Israel Using Human Shields

From The Guardian:

Amnesty International says hitting residential streets with shells that send blast and shrapnel over a wide area constitutes "prima facie evidence of war crimes".

"There has been reckless and disproportionate and in some cases indiscriminate use of force," said Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty investigator in Israel. "There has been the use of weaponry that shouldn't be used in densely populated areas because it's known that it will cause civilian fatalities and casualties.

"They have extremely sophisticated missiles that can be guided to a moving car and they choose to use other weapons or decide to drop a bomb on a house knowing that there were women and children inside. These are very, very clear breaches of international law."

Israel's most prominent human rights organisation, B'Tselem, has written to the attorney general in Jerusalem, Meni Mazuz, asking him to investigate suspected crimes including how the military selects its targets and the killing of scores of policemen at a passing out parade.

"Many of the targets seem not to have been legitimate military targets as specified by international humanitarian law," said Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem.

Rovera has also collected evidence that the Israeli army holds Palestinian families prisoner in their own homes as human shields. "It's standard practice for Israeli soldiers to go into a house, lock up the family in a room on the ground floor and use the rest of the house as a military base, as a sniper's position. That is the absolute textbook case of human shields.

"It has been practised by the Israeli army for many years and they are doing it again in Gaza now," she said.

Iran - Stoning Halted

Encouraging news from Iran, although I will hold my breath until it is definitively halted:

Iran's has suspended the punishment of death by stoning, state media say.

A judiciary spokesman said four people sentenced to die by stoning had had their sentences commuted and that all other cases had been put under review.

Lawyers and human rights campaigners have said at least eight women and a man are awaiting the punishment.

Stoning is the penalty for crimes such as adultery under Iranian law, but it is rarely carried out. The last such execution was reportedly last year.

Amnesty International called on Iran in January to abolish what it called a "horrific practice, designed to increase the suffering" of those condemned.

The country's penal code stipulates that before carrying out the punishment, men should be buried up to their waists and women up to their chests. The stones used must be large enough to cause the condemned pain, but not sufficient to kill immediately.

Amnesty also said a disproportionate number of those sentenced to death by stoning were women because they were not treated equally before the law and were particularly vulnerable to unfair trials.

Waterboarding

Gaza - Ethnic Cleansing on the Table?

In my haste to cover the events in South America, I have unforgiveably overlooked events in Gaza. It would appear, according to the reports of various agencies (including Amnesty International) that the people of Gaza are enduring their worst humanitarian disaster since 1967. From the BBC:

Gaza's humanitarian situation is at its worst since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, say UK-based human rights and development groups.

They include Amnesty International, Save the Children, Cafod, Care International and Christian Aid.

They criticise Israel's blockade on Gaza as illegal collective punishment which fails to deliver security.

Israel says its military action and other measures are lawful and needed to stop rocket attacks from Gaza.

Israel pulled its troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, but retains control over Gaza's airspace and coastline, and over its own border with the territory.

The following is taken from Amnesty International:

This latest cycle of killings and destruction comes at a time when the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza are confronting a humanitarian crisis as a result of the increasingly stringent blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza.

Hospitals and medical facilities, already facing severe difficulties in coping with shortages of electricity, fuel, equipment and spare parts due to the Israeli blockade, are struggling to cope with the new influx of casualties caused by Israeli attacks in the last few days.

With Gaza's borders sealed, many patients in dire need of medical care that is not available in Gaza cannot be transferred to hospitals abroad and risk losing their lives.

In the past two months, Israeli forces have killed more than 230 Palestinians in Gaza, including scores of unarmed civilians, and wounded and maimed many others. During the same period, Palestinian armed groups have continued to fire qassam and other rockets indiscriminately at Israel from the Gaza Strip, mostly towards the town of Sderot but also, last week, the more distant town of Ashkelon.

One Israeli civilian has been killed and several injured by such rockets fired from Gaza into Sderot and other areas by Palestinian armed groups.

Amnesty International has again called on Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to ensure that Palestinian armed groups cease immediately from carrying out indiscriminate attacks against Israel, and for those responsible to be held to account.

"It is high time that the leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) took effective steps to prevent and punish attacks on civilians in Israel," said Malcolm Smart, "but their failure to do so does not make it legitimate for the Israeli authorities to launch reckless air and artillery strikes which wreak such death and destruction among Palestinian civilians.

"At the same time, the Palestinian armed groups who launch frequent rocket attacks from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns not only show a callous disregard for the lives of Israeli civilians but also expose the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip to the danger of Israeli attacks."

Malcolm Smart said that Amnesty International condemned all attacks on civilians, but that "unlawful attacks by one side cannot justify violations by the other."

The question is, how much longer will it be before Gaza is occupied by Israeli forces?

Israel and the West must carry a heavy burden for the unrelenting violence in the region. Their reckless actions are not bringing peace, they are bringing resentment. Every bomb, every incursion, every retaliation breeds more anger and more contempt. They are merely fanning the fires within Gaza instead of 'winning hearts and minds'. And yet, the solution is simple. The West still refuses to negotiate with Hamas, relying instead on the old tactic of divide and conquer. There can be no peace until Hamas are brought into the process, difficult thought that may be for some to accept. They were, after all, the party elected by the people in a democratic election. An election that was hailed by the West before the result, and ignored afterwards.

As time passes, the risk of an even greater humanitarian crisis grows. The collective punishment of an entire people will lead to ever greater numbers of women and children being slaughtered in the name of revenge. Where will it all end? With the ethnic cleansing of the entire region?? With the final humiliation of a people that have lived on the land for centuries before the Balfour declaration? Israeli terrorism played a role in the establishment of the Israeli state. Terrorism seems to be the weapon of choice of the Israeli government.

Osanloo Receives Medical Treatment

Good news courtesy of Ten Percent, Mansour Osanloo has received the medical treatment that was so desperately required. Taken from the ITF's website:

Following major protests last week the ITF is delighted to have learned that on Saturday Mansour Osanloo received the emergency eye treatment that it, Amnesty International and trade unions worldwide demanded. The ITF says that it hopes that this may be a first step towards more humane and just treatment of the prisoners. The campaign for their release continues.

Encouraging news from Iran. However, this is not enough. Osanloo must be released immediately to ensure that he can continue to receive the medical attention he requires and to continue his peaceful activities as a union activist. There is much to be done. You can still take action by visiting Amnesty's website here.

Mansour Osanloo Still Incarcerated in Evin Prison

In July of this year, Mansour Osanloo was snatched from a bus and placed in the notorious Evin prison. Three months later, and Osanloo is still confined to a prison cell. As a result of his continued incarceration, the International Transport Workers' Federation have produced this video telling the story of Osanloo's fight for the rights of the workers in Iran. Please take time to watch the short clip and, when you have done so, sign Amnesty International's petition demanding that Osanloo receive immediate medical attention.

Three Thousand People Detained by Military Junta in Burma As Media Go Elsewhere.....

Reports are suggesting that the figure for detainees in Burma is way above the original estimate given by Amnesty International. According to the Herald Sun:

State media also gave a sharply higher figure for the number of people who were detained in connection with the protests, saying 2927 had been locked up around the country and 468 remained behind bars.

Earlier state media had indicated about 2100 people had been arrested.

The newspaper said security forces were continuing to make arrests, despite a statement last week by the UN Security Council demanding the release of all political prisoners.

"Some are still (being) called in for questioning, and those who should be released will be released,'' the paper said.

That this has happened with barely a murmur is totally unacceptable. Real pressure needs to be put on the Burmese dictatorship to ensure that these people are released without charge immediately. As the Burmese uprising drops from the national consciousness, people will continue to suffer at the hands of this despicable regime. That there are no cameras recording the abuses does not mean that it is not still happening.

Javier Correa and the Impunity of Murderers in Uribe's Colombia

Sometimes, and only sometimes, one forgets the blatant hypocrisy at the heart of the so-called 'War on Terror'. But then one reads of the latest developments in Colombia (a close ally of the Bush White House) and it all comes flooding back. Although, given the nature of the mainstream media, it is hard to get any facts on the link between Bush and terrorism (you could do worse than watch this to get a basic understanding of the links between Bush and terrorism).

The following is taken from the United Steelworkers Union:

The USW president expressed grave concern for the lives of several members of the SINALTRAINAL union in Colombia, naming leaders from Bucaramanga as Javier Correa, Luis Eduardo Garcia and Jose Domingo Florez. Describing a tide of paramilitary re-mobilization, Gerard cited an explicit threat written by the Black Eagles, who said they would “bury the union members and their families in a mass grave on Christmas Day if they do not cease their union activities and leave the area.”

Gerard related an incident on Sept. 27 involving the son of Florez, who was picked up by presumed paramilitary gunmen, thrown into a van, beaten and told they won’t stop until his father is dismembered.

According to Amnesty, the full letter read:

"All orders are followed - communist guerrillas trade unionist facade - Javier Correa, stop your ideological discourse - you must leave the department - if not we will be obliged to carry out the military objective and at Christmas we will hand over the bodies of your families in a mass grave."

The letter bore the acronym of the AUC.

It is worth putting this into context. In 2006, 78 unionists were murdered in Colombia, over half the total global union murders. Despite these horrific figures, impunity for the murder of unionists is around 98%. Taking 2006 as an example, only three convictions were secured against the 78 murders. Furthermore, if one were to examine the period 2004-6, a period that witnessed the murder of 236 trade unionists, there were only five convictions. And if one was take the broader picture throughout Uribe's presidency, the picture is even bleaker. Since coming to power in 2002, there have been nearly 400 murders and only ten convictions (these figures come from a non-governmental organisation often cited by the American government). Taking all of these figures into account, as well as the figures pre-dating Uribe's presidency, the conviction rate stands at a pathetic 1.9%. No wonder Colombia is frequently described as 'one of the world's most dangerous places for trade unionists'.

Of course, these figures are even more disturbing when you take into account the many links between President Uribe and the terrorists responsible for this bloodshed. There is a video that has been circulating in Colombia for some time now that shows the future president meeting with one of the leaders of the AUC. There have also been frequent allegations of links between these terrorist organisations and the Colombian government. The former foreign minister, Maria Consuelo Araujo, was forced to resign due to the arrest of her brother and the investigation of her father for deals with terrorists.

With such a background, it is little wonder that union members are subjected to the kinds of disgraceful threats that face Correa and Florez. These threats will undoubtedly continue as long as the British and American political establishments turn a blind eye to the behaviour of the Colombia government and provide substantial financial and military aid. No wonder the Colombian government and the US administration embarked on a mass PR campaign in the 90s (with the involvement of Mark Malloch Brown - a key ally of Gordon Brown), there is certainly much to hide from the eyes of the general public.

You can take action in support of Javier Correa by visiting the Amnesty International Action page here.

Amnesty International Needs your Help To Pressurise the Military Regime in Burma

Amnesty International is calling on people to pressurise the Burmese military junta in the wake of the crackdown on peaceful demonstrations. As Amnesty points out, the military regime has been responsible for countless human rights violations over the years, including:

* The holding of more than 1,160 political prisoners in deteriorating prison conditions. Detainees include most senior opposition figures

*The use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, especially during interrogation and pre-trial detention

*The use of child soldiers and forced labour

*Laws that criminalise the peaceful expression of political dissent

*People frequently being arrested without warrant and held incommunicado

*Judicial proceedings against political detainees that fall short of international fair trial standards

*Defendants being denied the right to legal counsel and prosecutors relying on
confessions extracted through torture

Amnesty has also created a template email/letter that can be sent to Burma's Foreign Minister urging for the release of any prisoners taken as a result of the demonstrations. To find out more, click here.

Rwanda Abolishes Death Penalty

Time for some good news, from Amnesty International:

Rwanda has become the latest country to abolish the death penalty, accelerating the worldwide trend towards ending capital punishment.

It is the first country in Africa's Great Lakes region to call a halt to executions and the 100th country worldwide to abolish the death penalty in law. Another 30 countries are abolitionist in practice. Fourteen countries in Africa, including Rwanda, are now abolitionist for all crimes and a further 18 are abolitionist in practice.

It is hoped that Rwanda's move will spark a pattern towards abolishing the death penalty in Central Africa. There are encouraging signs from Burundi, where a revised version of the Penal Code, currently pending promulgation, has excluded the death penalty as punishment for all crimes.

The last death sentences were imposed in Rwanda in 2003. The last executions took place in 1998, when 22 people found guilty of genocide-related crimes were executed. Rwanda currently holds approximately 600 prisoners on death row, whose sentences are being commuted following this legislation.

More and more countries are entering the civilised world. If only the world's more powerful nation would join us.

Taser Use To Be Extended

Now any officer (even if they are not firearms specialists) can carry these weapons according to the BBC. These weapons, capable of dishing out 50,000 volts, will be made available your average bobby. As Mike Blakemore of Amnesty International says:

"You need trained firearms officers who not only know how to fire a Taser but know when to fire a Taser.

"These are potentially very dangerous weapons. Firearms officers undergo continuous training. I understand they undergo training for real life situations.

"And they undergo repeated training every month to keep them up to date. What we don't know is exactly what the nature of the training is that non-firearms officers will receive.

"And we're concerned that it won't be up to the same standard."

Even former Scotland Yard commander John O' Connor has reservations:

"I think the notion of giving these guns, these Taser guns, out indiscriminately to untrained officers - because it's a non-lethal option - they're going to run the risk of these things being used far too indiscriminately."

That police state is coming along nicely then.

Amnesty Condemns Proposal to Extend Detention

UK: Extension of pre-charge detention amounts to internment

Amnesty International today condemned the UK government's proposal to extend the period for which people can be detained under terrorism legislation by the police to 56 days.

"The UK government's proposal to lock people up for 56 days without charge or trial amounts to internment and is an assault on human rights and freedoms," said Nicola Duckworth Director of the Europe and Central Asia Programme at Amnesty International.

"The UK government appears to have forgotten the lesson of Northern Ireland in the 70s where internment had devastating consequences for those affected and a disastrous impact on human rights protection, the rule of law and society as a whole.

Reintroducing internment today by further extending pre-charge detention is likely to have a similar effect as it had in Northern Ireland. It will further alienate affected communities, leading people to mistrust the authorities and make them less likely to want to cooperate with the police".

Amnesty International recognizes that the UK authorities have a primary duty to take necessary measures to combat terrorism. However, those measures must be consistent with fundamental human rights and the rule of law.

"Our worldwide research over the years has also shown that prolonged pre-charge detention creates a climate for abusive practices that can result in detainees making involuntary statements, including forced confessions and therefore undermines confidence in the judicial system," said Nicola Duckworth. "Our concerns are not allayed by the government’s proposals for judicial and parliamentary scrutiny of this extension."

Amnesty International calls on the UK government to see sense and retract this regressive and counterproductive proposal. The organization urges all members of UK Parliament to uphold human rights and the rule of law and reject any new terrorism measures which further erode the protection of human rights for all in the UK.

Background


Amnesty International has unreservedly opposed the already existing police power of detention for up to 28 days. The organization considered that the previous limit of 14 days was already too long.

Anybody held on suspicion of having committed an extremely serious offence such as murder under the ordinary UK criminal law, may be held without charge for a maximum period of four days. The period for which police are allowed to detain people under current terrorism legislation is -- at 28 days -- already seven times as long.

Prolonged detention without charge or trial undermines fair trial rights, including the right to be promptly informed of any charges, the rights to be free from arbitrary detention, torture or other ill-treatment and the presumption of innocence. It could also have the unintended effect of increasing the likelihood of statements obtained from the suspect being deemed inadmissible at trial precisely because of the oppressive nature of the conditions in which they were obtained.





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Women in Zimbabwe Facing Increasing Repression

Zimbabwe: Women at the forefront of challenging government policy face increasing repression

Zimbabwean women are suffering increasing repression as they mobilize to confront the government in the face of a spiralling economic and social rights crisis in Zimbabwe, according to a new report released today by Amnesty International.

In the report, the organization released the findings of a three-week research mission during which Amnesty International's delegates interviewed scores of women of all ages throughout Zimbabwe, from both townships and rural areas.

"The Zimbabwean government needs to address the underlying economic and social problems that are motivating women to protest -- rather than attacking them and criminalising their legitimate activities in defence of human rights," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

While in Zimbabwe, Amnesty International spoke to women activists who make up the majority of the hundreds of Zimbabwean human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained for engaging in peaceful protest marches or meetings in the last two years. Delegates spoke to many women who became human rights defenders following repeated violations of their rights by the Zimbabwean government.

Most women interviewed by Amnesty International reported being subjected to beatings and other ill-treatment while in police custody, in some cases amounting to torture. Much of the abuse has included sexist verbal abuse and derogatory accusations aimed at discrediting their character and work. Some have been detained with their children or while pregnant in deplorable conditions falling far below international human rights standards.

"Zimbabwean women have demonstrated incredible resilience, bravery and determination in the face of increasing government repression. They are aware of the dangers they face but refuse to be intimidated into submission," said Irene Khan.

Women activists told Amnesty International that police often accuse them of being used by the British and American governments to overthrow the Zimbabwean government and of being agents of regime change. This is often followed by random beatings, with some women suffering serious injuries, including broken limbs.

"The Zimbabwean government is not only making false accusations against women activists, it is also failing to acknowledge its role in creating the desperate situation in which these women find themselves," said Irene Khan. "One way in which the government is doing this is by trying to deny a direct causal relationship between its policies and the deepening poverty and spiralling human rights crisis in the country."

Clara, a 60-year-old widow in Masvingo province, is a member of the Women's Coalition -- a national women's human rights organization. In 2003, Clara spoke out against discrimination against perceived supporters of opposition parties in food aid distribution in her village at a community meeting. She was accused by local ruling party officials of being a member of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). To this day, Clara is still not allowed to buy Grain Marketing Board (GMB) maize.

"Women in Zimbabwe are demanding respect and protection for their own human rights and the rights of members of their communities -- often in the face of severe repression, including arbitrary arrest and torture," said Irene Khan.

"The treatment of women human rights activists while in custody has had dire consequences for the women and their families -- particularly for the children left behind without care."

Women from both rural and urban areas in Zimbabwe are finding it increasingly difficult to buy food, pay for medical care and earn a living to support their families. The majority of those affected by the government's clampdown on the informal business sector in 2005 are poor women.

Amnesty International delegates witnessed the desperation caused by daily increases of prices of basic goods such as food and transport, while most people's wages remained static. In every location visited by the organization, women were desperately trying to sell their goods, while at the same time trying to avoid being arrested and having their goods confiscated by police.

Many women human rights defenders are not allowed to buy maize from the GMB simply because they belong to human rights organizations or speak out against discrimination or other violations in their communities -- in violation of their right to adequate food.

"Heads of state in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) need to redouble their efforts to end human rights violations in Zimbabwe," said Irene Khan. "At their next summit meeting in Zambia in August 2007, SADC leaders should insist that President Mugabe immediately stop the intimidation, ill-treatment, torture and harassment of critics of government policies."

"Women activists are an important resource for the development of Zimbabwe and must be seen as such by the government. They play a pivotal role in addressing the many human rights challenges the country is facing. The government must acknowledge the legitimacy of their work and stamp out any discrimination against women."

Note to editors:


Amnesty International delegates made several requests for meetings with government officials to discuss their concerns -- both in person and in writing -- but were refused an interview on all occasions.

To see a copy of the full report, Zimbabwe: Between a rock and a hard place - women human rights defenders at risk, please go to: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engafr460172007


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Israel/Lebanon: War crimes without accountability

A year on from the start of the 34-day war between Hizbullah and Israel, Amnesty International today condemned the complete absence of any steps in the two countries affected or internationally to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and other grave violations committed during last summer's conflict.

"Without a full, impartial UN-led inquiry that includes provision for reparations to the victims, there is a real danger of history repeating itself. The total lack of political will to hold to account those responsible for the indiscriminate killing of civilians, more than one thousand of whom lost their lives, is both a gross betrayal of the victims and a recipe for possible further civilian bloodshed with impunity," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa programme.

During and after the war Amnesty International investigated violations of international humanitarian law – including war crimes - committed by both Israeli forces and Hizbullah fighters and published its findings in three reports last year. In the face of the patent unwillingness by all concerned parties to investigate the violations, the organization called on the UN to establish a comprehensive, impartial and independent inquiry empowered to investigate the evidence of violations of international law by both Hizbullah and Israel, and to make provision for reparation for the victims. However, the international community has lacked the political will to take the necessary steps to set up such an inquiry.

Partisan politics and selectivity in bodies such as the UN Security Council - the main body with the authority to decide such matters without the agreement of the concerned parties - has effectively left the Lebanese, Israeli and other victims without recourse to justice.

By contrast, the Security Council's decision to establish a tribunal to prosecute those accused of responsibility for the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other political murders shows that where there is political will the mechanisms for establishing the truth can be created despite the opposition of some of the concerned parties. Amnesty International welcomes the establishment of the tribunal but continues to stress the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to address past war crimes and human rights abuses in Lebanon, including those committed during the war in July-August last year.

In Israel the investigation carried out into the conduct of Israeli forces into the war was limited to military strategy and made no attempt to investigate violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes committed by Israeli forces, or to establish a mechanism to bring to account those responsible for such violations. In Lebanon, no official investigation at all has been carried out. An inquiry appointed by the UN Human Rights Council was given a one-sided mandate, focusing only on evidence of violations by Israeli forces.

Israel, Lebanon and all other countries in a position to do so should investigate and prosecute those suspected of war crimes.

Although the conflict ended following a UN-brokered ceasefire agreed on 11 August 2006, its repercussions continue to weigh on the civilian population.

Scores of people have been killed or injured in south Lebanon as a result of cluster bombs, launched by Israeli forces mostly in the last 72 hours of the conflict after the ceasefire had been agreed but before it took effect. The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (UN-MACC) has identified 922 sites over which unexploded but still lethal remnants of cluster bombs and other ordnance are scattered and estimates that the clearing will take a year or more. According to UN-MACC, from the time of the ceasefire up until 20 June 2007, 32 people - 24 civilians and eight de-miners - were killed and 210 people were injured in south Lebanon as a result of unexploded cluster munitions.

"Amnesty International repeats its call on Israel to hand over maps detailing the areas its forces targeted with cluster bombs. These are vital to assist bomb clearance and avoid further casualties," said Malcolm Smart.

The organization also calls on the Israeli government to impose a moratorium on the use of all cluster weapons and to provide maps of the locations of the land-mines its forces laid in south Lebanon in past years.

"The Security Council should declare and enforce an arms embargo on both Israel and Hizbullah until effective mechanisms are in place to ensure that weapons will not be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law," said Malcolm Smart.

Amnesty International continues to urge Hizbullah to provide information about the two Israeli soldiers its fighters captured on 12 July 2006 and allow them immediate access to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Note to editors

For previous Amnesty International documents on the Israel/Hizbollah conflict, please see:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/lebanonisrael-documents-eng

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Colombia: One of the world’s most dangerous places for trade unionists

3 July 2007

A sham paramilitary demobilization process, combined with thousands of cases of threats and killings and a chronic lack of investigations and prosecutions, makes Colombia one of the most dangerous places in the world for trade unionists, according to a new report released today.

Amnesty International’s report, Killings, arbitrary detentions, and death threats -- the reality of trade unionism in Colombia,highlights a pattern of systematic attacks against trade unionists involved in labour disputes and in campaigns against privatization and in favour of workers’ rights in some areas where extractive industries operate.

Colombia’s National Trade Union School documented 2,245 killings, 3,400 threats and 138 forced disappearances of trade unionists between January 1991 and December 2006. Despite their supposed demobilization, army-backed paramilitaries and the security forces are thought to be behind most attacks. Guerrilla groups have also been responsible for such killings.

“Trade unionists across Colombia are being sent a clear message: Don’t complain about your labour conditions or campaign to protect your rights because you will be silenced, at any cost,” said Susan Lee, Amnesty International’s Americas Programme Director.

“By failing to adequately protect trade unionists, the Colombian authorities are sending a message that abuses against them can continue, while companies operating in Colombia risk being held accountable for human rights abuses for which, through their conduct, they may bear responsibility.”

The report includes the cases of human rights abuses against trade unionists -- and their relatives -- working in Colombia’s health, education, public services, agricultural, mining, oil, gas, energy and food sectors.

Amnesty International is calling on companies working in Colombia to use their influence with the Colombian government to end and prevent human rights abuses against trade unionists.

“This report is a wake-up call for any multinational company operating in an environment in which human rights are systematically violated. Inaction is no longer an option,” said Susan Lee.

Successive Colombian governments have implemented policies to improve the safety of trade unionists, including a programme that allocates armed escorts, bullet-proof vehicles and telephones to some threatened trade unionists.

“While such measures are welcome, attacks against trade unionists will continue unless effective measures are taken to end the impunity enjoyed by those killing and threatening them.”

Amnesty International’s report also highlights the Tripartite Agreement signed by the Colombian government, Colombian business representatives and Colombia’s trade union confederations in June 2006, under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The agreement provides for the establishment of a permanent presence of the ILO in Colombia to monitor the application of freedom of association rights in the country and progress in efforts to advance investigations into the killing of trade unionists.

“The International Labour Organization (ILO) agreement is a key opportunity to tackle the human rights crisis facing trade unionists. It is now imperative that the Colombian authorities, multinational and Colombian companies, and the international labour movement work together with the office of the ILO in Bogotá to ensure investigations into all cases of threats and attacks against trade unionists and their relatives.”

For a list of some of the case studies included in Amnesty International's report, please see:

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR230162007

A copy of Amnesty International's report Killings, arbitrary detentions, and death threats -- the reality of trade unionism in Colombia will be available from 3 July on:

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR230012007

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Burma Shaved

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday accused Myanmar's ruling junta of committing serious abuses against detainees and civilians, in a rare public censure from the humanitarian agency.
The Swiss-based ICRC, which normally deals with governments under a cloak of confidentiality, said thousands of prisoners in former Burma were forced to work as porters for the military, carrying heavy materials and walking ahead of soldiers through areas laden with landmines.
People living near Myanmar's border with Thailand have also been subjected to systematic human rights violations, the ICRC said, citing witness reports of soldiers destroying villages' food stocks, forcing people from their homes, making arbitrary arrests and committing violence including murder.
"The ICRC has repeatedly drawn attention to these abuses but the authorities have failed to put a stop to them," ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said. "The continuing deadlock with the authorities has led the ICRC to take the exceptional step of making its concerns public."
The neutral organisation, mandated to monitor compliance with international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions, makes such denunciations extremely sparingly.
It has previously aired concerns over violations in Zimbabwe, then called Rhodesia, in 1979; during the Iran-Iraq war in 1987; in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992; in Rwanda in 1994; and in Israel in 2004 over the West Bank Barrier's routing.

Amazing it takes an awful lot for the Red Cross to break their ultra polite and discreet silence and go outside of internal political channels. About time.
Meanwhile there are a slew of Amnesty bulletins:

Amnesty International today called on the guerrilla groups Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) to immediately and unconditionally release all civilians they have abducted.

The call comes after the FARC published a press release in which the guerrilla group claimed that 11 of the 12 deputies from the Valle del Cauca departmental Assembly, kidnapped by the FARC since April 2002 – had been killed in crossfire last 18 June.

Amnesty International is calling on Iran's judicial and political authorities to order an immediate moratorium to prevent further executions of child offenders and to amend the laws so no children who commit crimes can be sentenced to death. In a new report, the organization said at least 71 child offenders were awaiting execution in Iran, where more child offenders have been executed than in any other country since 1990.

Amnesty International today called on the Guinean authorities to take immediate measures to stop security forces from using excessive force against unarmed civilians in policing operations. The organization also called on the government to provide judicial and material reparations to the families of over 130 killed and to the more than 1,500 injured during weeks of violent repression of mainly peaceful protests in January and February 2007.

One of the largest populations of internally displaced people per capita in the world faces discrimination, segregation and an uncertain future, according to a new report released by Amnesty International today. Some 600,000 Azerbaijanis have lived in internal displacement for over a decade as a result of the conflict between Armenians and Azeris for Nagorny Karabakh, a territory within Azerbaijan populated mainly by ethnic Armenians, between 1991 and 1994.

Although minimum essential levels of human rights have been provided for by the Azerbaijani government, with international assistance, Amnesty International is concerned that current measures are not adequate to provide for the progressive realization of human rights in a context of long-term displacement.

More at news.amnesty.org

The Enemy Within

Once more, religious extremists are attacking our liberties.

A senior Vatican cardinal said yesterday that Catholics should stop donating to human rights group Amnesty International because of its new policy advocating abortion rights for women if they had been raped, were a victim of incest or faced health risks.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, accused Amnesty of turning its back on its mission to defend human rights.

There have been increasing moves by Christian zealots to undermine our liberties, aided by the anti-Islamic covering fire provided by the right. While the general public are distracted by the repeated attacks on Islam, the Christian church steps ever closer towards fundamentalism. In recent months they have even threatened elected officials in their attempts to force politicians to criminalise abortion. And while these zealots continue to threaten our democracy, how does the right respond? With a noticeable silence. Perhaps our liberties and democracy aren't that important after all.

Amnesty Campaign on Free Speech in Turkey

Amnesty International are running a campaign to abolish Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. Please lend you support:

People in Turkey are being persecuted simply for expressing their opinion peacefully

In January Hrant Dink, a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist and human rights defender, was shot dead outside his offices. He was killed for his words - words that were thought to be a threat to the Turkish state.

Following his claim to be an Armenian from Turkey, Dink was accused of 'denigrating Turkishness' - illegal under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code. This triggered a hate campaign in the nationalist Turkish media which led to repeated death threats against him and his family.

Dink dedicated his life to democracy, mutual respect and freedom of expression and was persecuted for these convictions. Ultimately murdered. His assassination shows all too tragically the danger of Article 301. In contradiction to Turkey's international obligation to protect freedom of expression, 301 is now being used by ultra-nationalists to repress ideas and opinions and to persecute the people who hold them.

Article 301 must be abolished

At present, a number of Turkish writers, journalists, publishers, artists and human rights defenders are facing charges under 301. Most of them have been subjected to threats and intimidation.

Those of us who can must speak up in their defence

By making a donation today, you will be helping Amnesty keep up vital pressure on the Turkish authorities to end this violation of a fundamental human right.

Please make a donation to this campaign today

To donate, please click here.

News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

8 June 2007

Amnesty International's reaction to Council of Europe's report on renditions

In response to the second report by the Council of Europe's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, which confirms that the CIA has operated secret detention centres in Poland and Romania, and perhaps in other Council of Europe member states, Amnesty International said:

“Amnesty International applauds the report and the extraordinary investigative work undertaken by Mr. Marty’s office in getting to the well-concealed truth about the US-led secret detention program. With European complicity now clear, we believe it is time for states to take a long, hard look at how the misuse of state secrecy and national security doctrine has led them into a ‘legal and moral quagmire’, where secret detention, torture and other grave abuses can be practiced with impunity.”

The report strengthens Amnesty International’s finding that three former secret detainees, whose cases were extensively documented over a year ago, had been held in an Eastern European "black site".

Swiss Senator Dick Marty, who lead the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, has made clear that collusion with the US at the highest levels of government came not just from the countries most directly involved in the secret detention program, but from all the members and partners of NATO, who signed up to terms that allowed free reign to CIA operations. And his report deplores the fact that the concepts of state secrecy or national security are invoked by many Governments to obstruct judicial and/or parliamentary proceedings aimed at ensuring accountability of the executive in relation to grave allegations of human rights violations.

Amnesty International supports unequivocally the position that “terrorism can and must be combated by methods consistent with human rights and rule of law”, and calls for the United States and European states to end renditions and secret detention, conduct independent and thorough investigations into the practices, bring to justice those responsible for abuse and provide reparations to the victims.

AI Index: IOR 30/013/2007 8 June 2007

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Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at http://www.amnesty.org/news/. Visit http://www.amnesty.org for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of AmnestyInternational.

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News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

Guantánamo: Amnesty International responds to Military Commission Judge’s ruling to drop Khadr charges

Jumana Musa, Amnesty International’s legal observer at the military commission hearings in Guantánamo Bay for the last two years issued the following statement in response to today’s significant ruling by the military commissions judge to drop charges against Omar Khadr:

“Today’s ruling is the most significant setback since the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the original military commissions. It also signals that these commissions need to be scrapped and the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay must be closed now. The judge’s decision clearly indicates that a fair trial is not possible within a system that is being developed as it proceeds. It raises more questions about the Bush administration and Congress’ wisdom and logic in rushing to patch together a new system of justice, when there are fully functioning federal courts that can not only offer fair trials but also come with established procedure.”

For more information, please see United States of America: Justice delayed and justice denied? Trials under the Military Commissions Act on http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maagEs4abyZS7cksvcKb/

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You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed.

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Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at http://www.amnesty.org/news/ . Visit http://www.amnesty.org for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of AmnestyInternational.

Privacy policy http://web.amnesty.org/pages/aboutai-privacy-eng