Author: Amnesty International

Amnesty International has made an urgent personal appeal to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to prevent the execution of a man who is believed to have been wrongly convicted of murder and whose co-accused was executed on Wednesday.

The organisation fears that Atef Rohyum Abd El Al Rohyum is at imminent risk of being  hanged as he has now been moved from al-Qeta prison, Giza, to Isti’naf prison in Cairo, where executions take place.

Jihan Mohammed Ali, a woman convicted of murder in the same case, was executed in al-Kanater prison, northeast of Cairo, on 10 March. Her family were given no prior notification of her execution.

“A man’s life hangs in the balance, yet there are compelling reasons to believe that he was wrongly convicted” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director.

“We are appealing to President Mubarak to exercise his power of executive clemency to spare this man’s life and prevent what could be an unacceptable, and avoidable, miscarriage of justice.”

The two are accused of the murder of Jihan’s husband in January 2004.

Both Atef and Jihan were sentenced to death on 17 July 2005 by a Cairo court and their sentences were later confirmed on appeal and became final on 2 February 2009.

Yet, while in al-Kanater prison Jihan stated that she had acted alone in killing her husband and that Atef had done no more than help her move the body. He requested a retrial based on this new evidence, but there has been no response from the authorities.

At an earlier stage, following his arrest, Atef is reported to have been interrogated without the presence of a lawyer and tortured and otherwise ill-treated, but people who say they witnessed him being tortured and harshly treated were not called to give evidence at his trial.

Last year witnessed a significant rise in death sentences handed down by Egyptian courts, with at least 269 death sentences imposed. According to official statements, more than 20 executions took place in Egypt in 2008 and some 26 death sentences were declared final by the courts, adding to those on death row. The authorities never disclose how many people are awaiting execution.
 
Amnesty International is opposed to the death penalty in all cases but is additionally concerned about this case because Atef Rohyum Abd El Al Rohyum does not appear to have received a fair trial.

Final death sentences are submitted for ratification to the President of the Republic or his nominee, who may decide on whether or not to grant clemency by ordering a pardon or a reduction of the sentence. If no clemency or reduction of the sentence is granted, the death sentence may be carried out after 14 days.

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of an Iranian football journalist who had gone on hunger strike after being detained for publishing posters supporting an Iranian-Azerbaijani football team.

Abdollah Sadoughi was held for seven weeks without charge until he was freed on Thursday. He had been accused of “acts against national security” and “supporting “Pan-Turkism” for publishing posters featuring the Traktor Sazi team, which has become the symbol of Azerbaijani Turkic culture in the city of Tabriz.

One of the posters of the team read, in the Azerbaijani Turkic language, “All of Azerbaijan feels pride with you”.

Azerbaijani Turkic is not recognized as an official language in Iran and those who seek to promote Azerbaijani cultural identity and linguistic rights are viewed with suspicion by the Iranian authorities.

Abdollah Sadoughi was arrested on 18 January. In late February, he went on hunger strike in protest at what he considered to be his baseless detention.

The 33-year-old, who writes for the Iranian publication Goal, Corner and Khosh Khabar (Good News), says he had permission from the relevant authorities to print posters.

Soon after starting the hunger strike, he was reportedly transferred to solitary confinement, before being moved to a cell with criminal convicts. On 2 March, having lost considerable weight and suffering from various medical problems, he was transferred to the clinic within Tabriz prison.

He told his lawyer and family that he would continue his hunger strike until he was released or brought before a court.

Iranian Azerbaijanis, who are mainly Shi’a Muslims, are recognized as the largest minority in Iran and are generally believed to constitute 25 to 30 per cent of the population.

They are located mainly in the north and north-west of Iran. Although generally well integrated into society, in recent years they have increasingly called for greater cultural and linguistic rights.

This includes the right to be educated in the Azerbaijani Turkic language, which they believe is provided for under Iran’s Constitution, and to celebrate Azerbaijani culture and history at cultural events.

Football games involving the Traktor Sazi football team in Tabriz have become the focus for the expression of Azerbaijani culture. During games, supporters have made calls – in Azerbaijani Turkic – for linguistic and cultural rights for Iranian Azerbaijanis.

Abdollah Sadoughi published posters featuring the Traktor Sazi football team

The Sri Lankan government should end its harassment of journalists and activists and take steps against those making threats, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement.

Since the January 2010 presidential election, the government has engaged in a campaign to silence and discredit journalists and nongovernmental organizations. A recently leaked document, which appears to be a government surveillance list of more than 30 journalists and activists, significantly raises concerns about the safety of the people on the list, the organizations said.  

“The Sri Lankan government is conducting a carefully coordinated witch hunt aimed at discrediting critics of the government,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This is extremely dangerous and irresponsible in a country where journalists and activists have often been threatened and killed.”

On March 4, the directors of two highly respected Sri Lankan organizations, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), wrote a joint letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressing their grave concern about a press report of the government’s apparent surveillance list. The list places the directors of the CPA and TISL among several people in the top category, presumably meaning that they are under particularly close surveillance.

News about the government surveillance list emerged amidst a government campaign in the media to discredit nongovernmental organizations. In several statements since February 20, government officials have made vague and unproven accusations against various groups, claiming that they have attempted to “destabilize democracy” in Sri Lanka.

Concerns about the safety of individuals on the alleged government surveillance list are heightened because of previous death threats and attacks, the organizations said. In September 2008 unknown persons threw two grenades at the TISL director’s house. In August 2009 the director of the CPA received an anonymous death threat by mail. The authorities have failed to hold anyone accountable for either of the incidents.

Both the CPA and TISL played a crucial role in monitoring the January presidential election, reporting on electoral violations and the government’s misuse of state resources to campaign in favor of the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapaksa.  

“This smacks of retaliation for reporting on violations during the presidential election,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. “Despite the elections and the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers, the government seems to have a hard time getting rid of the habit of repression.”

The Sri Lankan government has engaged in a campaign to silence and discredit journalists

Amnesty International is reiterating its call on the Israeli government to cease constructing or expanding illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) after a plan to build 1,600 new Israeli settler homes in East Jerusalem was officially approved.

The plan which, if implemented, will expand the Ramat Shlomo settlement, currently home to around 18,000 settlers, was announced on Wednesday.

“Israel’s policy on settlements is not only unlawful, it also impacts severely on the human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, whose lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the constructions taking place occupied Palestinian land,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director.

“The Israeli government must immediately end plans to expand existing settlements or build new ones, as a first step towards completely removing unlawful Israeli settlements from the occupied territories.”

The construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory violates international humanitarian law, which prohibits population transfers by an occupying power into lands that it occupies.

Palestinians in the West Bank, who are subject to military law rather than Israeli civilian law which governs Israeli settlers, are not allowed to enter Israeli settlements or to use settlers’ roads, and face severe restrictions on their freedom of movement.

Settlers also receive substantial financial and other benefits from the Israeli government, and are allowed to exploit land and natural resources that belong to the Palestinian population.

The unlawful appropriation of Palestinian land for Israeli settlements and “bypass” roads connecting the settlements, and of crucial resources such as water, has had a devastating impact on the local Palestinian population.

Some 135 officially recognized Israeli settlements and 99 settlement “outposts” – officially unauthorized settlements that are nevertheless state-sponsored and funded by government ministries – have been established in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in violation of international law and in defiance of UN resolutions, since Israeli forces began their occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967.

Today there are more than 450,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, of whom almost 200,000 live in settlements in and around East Jerusalem.

As Israeli settlements and “bypass” roads have continued to multiply and spread throughout the West Bank, so have the roads and areas prohibited to Palestinians, making it difficult for Palestinians to travel between their own communities.

Palestinians living under Israeli control in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are subject to tight restrictions on their housing and infrastructure. 

Homes, public buildings and other structures belonging to Palestinians are frequently said by the Israeli authorities to be “illegal” and as such are liable to be demolished at any time.  In 2009 alone, the Israeli authorities demolished more than 270 Palestinian structures in the West Bank, resulting in the displacement of over 600 people, more than half of whom were children.  

The Ramat Shlomo settlement is currently home to around 18,000 Israeli settlers

Palestinian workers on construction site of Israeli homes in Ramat Sholmo settlement

Amnesty International has accused the Azerbaijani government of stifling dissent after a court turned down an appeal by two bloggers against their conviction on fabricated charges of “hooliganism”.

A Baku court on Wednesday upheld the convictions of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli who were sentenced to two and two and a half years respectively after they posted a video critical of the government on YouTube. Amnesty International said it believes their trial was unfair and that the two are prisoners of conscience.

“Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have fallen victim to the increasingly repressive measures taken by the Azerbaijani authorities to crackdown on critics of the government,” said Andrea Huber, Europe and Central Asia Deputy Programme Director at Amnesty International.

“They were convicted on fabricated charges in a trial falling short of international standards for fairness solely because they were expressing their views.”

In none of the seven appeal hearings were the two key witnesses called to give evidence. The appeal court upheld the original court decision to reject evidence without explanation, including photographs of the bloggers’ injuries and video footage of the incident.

The bloggers were arrested on 8 July 2009 after they were attacked by two unknown men and were accused of “hooliganism”.

The two activists have used online networking tools, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, to spread information about society and politics in Azerbaijan.

Emin Milli is the co-founder of an online community that discusses politics called Alumni Network, while Adnan Hajizade is a co-ordinator of the youth movement known as OL!, which advocates non-violence and tolerance.

A week before their arrest a video produced by Adnan Hajizade had been posted on video sharing channel YouTube.

The video is of a spoof press conference delivered by a donkey and was posted in the wake of a news story about how the Azerbaijani government had allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars importing donkeys from Germany, in a deal that may have masked corruption or theft of public funds.

The video questions the purchase of the donkeys, the introduction of restrictive legislation for NGOs and the low priority the government attributes to human rights.

“Independent journalists and activists continue to face harassment and imprisonment in Azerbaijan despite the country’s international obligations to uphold the right to freedom of expression,” Andrea Huber said.

Adnan Hajizade was sentenced to two years in prison for 'hooliganism'

Amnesty International has urged Myanmar to overturn a new law that bars all political prisoners, including detained Nobel Peace-prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, from belonging to a political party before upcoming national elections.

“There are at least 2,200 political prisoners in Myanmar, most of whom are in prison simply because they tried to exercise their rights peacefully,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher

“Instead of passing laws that strip away more of their rights, the Myanmar authorities should immediately release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and remove restrictions on their political activity.”

Aung San Suu Kyi was already blocked from running in the elections by the 2008 constitution, which ruled that marriage to a foreign national would exclude candidates from running.

“Amnesty International is greatly concerned that activists are going to come under increased repression in the lead up to the elections,” said Benjamin Zawacki. “The Myanmar authorities seem determined to stamp out any political challenge to their rule.”

In a recent report, Repression of ethnic minority activists in Myanmar, Amnesty International documented the government’s systematic efforts to silence activists from the country’s large ethnic minority population. The report warned the election may lead to an even harder crackdown against activists.

Aung San Suu Kyi is one of at least 2,200 political prisoners in Myanmar

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Amnesty International has called on the Italian authorities to review a controversial housing plan that has resulted in the forced eviction of hundreds of Roma and paves the way for thousands more over the coming months.

In a new briefing paper, The Wrong Answer – Italy’s “Nomad Plan” violates the housing rights of Roma in Rome, Amnesty International has warned that the programme, which began in July 2009, violates the human rights of thousands of Roma.

The measures envisage the destruction of over 100 Roma settlements across the capital and an estimated 6,000 Roma are to be resettled into just 13 new or expanded camps on the outskirts of the city. The plan is likely to leave more than 1,000 Roma homeless.

“These measures urgently need to be rethought. Roma families across the Italian capital now face losing their possessions, their social contacts, their access to work and to state services,” said Ignacio Jovtis, Amnesty International’s expert on Italy.

“There is also a risk that if the plan is implemented it could be used as a blueprint for forced evictions in other Italian regions. Evictions without prior consultation and the offer of adequate alternative accommodation to all of those affected are a violation of their human rights.”

In the last few months, hundreds of Roma families have already been evicted from at least five different camps. Prior to the closure of Casilino 900, one of Europe’s largest Roma camps, in February this year, a number of Roma leaders were extensively consulted. However, international human rights standards require consultation with all evicted residents.

Without officially being part of the Nomad Plan, the closure of Casilino 700 in November 2009 took place without any prior consultation and resulted in hundreds of Roma being left homeless. The residents of many other non-authorized camps risk the same fate, raising questions as to how comprehensive the plan really is.

“Many Roma live in shacks and caravans lacking basic hygienic conditions. The current situation is the result of years of neglect, inadequate policies and discrimination by successive administrations. The attempt to address this legacy is, in itself, welcome and the living conditions of many Roma will be improved. But the plan is incomplete and risks making the situation for many other Roma even worse. It is the wrong answer.” Ignacio Jovtis said.
 
Instead of offering Roma access to proper housing, the authorities are shuffling them off into remote camps. This exacerbates further the obstacles and discrimination Roma face when applying for the regular employment that would enable them to afford private accommodation.  

Roma people living in camps are de facto excluded from accessing social housing as the current points-based system requires expulsion from private accommodation. This needs to be changed.

Amnesty International said it believes that in its current form the “Nomad Plan” fails to meet Italy’s obligation to ensure that there is no discrimination against particular groups or segregation in housing.

“The plan is called the ‘Nomad Plan’. But most of the Roma affected are not nomadic at all. By labelling all Roma nomadic and treating them as such, the initiators of this plan are perpetuating the very problems they are purporting to address,” Ignacio Jovtis said.

Between 12,000 and 15,000 Roma are estimated to be living in and around Rome. Around 3,000 of these are Italian Sinti, who have long roots in the country.

Since the 1960s, many Roma have arrived from the former Yugoslav states. A large proportion of these now have residence permits, and many of their children are Italian citizens.

Over the last decade, a significant number of Roma have also arrived from the new EU member states, in particular Romania.

While a few thousand of the Roma in Rome live in permanent accommodation, the majority live in different kinds of camps.

In recent years, the Italian authorities have taken a number of discriminatory measures that have contributed to the stigmatization of Roma living in the country. Forced evictions have become more frequent since special security agreements were concluded between the national government and various local authorities as a result of which some powers were transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the local authorities. The aim was to address perceived security threats, including those supposedly posed by the presence of Roma communities in cities.

Stop forced evictions of Roma in Italy

Read more:
Italy: The witch-hunt against Roma people must end (Briefing,23 July 2008)
Italy: Anti-Roma events in Italy are a wake up call for the EU (Document, 20 May 2008)

Through the Demand Dignity campaign, Amnesty International is calling on governments globally to take all necessary measures, including the adoption of laws and policies that comply with international human rights law, to prohibit and prevent forced evictions.

Files: 

Life for the thousands of Roma who may be affected by the 'Nomad Plan'

The plan could see the destruction of over 100 Roma settlements across the capital

An estimated 6,000 Roma are to be resettled into just 13 new or expanded camps

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of an Egyptian blogger, who was facing jail after he published a post alleging nepotism within the armed forces.

The organization said it remains concerned that the release of Ahmed Mostafa was conditional on him agreeing to apologise and on removing the March 2009 posting from his Matha Assabaka ya Watan (What happened to you, oh nation?) blog.

He was due to appear before a military tribunal for a second time on Sunday 7 March and could have faced up to nine and a half years in prison.

The first Egyptian blogger to face a military trial for his alleged activities, Mostafa published, following his release, a post on his blog, advising other bloggers to check information before posting it.

According to Mostafa’s lawyers the military tribunal have not given reasons for the release and the authorities have kept the case on file, meaning it could be revived in the future.

An engineering student at the university of Kafr El Sheikh, Mostafa was accused of publishing military secrets online, publishing false information about the army and of insulting officers involved in the recruitment process at the military academy.

The post recounted the story of a student who had allegedly been forced to resign from a military academy in order to leave room for another applicant amid accusations of nepotism.

According to lawyers from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Ahmed Mostafa was first arrested by military intelligence officers on February 17 and was questioned about his blog.

He first appeared before a military tribunal on Monday 1 March although lawyers representing him from the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and the Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression told Amnesty International that they only received his case file from the authorities on Tuesday 2 March.

Amnesty International considered Mostafa to be a prisoner of conscience and had called for his release.

Other Egyptian bloggers have been prosecuted for their writing.

Karim Amer, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in February 2007 for criticizing President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt’s al-Azhar religious authorities on his blog.

Hani Nazeer, another prisoner of conscience, has been held in administrative detention since October 2008 for posting on his blog the cover of a book deemed insulting to Muslims.

Amnesty International has warned that establishing boarding schools for Romani children “and gradually detach[ing] them from the way of living they currently experience in the settlements” is discriminatory and a blatant attack on the Roma way of living.

The Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday that the government proposes a system, in which Romani children will be taken from settlements and be placed in boarding schools.

“The idea that Romani children have to be removed from their families and put into boarding schools, when they could be educated in normal schools near their homes, is clearly against the best interests of the child. Uprooting them from their surroundings and removing them from their families, is an attack on their identity,” said Halya Gowan, director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia programme.

The fact that some Romani families living in settlements – as other families in Slovakia – experience challenges to supporting the education of children because of poverty, language barriers and other factors, highlights the need for government to provide support and assistance to all to overcome such barriers.

“Isolated from the outside world, Romani children will find it more difficult to fully participate in Slovak society. The government’s proposal will perpetuate the segregation they experience now. In fact it will make it official,” Halya Gowan said.

“The government’s proposal is completely out of tune with developments in the European Union. If adopted, it will be in absolute contravention of both Slovak law and international human rights standards on non-discrimination by which Slovakia is bound.”

Amnesty International has previously voiced serious concerns about the discrimination and segregation Romani children experience in Slovak schools, including through their placement in special schools and classes for pupils with mental disabilities.  

“Rather than establishing another parallel system of separate education for children based on their ethnicity, it is necessary that the Slovak government focus its efforts towards ensuring that mainstream schools include all children regardless of the social background, language or other abilities,” Halya Gowan said.

Amnesty International has called on the Slovak government to address the core of the problem – persisting segregation of Romani children in education which should be overcome by reforms to the education system to ensure truly inclusive education for all children.

The organization said that the government must provide appropriate support to families and pupils who need it, so that they can effectively participate and develop to their fullest potential within mainstream elementary schools.

This work is part of Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity campaign which aims to end the human rights violations that drive and deepen global poverty. The campaign will mobilise people all over the world to demand that governments, corporations and others who have power listen to the voices of those living in poverty and recognise and protect their rights. For more information visit the Demand Dignity website.

Romani children may be taken from their families and put into boarding schools

The President of Timor-Leste has told Amnesty International he would support the establishment of an international criminal tribunal for crimes committed during the 1975-1999 occupation by Indonesia, should the UN Security Council set it up.

José Ramos-Horta also accused the UN of “hypocrisy” for using his government’s stance on justice as a pretext for not setting up the tribunal. He said that key countries on the UN Security Council were against it, in a meeting with Amnesty International’s interim Secretary General Claudio Cordone on Friday.

Amnesty International has urged the UN Security Council to set up a tribunal with jurisdiction over all crimes committed in Timor-Leste between 1975 and 1999.

“I welcome the President’s readiness to accept an international tribunal for the crimes committed in Timor-Leste in the past,” said Claudio Cordone, Amnesty International’s interim Secretary General.
 
“We again urge the UN Security Council and the Timorese and Indonesian authorities to establish such a tribunal to address the enduring impunity for the crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations which occurred under Indonesia’s occupation of 1975-1999.

Since the end of the occupation, the Timor-Leste authorities have taken measures supporting reconciliation with Indonesia at the expense of criminal prosecutions. However, President Ramos-Horta has now challenged the UN Security Council to set up the tribunal, despite his own reservations.

Such a tribunal should be able to ensure justice for victims in representative cases. Victims of past human rights violations would also be provided with full and effective reparations.

During the meeting with President Ramos-Horta, Amnesty International also pressed for victims to be consulted in decisions to pardon or commute sentences and for renewed efforts in establishing the fate and whereabouts of missing persons.

Amnesty International also urged Timor-Leste’s President to support current efforts within parliament to create a follow-up institution tasked to implement the recommendations of the reports of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, and of the joint Indonesia-Timor-Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship. Both Commissions looked into human rights abuses during Indonesia’s occupation.

An Italian court has confirmed the convictions of 15 police officers, prison guards and doctors who were found guilty of the ill-treatment of detainees in the Bolzaneto detention facility in Genoa in 2001 during protests against the G8 summit. The court also overturned the initial acquittals of another 29 people who have now been convicted of ill-treatment.

The Genoa court upheld the July 2008 convictions when the 15 were sentenced to between five months and five years imprisonment for their role in the ill-treatment of detainees.

“Although the motives of the judgment are not yet known, the fact that the appeal judge broadly upheld the outcome of the previous trial confirms that grave human rights violations were committed nearly a decade ago,” said Halya Gowan, director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Programme.

“It is an important step towards ensuring accountability for some of the grave human rights violations occurred in Genoa in 2001 and establishes some of the individual criminal responsibilities involved.”

Over 200 detainees were held at the Bolzaneto temporary detention centre during the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa during which police confronted anti-globalization demonstrators.

The detainees in Bolzaneto were made to stand for hours in painful positions, beaten, threatened, including with rape, subjected to body searches carried out in a deliberately degrading manner and other humiliations.

However, the lack of the crime of torture in the Italian criminal code has prevented judges from punishing perpetrators in a manner proportionate to the gravity of the conduct attributed to them.

The lesser crimes are by now subject to statute of limitations, which means that no one will serve any time in prison.

Furthermore, systemic failures which contributed to the violations in Bolzaneto have not been addressed by the Italian authorities. Amnesty International said it is concerned that the Italian authorities have failed in the past nine years to take any measure to prevent police brutality of the scale occurred in Genoa in 2001 from happening again.

“Bolzaneto could happen again unless the authorities send a clear message that human rights violations by law enforcement officials will not be tolerated,” Halya Gowan said.

Amnesty International reiterated its call on the authorities to introduce a crime of torture consistent with the requirements of the Convention against Torture, to establish an independent mechanism for police accountability and to implement all relevant recommendations of international organizations.

At 2001's G8 Summit in Genoa police confronted anti-globalization demonstrators

Women human rights defenders in Afghanistan have told Amnesty International they face intimidation and attacks as they attempt to tackle violence and discrimination in the country.

Women and girls in Afghanistan face widespread human rights abuses including abduction, rape and trafficking. More than 87 per cent of Afghan women suffer from domestic abuse, according to the UN, and between 60 and 80 per cent of marriages are forced. This is despite a pledge from the Afghan government to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality in Afghanistan. 

Women who push for better human rights face systematic violence and threats from the Taleban and other anti-government groups, as well as local warlords and militias. The government does little to support women human rights defenders and sometimes actively hinders their work, eroding the hard-won gains Afghan women have made since the fall of the Taleban.

In areas under the Taleban’s influence, it is all but impossible for women human rights defenders to continue their work, as several high profile women have been attacked and killed. Yet there are many brave and committed women who continue to challenge the status of women in Afghanistan. To mark International Women’s Day, Amnesty International spoke to four such women.

The lawyer
The NGO director
The human rights trainer
The parliament member

Masiha Faiz, 36
Occupation: Defence Attorney for Medica Mondiale, a women’s rights NGO

I work mostly on cases where women have been accused of moral crimes, like running away from home after being abused, or child custody cases where women have been abused and want to free their children from an abusive father.

Even though there are many of these cases, it is difficult for us to get access to the victims. The police and courts don’t want us to defend these victims. They will hide the cases and try to send the women back without investigating. A woman’s word isn’t worth anything to them.

NGOs are the only people who defend most female victims, as the government-funded defence attorneys mainly service men. This has become accepted practice but it is a major problem.

Judges and police officials don’t care about what happens to women and they don’t follow the laws. The current system doesn’t help women, it hurts them.

Because we work on women’s cases, the courts are not helpful to us. They don’t even inform us of court dates, which is especially difficult as we need time to transfer a woman from the shelter to the court.

I am consistently threatened because of what I do, especially when I work in provinces outside of Kabul. We can file a formal complaint with the government or police, but it gets us nowhere.

Defence attorneys are routinely pressured not to pursue certain cases, like kidnapping of girls, especially if there is a powerful commander involved. Many times we have to let go cases because we are threatened.

I had a case where a girl was kidnapped by three men, who were all given 20 years in prison. After they were sentenced, the wife of one of the men and the brother of another threatened to attack me. I have seen them on my street and I fear retribution, but my purpose is to serve women. The threats don’t stop me.

Noor Marjan, 34
Occupation: Acting Director of the Afghan Women’s Skills Development Centre, which runs various projects for women including women’s shelters.

We have had almost 600 women in our shelters since April 2003. They have been victims of domestic violence, trafficking, forced marriage and other abuses. The challenge is what do we do with them once they are in the shelters.

It is very difficult to defend the rights of these victims, the police and courts always assume it is the woman’s fault and do not offer us any assistance.

Reintegrating these women into society is very difficult. Our laws are not implemented, the courts are not helpful. No one considers what is good for the women or what is required by law. Judges, police and other government officials make their own judgement and follow a moral code.

We haven’t yet reintegrated a single Pashtun girl back into society. They have either been killed or the case has been unresolved.

Our shelter is important because the police stations don’t have designated places for women. In the current holding places, women get abused and raped by police.

I get harassed by police officers, judges and families of the victims. Sometimes I have to leave my house in the middle of the night to retrieve women from police stations. I do this work because what we do is very important. We protect victims of violence from being abused again.

We recently opened a shelter for female police officers who have been threatened because of the work they are doing, especially helping women file complaints and protecting them from abusive situations.

Although the Afghan government is constantly trying to recruit women to be police officers, they don’t have a way of protecting them. In this country, if you help a woman her family becomes your enemy because domestic violence is considered a family issue and it is shameful if the issue is taken outside the family.

Kamila Faizyar, 54
Occupation: Human Rights Trainer for the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF)

When I talk about domestic violence, most men tell me the Koran says that you can beat a woman. Most men who quote the Koran in response to our trainings have never read it, they are illiterate. They just listen to the local mullahs.

We often go to villages where everything seems fine until we really probe during the training, and discover high levels of violence and forced marriages.

I have been verbally attacked and threatened, especially when I conduct trainings in conservative places. People in the villages, especially the men, don’t like to hear about human rights from women. The mullahs we meet feel threatened by us. The men tell us we are provoking the women to turn against them.

In most of the provinces there isn’t a safe place where women can register their complaints and issues. Very few cases are reported.

Shinkai Karokhail, 36
Occupation: Member of the Afghan Parliament

The only way to make women’s voices heard at the policy level is to have more female ministers. Every ministry should also have a female deputy minister, and we need more female district mayors. I was very upset when President Karzai announced the selections for his cabinet because he had named fewer women than in previous cabinets.

There is a big problem with our school curriculum, even the new curriculum paid for by USAID and other donors. There is discriminatory language in our school textbooks and girls and women are rarely mentioned or used as positive examples. There is no mention of women as political leaders, police officers or in other professional careers.

There is no commitment for financing and implementing the National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA), which identifies critical areas for change in policy and programs for women and girls. No donor, ministry or governmental body (other than the Ministry of Women’s Affairs) has made the NAPWA a priority.

You can’t be an active woman in Afghanistan and not feel threatened. It is part of my daily life. I never know what is going to happen next. In the last five years, many high profile Afghan women have been killed for trying to raise the profile of women or defend their human rights. I take one day at a time but try to work on issues that will have a lasting effect.

Women who push for better human rights in Afghanistan face systematic violence

Afghan human rights defender discusses violence against women in the country

Twelve weeks ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a speech proclaiming the USA’s commitment to human rights. When injustice anywhere is ignored, she said, justice everywhere is denied.

Justice denied for one day is bad enough.

It is now more than 400 days since President Barack Obama ordered his administration to resolve each and every case of the detainees held at the US Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, and to close the detention facilities there “as soon as practicable” and in any case no later than 365 days after his order. Today more than 180 detainees remain held at the base, with an interagency review having apparently concluded that nearly 50 of them should continue to be held in indefinite detention without charge or trial.

Amnesty International reiterates that the Guantánamo detainees must immediately be brought to fair trials – which should be before civilian courts not military commissions – or released. Where detainees for release cannot be returned to their home countries because of the risk of human rights violations they would face and no other appropriate state is willing to receive them immediately, they should be released in the USA, at least until another solution is found.

Justice denied for one day is bad enough.

More than 100 days have passed since Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice would prosecute in US federal court five Guantánamo detainees accused of involvement in the attacks of 11 September 2001, reversing the policy decision of the Bush administration to try them before military commissions. However, the five are today still in Guantánamo, with the issue becoming bogged down in domestic politics, including efforts within Congress to have all such trials conducted before military commissions.

Now it seems that President Obama’s advisers may be about to recommend that the trial of the five be returned to the military commissions, as part of a political deal – as opposed to a human rights solution – to win congressional funding and legislative support for closing Guantánamo. President Obama and the Attorney General should reject any such recommendation. 

Justice denied for one day is bad enough.

It is now more than 600 days since the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called on the USA to conduct any criminal proceedings against children detained in armed conflict promptly and in accordance with minimum fair trial standards, and not before military tribunals. Today, Canadian national Omar Khadr, now in his eighth year in Guantánamo, is still facing a military commission trial for acts he is accused of committing when he was 15 years old or younger.

It is also over 600 days since the US Supreme Court ruled that the Guantánamo detainees had the constitutional right to a “prompt” habeas corpus hearing to challenge the lawfulness of their detention. Most of those who have sought such a hearing have still not yet had one.

More than 1,200 days have passed since President George W. Bush confirmed for the first time that the USA had been operating a secret detention program for the previous four and a half years. No one has yet been brought to account for authorizing or perpetrating the enforced disappearances at the core of that program, that, like torture, constitute crimes under international law.

More than 400 days after President Obama committed his administration to an “unprecedented” level of transparency in order to promote accountability, the administration continues to block release of information about who was held in the secret program, where they were held, and what interrogation techniques and conditions of detention they were subjected to.

Some 500 days have passed since the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) confirmed publicly for the first time that the agency had used “water-boarding” against three detainees held in secret custody, and more than 2,000 days have gone by since the CIA Inspector General found that two of the detainees had been subjected to this technique more than 150 times between them.

Again, no one has been brought to justice for authorizing or carrying out this torture or other interrogation methods and detention conditions employed in the CIA program that violated the international prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. This failure flies in the face of an explicit and absolute obligation under international treaties such as the UN Convention against Torture to carry out full investigations into human rights violations and ensure accountability, including specifically by referring for prosecution every case of torture where the accused is not extradited.
The failure – by all branches of the US government – to address these issues under a human rights framework are continuing to leave the USA on the wrong side of its international obligations.

President Obama said in his Nobel Lecture on 10 December 2009, the 61st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), “America – in fact, no nation – can insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don’t, our actions appear arbitrary…” The drafters of the UDHR, he also noted, had recognized that “if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise”. Human rights are the route to security, not the obstacle to it.

Four days later, Secretary Clinton cited President Obama’s speech, asserting that the USA’s values were at one with the principles articulated in the UDHR, but that the gap between the promises of the UDHR and reality meant that “now, we must finish the job”. Six decades ago, she said, “the world’s leaders proclaimed a new framework of rights, laws, and institutions that could fulfill the vow of ‘never again.’ They affirmed the universality of human rights through the Universal Declaration and legal agreements.”

Then, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 March 2010, the USA reasserted its commitment “to apply consistently international human rights law to all countries in the world, including ourselves. We seek to lead by example, by meeting our own obligations under both domestic and international law.” About 300 days earlier, in support of its bid for a seat on the Human Rights Council, the USA had committed itself, among other things, to “meeting its UN treaty obligations”.

On almost every front – fair trial of those accused of involvement in attacks on civilians, immediate release of detainees at Guantánamo whom US courts have found to be held without justification, and accountability of US agents for human rights violations and crimes under international law – measures enacted by Congress are only throwing up further obstacles to even the most modest efforts to bring US practices in line with its international obligations.

On 4 March 2010, US Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman introduced a bill – the Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010 – into the Senate. The USA is engaged in a “war” against terrorism, Senator McCain’s statement emphasised, while avoiding the phrase “war on terror”. He said that the bill would authorize detention without charge “for the duration of hostilities” of anyone labelled as an “unprivileged enemy belligerent”. It would prohibit any such individual from being provided a lawyer after arrest – “we should not be providing suspected terrorists” with defence lawyers, Senator McCain said. If it eventually was decided to hold a criminal trial in such a case, he added, his bill would mandate military commissions as the forum. Criminal prosecution “must be secondary” in such cases, Senator McCain asserted. He could have said “second-class”, for that is what military commissions are.  He urged his fellow Senators to support the legislation.

But injustice for one day is bad enough.

Each day that passes without accountability, remedy and resolution of detainee cases in line with US human rights and humanitarian law obligations compounds the damage done to the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights already wrought by actions taken by the USA in the name of “countering terrorism” over recent years. An end to the injustice is long overdue. The US administration and Congress must do the right thing now.

More than 180 detainees remain held at Guantánamo despite President Obama's pledge to close the camp

Amnesty International has called for the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release a blogger and prisoner of conscience facing up to nine and a half years in prison after he published a post alleging nepotism within the armed forces.

Ahmad Mostafa, 20, is set to face a military trial in Cairo on 7 March over a post published on his Matha Assabaka ya Watan (What happened to you, oh nation?) blog in March 2009 . He is the first Egyptian blogger to face a military trial for his alleged activities.

“Ahmed Mostafa has been prosecuted solely for exercising peacefully his right to freedom of expression on his blog,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa programme.

“He is now facing bogus charges that reveal the determination of the authorities to control the Egyptian blogosphere, which has become a pocket of free expression in the country.”

The post recounted the story of a student who had allegedly been forced to resign from a military academy in order to leave room for another applicant amid accusations of nepotism.

Ahmed Mostafa, an engineering student at the university of Kafr El Sheikh, has been accused of publishing military secrets online, publishing false information about the army and of insulting officers involved in the recruitment process at the military academy.

According to lawyers from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, he was first arrested by military intelligence officers on February 17 and was questioned about his blog.

He first appeared before a military tribunal on Monday 1 March although lawyers representing him from the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and the Association for the Freedom of Thought and Expression told Amnesty International that they only received his case file from the authorities on Tuesday 2 March.

“The use of military courts to try bloggers is a shocking new development. Egypt has consistently been criticized by UN human rights bodies for this misuse of military justice. Rather than addressing the unfairness of trials of civilians by such courts, the Egyptian authorities are now seeking to widen their use,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

Ahmed Mostafa is not the only Egyptian blogger in jail for his writing.

Karim Amer, an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in February 2007 for criticizing President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt’s al-Azhar religious authorities on his blog.

Hani Nazeer, another prisoner of conscience, has been held in administrative detention since October 2008 for posting on his blog the cover of a book deemed insulting to Muslims.

Amnesty International also urged the Egyptian authorities to accept key UN recommendations on freedom of expression and peaceful dissent.

On 19 February 2010, during a UN examination of Egypt’s human rights record,  the Egyptian authorities rejected a recommendation calling on them to “release bloggers and activists currently detained under the Emergency Law and cease its arrests and detentions of political activists”, as factually incorrect or inaccurate.

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Survivors of rape in Cambodia  face limited access to justice, medical services and counselling, Amnesty International said in a report issued on Monday, as rapes of women and girls appear to be increasing,

Breaking the silence: Sexual violence in Cambodia, issued to mark International Women’s Day, exposes how corruption and discrimination within the police and courts prevent survivors of rape from receiving justice and required assistance, while most perpetrators go unpunished.

“Dozens of survivors told us that they face extortion, ignorance and disbelief from officials whose job it should be to assist them and protect their rights,” said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director. “For too many survivors of rape, the pursuit of justice and medical support adds further distress to the initial abuse.”

Amnesty International researchers found sex workers and women living in poverty faced serious obstacles in seeking justice and medical services. They were unable to pay bribes which were often required of them from the police and others, and could not afford legal or medical services.

The report includes 30 interviews with women and girls aged between 10 and 40. The family of a 19 year-old girl with a learning disability explained how police officers ignored their complaint when Mony was raped in late 2009.

“The police only work if you have money, if you can pay. With around 100,000 riels [approx US$25] perhaps we could have secured an arrest, but we don’t have that,” said her father.

He said that Mony lived in constant fear of the perpetrator, who remained at large. The family also struggled to afford the medicine she needed, and described transportation costs to court and police as very difficult.

Cambodian society, like many around the world, exhibits deeply engrained gender discrimination that stigmatizes survivors of sexual assaults, while perpetrators, who mostly remain at large, face limited, if any, sanction.

“With the lack of social support towards victims, it is crucial that the government breaks the silence and publicly condemns sexual violence, to show that it will not tolerate such serious crimes and to acknowledge the pain of the survivors,” said Donna Guest.

With a new Penal Code entering into force in late 2010, Amnesty International has called on the Cambodian government to firmly address inadequate law enforcement, extra-judicial settlements, weak prosecution and widespread corruption in cases of suspected sexual violence.

Amnesty International has also urged the government to train and equip the police, utilise female police officers, and allocate necessary budgets so that they can investigate allegations of crimes promptly, professionally and sensitively.

Data provided by police and NGOs indicates that incidents of rape are increasing in Cambodia, but the extent of the increase is hidden by a lack of monitoring and limited reporting and coordination of statistics.

Authorities should accurately obtain such information and use it to inform policy and plans of action.
 
“Cambodia has made important inroads into tackling gender-discrimination, with a focus on domestic violence and human trafficking,” Donna Guest said. “It is time the government incorporated sexual violence against women into these categories to address its failure to meet the human rights obligations under the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.”

The 60-page report presents extensive research and recommendations to reverse increasing sexual violence against women. The analysis was released as part of Amnesty International’s global campaign to Stop Violence against Women.

Read more:
Rape victims worldwide denied justice and dignity (News, 8 March 2010)
Afghan women human rights defenders tell of intimidation and attacks (News feature, 8 March 2010)

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Amnesty International's report includes 30 interviews with Cambodian women and girls

Amnesty International has said it strongly opposes any withdrawal or reduction of the numbers of UN peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, after the government requested that the current force (MONUC) withdraws from the country by June 2011.

“Instead of requiring the peacekeepers to leave, the government should work with the UN in resolving the many protection challenges that remain,” said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme.

Massacres, rape, looting and other attacks on the civilian population and humanitarian agencies by armed forces and groups continue unabated, primarily in the war-torn east of the country.

MONUC, the biggest UN peacekeeping mission in the world with 20,500 personnel, remains the only force in the DRC capable of providing a measure of protection to the civilian population.

“The security and human rights situation has remained dire over the past year. Withdrawing or reducing the peacekeeping force could have disastrous consequences,” said Tawanda Hondora.

“UN peacekeeping bases are often the only places where people can seek safety when clashes occur.”

The UN Secretary General proposed in 2007 a number of benchmarks that needed to be met before considering any large-scale MONUC withdrawal.  

They included stabilization of areas where the conflict is at its worst; completion of the disarmament and demobilization of armed groups; and creating national armed forces with capacity to defend the people of the DRC while respecting human rights and the rule of law.

None of these have so far been achieved.

“Government forces do not have the capacity to assume the security functions currently fulfilled by MONUC, and the government has not shown the political will to make its forces capable,” said Tawanda Hondora.

MONUC is not only a military peacekeeping force but includes over 5,000 civilian staff that provide vital capacity-building support in areas of human rights, humanitarian affairs, good governance, policing, the courts and the penitentiary system.

MONUC has been deployed to the DRC since 1999. Following the end of the 1998-2003 war, the force is now focused on the Kivus, eastern DRC, where armed conflict continues.

MONUC is the only force in the DRC capable of providing some protection to civilians

Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to release a journalist and women’s rights campaigner imprisoned for her political activism in the wake of last year’s disputed presidential election.

Hengameh Shahidi began serving a six-year sentence at Tehran’s Evin Prison last week, after an appeal court ruling upheld her conviction.

Her imprisonment is the latest in a series of ongoing attacks on journalists and media outlets close to the opposition.

Shortly after her arrest, the Press Supervisory Board on 1 March 2010 closed the E’temad daily newspaper, run by Elias Hazrati, a supporter of defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi, and the weekly journal Iran Dokht (run by Mehdi Karroubi’s wife and son).

Sina, a weekly provincial newspaper, was also closed, for allegedly not operating in line with the constitution.

Hengameh Shahidi’s sentence includes five years for “gathering and colluding with intent to harm state security” and one year for “propaganda against the system”. The appeal court overturned another conviction for “insulting the president” which carried a sentence of 91 days and a fine.

Amnesty International said it considers Hengameh Shahidi to be a prisoner of conscience, held solely for peacefully exercising her rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Hengameh Shahidi was an advisor on women’s issues to defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi during his election campaign and is a member of his National Trust party.

Originally arrested on 30 June 2009, she was held at Evin Prison for over four months before she was released on bail on 1 November after she went on hunger strike in protest at her continued detention.

During her detention, Hengameh Shahidi says she was tortured and on several occasions she was threatened with execution. Once she said she was subjected to a mock execution. Her interrogators also threatened to arrest other family members.

At her trial on 4 November 2009, Hengameh Shahidi was accused of taking part in demonstrations against the disputed presidential election result between 13 and 17 June and giving an interview to the media and collecting signatures for the “One Million Signatures Campaign (also known as the Campaign for Equality – which aims to end discrimination against women in Iranian law).

She was also accused of supporting a campaign to end executions by stoning in Iran, signing numerous statements addressed to United Nations human rights bodies about human rights violations in Iran, and publishing articles on her blog.

Hengameh Shahidi was rearrested on 25 February 2010 and taken to Evin Prison, after being summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence investigations office “to answer a few questions”. Two days later her lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, was shown the appeal court ruling upholding her prison sentence.

Amnesty International has urged the Iranian authorities to ensure that while imprisoned, she is granted access to her family, her lawyer and to all necessary medical treatment, including for her heart problems.

The organization also called for an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into Hengameh Shahidi’s allegations of torture in detention and for anyone found responsible to be brought to justice promptly and fairly. 

Amnesty International also called for closed newspapers to be reopened and for all undue restrictions on the freedom of the press to be lifted.

Since the disputed presidential election in June 2009, the authorities have acknowledged over 5,000 people have been arrested, including over 1,000 during and following mass demonstrations on the religious festival of Ashoura on 27 December.  The true number is likely to be higher.

Those detained include political figures and political activists, students, human rights defenders and journalists.

Many have been tried in grossly unfair trials, resulting in long prison term sentences and some sentences of flogging. At least 13 have been sentenced to death, of whom two have been executed and three have had their sentences commuted to prison terms. 

The Iranian authorities are continuing to severely restrict freedom of expression in Iran, arresting journalists (of whom scores are believed to remain in detention), imposing restrictions on the use of the internet, including social networking sites, and shutting down newspapers.

Amnesty International on Thursday accused the Mexican authorities of misusing the justice system to detain three community leaders following their protests against high electricity prices in the state of Campeche, in the east of the country.

Amnesty International has named Sara López, Joaquín Aguilar and Guadalupe Borja from the National Movement against High Electricity Tariffs in Campeche “prisoners of conscience”.

The three were detained in July 2009 in relation to their involvement in the group. Mexico’s Federal Attorney General (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) is accusing the three leaders of allegedly holding hostage an employee of Mexico’s Federal Electricity Company.

The charges were based on an original complaint by the legal representative of the electricity company for obstructing delivery of a public service, a minor charge.

The complaint came after the protest leaders met with the electricity company to ask for the electricity supply to be reconnected. However, the PGR then fabricated the additional charge of hostage taking, a serious offence not eligible for bail.

In January 2010, a federal appeal court ruled that the evidence against the three was unsubstantiated and did not point to the crimes ever having been committed. However, the PGR has appealed this ruling without justification thus prolonging their detention until the appeal is resolved.

Amnesty International has demanded the authorities release them immediately and unconditionally.

“The criminal charges against Sara, Joaquín and Guadalupe are completely baseless and seem to have been brought only to stop their campaign against high electricity tariffs,” said Rupert Knox, Mexico researcher at Amnesty International.

“It is time for the Mexican authorities to stop targeting individuals involved in legitimate protest and dissent.”

On 25 September 2008, around 40 people from the town of Candelaria went to the local offices of the Federal Electricity Company to ask for the power supply to be reconnected. The company had cut the supply to community members for non payment, although negotiations were underway.

After the protest, the electricity company’s legal representative filed a complaint with the PGR for the crime of “obstructing the delivery of a public service” against those named on an electricity company list of debtors for non-payment of bills.

Sara López is one of three accused of holding an electricity company employee hostage

Joaquín Aguilar and his colleagues are held at San Francisco Kobén prison in Campeche

The charges against Guadalupe Borja, Sara and Joaquín are 'completely baseless'

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Victims of rape and sexual violence worldwide are denied access to justice due to gender discrimination and assumptions about the sexual behaviour of victims of rape, Amnesty International said in two regional reports released on Monday.

To mark International Women’s Day, Amnesty International released two reports looking at sexual violence in locations across the developed and developing world; specifically Cambodia and the Nordic Countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

“In poor and rich countries alike, women who are raped or abused have little chance of seeing their attackers brought to justice,” said Widney Brown, Senior Director of International Law and Policy at Amnesty International. “It is shocking that in the 21st century with so much legislation designed to ensure women’s equality, that virtually every government fails to protect women or to ensure that their abusers are held to account for their crimes.”

Amnesty International’s reports show that victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence seeking justice face many obstacles. These include inadequate, negative or dismissive responses by police, medical and judicial personnel. Given the pervasive indifference of authorities, many women feel ashamed or blame themselves and don’t even try to report these crimes to the police.

In instances where women do go to the police, their claims for reparation and justice are rarely met. The two reports found that prosecution rates for rape are among the lowest for any offence.

“Unless the sexual violence is also accompanied by physical violence, it is simply not taken seriously,” said Widney Brown. “A woman who survives the rape without significant physical injury is often stigmatized or held responsible for a crime committed against her while the rapist often faces limited, if any, social or legal sanction.”

Though the legal systems examined in the reports vary greatly, Amnesty International found that all contain gaps and discrepancies which discourage women and girls from seeking justice for crimes committed against them.

In Nordic countries, for example, the use of violence or threats of violence determine the seriousness of rape rather than the violation of a woman’s sexual autonomy. The report Case Closed: Rape and Human Rights in the Nordic Countries, documents one case in Finland where a man forced a woman to have sexual intercourse in the disabled toilet of a car park by banging her head against the wall and twisting her arm behind her back. In the prosecutor’s opinion, this was not rape as the violence used was of slight degree. The man was convicted of coercion into sexual intercourse and sentenced to a conditional (suspended) seven-month prison term.

By comparison, refusal to undertake compulsory military service, including civilian service, in Finland is punishable with a prison sentence of at least six months.

In Cambodia, women do not trust the justice system. Costs associated with police processes deter women from pursuing a case. Victims are often asked to pay a bribe before police will start an investigation. Money is also usually required for medical expenses, transport and phone credit costs for police during the investigation.

Breaking the Silence: Sexual Violence in Cambodia also documents how extra-judicial payments were negotiated as a “solution”. Typically police officers act as an arbiter between the families of the victim and perpetrator to secure a financial settlement on the condition that the victim withdraws the criminal complaint. The mediator receives part of this settlement.

“For too many women, their experience of the justice system exacerbates the initial act of violence and abuse,” said Widney Brown. “Every perpetrator that goes unpunished as a result of these failures is a signal that the authorities are indifferent to the plight of the victims of sexual violence.”

Violence against women remains one of the most pervasive and significant barriers to gender equality. Amnesty International has called on governments to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence. Central to this is ensuring women subjected to violence can access justice and an effective remedy for the harm they have suffered.

Amnesty International has also called for the creation of a consolidated and strong UN women’s entity, to ensure that women and girls around the world enjoy their rights in practice. Amnesty International is part of the global NGO campaign on the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) calling on governments and the UN system to ensure that the new UN agency for women is given the resources, personnel and authority it needs to make a real difference to women’s lives around the world.

Amnesty International has urged all governments to fully reaffirm their commitment to respect women’s human rights as articulated in numerous human rights treaties as well as in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an agenda to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women.

Read More:
Breaking the silence: Sexual violence in Cambodia (Report, 8 March 2010)
Afghan women human rights defenders tell of intimidation and attacks (News feature, 8 March 2010)
Visit Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women page

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Amnesty International Finland's 2005 campaign called on the authorities to set up an action plan to end violence against women

Sweden is one of the countries under the spotlight in Amnesty International's report

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The world’s worst ever attack on journalists took place 23 November 2009 in the run-up to the Philippine election.

When an opposition candidate challenged clan rule in Maguindanao, the local governor’s private army ambushed his convoy. At least 63 people were massacred, including 33 journalists.

Aquiles Zonio of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of only three survivors, tells of his narrow escape and the continuing climate of fear.

The Philippines outgoing president, Gloria Arroyo, authorised these private armies by executive order in 2006. As the 10 May elections approach, Amnesty International is urging President Arroyo to disband and disarm these abusive militias throughout the country.

This video includes footage from the days after the massacre when a mass grave was discovered, and contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.