Amnesty International Press Release Feed

Zimbabwe: Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:46:22 +0100

On Saturday 12 July 2008, following a call by CIVICUS: World Alliance For Citizen Participation, Amnesty International and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), citizens of Africa will unite to express their solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering persistent violations of their rights. Saturday represents the launch of a Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe, and will be followed by events continent-wide.

The widespread killings, torture and intimidation of the political opposition that characterised the presidential election run-off on June 27 cannot be condoned under any circumstances. “By flagrantly and consistently violating the values upon which present day Africa is premised, Mr Mugabe has done great disservice to the people of Zimbabwe and the continent. We believe it is the responsibility of all Africans to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe’s anti-democratic activities” said Kumi Naidoo Honorary President of CIVICUS.

“The widespread killings, torture and assault of perceived opposition supporters must come to an end in Zimbabwe. Concrete action is long overdue and African leaders must end their silent acquiescence,” said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

In this hour of crisis, the people of Africa stand together with the people of Zimbabwe. “We urge African leaders to call for space to be opened up so that civil society can play a role in tackling Zimbabwe’s current crisis – we are needed now more than ever as millions of people face hunger through growing food insecurity brought on by mis-governance.” said Adelaide Sosseh, GCAP Co-chair based in The Gambia.

Saturday’s Pan-African events will express the concern of people continent-wide for the situation in Zimbabwe, and demonstrate the unity with which Africans stand against the violations committed against Zimbabwe’s people. It represents the beginning of an Africa-wide campaign at the grassroots level, allowing African voices to speak out about injustice in Zimbabwe.

Note to Editors:
There are a growing number of African voices speaking out against the suffering in Zimbabwe and demanding action from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and individual African governments. The types of action that they are calling for include:

Appointment of an independent commission of inquiry to look into the recent human rights violations and abuses
Posting of human rights monitors to report on the current situation
Urge a solution to the present political crisis and deep divisions amongst the people of Zimbabwe in the spirit of reconciliation and dialogue
Restoration of the independence of the judiciary and accountability of security forces and law enforcement agencies

There will be a range of activities taking place across the African continent on Saturday 12 July 2008, organised by local civil society organisations and concerned citizens. The expressions of solidarity that they will be making include:

Organising vigils outside the Zimbabwean embassies
Assembling outside government buildings or Houses of Parliament urging national governments to play a more active role on Zimbabwe
Meetings with heads of state, parliamentarians or local governments to urge action on Zimbabwe
Publishing articles or letters in the national or local press on violations of human and people’s rights in Zimbabwe
Organising press conferences with civil society representatives, government representatives and other experts on Zimbabwe
Issuing a press releases urging action on Zimbabwe
Directing people to sign a petition or take an e-action
Presenting memorandums or submissions to the African Union, Southern African Development Community and national governments

CIVICUS statement on Zimbabwe:
http://www.civicus.org/new/media/CIVICUS-Zimbabwe-Statement.pdf

Amnesty International statement on Zimbabwe:
http://www.amnesty.org/

GCAP statement on Zimbabwe:
http://www.whiteband.org/media/press-info/au-summit-egypt-the-chance-for...

For further information, please contact:
For CIVICUS:                                 For media queries:
Anupama Selvam                          Nastasya Tay
anupama.selvam@civicus.org nastasya.tay@civicus.org
+27 11 833 5959 ext. 107           +27 73 266 0493

For GCAP:                                     For Amnesty International:
Joe Donlin                                      On Call Press Officer
joe.donlin@civicus.org                 + 44 0777 847 2126

UK: Stronger witness protection needed to ensure accountability for war crimes

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:33:44 +0100

Amnesty International today expressed disappointment at the deportation from the UK of Sri Lankan national Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Karuna, who is alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka. He was deported following his conviction on immigration charges.

"The deportation of Karuna now means that the investigation by the UK authorities into these allegations has come to an end. Karuna is entitled to be presumed innocent, until and unless guilt can be proved beyond reasonable doubt in a fair trial. We will, however, be writing to the authorities of Sri Lanka to ask for an investigation to be started there into these allegations," said Amnesty International.

"We are also concerned that the investigation collapsed because the UK government did not dedicate the necessary resources to it and did not sufficiently reassure the victims or their relatives of their safety under a witness protection programme."

A number of non-governmental organizations had presented information to the Metropolitan Police (London's police force) relating to grave allegations of human rights abuses committed by Karuna. These included statements by victims and witnesses, and names of witnesses who were prepared to provide relevant details about Karuna’s alleged responsibility for or involvement in Sri Lanka in incidents of torture, hostage-taking, and the recruitment and use of children as soldiers in combat.

Amnesty International had also received testimonies from potential witnesses, but they were unwilling to testify or present their testimonies to the Metropolitan Police for fear of reprisals in the UK and in Sri Lanka. The organization is aware of at least one witness in Sri Lanka who provided information to the Metropolitan Police and who is still in Sri Lanka, without having been given any protection in that country, or having been given the choice of being relocated elsewhere. Amnesty International is concerned that this witness may now face a real risk of reprisals for having given information to the police investigation into Karuna.

“We have expressed our concerns to the Metropolitan Police that not enough may have been done to protect witnesses, and reassure potential witnesses, as they conducted their investigation. We would like to see the UK authorities introduce new measures in the future to try war criminals and protect witnesses,” said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to establish effective witness protection programmes for investigations into allegations such as these, modelled on the witness protection programmes of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court. The organization also calls on the UK authorities to set up an independent and specialized police and prosecution unit with sufficient resources to deal with crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes.

Background
Karuna was a prominent leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an armed opposition group fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. He left the LTTE to set up his own splinter group, the Tamileel Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, or People's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (TMVP), which also has a political wing. Since March 2004, the group appears to have been operating with the support of the Sri Lankan Army to challenge the LTTE in eastern Sri Lanka.

He was residing in the United Kingdom when he was taken into custody and charged by UK authorities in November 2007 in relation to immigration offences, for which he was subsequently convicted.

Although the allegations against Karuna relate to actions in Sri Lanka, the courts in the UK could have exercised jurisdiction over a number of the offences he is alleged to have committed:

over acts of torture committed since March 2004 (the date when Karuna became allied with government forces), in violation of Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; courts in the UK can try any individual for this offence if committed by, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official or person acting in an official capacity, no matter what the nationality of the perpetrator or where the alleged offence was committed: it is an offence of so-called ‘universal jurisdiction’;
acts of hostage taking committed since 1982, in violation of Section 1 (1) of the Taking of Hostages Act 1982: again, this is an offence of universal jurisdiction, for which the courts in the UK can try someone of any nationality, no matter where the offence was committed;
war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since September 2001, in violation of the International Criminal Court Act 2001: by virtue of s.51(2)(b) of that Act, the courts in the UK can try someone for a war crime or crime against humanity committed outside the UK, provided that the person is either a UK national, a UK resident or a person subject to UK service jurisdiction, such as serving members of the UK armed forces. To the best of Amnesty International's knowledge, Karuna was resident in the UK, for the purposes of this Act, at the time of his arrest in November 2007.

Amnesty International wrote to the Metropolitan Police raising concerns about the investigation on 14 May and again on 4 June 2008 but has not yet received any replies to these letters.

ENDS/

Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org

Olympics: AI’s actions for a positive human rights legacy for the Games

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:05:04 +0100

Tens of thousands of Amnesty International members around the world will participate in public actions in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics to call on the Chinese authorities to fulfil the commitments they made to improve human rights as part of hosting the Olympics.

“The Olympic Games provides a great opportunity to further human rights, to improve the lives of all in China. It is up to the authorities to decide how the Games will be remembered, “said Amnesty International.

The actions will include:

JULY
08 – Month run up to Olympics: Amnesty International will issue an Open Letter addressed to Chinese President Hu Jintao with five recommendations to improve human rights in China before the Olympics.

12 - Eve of anniversary of Beijing being granted the Olympic Games (on 13 July 2001) – Amnesty International will organize an aerial art stunt in Athens with Circle Up Now. This will be part of a series of similar aerial art events to take place in over 20 locations across the world.

24 - Ye Guozhu [jailed housing rights activist] expected release

25 - Shi Tao’s [jailed journalist] and Hu Jia’s [human rights activist] birthdays (more information on: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA17/017/2008

29 - 10 day countdown to Beijing Olympics - Amnesty International will issue an updated fact sheet with the organization’s key human rights concerns regarding China, looking at areas such as attacks against human rights activists, unfair trials, press freedom and the use of the death penalty.

AUGUST
02-03 IOC Executive Board Meeting, Beijing

05-07 120th IOC session, Beijing

08-24 – Beijing Summer Olympics

SEPTEMBER
06-15 - Paralympics

Amnesty International’s experts are available for interviews in English, French, Spanish and Chinese in London and Hong Kong.

For more information or to organize an interview, please contact:

Josefina Salomon, press officer, Phone: +44 207 413 5562, M: +44 7778 472 116, jsalomon@amnesty.org

Mongolia: Call for restraint after violent protests

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:59:48 +0100

Amnesty International today called for restraint by both the authorities and the protesters to prevent any further deaths or injuries following the violent protests in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. According to press reports, five people have been killed, more than 300 injured and hundreds detained.

Mongolia's government imposed a four-day state of emergency on Tuesday and deployed armed forces and border police in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to support the police force.

"A state of emergency does not mean the government can ignore human rights," said Amnesty International.

"The government must immediately send clear instructions to the security forces to avoid any excessive use of force.

"Once the situation has calmed, they should also conduct independent and impartial inquiries into the killings and prosecute those responsible, including police officers.

"At the same time, any protestors who have been detained should be properly charged and tried, or released.”

Colombia: All hostages must be released

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:01:06 +0100

In reaction to the news that former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt has at last gained her freedom, Amnesty International said:

“This is positive news but we should not forget about the other hundreds who continue to be held across Colombia. We urge the FARC to release them immediately and unconditionally."

Lebanon: Irene Khan urges action on human rights

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:15:34 +0100

(Beirut: 27 June) Secretary General Irene Khan called on top Lebanese officials today to reaffirm their commitment to human rights by taking concrete action, including the creation of a fully independent judicial system.

In a meeting with President Michel Suleiman, Ms. Khan urged him to show leadership for human rights issues during his term in office.

Ms. Khan, who also met with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, asked all three leaders to work towards the establishment of a fully independent judicial system for Lebanon as a first step towards ending impunity. She stressed the need for full and independent investigations of human rights abuses during the recent incidents of political violence.

She also called on Lebanon to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

Welcoming the initiative of the Parliament to develop a National Human Rights Plan, Ms. Khan said a widespread consultation on the project was needed.

She called for more protection for the rights of foreigners in Lebanon, in particular Palestinian and Iraqi refugees and migrant workers.

On Saturday, Ms. Khan will receive an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the American University of Beirut, in recognition for her contribution to human rights.

Mauritania: Under pressure from the European Union, migrants face illegal arrest and collective expulsion

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:53:42 +0100

Irregular migrants attempting to reach Europe are being arrested, ill-treated and collectively expelled from Mauritania -- sometimes not to their home countries -- and without opportunity to challenge the decision, according to findings published in an Amnesty International report released today.

“This policy of arrests and collective expulsions by the Mauritanian authorities is the result of intense pressure exerted on Mauritania by the European Union (EU), and Spain in particular, as they seek to involve certain African countries in their attempt to combat irregular migration to Europe,” said Salvatore Saguès, Amnesty International’s West Africa Researcher.

Since 2006, thousands of migrants -- suspected of setting out from Mauritania with the intention of entering the EU via the Canary Islands (Spain) -- have been arrested. Many of these people are held by members of the Mauritanian security forces in a detention centre at Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania, informally called Guantánamito (‘little Guantánamo’) by local residents and migrants.

The Nouadhibou detention centre -- an old school where former classrooms have been filled with bunk beds -- receives up to 300 people a month but is not subject to any judicial control. The migrants are held in overcrowded conditions and sometimes ill-treated.

According to the National Security Service, 3,257 people were held in the centre in 2007, all were then sent to Senegal and Mali, regardless of their nationality or country of origin. These people are left at the border, often without much food and no means of transport.

The report ‘Mauritania: Nobody wants to have anything to do with us, arrests and collective expulsions of migrants denied entry into Europe’, also expresses concern that, in the name of the fight against irregular migration, the Mauritanian authorities have arrested West African nationals living in Mauritania who had no apparent intention to leave the country. Some were arrested on the streets or in their homes and many were also often robbed of their possessions by Mauritanian security forces.

Amnesty International calls on the Mauritanian authorities to ensure that their security forces are abiding by international law.

The organization also calls on the EU and its member states, most notably Spain, to take responsibility for ensuring that migrants are treated according to international human rights standards.

“EU states are using countries such as Mauritania to manage the flow of migrants who attempt to reach Europe from their territory. They have become the de facto ‘policemen of Europe’,” said Salvatore Saguès.

Background
The 50 page report ‘Mauritania: Nobody wants to have anything to do with us, arrests and collective expulsions of migrants denied entry into Europe’, (AFR 38/001/2008) published today, is the result of a fact-finding mission by Amnesty International delegates in Mauritania in March 2008. They interviewed people held at the detention centre in Nouadhibou, migrants who had been accused of attempting to get to Europe via the Canary Islands. They also met senior officials of the Mauritanian authorities and diplomatic representatives of Spain in Mauritania.

Mauritania, which has traditionally been welcoming in its attitude to large numbers of nationals of neighbouring countries, signed an agreement with Spain in 2003 which obliges it to readmit onto its territory not only Mauritanian citizens but also the nationals of third countries where it has been “ascertained” or “presumed” that they have attempted to travel to Spain from the Mauritanian coast. Mauritania has also agreed to the presence on its soil of an aeroplane and a helicopter, deployed in the context of an operation conducted by the EU in order to control its external borders.

Zimbabwe: State-sponsored violence and coercion create fundamentally flawed election

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:08:26 +0100

Amnesty International today said that it is deeply disturbed by the continuing campaign of state violence and intimidation as part of a deliberate strategy by the Zimbabwean government to ensure that Robert Mugabe wins today’s presidential election. The decision to hold the vote today comes despite calls by the international community to postpone the election until the security situation in Zimbabwe has improved.

“Today’s election is being held against a backdrop of widespread killings, torture and assault of perceived opposition supporters” said Amnesty International.

“Zimbabwe has been allowed to operate outside the African Union (AU) and UN human rights framework for far too long. It is time for effective African and international solidarity with the victims of human rights violations in Zimbabwe. The people must not be left alone to suffer this ongoing violence.”

Amnesty International urges the AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to apply all necessary pressure on President Mugabe and his government to end the violence, and calls for a special session of the AU’s Peace and Security Council to consider the situation in Zimbabwe.

“The silence by the AU Assembly Chairman, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, with regard to the situation in Zimbabwe has been deafening – and is contrary to its own principles of respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said Amnesty International.

“The AU Chairman should, during the upcoming Assembly of the African Union next week, strongly and openly condemn the human rights violations occurring in Zimbabwe. Anything less is an abdication of its responsibilities”.

“The AU should, in collaboration with SADC, immediately put human rights monitors on the ground in Zimbabwe and set up an international commission of inquiry to investigate the ongoing violence so that those responsible can be brought to justice”.

Amnesty International said that while the election takes place, hundreds of political and human rights activists remain detained in Zimbabwean prisons -- arbitrarily denied bail -- simply for exercising their political rights, including the right to freedom of association. Amnesty International considers all detainees arrested simply because of their perceived political affiliation or exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly to be Prisoners of Conscience and calls for their immediate and unconditional release.

“Human rights activists like Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu from WOZA [Women of Zimbabwe Arise] are languishing in prison, solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful protest,” said Amnesty International.

“Meanwhile, murderers, torturers, and other perpetrators of human rights violations are left at large and given free rein to commit further human rights violations with impunity.”

Note to editors:
Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are leaders of the activist organisation Woman of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), who were arrested and detained on 28 May 2008 after participating in a peaceful protest against post election violence. They were arbitrarily denied bail by the High Court and are set to appear in court on 3 July. They are being held at Chikurubi Maximum Prison in Harare. They were arrested for exercising their constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest. Amnesty International considers them to be Prisoners of Conscience.

Europe in ‘state of denial’ over role in US rendition and secret detention

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:07:15 +0100

Amnesty International today warned that not a single measure has been taken to prevent further European involvement in rendition and secret detention, and called for independent investigations to be initiated urgently.

Amnesty International’s report, State of denial: Europe’s role in rendition and secret detention, published today, shed further light on the extent of Europe’s role in the US-led rendition and secret detention programmes, and on the continuing failure of European states to admit or investigate violations carried out by their nationals or on their territory

“European governments are in a state of denial and have been sidestepping the truth for too long,” said Amnesty International. “Their involvement in renditions and secret detention runs in stark contrast to their claims to be responsible actors in the fight against terrorism.”

The report highlights six cases – involving 13 individuals -- and details the involvement of European states – ranging from allowing CIA flights headed for rendition circuits to use European airports and airspace to hosting secret detention centres, or “black sites” – and calls for concerted action, Europe-wide, to ensure non-repetition of these violations.

Six of those rendered from Europe remain in illegal detention in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, another is being held in Egypt after an unfair trial before a military court. All of the victims of rendition and secret detention interviewed by Amnesty International say they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated.

“The growing evidence of Europe’s partnership in the US rendition programme reinforces the urgent need for measures to prevent further complicity,” said Amnesty International

The organization pointed out that a state is responsible for a violation of international law if it knowingly helps another state to commit a human rights violation. Any European agent who knowingly participated in the CIA’s rendition or detention programme has violated their state’s legal obligations – whether the role they played was active or passive, whether or not others in their government authorized their activities.

“There is an accountability gap: those responsible for abductions and unlawful transfers have yet to be held to account,” said Amnesty International.

German national Khaled el-Masri, for example, was seized in Macedonia before being turned over to the US and rendered to Afghanistan, where he says he was held in secret, beaten and interrogated by US agents, and questioned by a native German speaker called "Sam". After four months, US agents flew him by night to Albania, drove him to a remote country lane, and told him to walk away: “as I walked I feared that I was about to be shot in the back and left to die.” Instead, he was met by armed Albanian officials who put him on a plane for Germany. More than four years later, he has yet to receive any official acknowledgement of his detention, let alone reparations for the violations he suffered. Those responsible -- in Europe and the US -- have never been held to account.

“Despite individual prosecutors making efforts to investigate and ensure accountability for past violations, European governments have invoked national security or state secrecy grounds to stymie investigations.”

Amnesty International said that in some cases, while family members in Europe did not know where or even if their missing relative was being detained, European states had actually interrogated the detainee in foreign prisons – and concealed his fate and whereabouts.

“A European interrogator who poses questions to a detainee knowing that he is in a situation of ongoing pain and suffering risks complicity in the torture,” said Amnesty International. “When a state refuses to acknowledge the detention of a person who has disappeared, or disclose their whereabouts, this refusal also violates the rights of the families of those missing.”

Amnesty International issued a six-point plan for ending European involvement in renditions and secret detention that calls on states to condemn rendition and secret detention; initiate independent investigations into all cases implicating European agents or territory; bring the perpetrators to justice; ensure oversight of intelligence agencies; refuse to carry out or facilitate the transfer of any detainee to another state without appropriate judicial supervision; and provide reparations for victims.

Other recommendations include requiring that any aircraft seeking permission to travel across or land in European territory indicate whether any passengers on board are deprived of their liberty, and if so, their status, destination and the legal basis for their transfer.

Amnesty International reiterated that governments have an obligation to protect people from terrorist attacks, but must do so within the framework of human rights and the rule of international law. Rendition and secret detention undermine such measures by restricting the ability of states to bring to justice those responsible for acts of terrorism.

“Government support for activities designed to evade public scrutiny weakens the rule of law, which is the foundation for genuine security,” said Amnesty International.

Tunisia: Human rights lip service

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:37:52 +0100

The Tunisian government is misleading the world as it conveys a positive image of the human rights situation in the country while abuses by its security forces continue unabated and are committed with impunity, Amnesty International revealed in a new report today.

“The Tunisian government has repeatedly asserted that it abides by its international human rights obligations, yet this is far from the reality. It is high time that the authorities stop paying lip service to human rights and take concrete action to end abuses,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme. “As a first step, the Tunisian authorities must acknowledge the disturbing allegations documented in this report, commit to investigating them and bring those responsible to justice."

The report, In the Name of Security: Routine Abuses in Tunisia, details Amnesty International’s concerns regarding serious human rights violations being committed in connection with the government's security and counter-terrorism policies. In their efforts to prevent the formation of what they call “terrorist cells” inside Tunisia, the authorities have been responsible for arbitrary arrests and detentions which breach Tunisian law, and have forcibly disappeared detainees, used torture and other ill-treatment and tried, convicted and sentenced people using unfair proceedings. In addition, they have tried civilians before military courts and produced little evidence to substantiate the charges.

A broad definition of terrorism in the Tunisian Anti-Terrorism Law is used by the authorities to criminalize legitimate and peaceful opposition activities. Although some legal reforms were introduced in recent years to provide better protection for detainees, the laws are routinely flouted by the Tunisian security forces, and have not served as an adequate safeguard against torture, unfair trial and other serious human rights abuses.

Ramzi el Aifi, Ousama Abbadi and Mahdi Ben Elhaj Ali were three of the co-defendants in the Soliman case. Their lawyers report that they were punched, tied up and kicked by prison guards at Mornaguia prison on 16 October 2007, apparently because they had gone on hunger strike in protest against their conditions of detention. Abbadi sustained a serious eye injury and a deep, open leg wound and was in a wheelchair, unable to stand, when seen by his lawyer on 20 October 2007. Ramzi el Aifi told his lawyer that he had been tied up with a rope, beaten up and that a stick had been inserted into his anus. No investigation into these abuses is known to have been initiated by the Tunisian authorities and those allegedly responsible have not faced ustice. Ramzi el Aifi and Ousama Abbadi were sentenced to life imprisonment, though Abbadi's sentence was reduced to 30 years' imprisonment on appeal. Mahdi Ben Elhaj Ali was sentenced to 12 years in prison, reduced to eight years on appeal.

Most human rights abuses are committed by forces of the Department of State Security (DSS), who use torture virtually with impunity.

By failing to investigate allegations of torture, the Public Prosecutor and his staff as well as judges, who often lack independence, effectively help to cover up instances in which detainees are held incommuncado for prolonged periods in breach of Tunisia's own law, as well as torture of detainees in violation of Tunisian and international law. Through their silence and failure to act, they become complicit in the abuses.

“The Tunisian authorities have an obligation to protect the public and combat terrorism, but when doing so they must comply with their obligations under international human rights law," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. "They must ensure that the anti-terrorism and related provisions do not facilitate human rights abuses, and that, in practice, the DDS and other security forces at all times fully respect international human rights laws and standards.”

Despite this record of abuses, a number of Arab and European governments and the US government have returned people they suspected of involvement in terrorism to Tunisia, where they have then suffered arbitrary arrest and detention, torture or other ill-treatment, and blatantly unfair trials.

Houssine Tarkhani was forcibly returned from France to Tunisia on 3 June 2007, and detained on arrival. He was kept in secret detention in the DSS in Tunis for nine days, in violation of international human rights law, as well as three days longer even than the period permitted by Tunisian law for garde à vue detention. During this time, his lawyer reported, Houssine Tarkhani was beaten with a stick all over his body, given electric shocks, insulted and threatened with death. He was subjected to further beating when he asked to be allowed to read the police report, which he was not permitted to read. During tis detention in garde à vue, none of his immediate relatives were informed of his detention as required under Tunisian law. His family knew of his whereabouts only when he was brought before an investigating judge on 12 June 2007. He first appeared before the investigating judge without the assistance of his lawyers, who were not permitted access to him until 19 June 2007, when they saw him at Mornaguia prison. His lawyer’s request to have him examined for evidence of torture still remains unanswered.

“Instead of forcibly returning Tunisian nationals who face torture and unfair trials, foreign governments should be pressing the Tunisian government to take concrete steps to promote human rights reform,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

Note to editors:

Amnesty International experts will present the findings of the report at a press briefing in Paris at 15:00 GMT on Monday 23 June.

To arrange for an interview with a spokesperson in Paris, please contact Aurélie Chatelard on + 33 (0) 6 76 94 37 05.

To arrange for an interview with a spokesperson in London, please contact Nicole Choueiry, Middle East and North Africa Press Officer on +44 (0) 7831 640 170.