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Feminist prize winner barred from leaving Iran

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:32:53 +0000

Iranian feminist and journalist Parvin Ardalan was prevented from leaving Iran on Sunday to travel to Sweden where she was to receive the 2007 Olof Palme Prize in Stockholm. She told the AFP news agency that after she boarded an Air France flight at Tehran airport she was paged and then told that she was not permitted to leave the country.

"They took my passport and asked me to refer to the presidential office department for passport affairs after 72 hours to take it back," she said. "The only reason for this move is to prevent me from taking part in the ceremony. I think this is unreasonable."

Parvin Ardalan, who lives in Tehran, is facing possible imprisonment for her part in organizing a demonstration in June 2006, calling for an end to legal discrimination against women in Iran.

She was briefly detained after the demonstration. In April 2007, she was convicted of acting against national security and sentenced to six months' actual imprisonment, with an additional 30 months suspended for five years. She remains free pending her appeal.

On 4 March 2007, during the trial, a peaceful protest was held outside the courtroom and Parvin Ardalan was among 33 women arrested. She was released four days later and was later charged with "gathering and colluding with the intent to harm national security, disturbing public order and disobeying police orders." No verdict has yet been reached on this.

On 29 February, the Iranian Women’s Association reported that Marzieh Mortazi Langaroudi, also among the 33 arrested, was given a suspended sentence of six months’ imprisonment and 10 lashes, although others accused in the same case have been cleared of any offence.

Parvin Ardalan is well-known for her past work for prominent publications such as the recently banned Zanan magazine, and more recently for the website Zanestan, closed down in November 2007.

She is a member of the Women’s Cultural Centre, a non-governmental organization, and a founder member of the Campaign for Equality, which aims to collect a million signatures of Iranians demanding equality for women under the law.

In August 2007, Nasim Sarabandi and Fatemeh Dehdashti were the first women among the campaign’s activists to receive prison sentences. Detained for 24 hours in January 2007 while collecting signatures in Tehran, they were later sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. They were charged with "acting against state security by propaganda against the system."

62-year-old Ehteram Shadfar became the latest to be convicted of collecting signatures on 19 February 2008. She also received a six-month suspended sentence.

Over 40 others have been detained in connection with their campaigning activities, including Reza Dowlatshah. He was hosting an educational workshop for the campaign in September 2007, when he was detained for three days and beaten

The annual Olof Palme Prize was created to promote peace and disarmament and to combat racism and xenophobia. It is awarded for an outstanding achievement in the spirit of Olof Palme, the former Swedish Prime Minister who was assassinated in 1986.

The Olof Palme Memorial Fund website says that Parvin Ardalan was chosen because she has "succeeded in making the demand for equal rights for men and women a central part of the struggle for democracy in Iran."

The prize ceremony is to be held on 6 March.

Video: Worldwide actions to close Guantánamo

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:28:43 +0000

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Thousands of people, including Amnesty International members and supporters from around the world, have taken action to mark the sixth anniversary of the first transfers of detainees to Guantánamo. Amnesty International staged protests in 30 countries on Friday, 11 January.

The world shouts 'Close Guantánamo'

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:55:25 +0000

Click on the pictures to the right to watch a slideshow with images of the day.

More than simply a call for closure, Amnesty International once again presented the US government with the organization’s framework for ending illegal detentions, whether at Guantánamo or elsewhere. This time, the framework was supported by over 1,200 parliamentarians from around the world.

In some countries, including Belgium and Ireland, some of the parliamentarians accompanied Amnesty International activists at their events and demonstrations.

The infamous orange jumpsuit – closely associated with the inhumanity and illegality of Guantánamo – became once more the icon of this anniversary. There was also street theatre, poetry readings, the recreation of Guantánamo cells in city centres, speeches, rallies and cyber activism.

US military chief wants to close Guantánamo

On Sunday, two days after the anniversary, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Navy Admiral Michael Mullen became the latest US official to say that Guantánamo should be shut down.

“More that anything else, I just think it has been the image – how Gitmo has become around the world, in terms of representing the United States. I believe from the standpoint of how it reflects on us that it’s been pretty damaging.”

What you can still do

Go to tearitdown.org and add your support to Amnesty International’s framework to end illegal US detentions.

Post a tearitdown banner in your website or blog.

World marks sixth anniversary of Guantánamo Bay

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:56:54 +0000

Amnesty International is leading worldwide events, rallies and meetings to mark the sixth anniversary of the first transfers of detainees to Guantánamo Bay. People around the world will be taking action to seek the immediate closure of the detention centre and an end to all illegal detentions.

Amnesty International events for the anniversary will showcase the recently declassified “Poems from Guantánamo” in countries including Bahrain, Luxembourg, Denmark and Spain. An Amnesty International activist in Bahrain described the poetry reading as “another step forward in our struggle to let the voices of the detainees reach the world... We hope that this anniversary is the last one and that Guantánamo Bay is closed forever.”

Over 1,200 parliamentary representatives from many countries around the world have signed a declaration calling to end illegal detention by the US government carried out in the name of counter-terrorism. Hundreds signed from parliaments across continental Europe, the UK, and Israel – countries that are the staunchest US allies in the “war on terror”.

Other key events include:
UK: In London, there will be an all-night vigil around a replica Guantánamo cage, filled every hour with a new ‘captive’. The morning after will see a mass demonstration in front of the US embassy in London. Hundreds of protestors in orange jumpsuits will sit in stress positions under the eyes of faux US guards. Rallies will also be held at the US Consulate in Edinburgh and through the streets of Belfast.

When: 10-11 January 2008
Time: Vigil begins 5.30pm local time, 10 January. Demo begins 10.30am local time, 11 January
Where: US embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE

USA: In Washington DC, Amnesty International members and other activists will gather on the National Mall dressed in orange jumpsuits to urge Congress and the Bush administration to shut down Guantánamo. Approximately 100,000 signatures from US citizens and the declaration signed by over 1,200 parliamentarians will be sent to the Bush administration and Presidential candidates.

When: 11 January 2008
Time: 11.00am - 12:30pm local time
Where: National Mall, Washington DC

Sweden: Central Stockholm will host the ‘Guantánamo Bay Luxury Resort’, with activists in jumpsuits leaning back in deckchairs among palm trees, sun and cocktails. In conjunction with the stunt, three Swedish parliamentarians and Director of AI Sweden will give speeches to stress the continuing plight of detainees at Guantánamo Bay.

When: 11 January 2008
Time: 4pm local time
Where: Norrmalmstorg, square in Central Stockholm

Ireland: Towns across the country will find lone participants dressed in orange jumpsuits, white facemasks and placards. Each "statue" will aim to highlight the issue of solitary confinement, while identifying a specific individual in Guantánamo. Other AI members will collect signatures on a petition to be delivered to the US Ambassador. There will also be a poetry competition launched for secondary school students, asked to create poems using only the materials available to prisoners in Guantánamo: white sheets, toilet rolls, plastic cups, etc.

Time: 5-11 January 2008
Where: Towns across Ireland

Bahrain: A poetry reading night will feature former detainees Abdulla Al-Noaimi, released from Guantánamo in 2005 and key contributor to the book "Poems from Guantánamo". Poems by Jumah al-Dossari will also be read.

When: Sat 12 January 2008
Time: 7.30pm local time
Where: Bahrain Human Rights Society

Paraguay: Amnesty International activists will gather at a square in central Asunción and stage a street theatre re-enactment of Guantánamo, as well as collecting more signatures for petitions to close the detention centre and to stop torture and rendition worldwide.

The Philippines: Amnesty International will host a motorcade and street drama demonstration near the US embassy in Manila, also aiming to mobilize supporters from the AI Philippines membership and the United Against Torture Coalition (UATC).

More events are planned in many other countries.

Conference Report

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:40:45 +0000

Amnesty International / Reprieve Conference

The Global Struggle Against Torture: Guantánamo Bay, Bagram and Beyond, 19-21 November 2005

SUMMARY BY DATE:

Saturday, 19 November 2005

Sunday, 20 November 2005

Monday, 21 November 2005

Saturday, 19 November 2005: Torture doesn't stop terror. Torture is terror

Survivors of torture and other ill-treatment in Guantánamo Bay spoke at a conference hosted by Amnesty International (AI) and Reprieve. For several, this was the first time they had seen each other since their release. For two of them, it was the first time they had met, even though they had been held in neighbouring cages.

Eight UK nationals told their stories of how they ended up in Guantánamo and the horrors they endured. In stark contrast to US President George Bush's assertion that the USA does not torture, Moazzam Begg, a UK national who was held in the US-run detention centre, said that "torture does happen, it continues to happen, and it destroys lives."

He and other former detainees spoke of being shackled in painful stress positions, their extreme fear and exhaustion, the lack of medical care, the beatings and broken bones. They highlighted how the rule of law was denied to those in Guantánamo. One reported that, on arrival, he was told by a US soldier "you have no rights to make a phone call, to see a lawyer, to do anything except what we tell you."

With torture thriving in secrecy and the US government blocking meaningful access to Guantánamo, Clive Stafford Smith, Legal Director of Reprieve, said, "if we open Guantánamo up, they will have to close it down."

A panel of experts looked at how to challenge the practice of "outsourcing" torture and the use of "evidence" obtained from torture abroad. Governments that want to ignore the ban on sending people to countries where they risk torture or other ill-treatment have sought "diplomatic assurances" that the person will not be ill-treated on arrival. These assurances were described as not worth the paper they are written on.

Elsewhere, delegates shared their campaigning and legal strategies to combat torture.

The day ended with several family members in tears, talking about their loved ones in Guantánamo Bay.

The conference continues with detainees, family members, lawyers and other activists not only sharing stories but, as Irene Khan, AI Secretary General, said, "harnessing the voices of all who know that torture doesn't stop terror. Torture is terror."

Sunday, 20 November 2005: Torture is killing a person without them dying

"I didn't want to make a big, grand speech. I am just deeply hurt," a mother said after talking about her son detained in Guantánamo Bay. As they did yesterday at the conference hosted by Amnesty International and Reprieve, family members expressed the difficulties and desperation of not knowing if their loved one is being tortured and whether they will ever see them again.

One US research group estimates there to be some eight to 15 secret detention sites throughout the world in at least eight countries. It's believed that detainees are being moved from site to site to evade public knowledge and scrutiny and that foreign intelligence agents are being used to extract information, usually through torture and ill-treatment.

Prolonged incommunicado detention can amount to torture. A Canadian, picked up in a US Airport, sent to Jordan and then to Syria, agreed -- the 10 months and 10 days he was held alone in a dark cell 0.9 meters long by 1.8 meters deep by 2.1 meters high was torture, as were the beatings he received.

When people are held in secret detention and the authorities refuse to disclose their fate or whereabouts, they are described as having been "disappeared". Such "disappearances" often go hand-in-hand with torture and other ill-treatment.

Family members of people who have been "disappeared" are themselves being ill-treated when deliberately deprived of any information and are desperate for news. But as a panelist noted, "while the government practice of 'disappearances' may erase someone from society for a time, the memory of the person cannot be erased. This memory is what spurs family, friends, activists to search for them, no matter what. Eventually, the truth comes out."

The conference discussed the medical impact and effects of torture. One medical expert described torture as "killing a person without them dying". Juvenile detentions, problems with the repatriation of formers detainees, as well as litigation strategies and the role of the UN in defense of individuals' rights were addressed by ex-detainees, family members, lawyers and other activists.

Despite the immense challenges, participants are making new contacts, sharing ideas and strategies and exploring new approaches to combating torture together.

The conference day ended on a rousing note with an impromptu rap performed by an ex-detainee released earlier this year after more than two and a half years in Guantánamo Bay.

Monday, 21 November 2005: Guantánamo: only the tip of the iceberg

“Where is public outrage?" asked Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, on the final day of conference the organisation has hosted with Reprieve conference.

In the past three days, the conference has highlighted Guantánamo, where many conference delegates have spent time, as the public face of authority stepping outside the rule law in the name of the "war on terror".

However, Guantánamo is only the tip of an iceberg of abuse. Secret detentions, renditions, unfair trials and "disappearances" are practices that fuel torture and create division; ultimately endangering us all.

"We are forced to grapple with a betrayal of common values, double standards and double speak," Ms. Khan said. "Only through continuing to work together: ex-detainees, families, lawyers and other activists -- using a variety of tactics, from media work to litigation, demonstrations to letter-writing -- can we end the abuse and combat impunity for torture and other ill-treatment."

"Through AI's global network of activists in 74 countries, we must galvanize public opinion to work towards achieving security through the respect of human rights and dignity. We each must take the responsibility of shattering public apathy. "

In the words of Clive Stafford-Smith, Reprieve's Legal Director: "What are YOU going to do about it?"