs to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture ensuring people are no longer mistreated while they are detained."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
India must address forced evictions and other human rights abuses in Delhi during Commonwealth Games
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
4 October 2010
India must address forced evictions and other human rights abuses in Delhi during Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games cannot be used as an excuse to forcibly evict seasonal vendors, street-based workers and beggars, Amnesty International said today.
Thousands of seasonal vendors and street-based workers are facing joblessness as the police prevent them from working on the streets during the Games. The majority of people who have been evicted are being placed in makeshift collective shelters with the residents complaining that these lacked water and sanitation and were not suitable for habitation.
This continues the trend of forced evictions of the poor and marginalized carried out by the local authorities in Delhi in the run up to the start of the Commonwealth Games on 3 October.
Amnesty International received information that the authorities carried out a series of forced evictions in Okhla and neighbouring areas and roads linking the city with its north-eastern parts on the banks of river Yamuna where the Games infrastructure including many stadia, flyovers and bridges were erected in the last few months.
Human rights organisations in India said 2,500 persons and 150-200 families were forcibly evicted from the suburban town of Gurgaon and central Delhi respectively during the last two weeks before the start of the Games.
Amnesty International is concerned that a high number of evictions during August and September appear to have been carried out without safeguards required under international law. In particular, there was no genuine consultation with the people who were evicted. They were not provided with adequate prior notice. The makeshift collective shelters that the authorities have provided, in several instances, do not meet requirements for adequacy of housing under international standards. Some people have not been provided with any alternative housing.
The Indian authorities have a duty to ensure that alternative housing is provided which complies with international standards. They must also provide effective remedies to all those who have been forcibly evicted.
Amnesty International therefore urges the Indian authorities to:
•ensure that evictions are carried out only as a last resort, and only in full compliance with requirements under international human rights standards;
•ensure that those who have been evicted are provided with adequate alternative housing and/or land to undertake their livelihoods as a matter of urgency;
•ensure that any alternative housing that is provided complies with requirements for adequacy of housing, under international human rights standards; and
•provide all victims of forced evictions with access to effective remedies.
Indian authorities must also address the growing number of labour rights abuses and violations of labour laws practised by various state agencies and private firms involved in construction activities, despite the efforts of a four-member committee appointed by a directive of the Delhi High Court to monitor such violations.1 These violations, documented by India’s human rights organizations, included irregular registration, denial of statutory minimum wages, equal payment of wages to women workers and statutory health benefits, poor safety standards leading to deaths of workers in accidents and occasional use of child labour.
1This committee was set up in February 2010 on a petition filed by Peoples Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR), Common Cause and Nirmaaz Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam. For a detailed list of violations, see PUDR report, Games the States Plays: A Follow–up Report on the volations of Workers’ Rights in Commonwealth Games Related Construction Sites, August 2010. The report holds the authorities responsible for failure to devise mechanisms for checking the abuses identified by the committee and taking action against the perpetrators.
Public Statement
4 October 2010
India must address forced evictions and other human rights abuses in Delhi during Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games cannot be used as an excuse to forcibly evict seasonal vendors, street-based workers and beggars, Amnesty International said today.
Thousands of seasonal vendors and street-based workers are facing joblessness as the police prevent them from working on the streets during the Games. The majority of people who have been evicted are being placed in makeshift collective shelters with the residents complaining that these lacked water and sanitation and were not suitable for habitation.
This continues the trend of forced evictions of the poor and marginalized carried out by the local authorities in Delhi in the run up to the start of the Commonwealth Games on 3 October.
Amnesty International received information that the authorities carried out a series of forced evictions in Okhla and neighbouring areas and roads linking the city with its north-eastern parts on the banks of river Yamuna where the Games infrastructure including many stadia, flyovers and bridges were erected in the last few months.
Human rights organisations in India said 2,500 persons and 150-200 families were forcibly evicted from the suburban town of Gurgaon and central Delhi respectively during the last two weeks before the start of the Games.
Amnesty International is concerned that a high number of evictions during August and September appear to have been carried out without safeguards required under international law. In particular, there was no genuine consultation with the people who were evicted. They were not provided with adequate prior notice. The makeshift collective shelters that the authorities have provided, in several instances, do not meet requirements for adequacy of housing under international standards. Some people have not been provided with any alternative housing.
The Indian authorities have a duty to ensure that alternative housing is provided which complies with international standards. They must also provide effective remedies to all those who have been forcibly evicted.
Amnesty International therefore urges the Indian authorities to:
•ensure that evictions are carried out only as a last resort, and only in full compliance with requirements under international human rights standards;
•ensure that those who have been evicted are provided with adequate alternative housing and/or land to undertake their livelihoods as a matter of urgency;
•ensure that any alternative housing that is provided complies with requirements for adequacy of housing, under international human rights standards; and
•provide all victims of forced evictions with access to effective remedies.
Indian authorities must also address the growing number of labour rights abuses and violations of labour laws practised by various state agencies and private firms involved in construction activities, despite the efforts of a four-member committee appointed by a directive of the Delhi High Court to monitor such violations.1 These violations, documented by India’s human rights organizations, included irregular registration, denial of statutory minimum wages, equal payment of wages to women workers and statutory health benefits, poor safety standards leading to deaths of workers in accidents and occasional use of child labour.
1This committee was set up in February 2010 on a petition filed by Peoples Union of Democratic Rights (PUDR), Common Cause and Nirmaaz Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam. For a detailed list of violations, see PUDR report, Games the States Plays: A Follow–up Report on the volations of Workers’ Rights in Commonwealth Games Related Construction Sites, August 2010. The report holds the authorities responsible for failure to devise mechanisms for checking the abuses identified by the committee and taking action against the perpetrators.
girl issue and honour
Now girls say 'I won't do'
http://roundtableindia.co.in/news/opinion/2212-now-girls-say-i-wont-do.html
BY Binay Singh
There is no denying that child marriage still exists in this modern world, but more and more girls have started resisting early matrimony in favour of further studies.
VARANASI: Teleserial 'Balika Badhu' may appear to be a replay of an era long gone by, but it is not so. There are areas and communities that still go for much earlier weddings of their children than allowed by the law. However, there is also no denying the fact that children, especially girls, have started resisting child marriage and-- what is more-- are getting support of their parents in opting for studies than matrimony.
"My parents wanted to get me married four years ago when I was just 13. But, I protested and convinced them that I wanted to pursue my studies. This is Vimla, a 17-year-old girl from a low caste Musahar community where child marriage is a normal affair, mostly due to acute poverty.
Presently, Vimla is a Class XII student and studying in a girls' inter college in Kuwar area. "I want to become a teacher so that I can help my community and dispel the darkness of ignorance," said the girl, whose siblings, including younger sister, were married off in an early age. Her parents-- Motilal Banvasi and Shanti Devi, natives of Kuwar village-- are landless labourers, and they wanted to marry off their minor daughter due to acute poverty.
Similar is the case of Jyoti (16), a native of Hukulganj, who wants to become self-reliant before her marriage. Her father left the family and settled in Mumbai. Her mother Lalmani Devi wanted to marry her daughter three years ago. Currently, Jyoti is studying in Class X. Another girl, Puja (16), a resident of Baghwanala slum, also refused her marriage proposal a year ago and continued with her studies. "My family members wanted to stop my schooling and marry me after Class IX because one the girls of the locality eloped with some boy and they were apprehensive I may do the same. It was ridiculous, and I strongly protested," she said and added finally her father Shiv Kumar Thathera was convinced and came to her aid. "Presently, Puja is studying in Class X and we would marry her according to her wish," said her father.
Two other girls, Chanda (15), a native of Baghwanala slum, and Madhuri (17), a native of Kuwar village, also opposed their early marriage and are continuing with their studies. All these girls belong to the lowest strata of society and live in penury. But, they showed courage to go against the tide and set an example for others. Seeing their determination, a human rights organisation-- Peoples Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)-- is going to honour them at a function on Sunday. "These girls have shown courage to denounce the practice of child marriage, which is not only a social evil but also violation of human rights," said Shruti Nagvanshi of PVCHR.
These girls have set an example as even the Law Commission of India in its report (2008) for proposal to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and other allied laws, admits that child marriages continue to be a fairly widespread social evil in India. In a study carried out between 1998 to 1999 on girls of 15-19 years of age, it was found that 33.8 per cent were currently married or in a union. Referring to the National Family Health Survey of 2005-2006 (NFHS-3), carried out in 29 states, the report says 45 per cent of women-- currently between 20-24 years-- were married before the age of 18. The percentage was much higher in rural areas (58.5%) than in urban areas (27.9%) and exceeded 50 per cent in eight states. The percentage of women between aged 20-24, married by the time they were 18, stood at 61.2 per cent in Jharkhand followed by 60.3 per cent in Bihar, 57.1 per cent in Rajasthan, 54.7 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 53 per cent in MP, UP and West Bengal.
The NFHS-3 findings further revealed that 16 per cent of women, aged 15-19, were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey. It was also found that more than half of Indian women were married before the legal minimum age of 18, compared to 16 per cent of men aged 20-49 who were married by the age of 18. Though, NFHS-3 did not compile any data on girls who were married below the age of 15, the 2001 Census had revealed that 3,00,000 girls under 15 had given birth to at least one child.
Early marriage is often linked to low levels of schooling for girls. NFHS-3 figures show that 71.6 per cent of Indian women, currently aged 20-24 years, who had been married before the age of 18 years, did not have any education at all. Furthermore, by not going to school, young brides were denied the opportunity to make friendships with peers or acquire critical life skills. Child marriage below a certain age is blatant child abuse. The Indian Penal Code considers any sexual intercourse with a minor wife below 15 years of age rape.
What keeps demon of child marriage alive
Varanasi: The phenomenon of child marriage can be attributed to a variety of reasons. The chief among them being poverty and culture, tradition and value-based on patriarchal norms.
According to the report of the Law Commission of India, the marriage of a minor girl often takes place because of poverty and indebtedness of her family. Dowry becomes an additional reason, which weighs even more heavily on poorer families. The general demand for younger brides also creates an incentive for these families to marry the girl child as early as possible to avoid high dowry payments for older girls.
The girl in patriarchal set-up is believed to be a burden. These beliefs lead parents to marry the girl child. Unfortunately, the patriarchal mindset is so strong that the girl has no say in decision making. Texts like Manu Smirti which state that the father or the brother, who has not married his daughter or the sister who has attained puberty, will go to hell, are sometimes quoted to justify child marriage. Child marriages are also an easy way out for parents who want their daughters to obey and accept their choice of a husband for them. There is also a belief that child marriage is a protection for the girls against unwanted masculine attention or promiscuity. In a society, which puts a high premium on the patriarchal values of virginity and chastity of girls, girls are married off as soon as possible.
The report says the child marriage is a grave violation of the rights of the child, depriving her of opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner to obtain education and to lead a life of freedom and dignity. It deprives the young girl of capabilities, opportunities and decision-making powers and stands in the way of her social and personal development. Young brides face the risk of sexual and reproductive ill health because of their exposure to early sexual activity and pregnancy. Complications and mortality are common during childbirth for young pregnant girls. Girls who come from poor backgrounds, and who are often married at an early age, have little or no access to health care services. Risks associated with young pregnancy and childbearing include an increased risk of premature labour, complications during delivery, low birth-weight and a higher chance that the newborn will not survive.
The report further says young mothers, under age 15, are five times more likely to die than women in their 20s due to complications. Maternal mortality among adolescent girls is estimated to be two to five times higher than adult women. Maternal mortality among girls aged 15-19 years is about three times higher. Young women also suffer from a high risk of maternal morbidity. Research indicates that the babies of mothers below the age of 18 tend to have higher rates of child morbidity and mortality. Infants of mothers younger than 18 years have a 60 per cent greater chance of dying in the first year of life than those of mothers aged 19 years or older.
According to the report, young brides also run the risk of catching diseases from their respective spouses, as older husbands often engage in sexual relations with other women outside the marriage. Young married girls do not have bargaining power in the marriage and therefore cannot negotiate safe sex and are deemed vulnerable. It has also been found that young girls are physiologically more prone to contracting HIV/AIDS, as their vagina is not well lined with protective cells and the cervix may be more easily eroded. An analysis of the HIV epidemic shows that the prevalence of HIV infection is highest in girls between 15-24 and peaks in men between five to ten years late
COURTESY: TIMES OF INDIA ,JULY 17/10
http://roundtableindia.co.in/news/opinion/2212-now-girls-say-i-wont-do.html
BY Binay Singh
There is no denying that child marriage still exists in this modern world, but more and more girls have started resisting early matrimony in favour of further studies.
VARANASI: Teleserial 'Balika Badhu' may appear to be a replay of an era long gone by, but it is not so. There are areas and communities that still go for much earlier weddings of their children than allowed by the law. However, there is also no denying the fact that children, especially girls, have started resisting child marriage and-- what is more-- are getting support of their parents in opting for studies than matrimony.
"My parents wanted to get me married four years ago when I was just 13. But, I protested and convinced them that I wanted to pursue my studies. This is Vimla, a 17-year-old girl from a low caste Musahar community where child marriage is a normal affair, mostly due to acute poverty.
Presently, Vimla is a Class XII student and studying in a girls' inter college in Kuwar area. "I want to become a teacher so that I can help my community and dispel the darkness of ignorance," said the girl, whose siblings, including younger sister, were married off in an early age. Her parents-- Motilal Banvasi and Shanti Devi, natives of Kuwar village-- are landless labourers, and they wanted to marry off their minor daughter due to acute poverty.
Similar is the case of Jyoti (16), a native of Hukulganj, who wants to become self-reliant before her marriage. Her father left the family and settled in Mumbai. Her mother Lalmani Devi wanted to marry her daughter three years ago. Currently, Jyoti is studying in Class X. Another girl, Puja (16), a resident of Baghwanala slum, also refused her marriage proposal a year ago and continued with her studies. "My family members wanted to stop my schooling and marry me after Class IX because one the girls of the locality eloped with some boy and they were apprehensive I may do the same. It was ridiculous, and I strongly protested," she said and added finally her father Shiv Kumar Thathera was convinced and came to her aid. "Presently, Puja is studying in Class X and we would marry her according to her wish," said her father.
Two other girls, Chanda (15), a native of Baghwanala slum, and Madhuri (17), a native of Kuwar village, also opposed their early marriage and are continuing with their studies. All these girls belong to the lowest strata of society and live in penury. But, they showed courage to go against the tide and set an example for others. Seeing their determination, a human rights organisation-- Peoples Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)-- is going to honour them at a function on Sunday. "These girls have shown courage to denounce the practice of child marriage, which is not only a social evil but also violation of human rights," said Shruti Nagvanshi of PVCHR.
These girls have set an example as even the Law Commission of India in its report (2008) for proposal to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and other allied laws, admits that child marriages continue to be a fairly widespread social evil in India. In a study carried out between 1998 to 1999 on girls of 15-19 years of age, it was found that 33.8 per cent were currently married or in a union. Referring to the National Family Health Survey of 2005-2006 (NFHS-3), carried out in 29 states, the report says 45 per cent of women-- currently between 20-24 years-- were married before the age of 18. The percentage was much higher in rural areas (58.5%) than in urban areas (27.9%) and exceeded 50 per cent in eight states. The percentage of women between aged 20-24, married by the time they were 18, stood at 61.2 per cent in Jharkhand followed by 60.3 per cent in Bihar, 57.1 per cent in Rajasthan, 54.7 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 53 per cent in MP, UP and West Bengal.
The NFHS-3 findings further revealed that 16 per cent of women, aged 15-19, were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey. It was also found that more than half of Indian women were married before the legal minimum age of 18, compared to 16 per cent of men aged 20-49 who were married by the age of 18. Though, NFHS-3 did not compile any data on girls who were married below the age of 15, the 2001 Census had revealed that 3,00,000 girls under 15 had given birth to at least one child.
Early marriage is often linked to low levels of schooling for girls. NFHS-3 figures show that 71.6 per cent of Indian women, currently aged 20-24 years, who had been married before the age of 18 years, did not have any education at all. Furthermore, by not going to school, young brides were denied the opportunity to make friendships with peers or acquire critical life skills. Child marriage below a certain age is blatant child abuse. The Indian Penal Code considers any sexual intercourse with a minor wife below 15 years of age rape.
What keeps demon of child marriage alive
Varanasi: The phenomenon of child marriage can be attributed to a variety of reasons. The chief among them being poverty and culture, tradition and value-based on patriarchal norms.
According to the report of the Law Commission of India, the marriage of a minor girl often takes place because of poverty and indebtedness of her family. Dowry becomes an additional reason, which weighs even more heavily on poorer families. The general demand for younger brides also creates an incentive for these families to marry the girl child as early as possible to avoid high dowry payments for older girls.
The girl in patriarchal set-up is believed to be a burden. These beliefs lead parents to marry the girl child. Unfortunately, the patriarchal mindset is so strong that the girl has no say in decision making. Texts like Manu Smirti which state that the father or the brother, who has not married his daughter or the sister who has attained puberty, will go to hell, are sometimes quoted to justify child marriage. Child marriages are also an easy way out for parents who want their daughters to obey and accept their choice of a husband for them. There is also a belief that child marriage is a protection for the girls against unwanted masculine attention or promiscuity. In a society, which puts a high premium on the patriarchal values of virginity and chastity of girls, girls are married off as soon as possible.
The report says the child marriage is a grave violation of the rights of the child, depriving her of opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner to obtain education and to lead a life of freedom and dignity. It deprives the young girl of capabilities, opportunities and decision-making powers and stands in the way of her social and personal development. Young brides face the risk of sexual and reproductive ill health because of their exposure to early sexual activity and pregnancy. Complications and mortality are common during childbirth for young pregnant girls. Girls who come from poor backgrounds, and who are often married at an early age, have little or no access to health care services. Risks associated with young pregnancy and childbearing include an increased risk of premature labour, complications during delivery, low birth-weight and a higher chance that the newborn will not survive.
The report further says young mothers, under age 15, are five times more likely to die than women in their 20s due to complications. Maternal mortality among adolescent girls is estimated to be two to five times higher than adult women. Maternal mortality among girls aged 15-19 years is about three times higher. Young women also suffer from a high risk of maternal morbidity. Research indicates that the babies of mothers below the age of 18 tend to have higher rates of child morbidity and mortality. Infants of mothers younger than 18 years have a 60 per cent greater chance of dying in the first year of life than those of mothers aged 19 years or older.
According to the report, young brides also run the risk of catching diseases from their respective spouses, as older husbands often engage in sexual relations with other women outside the marriage. Young married girls do not have bargaining power in the marriage and therefore cannot negotiate safe sex and are deemed vulnerable. It has also been found that young girls are physiologically more prone to contracting HIV/AIDS, as their vagina is not well lined with protective cells and the cervix may be more easily eroded. An analysis of the HIV epidemic shows that the prevalence of HIV infection is highest in girls between 15-24 and peaks in men between five to ten years late
COURTESY: TIMES OF INDIA ,JULY 17/10
Friday, October 1, 2010
Political prisoners must be freed: Myanmar
Myanmar: Political prisoners must be freed
On the third anniversary of the violent crackdown on the “Saffron Revolution”, Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar government to immediately and unconditionally free all political prisoners arrested for their peaceful activism.
The Myanmar authorities continue to imprison over 2,200 political prisoners—more than double the number held before the August 2007 protests against sharp fuel and commodity price rises.
“While the international community, including Myanmar’s ASEAN neighbours, has been calling for free, fair and inclusive elections there, the plight of thousands of political prisoners has been overlooked,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher.
Amnesty International believes the vast majority of those held are prisoners of conscience who are being punished merely for peacefully exercising their rights to free expression, assembly and association.
The Myanmar government will hold its first elections in 20 years on 7 November 2010 against a backdrop of political repression and systematic violence. Under Electoral Laws enacted in March 2010, no political prisoner can take part in the elections or hold membership in any political party.
International attention in recent months has focused on the power-play between the military and the government’s proxy parties on the one hand; and the armed ethnic minority groups, the National League for Democracy, and a small number of new opposition parties on the other.
“The long-standing problem of political imprisonment in Myanmar remains very much at the heart of the political impasse in the country”, said Benjamin Zawacki. “These prisoners constitute a significant part of the political opposition”.
In the largest show of public discontent against the military government in Myanmar since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, tens of thousands of protesters—led by Buddhist monks—took to the streets in August and September 2007, demanding economic and political reforms.
The peaceful country-wide demonstrations were violently put down by the authorities in late September 2007. At least 31 (and possibly more than a hundred) people were killed—with many more injured and at least 74 disappeared—and thousands detained.
The brutal crackdown provoked international condemnation, including an unprecedented expression of revulsion and demands for change from the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Yet even as Myanmar prepares for its first elections in two decades, as part of what it calls a “Roadmap to Democracy”, it continues to repress political opposition.
“It beggars belief that the government can attempt to burnish its democratic credentials by holding elections, while it also holds more than 2,200 political prisoners behind bars and out of sight of the campaigns and polls”, said Benjamin Zawacki . “The international community should point out to Myanmar that these practices cannot be reconciled under any genuine Roadmap to Democracy”.
Political prisoners in Myanmar are held in deplorable conditions.
Many of those who took part in the Saffron Revolution, such as labour rights campaigner Su Su Nway, monk leader and activist U Gambira, and 88 Generation Student group members Min Ko Naing, Htay Kywe, Mie Mie, Ko Mya Aye and Zaw Htet Ko Ko, are in poor health. In the past two years, at least 238 political prisoners have been moved to extremely remote prisons, restricting their access to relatives, lawyers and medical care. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment are rife. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to prisons in Myanmar since late 2005.
“On this third anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, Amnesty International calls on world leaders to demand that the Myanmar government free all political prisoners at once, and ensure human rights protection throughout the elections period and beyond”, said Benjamin Zawacki.
On the third anniversary of the violent crackdown on the “Saffron Revolution”, Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar government to immediately and unconditionally free all political prisoners arrested for their peaceful activism.
The Myanmar authorities continue to imprison over 2,200 political prisoners—more than double the number held before the August 2007 protests against sharp fuel and commodity price rises.
“While the international community, including Myanmar’s ASEAN neighbours, has been calling for free, fair and inclusive elections there, the plight of thousands of political prisoners has been overlooked,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher.
Amnesty International believes the vast majority of those held are prisoners of conscience who are being punished merely for peacefully exercising their rights to free expression, assembly and association.
The Myanmar government will hold its first elections in 20 years on 7 November 2010 against a backdrop of political repression and systematic violence. Under Electoral Laws enacted in March 2010, no political prisoner can take part in the elections or hold membership in any political party.
International attention in recent months has focused on the power-play between the military and the government’s proxy parties on the one hand; and the armed ethnic minority groups, the National League for Democracy, and a small number of new opposition parties on the other.
“The long-standing problem of political imprisonment in Myanmar remains very much at the heart of the political impasse in the country”, said Benjamin Zawacki. “These prisoners constitute a significant part of the political opposition”.
In the largest show of public discontent against the military government in Myanmar since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, tens of thousands of protesters—led by Buddhist monks—took to the streets in August and September 2007, demanding economic and political reforms.
The peaceful country-wide demonstrations were violently put down by the authorities in late September 2007. At least 31 (and possibly more than a hundred) people were killed—with many more injured and at least 74 disappeared—and thousands detained.
The brutal crackdown provoked international condemnation, including an unprecedented expression of revulsion and demands for change from the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Yet even as Myanmar prepares for its first elections in two decades, as part of what it calls a “Roadmap to Democracy”, it continues to repress political opposition.
“It beggars belief that the government can attempt to burnish its democratic credentials by holding elections, while it also holds more than 2,200 political prisoners behind bars and out of sight of the campaigns and polls”, said Benjamin Zawacki . “The international community should point out to Myanmar that these practices cannot be reconciled under any genuine Roadmap to Democracy”.
Political prisoners in Myanmar are held in deplorable conditions.
Many of those who took part in the Saffron Revolution, such as labour rights campaigner Su Su Nway, monk leader and activist U Gambira, and 88 Generation Student group members Min Ko Naing, Htay Kywe, Mie Mie, Ko Mya Aye and Zaw Htet Ko Ko, are in poor health. In the past two years, at least 238 political prisoners have been moved to extremely remote prisons, restricting their access to relatives, lawyers and medical care. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment are rife. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been denied access to prisons in Myanmar since late 2005.
“On this third anniversary of the Saffron Revolution, Amnesty International calls on world leaders to demand that the Myanmar government free all political prisoners at once, and ensure human rights protection throughout the elections period and beyond”, said Benjamin Zawacki.
An appeal to voters for child participation,child rights and laws against TOV
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
India: Urgent need for Government to act as death toll rises in Kashmir
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI: Index: ASA20/027/2010
17 September 2010
India: Urgent need for Government to act as death toll rises in Kashmir
With an increasing death toll in protests in Kashmir, Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to take urgent steps to ensure respect for the right to life and to investigate past killings of demonstrators by police.
With two more protestors shot dead today, Amnesty International urges the Indian government to immediately instruct the security forces not to use firearms against demonstrators. Security forces should use the minimum force necessary to defend themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. They should not employ intentional lethal use of firearms except where such use is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.
Ninety-six people have been killed since June when protests broke out in Jammu and Kashmir after the killings of three young men, reportedly by the security forces, in March. The vast majority of these killings have been at the hands of police and paramilitary forces.
An inquiry ordered by the authorities into 11 of the deaths by shooting in July has failed to make headway. Amnesty International renews its call to the government to initiate an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into all the killings. Members of the security forces responsible for excessive use of force in demonstrations should be brought to justice.
In the last week alone, at least 23 people were killed and 80 others injured in shootings by the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary personnel. Protestors defied curfew regulations, held demonstrations and often clashed with the security personnel.
Protests in several places turned violent as demonstrators hurled stones at the security forces in the last week. Reports about threats to burn the Quran in the United States increased tensions. Demonstrators attacked two Christian schools and a hospital, burning one of the schools.
At the same time human rights activists in Srinagar told Amnesty International that on a number of occasions the security forces shot protestors who were throwing stones at them.
A number of towns in the Kashmir valley including Srinagar have been under 24 hour curfew for the last five days.
Information about these events has been restricted as a result of strict enforcement of the curfew regulations. Journalists have informed Amnesty International that, despite possessing curfew passes issued by the authorities, they have been prevented by the police and the paramilitary personnel from leaving their homes. With journalists unable to report on the situation, a number of regional television stations and newspapers have suspended their work.
Any restrictions on the rights to freedom of movement or freedom of expression imposed for the protection of public order should only be such as are necessary and proportionate for that purpose and should be consistent with the state’s other human rights obligations. In view of the key role of journalists in facilitating exercise the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to receive information. Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to ensure that journalists can obtain curfew passes and are not harassed or otherwise obstructed while carrying out their professional functions of reporting and imparting information on issues of public concern.
More public protests have been announced for 21 September by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), one of the largest political formations in Jammu and Kashmir. This underlines the urgency for the Indian authorities to instruct the security forces not to use lethal force when dealing with demonstrations.
The demonstrations began in late May over the reported extrajudicial execution of three young men by the Army at Machil in Baramulla district. Protests increased after 17-year old Tufail Mattoo was killed by security forces in Srinagar during a demonstration on 11 June. They have intensified during repeated cycles of protests and further killings of demonstrators by security forces.
The demonstrators have raised various concerns about the lack of accountability of the security forces; the withdrawal of Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958; the removal of Army camps – along with an underlying demand of independence for Kashmir.
The AFSPA, which gives special powers of immunity to the security forces, has been in force in parts of Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. The Central Government is currently debating the withdrawal of the AFSPA from a few of its districts.
One of the key demands of the state authorities and protesting organizations, namely the withdrawal of the AFSPA, does not appear to figure in the agenda of the all-party team from Delhi scheduled to visit Srinagar on 20 September.
Under the AFSPA, soldiers are protected from any legal proceedings unless specifically sanctioned by the Central Government. This rarely happens in practice, allowing armed forces personnel to violate human rights with impunity.
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI: Index: ASA20/027/2010
17 September 2010
India: Urgent need for Government to act as death toll rises in Kashmir
With an increasing death toll in protests in Kashmir, Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to take urgent steps to ensure respect for the right to life and to investigate past killings of demonstrators by police.
With two more protestors shot dead today, Amnesty International urges the Indian government to immediately instruct the security forces not to use firearms against demonstrators. Security forces should use the minimum force necessary to defend themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. They should not employ intentional lethal use of firearms except where such use is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.
Ninety-six people have been killed since June when protests broke out in Jammu and Kashmir after the killings of three young men, reportedly by the security forces, in March. The vast majority of these killings have been at the hands of police and paramilitary forces.
An inquiry ordered by the authorities into 11 of the deaths by shooting in July has failed to make headway. Amnesty International renews its call to the government to initiate an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into all the killings. Members of the security forces responsible for excessive use of force in demonstrations should be brought to justice.
In the last week alone, at least 23 people were killed and 80 others injured in shootings by the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary personnel. Protestors defied curfew regulations, held demonstrations and often clashed with the security personnel.
Protests in several places turned violent as demonstrators hurled stones at the security forces in the last week. Reports about threats to burn the Quran in the United States increased tensions. Demonstrators attacked two Christian schools and a hospital, burning one of the schools.
At the same time human rights activists in Srinagar told Amnesty International that on a number of occasions the security forces shot protestors who were throwing stones at them.
A number of towns in the Kashmir valley including Srinagar have been under 24 hour curfew for the last five days.
Information about these events has been restricted as a result of strict enforcement of the curfew regulations. Journalists have informed Amnesty International that, despite possessing curfew passes issued by the authorities, they have been prevented by the police and the paramilitary personnel from leaving their homes. With journalists unable to report on the situation, a number of regional television stations and newspapers have suspended their work.
Any restrictions on the rights to freedom of movement or freedom of expression imposed for the protection of public order should only be such as are necessary and proportionate for that purpose and should be consistent with the state’s other human rights obligations. In view of the key role of journalists in facilitating exercise the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to receive information. Amnesty International calls on the Indian authorities to ensure that journalists can obtain curfew passes and are not harassed or otherwise obstructed while carrying out their professional functions of reporting and imparting information on issues of public concern.
More public protests have been announced for 21 September by the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), one of the largest political formations in Jammu and Kashmir. This underlines the urgency for the Indian authorities to instruct the security forces not to use lethal force when dealing with demonstrations.
The demonstrations began in late May over the reported extrajudicial execution of three young men by the Army at Machil in Baramulla district. Protests increased after 17-year old Tufail Mattoo was killed by security forces in Srinagar during a demonstration on 11 June. They have intensified during repeated cycles of protests and further killings of demonstrators by security forces.
The demonstrators have raised various concerns about the lack of accountability of the security forces; the withdrawal of Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958; the removal of Army camps – along with an underlying demand of independence for Kashmir.
The AFSPA, which gives special powers of immunity to the security forces, has been in force in parts of Jammu and Kashmir since 1990. The Central Government is currently debating the withdrawal of the AFSPA from a few of its districts.
One of the key demands of the state authorities and protesting organizations, namely the withdrawal of the AFSPA, does not appear to figure in the agenda of the all-party team from Delhi scheduled to visit Srinagar on 20 September.
Under the AFSPA, soldiers are protected from any legal proceedings unless specifically sanctioned by the Central Government. This rarely happens in practice, allowing armed forces personnel to violate human rights with impunity.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
India: tortured, sexual assault and illegal detention of adivasis (indigenous people) in Chhattisgarh
India: Authorities should investigate torture, sexual assault and illegal detention of adivasis in Chhattisgarh
Sep 15 2010
The flag of India
The Indian authorities should order a prompt, impartial and independent investigation into reports of torture and ill-treatment, including rape and other sexual violence, against adivasis (indigenous people) illegally detained in Chhattisgarh, Amnesty International said today.
Adivasis from Pachangi and Aloor villages in Kanker district told Amnesty International that paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and the Chhattisgarh state police rounded up 40 adivasi men from their villages on 5 and 6 September, stripped them and beat them with sticks. Five men – Narsingh Kumra, Sukram Netam, Premsingh Potayi, Raju Ram and Bidde Potayi were reportedly raped with sticks and are still being treated at the Kanker government hospital.
These violations followed the 29 August ambush of a BSF-police patrol by members of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in which three BSF personnel and two policemen were killed.
Seventeen people from the two villages were also detained– blindfolded, split into batches and taken to the BSF camp at Durgkondal in closed trucks. Amnesty International has been informed that at least two of those detained - Dhansu Khemra and Sarita Tulavi – were 16 year old girls while another four were women and girls between 16 and 20.
During their detention, security forces beat the detainees in an attempt to force them to confess that they were Maoists involved in the 29 August ambush. The interrogators gave electric shocks to at least 10 detainees and sexually assaulted two female detainees.
Villagers said that on the morning of 7 September the Kanker police released one female detainee Sunita, as she was suffering from malaria, and her father, Punnim Tulavi, a school-teacher, but then arrested two more men.
The five remaining female detainees were taken to a local court along with two of the adivasi men on 8 September, while the remaining ten male detainees were taken to court on 10 September. All of the adivasis were charged with involvement in the 29 August ambush by the banned Maoist armed group and are presently in Kanker and Jagdalpur prisons, after being denied bail.
Indian law requires that arrested persons be produced before a court within 24 hours of the arrest. In an attempt to circumvent this requirement, the police claimed the two groups of detainees were arrested only one day before their respective appearances in court.
Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sexual violence, are prohibited in all circumstances, including war or other emergency under international law, and in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Geneva Conventions. India is also a signatory to the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture and the Indian Parliament is currently engaged in passing a new law against torture in accordance with the provisions of the Convention before its ratification.
Amnesty International calls upon the Indian authorities to:
• Ensure a prompt, impartial, independent and effective investigation into the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual assault, and the illegal detention of adivasis. Those suspected of involvement in the violations, including persons bearing command responsibility, should immediately be suspended from positions where they may repeat such offences, and brought to justice;
• Award the victims of torture and other ill-treatment full reparations. In particular, immediately ensure that all victims of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence, are provided with proper medical care, both physical and psychological, by professionals trained and sensitised to treat such victims; and
• Ensure that, if – as a measure of last resort – those under the age of 18 are kept in prison, they are held separately from adults and otherwise treated in accordance with India’s juvenile justice legislation and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which India is a state party.
Over the last five years, Chhattisgarh has witnessed an escalation of violence between the banned Maoists who claim to be fighting on behalf of the adivasis and India’s paramilitary forces. At least 600 people have been killed and some 30,000 adivasis continue to be displaced from their homes in the state.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Indian authorities must investigate online video of Kashmir detainee abuse
Indian authorities must investigate online video of Kashmir detainee abuse
Several people have been killed during recent protests in Kashmir
13 September 2010
Amnesty International has urged Indian authorities to carry out an effective investigation into a video clip that appears to show detainees in Kashmir being stripped and humiliated by security forces.
The three-minute clip, described on social networking sites as "Kashmir’s Abu Ghraib video", apparently shows Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel herding at least four naked young men to a nearby police station.
"This behaviour is in clear violation of the universal and absolute right to freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," said Donna Guest, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific programme.
The video, apparently recorded by one of the security personnel, has since been removed from social networking sites, including Facebook and YouTube, after the Jammu and Kashmir police reportedly began legal action against the publishers of what it termed a “baseless and malicious clip”.
It is unclear when the clip was recorded, although it was reportedly taken in the north-western town of Sopore.
The recorded conversation in Hindi-Urdu suggests that the security force personnel suspected the young men of being involved in throwing stones at the security forces, and that they had been caught after a long chase.
Amnesty International has consistently received reports of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in various police stations and interrogation centres in Jammu and Kashmir. Such accounts have often included men being stripped naked and humiliated by security force personnel.
The Indian Parliament is currently debating new legislation criminalizing torture and the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the video will be investigated.
However, a statement by Jammu and Kashmir Police to local media indicated that a formal case had been registered against the clip's distributors.
“The approach of the local police raises serious concerns. Instead of investigating and identifying the perpetrators of the humiliating treatment, the police appear to be more concerned about who uploaded and circulated the video clip," said Donna Guest.
"The Indian and Jammu and Kashmir authorities must ensure that the content of the clip is subjected to an independent, impartial and effective investigation. Any officials who are suspected of offences involving human rights violations should be prosecuted in fair trials.”
Several people have been killed during recent protests in Kashmir
13 September 2010
Amnesty International has urged Indian authorities to carry out an effective investigation into a video clip that appears to show detainees in Kashmir being stripped and humiliated by security forces.
The three-minute clip, described on social networking sites as "Kashmir’s Abu Ghraib video", apparently shows Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel herding at least four naked young men to a nearby police station.
"This behaviour is in clear violation of the universal and absolute right to freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," said Donna Guest, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific programme.
The video, apparently recorded by one of the security personnel, has since been removed from social networking sites, including Facebook and YouTube, after the Jammu and Kashmir police reportedly began legal action against the publishers of what it termed a “baseless and malicious clip”.
It is unclear when the clip was recorded, although it was reportedly taken in the north-western town of Sopore.
The recorded conversation in Hindi-Urdu suggests that the security force personnel suspected the young men of being involved in throwing stones at the security forces, and that they had been caught after a long chase.
Amnesty International has consistently received reports of torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in various police stations and interrogation centres in Jammu and Kashmir. Such accounts have often included men being stripped naked and humiliated by security force personnel.
The Indian Parliament is currently debating new legislation criminalizing torture and the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the video will be investigated.
However, a statement by Jammu and Kashmir Police to local media indicated that a formal case had been registered against the clip's distributors.
“The approach of the local police raises serious concerns. Instead of investigating and identifying the perpetrators of the humiliating treatment, the police appear to be more concerned about who uploaded and circulated the video clip," said Donna Guest.
"The Indian and Jammu and Kashmir authorities must ensure that the content of the clip is subjected to an independent, impartial and effective investigation. Any officials who are suspected of offences involving human rights violations should be prosecuted in fair trials.”
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
A Dalit Child sufering from acute malnutrition
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Victims of Bazardiha indiscriminate police firing honored | TwoCircles.net
Thursday, August 5, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaJpktwP2b8
Please save life of 5 dalit families bonded labour in Varanasi of India
www.youtube.com http://www.mynews.in/News/India_Please_take_immediate_action_to_save_5_dalit_families_bonded_labour_in_Varanasi_N52675.html Testimony by Mr. Upendra Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Escaped-bonded-labourers-liv...e-under-shadow-of-fear/articleshow/6258032.cms
www.youtube.com http://www.mynews.in/News/India_Please_take_immediate_action_to_save_5_dalit_families_bonded_labour_in_Varanasi_N52675.html Testimony by Mr. Upendra Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Escaped-bonded-labourers-liv...e-under-shadow-of-fear/articleshow/6258032.cms
Please save life of 5 dalit families bonded labour in Varanasi of Indiahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaJpktwP2b8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaJpktwP2b8
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public statement
AI Index: ASA 16/010/2010
16 July 2010
Myanmar elections will test ASEAN’s credibility
Southeast Asian nations should press the Myanmar government to protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association throughout the elections period and beyond, Amnesty International said today on the eve of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Ha Noi.
ASEAN has repeatedly emphasized that the elections should be held in a “free, fair and inclusive manner”. Yet those calls do not go far enough to highlight the human rights that are most at risk in the elections context. Indeed, the Myanmar government has not taken any steps to improve its poor human rights record as the polls approach.
More than 2,200 political prisoners continue to languish behind bars in Myanmar. This is double the number since the start of the mass peaceful anti-government protests of August – September 2007—a huge indictment of the grim human rights situation there.
Under Electoral Laws enacted in March, no political prisoner can take part in the elections, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The same laws also prohibit them from membership in any political party.
ASEAN should unequivocally call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience at the Ministerial Meeting, something they conspicuously failed to do at the organisation’s summit in Ha Noi in April.
The Electoral Laws also list a number of offences and penalties, among them—a blatant violation of freedom of expression—a vaguely worded provision against "exhorting" persons to vote or not to vote in the elections.
Moreover, in a 21 June directive issued by the Union Election Commission, political parties are prohibited from campaigning activities that “harm security, the rule of law and community peace”. These regulations allow for an excessively broad interpretation of what constitutes a threat to “security”. For decades the authorities have routinely used vaguely worded laws to arbitrarily criminalize peaceful political dissent.
New censorship rules introduced in June also serve to undermine any remaining scope for independent journalism around the elections process.
The “three freedoms”—of expression, peaceful assembly, and association—must be safeguarded for all, whether people choose to participate in the elections or not. It is not enough for ASEAN to adopt a “wait and see” attitude.
ASEAN states must also be prepared to speak out forcefully if individuals are harassed and detained for their peaceful political views and activities in the run-up to the elections.
Failure to address these urgent challenges will damage ASEAN’s international credibility. It is crucial that ASEAN seizes this opportunity to work towards the realisation of long overdue human rights improvements in Myanmar.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting takes place from 19 – 23 July this year.
ENDS/
Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org
Public statement
AI Index: ASA 16/010/2010
16 July 2010
Myanmar elections will test ASEAN’s credibility
Southeast Asian nations should press the Myanmar government to protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association throughout the elections period and beyond, Amnesty International said today on the eve of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Ha Noi.
ASEAN has repeatedly emphasized that the elections should be held in a “free, fair and inclusive manner”. Yet those calls do not go far enough to highlight the human rights that are most at risk in the elections context. Indeed, the Myanmar government has not taken any steps to improve its poor human rights record as the polls approach.
More than 2,200 political prisoners continue to languish behind bars in Myanmar. This is double the number since the start of the mass peaceful anti-government protests of August – September 2007—a huge indictment of the grim human rights situation there.
Under Electoral Laws enacted in March, no political prisoner can take part in the elections, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The same laws also prohibit them from membership in any political party.
ASEAN should unequivocally call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience at the Ministerial Meeting, something they conspicuously failed to do at the organisation’s summit in Ha Noi in April.
The Electoral Laws also list a number of offences and penalties, among them—a blatant violation of freedom of expression—a vaguely worded provision against "exhorting" persons to vote or not to vote in the elections.
Moreover, in a 21 June directive issued by the Union Election Commission, political parties are prohibited from campaigning activities that “harm security, the rule of law and community peace”. These regulations allow for an excessively broad interpretation of what constitutes a threat to “security”. For decades the authorities have routinely used vaguely worded laws to arbitrarily criminalize peaceful political dissent.
New censorship rules introduced in June also serve to undermine any remaining scope for independent journalism around the elections process.
The “three freedoms”—of expression, peaceful assembly, and association—must be safeguarded for all, whether people choose to participate in the elections or not. It is not enough for ASEAN to adopt a “wait and see” attitude.
ASEAN states must also be prepared to speak out forcefully if individuals are harassed and detained for their peaceful political views and activities in the run-up to the elections.
Failure to address these urgent challenges will damage ASEAN’s international credibility. It is crucial that ASEAN seizes this opportunity to work towards the realisation of long overdue human rights improvements in Myanmar.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting takes place from 19 – 23 July this year.
ENDS/
Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Jammu and Kashmir authorities urged to end detention of lawyers
Jammu and Kashmir authorities urged to end detention of lawyers
22 July 2010
The Jammu and Kashmir state government must immediately end the preventive detention of the leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Mian Abdul Qayoom, the President of the Bar Association and Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, its General Secretary, have been arbitrarily detained under the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA) since 7 July and 18 July 2010 respectively.
The vaguely formulated PSA allows for detentions of up to two years without charge or trial on the presumption that future acts harmful to the state may be committed.
"The detention of the Bar Association leaders appears to be an attempt to stifle legitimate and peaceful protest, as part of the ongoing crackdown by the authorities in parts of Kashmir," said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International
The grounds of detention prepared by the Srinagar District Magistrate relating to Mian Qayoom allege he is attempting to turn the Bar Association into "a secessionist outfit" indulging in "illegal activities".
Four previous criminal cases registered involving Mian Qayoom between October 2008 and June 2010 are also mentioned in the document which accuses him of instigating recent protests that have reportedly left at least 18 people dead.
"The state administration has resorted to preventive detention under the PSA, which subverts the judicial process," Zarifi said. "If the government has criminal charges to bring, it should do so in a properly constituted criminal trial where Mian Qayoom will have the protections afforded under the law, for instance, the ability to post bail."
The official grounds of detention against Mian Qayoom state that he is being detained for questioning the conduct of government security forces and for his political views.
Reports indicate the General Secretary of the Bar Association, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, is being detained on similar grounds as well as for organizing public rallies seeking the release of Mian Qayoom.
"The arbitrary use of the PSA to detain government critics is yet another demonstration of why this law must be repealed," Zarifi said.
The Kashmir valley has witnessed mass public protests over the past several months, initially over the extrajudicial executions of three men at Machil, Baramulla district, and subsequently by killings of protesters by Central Reserve Police Force personnel.
At least 18 people, many of them teenagers, were allegedly killed during a crackdown on protests that began on 11 June 2010.
Amnesty International has previously demanded that the Indian authorities avoid excessive use of force and investigate all the deaths due to the shootings.
The State administration has also responded by placing a large number of people in preventive detention instead of charging and trying them – including those reportedly suspected of throwing stones at the police and others suspected of inciting violence by posting inflammatory material online.
A number of political leaders have also been recently detained including Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, and his aides Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, Ayaz Akbar, Mohammad Yousuf Mujahid and Zafar Akbar Bhat. Prominent Kashmiri leaders including Shabbir Shah and Nayeem Ahmed Khan also continue to remain in detention under the PSA.
22 July 2010
The Jammu and Kashmir state government must immediately end the preventive detention of the leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Mian Abdul Qayoom, the President of the Bar Association and Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, its General Secretary, have been arbitrarily detained under the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA) since 7 July and 18 July 2010 respectively.
The vaguely formulated PSA allows for detentions of up to two years without charge or trial on the presumption that future acts harmful to the state may be committed.
"The detention of the Bar Association leaders appears to be an attempt to stifle legitimate and peaceful protest, as part of the ongoing crackdown by the authorities in parts of Kashmir," said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International
The grounds of detention prepared by the Srinagar District Magistrate relating to Mian Qayoom allege he is attempting to turn the Bar Association into "a secessionist outfit" indulging in "illegal activities".
Four previous criminal cases registered involving Mian Qayoom between October 2008 and June 2010 are also mentioned in the document which accuses him of instigating recent protests that have reportedly left at least 18 people dead.
"The state administration has resorted to preventive detention under the PSA, which subverts the judicial process," Zarifi said. "If the government has criminal charges to bring, it should do so in a properly constituted criminal trial where Mian Qayoom will have the protections afforded under the law, for instance, the ability to post bail."
The official grounds of detention against Mian Qayoom state that he is being detained for questioning the conduct of government security forces and for his political views.
Reports indicate the General Secretary of the Bar Association, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, is being detained on similar grounds as well as for organizing public rallies seeking the release of Mian Qayoom.
"The arbitrary use of the PSA to detain government critics is yet another demonstration of why this law must be repealed," Zarifi said.
The Kashmir valley has witnessed mass public protests over the past several months, initially over the extrajudicial executions of three men at Machil, Baramulla district, and subsequently by killings of protesters by Central Reserve Police Force personnel.
At least 18 people, many of them teenagers, were allegedly killed during a crackdown on protests that began on 11 June 2010.
Amnesty International has previously demanded that the Indian authorities avoid excessive use of force and investigate all the deaths due to the shootings.
The State administration has also responded by placing a large number of people in preventive detention instead of charging and trying them – including those reportedly suspected of throwing stones at the police and others suspected of inciting violence by posting inflammatory material online.
A number of political leaders have also been recently detained including Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani, and his aides Mohammad Ashraf Sahrai, Ayaz Akbar, Mohammad Yousuf Mujahid and Zafar Akbar Bhat. Prominent Kashmiri leaders including Shabbir Shah and Nayeem Ahmed Khan also continue to remain in detention under the PSA.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
City commitment against torture and organized violence in Varanasi
http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/city-commitment-against-torture-and_20.html
http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/city-commitment-against-torture-and_20.html
http://testimony-india.blogspot.com/2010/07/city-commitment-against-torture-and_20.html
Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Danish organization Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) had exclusively hold the high profile honor ceremony of survivor of torture and organized violence on 54 birth anniversary of Veteran Journalist Sri Sushil Tripathi on 18th July, 2010 in Hotel Kamesh Hut, Varanasi.
The program started by paying homage on the photo of pro – survivor veteran Journalist by political leader Mr. Mohan Prakash, Dr. Shailendra Kumar Tripathi, Parikshit and Priyanka, Mayor Mr. Kaushlendra Singh, Acharya Sant. Vivek Das, Vijay Narayen, Dr. S.M Gangulay, Tarun Kanti Basu and many other renowned person of the city and local participation of around 150 people who join the struggle against TOV.
The program proceeds giving brief introduction about him, as he raised the issues related to the down trodden and victims of any category candidly. Expressing their views, the participants recalled the contribution of the late journalist in the field of media and he fought for the cause of poor and victim through pen.
The testimony of the twelve survivors was read to the public and the survivors were honored with the testimony and traditional white shawl. The name of the survivors Ram Ji Gupta, Mrs. Neetu Gupta, Mr. Mahatim, Mr. Vinod Gupta, Mr. Phool Chand, Mr. Harkhali, Mr. Jahid, Mr. Bikhari Sahani, Mr. Lal Chandra Sonker, Mrs. Mamta Singh, Mr. Pankaj Kumar Verma, Mr. Dilip Seth.
After hearing the emotional part of the testimony Bikhari Sahani started crying and the eyes of the people presented in the hall become wet. "I feed my family by pulling trolleys for 18 hours after working day and night. I took a loan of Rs 24,000 to build a shelter for my family to save it from rains. One fine day two officer came along with around 50 cops and bulldozer and without any information razed my house. We could not save our belongings. The incident left my wife in coma and later she died. Now I need justice after all I am a human being. Please do something for my children otherwise they will starve to death."
Ram Ji Gupta became nervous after hearing the soft feeling, on 12 February this year my entire family got to face police torture. Late in the night I opened the door of my house on hearing a knock. A couple of policemen barged into my house and started beating up female of my house with boots and belts. Even they tried to molest my wife and my daughter in law. Then they dragged us to police station and abused us. An ordinary man is not safe in the city. I want CBI and the CB-CID to investigate the matter and ensure justice for my family.
Mahatim felt proud after being honored and fearlessly narrated his self suffering to the media. He reaffirmed his fight against mafia don Munna Bajrangi up to the last battle for the conclusion of the case.
Overall impact of the honor ceremony is in form of survivor's commitment against impunity.
On the occasion the five girls also Chanda, Jyoti, Puja, Vimla and Madhuri -who fought against the child marriage, were awarded with Savitri Bai Phule award. They Prevail and emanate from the traditional culture or male supremacy. As most women in India suffer directly or indirectly by the existing patriarchal structure of the society. Denying the child marriage the parents of these girls faced odd situation in the society.
After the girls are being honored by this award and high profile media publicity, the parents of these girls feel psychological courage and join the movement against the child marriage as organized violence against women. It is noted that it is in result 10 years effort in the area of Baghwanala with the support of Child Right and You (CRY), Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), Parul Sharma, Raj Dulari Foundation, Helma Ritscher, DIG (Germany) and InWent.
Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi announced "Sushil Tripathi media fellowship" for "Promoting a psycho -legal framework to reduce torture and organized violence in India" of 1 lakhs 20 thousand Rupees each to three including two from Hindi and one from English for two years for 10 story reporting. The media fellowship will be declared on the birth anniversary of great writer Munshi Prem Chandra (Shakespeare of Hindi literature) on 31st July, 2010.
The program was moderated by Sri Ashok Anand and ended with the vote of thanks by Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi.
Please see the link:
http://testimony-india.blogspot.com/2010/07/from-glimpse-of-media-and-photo.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Now-girls-say-I-wont-do/articleshow/6181691.cms
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34570436/Scan-0015
http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/prevention-of-torture-bill-2010.html
http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/city-commitment-against-torture-and_20.html
http://testimony-india.blogspot.com/2010/07/city-commitment-against-torture-and_20.html
Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) and Danish organization Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) had exclusively hold the high profile honor ceremony of survivor of torture and organized violence on 54 birth anniversary of Veteran Journalist Sri Sushil Tripathi on 18th July, 2010 in Hotel Kamesh Hut, Varanasi.
The program started by paying homage on the photo of pro – survivor veteran Journalist by political leader Mr. Mohan Prakash, Dr. Shailendra Kumar Tripathi, Parikshit and Priyanka, Mayor Mr. Kaushlendra Singh, Acharya Sant. Vivek Das, Vijay Narayen, Dr. S.M Gangulay, Tarun Kanti Basu and many other renowned person of the city and local participation of around 150 people who join the struggle against TOV.
The program proceeds giving brief introduction about him, as he raised the issues related to the down trodden and victims of any category candidly. Expressing their views, the participants recalled the contribution of the late journalist in the field of media and he fought for the cause of poor and victim through pen.
The testimony of the twelve survivors was read to the public and the survivors were honored with the testimony and traditional white shawl. The name of the survivors Ram Ji Gupta, Mrs. Neetu Gupta, Mr. Mahatim, Mr. Vinod Gupta, Mr. Phool Chand, Mr. Harkhali, Mr. Jahid, Mr. Bikhari Sahani, Mr. Lal Chandra Sonker, Mrs. Mamta Singh, Mr. Pankaj Kumar Verma, Mr. Dilip Seth.
After hearing the emotional part of the testimony Bikhari Sahani started crying and the eyes of the people presented in the hall become wet. "I feed my family by pulling trolleys for 18 hours after working day and night. I took a loan of Rs 24,000 to build a shelter for my family to save it from rains. One fine day two officer came along with around 50 cops and bulldozer and without any information razed my house. We could not save our belongings. The incident left my wife in coma and later she died. Now I need justice after all I am a human being. Please do something for my children otherwise they will starve to death."
Ram Ji Gupta became nervous after hearing the soft feeling, on 12 February this year my entire family got to face police torture. Late in the night I opened the door of my house on hearing a knock. A couple of policemen barged into my house and started beating up female of my house with boots and belts. Even they tried to molest my wife and my daughter in law. Then they dragged us to police station and abused us. An ordinary man is not safe in the city. I want CBI and the CB-CID to investigate the matter and ensure justice for my family.
Mahatim felt proud after being honored and fearlessly narrated his self suffering to the media. He reaffirmed his fight against mafia don Munna Bajrangi up to the last battle for the conclusion of the case.
Overall impact of the honor ceremony is in form of survivor's commitment against impunity.
On the occasion the five girls also Chanda, Jyoti, Puja, Vimla and Madhuri -who fought against the child marriage, were awarded with Savitri Bai Phule award. They Prevail and emanate from the traditional culture or male supremacy. As most women in India suffer directly or indirectly by the existing patriarchal structure of the society. Denying the child marriage the parents of these girls faced odd situation in the society.
After the girls are being honored by this award and high profile media publicity, the parents of these girls feel psychological courage and join the movement against the child marriage as organized violence against women. It is noted that it is in result 10 years effort in the area of Baghwanala with the support of Child Right and You (CRY), Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), Parul Sharma, Raj Dulari Foundation, Helma Ritscher, DIG (Germany) and InWent.
Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi announced "Sushil Tripathi media fellowship" for "Promoting a psycho -legal framework to reduce torture and organized violence in India" of 1 lakhs 20 thousand Rupees each to three including two from Hindi and one from English for two years for 10 story reporting. The media fellowship will be declared on the birth anniversary of great writer Munshi Prem Chandra (Shakespeare of Hindi literature) on 31st July, 2010.
The program was moderated by Sri Ashok Anand and ended with the vote of thanks by Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi.
Please see the link:
http://testimony-india.blogspot.com/2010/07/from-glimpse-of-media-and-photo.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Now-girls-say-I-wont-do/articleshow/6181691.cms
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34570436/Scan-0015
http://pvchr.blogspot.com/2010/07/prevention-of-torture-bill-2010.html
Friday, July 9, 2010
Why Kashmir is burning
http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jul/08/slide-show-1-explained-why-kashmir-is-burning.htm#contentTop
The deaths of 14 teenagers and a youth since June 20 in firing by the Central Reserve Police Force and state police have triggered a cycle of violence in Kashmir. Civilian protests against what is alleged to be excessive use of force by the paramilitary personnel during clashes with stone pelters sustain a vicious cycle during which more casualties occur and violence continues to haunt the state.
There has been widespread violence in Kashmir in the last few days as separatist leaders continue to capitalise on the unrest among the youth in the state. The failure of the peace process between Centre and the separatist leadership, as also between New Delhi and Islamabad, to throw up any concrete solutions to the over six-decade long problem of Kashmir has generated a backlash among the local youth who often target police and paramilitary forces with rocks and stones. The valley has been under curfew for four days now.
The deaths of 14 teenagers and a youth since June 20 in firing by the Central Reserve Police Force and state police have triggered a cycle of violence in Kashmir. Civilian protests against what is alleged to be excessive use of force by the paramilitary personnel during clashes with stone pelters sustain a vicious cycle during which more casualties occur and violence continues to haunt the state.
The first civilian who was killed during this year was Whamiq Farooq, 13, who died on January 31, when protesters clashed with security forces in the Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.
The cycle of violence triggered by one civilian death results in protests during which more casualties occur and the ball keeps on rolling.
Roughly, in the last two months, there have been 20 days when markets, educational institutions and banks have remained shut due to a shutdown.
The moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference has put forth demands that include removal of paramilitary bunkers and troops from all cities and major towns of the valley. They have also demanded the release of the youth arrested during clashes with the security forces and repeal of the controversial Armed Forces' Special Powers Act which gives sweeping powers to the deployed troops in the valley.
The separatists are demanding a political solution that satisfies the aspirations of Kashmiris through tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the representatives of Kashmiris.
Both the local police and the CRPF act in tandem while dealing with the law and order situation in the valley. The CRPF has been accused of using excessive force since they are in the forefront of crowd control operations. The unprecedented violence that occurs during such protests is often tackled by the CRPF and the local police by firing at the crowd
The chief minister has said the time has come when a political dialogue needs to be started between India and Pakistan and also between New Delhi and various shades of opinion in Kashmir to reach a sustainable solution to the problem. He also said that no amount of economic development and prosperity would ensure peace unless matched with a political initiative.
The chief minister, who heads a coalition comprising his National Conference and the Congress, is fully backed by New Delhi to deal with the situation. The task is definitely not beyond Abdullah as long as he has Delhi's full backing to steer out of the present turmoil.
Omar Abdullah had already starting reaching out to the people through interactions with the civil society in violence-hit areas. He has held such interactions in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag. The government is hopeful that these interactions would instill confidence among the people and help restore order in the Valley.
The deaths of 14 teenagers and a youth since June 20 in firing by the Central Reserve Police Force and state police have triggered a cycle of violence in Kashmir. Civilian protests against what is alleged to be excessive use of force by the paramilitary personnel during clashes with stone pelters sustain a vicious cycle during which more casualties occur and violence continues to haunt the state.
There has been widespread violence in Kashmir in the last few days as separatist leaders continue to capitalise on the unrest among the youth in the state. The failure of the peace process between Centre and the separatist leadership, as also between New Delhi and Islamabad, to throw up any concrete solutions to the over six-decade long problem of Kashmir has generated a backlash among the local youth who often target police and paramilitary forces with rocks and stones. The valley has been under curfew for four days now.
The deaths of 14 teenagers and a youth since June 20 in firing by the Central Reserve Police Force and state police have triggered a cycle of violence in Kashmir. Civilian protests against what is alleged to be excessive use of force by the paramilitary personnel during clashes with stone pelters sustain a vicious cycle during which more casualties occur and violence continues to haunt the state.
The first civilian who was killed during this year was Whamiq Farooq, 13, who died on January 31, when protesters clashed with security forces in the Rajouri Kadal area of Srinagar.
The cycle of violence triggered by one civilian death results in protests during which more casualties occur and the ball keeps on rolling.
Roughly, in the last two months, there have been 20 days when markets, educational institutions and banks have remained shut due to a shutdown.
The moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference has put forth demands that include removal of paramilitary bunkers and troops from all cities and major towns of the valley. They have also demanded the release of the youth arrested during clashes with the security forces and repeal of the controversial Armed Forces' Special Powers Act which gives sweeping powers to the deployed troops in the valley.
The separatists are demanding a political solution that satisfies the aspirations of Kashmiris through tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and the representatives of Kashmiris.
Both the local police and the CRPF act in tandem while dealing with the law and order situation in the valley. The CRPF has been accused of using excessive force since they are in the forefront of crowd control operations. The unprecedented violence that occurs during such protests is often tackled by the CRPF and the local police by firing at the crowd
The chief minister has said the time has come when a political dialogue needs to be started between India and Pakistan and also between New Delhi and various shades of opinion in Kashmir to reach a sustainable solution to the problem. He also said that no amount of economic development and prosperity would ensure peace unless matched with a political initiative.
The chief minister, who heads a coalition comprising his National Conference and the Congress, is fully backed by New Delhi to deal with the situation. The task is definitely not beyond Abdullah as long as he has Delhi's full backing to steer out of the present turmoil.
Omar Abdullah had already starting reaching out to the people through interactions with the civil society in violence-hit areas. He has held such interactions in Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag. The government is hopeful that these interactions would instill confidence among the people and help restore order in the Valley.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Something really nasty and dangerous is going on in India’s neighbouring island. In May 2009 the bloody civil war between the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government ended but during those final months of the war it has been reported that massive war crimes were committed by both sides and even today, thousands of Tamil civilians are stuck in camps.
India has taken a very unquestioning line towards the Sri Lankan government. Basically, the Indian government has looked the other way – to the extent that the Sri Lankan President had the gall to brag about how he doesn’t care about international pressure as long as India is happy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Indias-views-matter-dont-care-about-the-world-Rajapaksa/articleshow/6099633.cms
In the name of fighting terrorism, the Sri Lankan government has killed thousands of innocent Tamils and has closed off the country to foreign journalists and organisations like Amnesty International. Local Sri Lankan journalists have had to flee the country because of a very real threat to their lives and some have even been killed.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA37/001/2010/en
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/journalists-danger-sri-lanka-20080205
Don’t allow the Sri Lankan government to get away with this. Today it is Sri Lanka, tomorrow it could be another country that will start killing innocent civilians in the name of fighting terror.
Certainly watch this chilling Channel 4 video. It has been authenticated by the UN so what you see is the truth.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/execution%20video%20is%20this%20evidence%20of%20war%20crimes%20in%20sri%20lanka/3321087
2. Read this excellent International Crisis Group Report and watch the video below
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/multimedia/videos/louise-arbour-sri-lanka.aspx
At the end of your article, please remember to link to the online petition –
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
India has taken a very unquestioning line towards the Sri Lankan government. Basically, the Indian government has looked the other way – to the extent that the Sri Lankan President had the gall to brag about how he doesn’t care about international pressure as long as India is happy.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Indias-views-matter-dont-care-about-the-world-Rajapaksa/articleshow/6099633.cms
In the name of fighting terrorism, the Sri Lankan government has killed thousands of innocent Tamils and has closed off the country to foreign journalists and organisations like Amnesty International. Local Sri Lankan journalists have had to flee the country because of a very real threat to their lives and some have even been killed.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA37/001/2010/en
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/journalists-danger-sri-lanka-20080205
Don’t allow the Sri Lankan government to get away with this. Today it is Sri Lanka, tomorrow it could be another country that will start killing innocent civilians in the name of fighting terror.
Certainly watch this chilling Channel 4 video. It has been authenticated by the UN so what you see is the truth.
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/execution%20video%20is%20this%20evidence%20of%20war%20crimes%20in%20sri%20lanka/3321087
2. Read this excellent International Crisis Group Report and watch the video below
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/publication-type/multimedia/videos/louise-arbour-sri-lanka.aspx
At the end of your article, please remember to link to the online petition –
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Plight of the Tamils, Massacre; Government; Censorship
SRI LANKA: Plight of the Tamils,Massacre; Government; Censorship
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal
from the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka regarding the conditions and treatment of Tamil civilians in the north of the country. The government is still barring independent monitoring bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it impossible to verify reports of large scale human rights violations.
For more information, please contact the organization by e-mail, at
irishpeaceforum@gmail.com or take a look at its website:
www.ifpsl.org
1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone'
immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious
sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured
wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians.
2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the
wounded to hospitals.
3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the
conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is
untenable.
4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return
immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR.
5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded
civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war
zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed
location on accusations they gave false information about the
casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately.
6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an
international independent jury to investigate the crimes against
humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an
investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given
to the witnesses about their safety
7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught
has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for
a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of
the Tamils.
8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to
be respected in any future political arrangement.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send an email, fax or sms to the relevant Sri Lankan
authorities with the following demands.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Re: The plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
Dear _________,
I am deeply concerned about the the conditions and the treatment of
Tamil civilians in the north of the country by the Sri Lankan
authorities. The government is still barring independent monitoring
bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it
impossible to verify reports of human rights violations on a large
scale. I wish to join the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka--among
them Prof. Brian Maguire, Dr Jude Lal Fernando, Dr Iain Atack, Dr
Longcharo Naro, Ms Moya Loughnan, Ms Claire De Jong, Ms Jenny
Haughton, Mr John Robinson, Ms Sorcha Tormey
Mr Sean O Boyle, Mr Dominic Thorpe--in calling for the national
government to:
1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone'
immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious
sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured
wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians.
2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the
wounded to hospitals.
3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the
conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is
untenable.
4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return
immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR.
5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded
civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war
zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed
location on accusations they gave false information about the
casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately.
6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an
international independent jury to investigate the crimes against
humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an
investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given
to the witnesses about their safety
7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught
has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for
a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of
the Tamils.
8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to
be respected in any future political arrangement.
Sincerely Yours,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE SEND A FAX OR SMS TO:
Professor Rajiva Wijesinha
Secretary
Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
2, Wijerama Mawatha
Colombo 7
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 268 1982
Secretary
National Human Rights Commission
No. 36, Kynsey Road
Colombo 8
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk
Mr. Mohan Peris
Attorney General
Attorney General's Department
Colombo 12
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 436421
E-mail: ag@attorneygeneral.gov.lk
Mr. Jayantha Wickremeratne
Inspector General of Police
New Secretariat, Police Head Quarters
Colombo
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440/327877
E-mail: igp@police.lk
-----------------------
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia
)
-----------------------------
Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal
from the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka regarding the conditions and treatment of Tamil civilians in the north of the country. The government is still barring independent monitoring bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it impossible to verify reports of large scale human rights violations.
For more information, please contact the organization by e-mail, at
irishpeaceforum@gmail.com or take a look at its website:
www.ifpsl.org
1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone'
immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious
sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured
wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians.
2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the
wounded to hospitals.
3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the
conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is
untenable.
4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return
immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR.
5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded
civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war
zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed
location on accusations they gave false information about the
casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately.
6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an
international independent jury to investigate the crimes against
humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an
investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given
to the witnesses about their safety
7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught
has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for
a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of
the Tamils.
8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to
be respected in any future political arrangement.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send an email, fax or sms to the relevant Sri Lankan
authorities with the following demands.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Re: The plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka
Dear _________,
I am deeply concerned about the the conditions and the treatment of
Tamil civilians in the north of the country by the Sri Lankan
authorities. The government is still barring independent monitoring
bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it
impossible to verify reports of human rights violations on a large
scale. I wish to join the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka--among
them Prof. Brian Maguire, Dr Jude Lal Fernando, Dr Iain Atack, Dr
Longcharo Naro, Ms Moya Loughnan, Ms Claire De Jong, Ms Jenny
Haughton, Mr John Robinson, Ms Sorcha Tormey
Mr Sean O Boyle, Mr Dominic Thorpe--in calling for the national
government to:
1. Send international observers to the 'post-conflict zone'
immediately to determine the truth in the reports from religious
sources on the ground that the Sri Lanka military have shot captured
wounded combatants, LTTE officials, TRO administrators and civilians.
2. Allow immediate access to the ICRC so that they can evacuate the
wounded to hospitals.
3. Allow immediate access to the international media, because if the
conflict is over the excuse that the journalists face danger is
untenable.
4. Allow the civilian population held in internment camps return
immediately to their land assisted by ICRC and UNHCR.
5. Three Sri Lankan doctors who treated hundreds of badly wounded
civilians in understaffed, makeshift hospitals in the country's war
zone are detained by the Sri Lankan military in an undisclosed
location on accusations they gave false information about the
casualties to the media. Free the doctors immediately.
6. We believe that this was a war without any witnesses. Appoint an
international independent jury to investigate the crimes against
humanity that were committed by the Sri Lankan government. Such an
investigation should be carried out with the fullest assurance given
to the witnesses about their safety
7. The Forum believes that the present Sri Lanka military onslaught
has a clear genocidal intent. This intent has underlined the need for
a political settlement that would protect the collective existence of
the Tamils.
8. The principles of self determination and parity of esteem need to
be respected in any future political arrangement.
Sincerely Yours,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE SEND A FAX OR SMS TO:
Professor Rajiva Wijesinha
Secretary
Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
2, Wijerama Mawatha
Colombo 7
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 268 1982
Secretary
National Human Rights Commission
No. 36, Kynsey Road
Colombo 8
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk
Mr. Mohan Peris
Attorney General
Attorney General's Department
Colombo 12
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 436421
E-mail: ag@attorneygeneral.gov.lk
Mr. Jayantha Wickremeratne
Inspector General of Police
New Secretariat, Police Head Quarters
Colombo
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440/327877
E-mail: igp@police.lk
-----------------------
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia
)
-----------------------------
Asian Human Rights Commission
19/F, Go-Up Commercial Building,
998 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hongkong S.A.R.
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367
Friday, July 2, 2010
Escaping the “child-catchers” of the LTTE
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Title: Escaping the “child-catchers” of the LTTE
Amnesty International is calling on the UN to set up an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka in the final months of the civil war which ended in May 2009. Both sides, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government’s armed forces committed human rights violations. The families who suffered deserve justice and if you want to know why, read young Kamla’s account of how she escaped capture.
Child-catchers of the LTTE
The bullets and bombs were scary but what struck terror in Kamla’s heart were the “child-catchers” of the LTTE. For months, Kamla (nearly 15) and her 2 younger sisters managed to escape them by hiding in barrels buried underground in the backyard. The lid would be closed and soil sprinkled on top, with only a small tube fitted for breathing.
However, during the final months of the war, shelling became so bad that the family were displaced 14 times and ended up in a hut without any of their possessions.
Caught in the cross-fire
One morning, when Kamla came out of the hut she found the place surrounded by more than 20 child-catchers. She ran in terror, ducking and hiding behind huts and somehow managed to escape. That night, her family decided they couldn’t continue like this anymore. Along with 150 other Tamils, they began moving towards the Sri Lankan army controlled areas, risking one final confrontation with the LTTE. “Tigers fired wildly. Parents fought against Tigers and some were dragged away,” recalls Kamla. But after a night of battle, the Sri Lankan army saved them and sent them to the Vavuniya camp.
Take Action
A year after this escape, Kamla drew the picture above (she is in yellow, surrounded by “child-catchers” in black) to show what disturbed her the most. Help Kamla and her family discover the truth by calling for an independent investigation. Your signatures will be presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at a high level meeting in September during the UN General Assembly.
Please click on the link below to help Kamla.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Escaping the “child-catchers” of the LTTE
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Title: Escaping the “child-catchers” of the LTTE
Amnesty International is calling on the UN to set up an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka in the final months of the civil war which ended in May 2009. Both sides, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government’s armed forces committed human rights violations. The families who suffered deserve justice and if you want to know why, read young Kamla’s account of how she escaped capture.
Child-catchers of the LTTE
The bullets and bombs were scary but what struck terror in Kamla’s heart were the “child-catchers” of the LTTE. For months, Kamla (nearly 15) and her 2 younger sisters managed to escape them by hiding in barrels buried underground in the backyard. The lid would be closed and soil sprinkled on top, with only a small tube fitted for breathing.
However, during the final months of the war, shelling became so bad that the family were displaced 14 times and ended up in a hut without any of their possessions.
Caught in the cross-fire
One morning, when Kamla came out of the hut she found the place surrounded by more than 20 child-catchers. She ran in terror, ducking and hiding behind huts and somehow managed to escape. That night, her family decided they couldn’t continue like this anymore. Along with 150 other Tamils, they began moving towards the Sri Lankan army controlled areas, risking one final confrontation with the LTTE. “Tigers fired wildly. Parents fought against Tigers and some were dragged away,” recalls Kamla. But after a night of battle, the Sri Lankan army saved them and sent them to the Vavuniya camp.
Take Action
A year after this escape, Kamla drew the picture above (she is in yellow, surrounded by “child-catchers” in black) to show what disturbed her the most. Help Kamla and her family discover the truth by calling for an independent investigation. Your signatures will be presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at a high level meeting in September during the UN General Assembly.
Please click on the link below to help Kamla.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Title: Escaping the “child-catchers” of the LTTE
Amnesty International is calling on the UN to set up an independent investigation into possible war crimes committed in Sri Lanka in the final months of the civil war which ended in May 2009. Both sides, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government’s armed forces committed human rights violations. The families who suffered deserve justice and if you want to know why, read young Kamla’s account of how she escaped capture.
Child-catchers of the LTTE
The bullets and bombs were scary but what struck terror in Kamla’s heart were the “child-catchers” of the LTTE. For months, Kamla (nearly 15) and her 2 younger sisters managed to escape them by hiding in barrels buried underground in the backyard. The lid would be closed and soil sprinkled on top, with only a small tube fitted for breathing.
However, during the final months of the war, shelling became so bad that the family were displaced 14 times and ended up in a hut without any of their possessions.
Caught in the cross-fire
One morning, when Kamla came out of the hut she found the place surrounded by more than 20 child-catchers. She ran in terror, ducking and hiding behind huts and somehow managed to escape. That night, her family decided they couldn’t continue like this anymore. Along with 150 other Tamils, they began moving towards the Sri Lankan army controlled areas, risking one final confrontation with the LTTE. “Tigers fired wildly. Parents fought against Tigers and some were dragged away,” recalls Kamla. But after a night of battle, the Sri Lankan army saved them and sent them to the Vavuniya camp.
Take Action
A year after this escape, Kamla drew the picture above (she is in yellow, surrounded by “child-catchers” in black) to show what disturbed her the most. Help Kamla and her family discover the truth by calling for an independent investigation. Your signatures will be presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at a high level meeting in September during the UN General Assembly.
Please click on the link below to help Kamla.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/call-un-investigate-sri-lanka-rights-violations
Over 100,000 innovations from rural Indian school dropouts!
http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jul/01/slide-show-1-rural-india-hotbed-of-amazing-innovations.htm#contentTop
A cycle that runs on water and land, a scooter-powered flour mill, a solar mosquito killer, a cycle-powered washing machine -- these are just a few of the over 100,000 outstanding innovations that have come from school dropouts and poor people from rural India.
How has your experience been working with rural innovators?
Working with innovators has been one of the most exciting things in my life. The rural innovators have the spirit to innovate and come up with solutions overcoming their problems.
Despite the lack of education, power and money, the grassroots innovations exemplify the struggle to find a better and cheaper solution to address our problems.
There is a lot to learn from their lives and achievements. It has been an enriching and enlightening experience. These tribals are the true pride of India.
They have so many great innovations. I found the villages in Bastar district to be one of the best in hygiene and sanitation. Here, a sick person is cremated after his death, while a healthy person who dies is buried. This is a good, healthy practice. Here is a lesson for all of us to follow.
The youth do not want to join Maoists, they are so talented that we should be able to guide them in the right direction. Unfortunately, the police and administration are indifferent to them. They are given no opportunity to exhibit their skills.
We are now initiating a programme to bring out their talent and make them leaders in their own right.
The government is not investing in places like this, there are not given any opportunity to come up in life. So their anger is not misplaced.
They have developed a medicinal variety of paddy. If we add such products to out nutraceuticals market, this will have such a huge impact. This agro-bio diversity should be catalogued and marketed. I have talks with the National Gene Bank but nothing has happened yet.
There are so many ideas that can drive the Indian economy. Our institutes should pay more attention in developing products that have mass appeal.
A cycle that runs on water and land, a scooter-powered flour mill, a solar mosquito killer, a cycle-powered washing machine -- these are just a few of the over 100,000 outstanding innovations that have come from school dropouts and poor people from rural India.
How has your experience been working with rural innovators?
Working with innovators has been one of the most exciting things in my life. The rural innovators have the spirit to innovate and come up with solutions overcoming their problems.
Despite the lack of education, power and money, the grassroots innovations exemplify the struggle to find a better and cheaper solution to address our problems.
There is a lot to learn from their lives and achievements. It has been an enriching and enlightening experience. These tribals are the true pride of India.
They have so many great innovations. I found the villages in Bastar district to be one of the best in hygiene and sanitation. Here, a sick person is cremated after his death, while a healthy person who dies is buried. This is a good, healthy practice. Here is a lesson for all of us to follow.
The youth do not want to join Maoists, they are so talented that we should be able to guide them in the right direction. Unfortunately, the police and administration are indifferent to them. They are given no opportunity to exhibit their skills.
We are now initiating a programme to bring out their talent and make them leaders in their own right.
The government is not investing in places like this, there are not given any opportunity to come up in life. So their anger is not misplaced.
They have developed a medicinal variety of paddy. If we add such products to out nutraceuticals market, this will have such a huge impact. This agro-bio diversity should be catalogued and marketed. I have talks with the National Gene Bank but nothing has happened yet.
There are so many ideas that can drive the Indian economy. Our institutes should pay more attention in developing products that have mass appeal.
Monday, June 28, 2010
SRI LANKA: A magistrate neglects an exhumation request for six months in a case of suspicious death
Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission is extremely concerned that, more than eight months since the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, no investigation has been opened, and requests to exhume the body for a post mortem have not been entertained. The young woman’s underprivileged mother has repeatedly appealed to the authorities to have it looked into. A Galle magistrate asked for a report at the beginning of the year but has not since followed up on the case, and no response has been received from the office of the Chief Justice. Please write to urge due judicial attention to the case, noting that the longer it takes, the more compromised any medical evidence will be.
UPDATED DETAILS:
R.G. Malini has repeatedly attempted to have the circumstances of her daughter’s death criminally investigated since September 2009, yet no follow up action has been taken by the relevant court. A court order is necessary for the girl’s body to be exhumed, and the investigation started.
As you can read in our original appeal UAC-174-2010, Malini was told that her daughter died of an unspecified sickness while in the service of her foster family, but she has not been able to find out anything further. She claims that her daughter, Vajira, had been reporting ill treatment at the residence for years.
After the police initially refused to file her complaint, no attempt has been made to look at or preserve the medical evidence. After the urgent appeal was forwarded to the Galle Magistrate’s Court in December 2009, with an exhumation request, a magistrate asked for Malini to file and send an affidavit. This was done within the month, and sent against in March as a reminder, but no further response has been given. The local NGO involved in the case has also written directly to the Chief Justice, and received no reply. It is important to note that any medical evidence will be compromised over time, reducing the likelihood of a successful investigation. The mother, who is a domestic helper with little means or formal education, reports feeling too scared to visit the court at present in an action against her daughter’s former minders; she is being helped by her employer.
There has also been no investigation done into the legal status under which Vajira lived as a minor with her foster family, for whom she reportedly worked. As noted in our appeal, Sri Lanka has obligations under the Conventions of the Rights of the Child which it ratified in 1991. There has also been no action taken against the officers who illegally refused to file the woman’s complaint, denying her right to access the law
Name of victim:
1. Vajira Kumari, 24, deceased
2. Ms. Malini, her mother
Negligent officials:
Officers attached to Galle Police Station, Galle Division, Southern Range
Galle Magistrate
Date of incident: 19 September 2009
Place of incident: Osanagoda, Maha Modara, Galle
I worried to hear that, more than eight months since the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, no investigation has been opened, and requests to exhume the body for a post mortem have not been entertained.
I understand that R.G. Malini has repeatedly attempted to have the circumstances of her daughter’s death criminally investigated since September 2009, yet no follow up action has been taken by the relevant court. A court order is currently necessary for the girl’s body to be exhumed, and the investigation started.
In 2009 Ms. Malini was told that her daughter had died of an unspecified sickness while in the service of her foster family, but she has not been able to find out anything further. She claims that her daughter, Vajira, had been reporting ill treatment at the residence for years.
After the police initially and illegally refused to file her complaint, I understand that no attempt has been made to look at or preserve the medical evidence. After the urgent appeal was forwarded to the Galle Magistrate’s Court in December 2009, with an exhumation request, a magistrate asked for Ms. Malini to file and send an affidavit. This was done within the month, and sent against in March as a reminder, but no further response has been given. The local NGO involved in the case has also written directly to the Chief Justice, and received no reply. It is important to note that any medical evidence will be compromised over time, reducing the likelihood of a successful investigation. The mother, who is a domestic helper with little means or formal education, reports feeling too scared to visit the court at present in an action against her daughter’s former minders; she is being helped by her employer.
There has also been no investigation done into the legal status under which Vajira lived as a minor with her foster family, for whom she reportedly worked. As noted in our appeal, Sri Lanka has obligations under the Conventions of the Rights of the Child which it ratified in 1991.
I also request that the negligent actions of Galle police be thoroughly looked into, in a bid to understand the extent to which the Sri Lankan system is inaccessible to those without financial means or formal education.
Yours sincerely,
----------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mahinda Balasuriya
Inspector General of Police (IGP),
New Secretariat,
Colombo 1,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440
E-mail: igp@police.lk
2. Mr. Mohan Peiris
Attorney General
Attorney General's Department,
Colombo 12,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 436421
3. Secretary, National Police Commission,
3rd Floor Rotunda Towers,
109 Galle Road,
Colombo 03,
SRI LANKA
Tel/Fax: +94 11 2 395960
E-mail: polcom@sltnet.lk
4. Secretary, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka,
No 108 Barnes Place,
Colombo 07
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 694 925 / 673 806
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk
5. The Magistrate
Magistrate Court
Fort
Galle
SRI LANKA
6. Chief Justice,
Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
Superior Courts Complex,
Colombo-12,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94-11-2437534
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
Visit the blog http://www.srilanka-lawlessness.com
Rule of Law in Sri Lanka: http://www.ruleoflawsrilanka.org/
The Asian Human Rights Commission is extremely concerned that, more than eight months since the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, no investigation has been opened, and requests to exhume the body for a post mortem have not been entertained. The young woman’s underprivileged mother has repeatedly appealed to the authorities to have it looked into. A Galle magistrate asked for a report at the beginning of the year but has not since followed up on the case, and no response has been received from the office of the Chief Justice. Please write to urge due judicial attention to the case, noting that the longer it takes, the more compromised any medical evidence will be.
UPDATED DETAILS:
R.G. Malini has repeatedly attempted to have the circumstances of her daughter’s death criminally investigated since September 2009, yet no follow up action has been taken by the relevant court. A court order is necessary for the girl’s body to be exhumed, and the investigation started.
As you can read in our original appeal UAC-174-2010, Malini was told that her daughter died of an unspecified sickness while in the service of her foster family, but she has not been able to find out anything further. She claims that her daughter, Vajira, had been reporting ill treatment at the residence for years.
After the police initially refused to file her complaint, no attempt has been made to look at or preserve the medical evidence. After the urgent appeal was forwarded to the Galle Magistrate’s Court in December 2009, with an exhumation request, a magistrate asked for Malini to file and send an affidavit. This was done within the month, and sent against in March as a reminder, but no further response has been given. The local NGO involved in the case has also written directly to the Chief Justice, and received no reply. It is important to note that any medical evidence will be compromised over time, reducing the likelihood of a successful investigation. The mother, who is a domestic helper with little means or formal education, reports feeling too scared to visit the court at present in an action against her daughter’s former minders; she is being helped by her employer.
There has also been no investigation done into the legal status under which Vajira lived as a minor with her foster family, for whom she reportedly worked. As noted in our appeal, Sri Lanka has obligations under the Conventions of the Rights of the Child which it ratified in 1991. There has also been no action taken against the officers who illegally refused to file the woman’s complaint, denying her right to access the law
Name of victim:
1. Vajira Kumari, 24, deceased
2. Ms. Malini, her mother
Negligent officials:
Officers attached to Galle Police Station, Galle Division, Southern Range
Galle Magistrate
Date of incident: 19 September 2009
Place of incident: Osanagoda, Maha Modara, Galle
I worried to hear that, more than eight months since the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, no investigation has been opened, and requests to exhume the body for a post mortem have not been entertained.
I understand that R.G. Malini has repeatedly attempted to have the circumstances of her daughter’s death criminally investigated since September 2009, yet no follow up action has been taken by the relevant court. A court order is currently necessary for the girl’s body to be exhumed, and the investigation started.
In 2009 Ms. Malini was told that her daughter had died of an unspecified sickness while in the service of her foster family, but she has not been able to find out anything further. She claims that her daughter, Vajira, had been reporting ill treatment at the residence for years.
After the police initially and illegally refused to file her complaint, I understand that no attempt has been made to look at or preserve the medical evidence. After the urgent appeal was forwarded to the Galle Magistrate’s Court in December 2009, with an exhumation request, a magistrate asked for Ms. Malini to file and send an affidavit. This was done within the month, and sent against in March as a reminder, but no further response has been given. The local NGO involved in the case has also written directly to the Chief Justice, and received no reply. It is important to note that any medical evidence will be compromised over time, reducing the likelihood of a successful investigation. The mother, who is a domestic helper with little means or formal education, reports feeling too scared to visit the court at present in an action against her daughter’s former minders; she is being helped by her employer.
There has also been no investigation done into the legal status under which Vajira lived as a minor with her foster family, for whom she reportedly worked. As noted in our appeal, Sri Lanka has obligations under the Conventions of the Rights of the Child which it ratified in 1991.
I also request that the negligent actions of Galle police be thoroughly looked into, in a bid to understand the extent to which the Sri Lankan system is inaccessible to those without financial means or formal education.
Yours sincerely,
----------------
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mahinda Balasuriya
Inspector General of Police (IGP),
New Secretariat,
Colombo 1,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 440440
E-mail: igp@police.lk
2. Mr. Mohan Peiris
Attorney General
Attorney General's Department,
Colombo 12,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2 436421
3. Secretary, National Police Commission,
3rd Floor Rotunda Towers,
109 Galle Road,
Colombo 03,
SRI LANKA
Tel/Fax: +94 11 2 395960
E-mail: polcom@sltnet.lk
4. Secretary, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka,
No 108 Barnes Place,
Colombo 07
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 694 925 / 673 806
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk
5. The Magistrate
Magistrate Court
Fort
Galle
SRI LANKA
6. Chief Justice,
Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
Superior Courts Complex,
Colombo-12,
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94-11-2437534
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
Visit the blog http://www.srilanka-lawlessness.com
Rule of Law in Sri Lanka: http://www.ruleoflawsrilanka.org/
Friday, June 25, 2010
'Rape is the result of the lack of dedicated societal attention to the safety, respect, and prosperity of women in peace time as well as in war.'
'Rape in war is deliberate military strategy'
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100625/890/twl-rape-in-war-is-deliberate-military-s_1.html
Fri, Jun 25 02:23 PM
Washington, June 25 (IANS) Since the Second World War, the use of rape as a weapon of war has assumed strategic importance and is now a deliberate military strategy, argue researchers.
A study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found that 16,000 rapes occurred in 2008 alone and in South Kivu province, health centres estimate that 40 women were raped in the region daily.
In the UK, 50-70 percent of female asylum applicants were raped, witnessed rape, or have a credible fear of rape.
The effects of rape and sexual violence during war also extend beyond individual victims and are economically, physically, psychologically and culturally devastating for families and communities, say study authors Coleen Kivlahan, volunteer forensic physician for HealthRight International, and Nate Ewigman from the University of Florida.
For example, in recent conflicts, rape has been used as a reward for victory in battle, a boost to troop morale, as punishment and humiliation for both men and women, to incite revenge in opposing troops, to eliminate or 'cleanse' religious or political groups and to destabilise entire communities by creating terror.
Geographical, cultural, religious, political, legal, and behavioural conditions affect the likelihood of the systematic use of rape, explain the authors.
For instance, geographically remote locations allow perpetrators to rape with impunity, while the likelihood that women will be raped, shamed and isolated is increased in cultures with strong traditions regarding virginity, marital fidelity and genital cleanliness.
Religions with strong beliefs about appropriate female clothing and behaviour also increase the risk that women will be falsely accused of adultery and raped as humiliation and punishment, they add.
The international community has mounted a considerable response to the use of rape as a weapon of war, but the authors argue that rape during armed conflict is not simply about military personnel, police or terrorists, said a HealthRight International release.
For example, before 2004, rape assailants in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were primarily affiliated with the military; however, after 2004, civilian rapes increased 17-fold while rapes by armed combatants decreased by 77 percent. 'This pattern suggests a disturbing acceptance of rape among civilians,' they conclude.
'Rape is the result of the lack of dedicated societal attention to the safety, respect, and prosperity of women in peace time as well as in war.'
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100625/890/twl-rape-in-war-is-deliberate-military-s_1.html
Fri, Jun 25 02:23 PM
Washington, June 25 (IANS) Since the Second World War, the use of rape as a weapon of war has assumed strategic importance and is now a deliberate military strategy, argue researchers.
A study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found that 16,000 rapes occurred in 2008 alone and in South Kivu province, health centres estimate that 40 women were raped in the region daily.
In the UK, 50-70 percent of female asylum applicants were raped, witnessed rape, or have a credible fear of rape.
The effects of rape and sexual violence during war also extend beyond individual victims and are economically, physically, psychologically and culturally devastating for families and communities, say study authors Coleen Kivlahan, volunteer forensic physician for HealthRight International, and Nate Ewigman from the University of Florida.
For example, in recent conflicts, rape has been used as a reward for victory in battle, a boost to troop morale, as punishment and humiliation for both men and women, to incite revenge in opposing troops, to eliminate or 'cleanse' religious or political groups and to destabilise entire communities by creating terror.
Geographical, cultural, religious, political, legal, and behavioural conditions affect the likelihood of the systematic use of rape, explain the authors.
For instance, geographically remote locations allow perpetrators to rape with impunity, while the likelihood that women will be raped, shamed and isolated is increased in cultures with strong traditions regarding virginity, marital fidelity and genital cleanliness.
Religions with strong beliefs about appropriate female clothing and behaviour also increase the risk that women will be falsely accused of adultery and raped as humiliation and punishment, they add.
The international community has mounted a considerable response to the use of rape as a weapon of war, but the authors argue that rape during armed conflict is not simply about military personnel, police or terrorists, said a HealthRight International release.
For example, before 2004, rape assailants in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were primarily affiliated with the military; however, after 2004, civilian rapes increased 17-fold while rapes by armed combatants decreased by 77 percent. 'This pattern suggests a disturbing acceptance of rape among civilians,' they conclude.
'Rape is the result of the lack of dedicated societal attention to the safety, respect, and prosperity of women in peace time as well as in war.'
Khap Panchayats dictate your choice of life partner. Beware!
http://silverscreening.blogspot.com/2010/06/khap-panchayats-dictate-your-choice-of.html
Khap Panchayats dictate your choice of life partner. Beware!
Are you married? Or are you planning to marry? Did you know your girlfriend just might be your sister?! Yes, if the Khap Panchayats are to be believed then an astonishing number of married couples have figured in their list of an unnatural marriage between a brother and sister.
Background
A little background, before we get into it: The Khap Panchayats were formed in ancient times as an administration system. To simplify things villages around one geographical area became one Khap. It was like a democratic electorate that tried to resolve problems and provide constructive ideas for the development of their people.
In today’s times however things have deteriorated. The Khap Panchayat is now a self-proclaimed justice system, with a set of ‘rules’ and ‘acceptable behavioural norms’ based on certain people’s perception/ interpretation of tradition and the morally just. It now decides who can be given their personal version of a ‘fatwa’ and killed in the name of religion and morals.
What’s Gotra?
The main issue is the ‘gotra’ – which is essentially lineage defined usually by tracing the male line of descent.
One interpretation on the web, which talks of the gotra as part of the Vedic period is: “In general, gotra denotes all persons who trace descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent.” Source: http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html.
Just to clarify, the concept of gotra does not apply only to Brahmins; this meaning is for your understanding of the concept of gotra / lineage.
So, the issue is?
So, now if you have a couple that can trace back their lineage to same fore-father, then by that concept the Khap Panchayat makes you siblings. Marriage, they say, will be a violation of societal norms. And, if you go against them, they will have your life taken! These are “socially justifiable” ‘Honour Killings’. (for god knows whose honour!)
Now the issue is, the gotra started in the Rig Veda era, which means a gazzilion years ago, and to be honest we are all descendents of a few humans who started life on the Earth. The Bible calls them Adam and Eve. So yeah, by that standard we are all related! Of course, we do not know, or care. If we did, one we wouldn’t have multiplied at this amazing rate and second, we pretty much wouldn’t be warring and bombing our own siblings. Ok, digressing here. But you get the picture.
What logic, boss!
The concept of now murdering innocent loved ones is stupid. And what is worse is that many a time, the parents, brothers and other family members are involved in the actual act of violence! Then they come on the news at nine and proudly say, “Poor us, we had to kill them. We cannot expose our future generation to such morally vicious acts committed in the name of love.” Yes guys, but telling your kids that murder is ok in the name of religion, is perfectly fine. Yes, yes, sir such amazing logic! Why did we not think of this earlier? Bush Junior could have used that excuse, instead of lying about invisible WMDs (weapons of mass destruction)!
The fact is that the Khap Panchayat has disrespected even the Supreme Court’s recent guilty verdict on the murder of a young couple ordered by these ‘vigilantes’. They say the Constitution needs to change to accommodate their views: Change the Hindu Marriage Act, and add the gotra bit to make a million marriages impossble. Kill love. Yahoo!
It is shocking their logic has influenced people in a modern city like Delhi, India, to commit such crimes. What has happened to the law? We can’t seem to give justice to anyone. Not to the Bhopalis, not to the 26/11 victims, not to the innocent couples…. GOI needs to declare the organisation illegal and not only arrest, but punish the offenders. Enough of this buffoonery.
Further reading
Just for further reading this is National Human Rights Commission’s take on the subject from their website http://nhrc.nic.in/dispArchive.asp?fno=2064:
NHRC's statement on the alleged diktats of Khap Panchayats
New Delhi, May 13th, 2010
The National Human Rights Commission has taken note of media reports alleging that the Khap (Caste) Panchayats in Haryana are indulging in acts of violence against the Hindu couples marrying in the same gotra. It has also taken note of their alleged demand of an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, banning the marriages in the same gotra on the ground that such marriages will amount to marriage between a brother and a sister unacceptable among Hindus as per tradition.
The Commission is of the view that no one has the right to take law in his hand by violating an individual's right to life in the name of tradition.
The Commission has issued notices to the public authorities wherein complaints or media reports have alleged violence against the couples married in the same gotra or inter-caste in parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, and has asked them to take action against those responsible for such acts violating the human rights of the people.
It has also asked the concerned State Authorities in Uttar Pradesh in a particular case of this nature to inform the Commission about the steps taken by them to deal with such issues for preventing interference by the Khap Panchayat in the Criminal Justice System (Case No. 16755/24/2005-06-WC).
The issue of amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act, banning same gotra marriages is a subject matter of wider debate keeping in view the national perspective on the social, cultural and traditional aspects, as well as an individual's right to liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.
Khap Panchayats dictate your choice of life partner. Beware!
Are you married? Or are you planning to marry? Did you know your girlfriend just might be your sister?! Yes, if the Khap Panchayats are to be believed then an astonishing number of married couples have figured in their list of an unnatural marriage between a brother and sister.
Background
A little background, before we get into it: The Khap Panchayats were formed in ancient times as an administration system. To simplify things villages around one geographical area became one Khap. It was like a democratic electorate that tried to resolve problems and provide constructive ideas for the development of their people.
In today’s times however things have deteriorated. The Khap Panchayat is now a self-proclaimed justice system, with a set of ‘rules’ and ‘acceptable behavioural norms’ based on certain people’s perception/ interpretation of tradition and the morally just. It now decides who can be given their personal version of a ‘fatwa’ and killed in the name of religion and morals.
What’s Gotra?
The main issue is the ‘gotra’ – which is essentially lineage defined usually by tracing the male line of descent.
One interpretation on the web, which talks of the gotra as part of the Vedic period is: “In general, gotra denotes all persons who trace descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent.” Source: http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html.
Just to clarify, the concept of gotra does not apply only to Brahmins; this meaning is for your understanding of the concept of gotra / lineage.
So, the issue is?
So, now if you have a couple that can trace back their lineage to same fore-father, then by that concept the Khap Panchayat makes you siblings. Marriage, they say, will be a violation of societal norms. And, if you go against them, they will have your life taken! These are “socially justifiable” ‘Honour Killings’. (for god knows whose honour!)
Now the issue is, the gotra started in the Rig Veda era, which means a gazzilion years ago, and to be honest we are all descendents of a few humans who started life on the Earth. The Bible calls them Adam and Eve. So yeah, by that standard we are all related! Of course, we do not know, or care. If we did, one we wouldn’t have multiplied at this amazing rate and second, we pretty much wouldn’t be warring and bombing our own siblings. Ok, digressing here. But you get the picture.
What logic, boss!
The concept of now murdering innocent loved ones is stupid. And what is worse is that many a time, the parents, brothers and other family members are involved in the actual act of violence! Then they come on the news at nine and proudly say, “Poor us, we had to kill them. We cannot expose our future generation to such morally vicious acts committed in the name of love.” Yes guys, but telling your kids that murder is ok in the name of religion, is perfectly fine. Yes, yes, sir such amazing logic! Why did we not think of this earlier? Bush Junior could have used that excuse, instead of lying about invisible WMDs (weapons of mass destruction)!
The fact is that the Khap Panchayat has disrespected even the Supreme Court’s recent guilty verdict on the murder of a young couple ordered by these ‘vigilantes’. They say the Constitution needs to change to accommodate their views: Change the Hindu Marriage Act, and add the gotra bit to make a million marriages impossble. Kill love. Yahoo!
It is shocking their logic has influenced people in a modern city like Delhi, India, to commit such crimes. What has happened to the law? We can’t seem to give justice to anyone. Not to the Bhopalis, not to the 26/11 victims, not to the innocent couples…. GOI needs to declare the organisation illegal and not only arrest, but punish the offenders. Enough of this buffoonery.
Further reading
Just for further reading this is National Human Rights Commission’s take on the subject from their website http://nhrc.nic.in/dispArchive.asp?fno=2064:
NHRC's statement on the alleged diktats of Khap Panchayats
New Delhi, May 13th, 2010
The National Human Rights Commission has taken note of media reports alleging that the Khap (Caste) Panchayats in Haryana are indulging in acts of violence against the Hindu couples marrying in the same gotra. It has also taken note of their alleged demand of an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, banning the marriages in the same gotra on the ground that such marriages will amount to marriage between a brother and a sister unacceptable among Hindus as per tradition.
The Commission is of the view that no one has the right to take law in his hand by violating an individual's right to life in the name of tradition.
The Commission has issued notices to the public authorities wherein complaints or media reports have alleged violence against the couples married in the same gotra or inter-caste in parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, and has asked them to take action against those responsible for such acts violating the human rights of the people.
It has also asked the concerned State Authorities in Uttar Pradesh in a particular case of this nature to inform the Commission about the steps taken by them to deal with such issues for preventing interference by the Khap Panchayat in the Criminal Justice System (Case No. 16755/24/2005-06-WC).
The issue of amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act, banning same gotra marriages is a subject matter of wider debate keeping in view the national perspective on the social, cultural and traditional aspects, as well as an individual's right to liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.
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