Amnesty International Appeals for Action Feed

Slovakia urged to end segregation of Romani children

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:21:08 +0100

“In grade 7 of the special school I learned the same things that I learned in grade 3 of the mainstream school.”

14-year-old Romani boy, found to have been erroneously placed in the special school

In Slovakia, huge numbers of Romani children are inappropriately placed in "special schools" for children with mental disabilities, where they receive a substandard education, and have very limited opportunities for employment and further education. Independent studies suggest that as many as 80 per cent of children placed in special schools in Slovakia are Roma.

Once children are assigned to special schools, the door leading back to mainstream education for children of average or above-average ability remains shut.

Pavlovce nad Uhom is a town in eastern Slovakia, 10km from the borders with Ukraine. More than 50 per cent of its 4,500 inhabitants are Roma. There are two elementary schools in the town: a mainstream school and a special school for children with mental disabilities.

Nearly two thirds of Romani children attending primary school in Pavlovce nad Uhom are de facto segregated in the special school. 99.5 per cent of the approximately 200 pupils of the special school are Roma.

Officially, children can only be placed in special schools after the formal diagnosis of a mental disability and only with the full consent of their parents. However, many children in Pavlovce nad Uhom had not been assessed at all and the assessment process itself was deeply flawed. At the same time parental consent was often neither free nor informed.

Following inspections instigated by the Mayor of the locality in 2007, it was officially acknowledged that 17 of these pupils did not belong in the special school and had been placed there erroneously. Amnesty International believes the real number is far higher and that more Romani children - whose rightful place is in the mainstream school - continue to be denied their right to education in Pavlovce nad Uhom.

The serious human rights violations in Pavlovce nad Uhom are not just the result of individual human errors, but of a broader failure to eliminate discrimination in both the design and the implementation of the Slovak education system.

Amnesty International calls on the Slovak authorities to recognise these failings and introduce the necessary structural reforms. In particular Amnesty International calls on the Director of the Regional School Authority of the Košice region – founder of and directly responsible for the special school in Pavlovce nad Uhom – to:

Ensure that all placement decisions are reviewed and all children currently attending Pavlovce nad Uhom special school re-assessed in order to identify pupils who may have been placed there erroneously, and ensure their swift reintegration in the mainstream school as appropriate; in those cases the Regional School Authority should also provide an effective remedy, including reparations to the children affected;
Take appropriate measures against state employees who are found to have acted in breach of Slovak law and at the expense of the education of Romani children in Pavlovce nad Uhom;
Ensure that the enrolment of pupils is under no circumstances approved by the special school unless they have been clearly, objectively and unambiguously diagnosed with mental disabilities; such diagnosis must precede the placement of the child; parental request or consent should not be the decisive factor for such a placement.

The school year in Pavlovce nad Uhom begins again on 1 September. Action is needed now to ensure that all its children receive the quality education that they are entitled to.

Rape in Burundi – demand justice now!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:31:20 +0100

13 year old Kaneza (not her real name) from the province of Bujumbura rural was raped by a 22-year-old man in September 2007. Kaneza didn’t tell anyone about the rape, until she found that she was pregnant. She told her uncle's wife, who immediately reported the rape to the police.

The alleged perpetrator was arrested and questioned, and confessed to the rape. Kaneza’s family thought that this would be enough to prosecute the perpetrator, though he was released several days later.

Local human rights activists have reported that the father of the perpetrator approached the Public Prosecutor of Bujumbura Rural and proposed an out-of-court settlement.

When the family spoke to the Prosecutor of Bujumbura Rural, he forced them to agree to an "amicable settlement" and cease legal proceedings. Kaneza’s family complained to the judicial authorities in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.

The Prosecutor was then ordered by them to re-arrest the alleged perpetrator. He didn’t do this, but instead detained Kaneza for several hours and threatened her.

Kaneza recently gave birth to a child. The man who allegedly raped her remains free.

Rape is widespread throughout Burundi, though many cases, like that of Kaneza, remain unprosecuted. Women are often too afraid to even report the crime out of fear that their families and communities will reject them.

The justice system is flawed. The police and judiciary often fail to investigate reports of rape and other sexual assaults or prosecute those accused of committing such offences.

Sometimes victims are forced to withdraw their complaints and enter into negotiated settlements with the perpetrator or his family outside of the formal judicial system. Sometimes the victim is also forced to marry her attacker.

Write to the Public Prosecutor in Burundi to demand that the alleged rape of Kaneza is investigated and the suspect brought to justice.

Russia urged to respect artists' rights to freedom of expression

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:38:20 +0100

Two men who organized a contemporary art exhibition in Moscow have been charged with inciting hatred or enmity and denigration of human dignity.

Yurii Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev staged the Forbidden Art 2006 exhibition at the Sakharov Museum in Moscow in March 2007.

The exhibition showed a number of art objects (photos, paintings, collages and others) which had been previously refused inclusion in some exhibitions.

However, several of the pieces, including work by well-known Russian contemporary artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Aleksandr Kosolapov, Aleksandr Savko and Mikhail Roginskii, have already been shown in other exhibitions in the Russian Federation and at major exhibitions of contemporary art worldwide.

The objects date from the Soviet era right up to the 21st century. Several of them use religious motifs such as icons or paintings depicting religious scenes, others use non-normative language.

According to the findings of the Taganskii district prosecutor, both men organized an exhibition which “is clearly directed towards expressing in a demonstrative and visible way a degrading and insulting attitude towards the Christian religion in general and especially towards the Orthodox faith.” If found guilty both men may face imprisonment.

Yurii Samodurov, director of the Sakharov Museum, was charged on 15 May 2008. Andrei Yerofeev, then head of the department for contemporary art at the State Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow, was charged on 22 May. Both men are charged under Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (Inciting hatred or enmity, denigration of human dignity with the use of one’s official position).

The Taganskii district prosecutor’s office commissioned several expert opinions on the art objects. One expert on iconography found that “the negative impulses coming from the objects may provoke aggression, or at least lack of respect towards [the religious objects] used in the exhibition or against any other object used in religious cults”.

Yurii Samodurov had been previously found guilty of inciting hatred or enmity and sentenced to a conditional prison sentence in connection with another exhibition. Amnesty International considered him at that time a possible prisoner of conscience and campaigned for the protection of his right to freedom of expression.

Amnesty International considers that the art objects do not incite hatred. While some viewers may be offended by what they see, this should not lead to a criminal prosecution of those who have organized the exhibition.

International human rights law does not permit, still less require, freedom of expression to be restricted or prohibited simply on the grounds that some people find it offensive.

Please join Amnesty International’s appeal to the Russian authorities to drop the charges against Yurii Samodurov and Andrei Yerofeev.

'Comfort Women': waiting for justice after 62 years

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:59:18 +0100

"The Japanese Government thinks that if all comfort women die, it will be buried and forgotten. But it won’t. As long as our next generation knows about it, it will not be forgotten." Gil Won-Ok (below, right), former "Comfort Woman" from South Korea.

Thousands of women known as "comfort women" were forced into servitude by the Government of Japan for the armed forces in the 1930s before and after the Second World War. In what became known as a system of "military sexual slavery", women were abducted, beaten, raped and coerced into providing sexual services for the Japanese military.

The full extent of the sexual slavery system has never been fully disclosed by the Government of Japan, though it is thought that as many as 200,000 women were enslaved. The Government of Japan continues to refuse to officially acknowledge its responsibility for these crimes.

The "comfort women" system of forced military prostitution allowed for a range of abuses, such as sexual violence including gang rape and forced abortions, in what has been described as "one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century."

Many of these women continue to suffer the consequences of these abuses and are courageously speaking out about their experiences and campaigning for justice. Pressure is mounting on Japan as a range of governments across the world have passed resolutions calling for justice for "comfort women".

Resolutions have been passed in the USA, Netherlands, Canada and the European Parliament for the Government of Japan to:

accept full responsibility for the abuses of "comfort women"
officially apologize for the crimes committed against the women
provide adequate and effective compensation

The Government of the Philippines is currently considering passing a resolution that has particular significance because of the number of Filipino women who were enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Join the former "Comfort Women" in their battle for justice. Show your support for the Philippines to be the next country to pass a resolution calling for Justice for the Comfort Women.

Turkey urged to respect LGBT people's right to freedom of association

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:50:11 +0100

A local court in Istanbul ordered the closure of the Turkish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender solidarity organization, Lambda Istanbul. The court ruled on 29 May in favour of a complaint by the Istanbul Governor's Office that Lambda Istanbul's objectives were against Turkish "moral values and family structure". An appeal challenging this ruling is currently pending.

In recent years provincial governorships in Turkey have similarly targeted organizations working to promote the rights of persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. For example, in September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused the Ankara-based group KAOS-GL, a gay and lesbian cultural research and solidarity organization, of “establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality”.

Similarly, in August 2006, the Ankara Governor’s Office attempted to close the human rights group Pembe Hayat (Pink Life), which works with transgender people, claiming that the association opposed “laws and morality”. In both of these cases, however, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Amnesty International considers that closure of or attempts to close organizations on the basis of advocating for the rights of persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities violate the right to freedom of association, and are discriminatory.

Amnesty International is calling on people to write to Beşir Atalay, the Minister of Interior:

reminding him of his duty to ensure the respect and protection of the rights of all persons to freedom of association, without discrimination including on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity; in particular, in the words of the Yogyakarta principle 20: “to ensure the rights to peacefully organise, associate, assemble and advocate around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to obtain legal recognition for such associations and groups”;
urging him to ensure that notions of public order, public morality, public health and public security are not employed to restrict any exercise of the rights to peaceful association solely on the basis that the association affirms diverse sexual orientations or gender identities;
asking him to support a comprehensive non-discrimination law which includes specific protections against unequal treatment based on sexual orientation and gender identity in all areas of life;
asking him to remind provincial governorships and their association directorates of their obligation to respect and protect the rights of all persons to freedom of association, without discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to take measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Make human rights in Tunisia a reality

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:25:31 +0100

A harsh and disturbing reality lies behind the image of Tunisia as a holiday paradise and human rights beacon that the government has sought to paint. In truth, it is a country where violations by security forces are rampant and go unpunished.

Saber Ragoubi was tried unfairly and sentenced to death in December 2007, largely on the basis of information obtained from him and other co-defendants under torture. At his trial, he said: “I was assaulted in Mornaguia prison and lost three of my front teeth; I request an investigation into the assault. I was also stripped naked to force me to shave my beard.” Read more about his case

Houssine Tarkhani was forcibly returned from France to Tunisia and was detained on arrival in June 2007. He has been charged with terrorist offences and is awaiting trial. When he was able to speak to his lawyer in 2007, he said: “I was beaten with a stick all over my body, given electric shocks and threatened with death. When I asked to read the police report, which I had been forced to sign without reading, I was subjected to further beatings. Read more about his case

The Tunisian government’s security and counter-terrorism policies and practices are leading to serious human rights violations, despite legal reforms that theoretically offer better protection.

Call on the Tunisian government to live up to the promises it has made on paper to respect human rights.

You can do something to improve the human rights situation in Tunisia by taking action on behalf of Saber Ragoubi and Houssine Tarkhani. Send a letter or a fax to the Tunisian authorities using the model letters attached and demand justice for them.

End rendition and secret detention: Europe’s duty

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:38:49 +0100

European states have been implicated in the US-led rendition and secret detention programme, in which people have been unlawfully detained and transferred from one country to another outside of any judicial process.

Some have been transferred from US custody to countries where torture and other ill-treatment is known to accompany interrogation; others have been transferred into US custody and subsequently held in detention centres in Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

A number of individuals have been subjected to enforced disappearance, including in secret CIA detention, and the whereabouts of some three dozen people remain unknown. Every one of the victims of rendition interviewed by Amnesty International has said they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated in custody.

Investigations by the Council of Europe and the European Parliament have recommended that Member States take measures to prevent such human rights violations occurring in the future and to ensure redress, including reparation, to the victims.

These recommendations have not been implemented to date.

Indonesia urged to ratify the Rome Statute

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:26:36 +0100

Indonesia must fulfil its commitment to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 2008, Amnesty International has urged.

In 2004, the President of Indonesia adopted a National Plan of Action on Human Rights. Significantly, the Plan states that Indonesia intends to ratify the Rome Statute in 2008.

Midway through 2008, however, it remains uncertain whether Indonesia will achieve its target. In particular, national legislation providing for cooperation with the International Criminal Court has not yet been enacted.

Amnesty International has called on Indonesia to take all necessary steps to ratify the Rome Statute this year, to demonstrate its commitment to end impunity for the worst human rights violations: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

What is the International Criminal Court?
The International Criminal Court is a permanent independent judicial body created by the international community to prosecute crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Under a system of complementarity, it will only act when national authorities are unable or unwilling to investigate and prosecute crimes.

The Rome Statute was adopted at an international conference in Rome on 17 July 1998. To date 106 countries - more than half of the world - have ratified. The International Criminal Court, which began work on 1 July 2002 has already commenced four investigations into crimes committed in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur (Sudan) and Uganda. Its first trial is expected to start this year.

Free Nigerian prisoner

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:46:17 +0100

Patrick Okoroafor was just 14 years old when he was arrested in May 1995. Two years later, he was sentenced to death for robbery, along with six others. He did not have the right to appeal and was reported to have been tortured while in police detention.

In 2001, his sentence of death was pronounced “illegal, null and void”, but he was never released. He remains locked up "during the pleasure of the Governor of Imo State" (at the discretion of the Imo State Governor) - effectively in indefinite detention - in Aba prison, Abia state, having spent almost half his life in detention.

“Patrick only went to the police station because the police wanted to inspect a car our mother had bought from one of the other suspects. That is when they arrested him. We tried to get him released, but the police refused,” says his brother. He claims Patrick was tortured by the Nigerian police, who beat him and pulled out his teeth with pliers.

Along with one of the six other co-defendants, Chidiebere Onuoha, who was 15 at the time of arrest, Patrick petitioned for clemency on grounds of age. On 18 July 1997, Patrick's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment but Chidiebere Onuoha and the five other men were publicly executed.

Prison has also had serious consequences for Patrick's health; he suffers from asthma attacks described by prison authorities as "frequent and life-threatening" and his condition "worsens daily".

In November 2001, Patrick pleaded for pardon, writing: "The tribunal ritual was a nightmare to me because I’m totally innocent of the charges levelled against me, I have spent these years of undeserved incarceration crying, praying and reading…” His plea was rejected by the Imo State Governor in March 2002.

Amnesty International, along with the Nigerian Bar Association and Nigerian NGOs, has called for his release.

Thousands lost in Kashmir mass graves

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:28:23 +0100

Hundreds of unidentified graves – believed to contain victims of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other abuses - have been found in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to launch urgent investigations into the mass graves, which are thought to contain the remains of victims of human rights abuses in the context of the armed conflict that has raged in the region since 1989.

The findings appear in the report Facts under Ground, issued on 29 March by the Srinagar-based Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP). The report details the existence of multiple graves which, because of their proximity to Pakistan controlled-areas, are in areas not accessible without the specific permission of the security forces. Since 2006, the graves of at least 940 people are reported to have been discovered in 18 villages in Uri district alone.

The Indian army has claimed that those found buried were armed rebels and "foreign militants" killed lawfully in armed encounters with military forces. However, the report recounts testimonies from local villagers saying that most buried were local residents hailing from the state.

The report alleges that more than 8,000 persons have gone missing in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989. The Indian authorities put the figure at less than 4.000, claiming that most of these went to Pakistan to join armed opposition groups.

In 2006, a state police report confirmed the deaths in custody of 331 persons, and also 111 enforced disappearances following detention since 1989.

Unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and torture are violations of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law, set out in treaties to which India is a state party. They also constitute international crimes.

Amnesty International has called on the Indian government to unequivocally condemn enforced disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure that prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into all sites of mass graves in the region are immediately carried out by forensic experts in line with the relevant UN Model Protocol.

All past and current allegations of enforced disappearances must be investigated and, where there is sufficient evidence, anyone suspected of responsibility for such crimes must be prosecuted in fair trial proceedings, with all victims granted full reparations.