Web pages about "Discrimination"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gay rights face old threats in new Europe

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:08:27 +0100

The Gay Pride march in Riga on Saturday (31 May) may have passed largely without incident, but elsewhere in Europe, the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to claim their rights and celebrate their identity is under threat.

Hundreds of people, including Amnesty International activists from 30 countries, joined the celebratory Riga Pride parade through Latvia’s capital, protected from counter-protesters by police. Yet a similar event in Moscow has been banned by the city’s mayor for the third year running. And in Turkey, leading LGBT rights group Lambda Istanbul has been banned by a court ruling.

On Sunday 1 June, gay rights activists in Moscow staged a protest against Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s ban. They managed to hang a large banner from the window of a flat near the mayor’s office in the city centre. The banner read "rights for gays and lesbians, homophobic Mayor Luzhkov to court".

According to official information, 36 people were preventatively detained by police. Most of them were opponents of LGBT rights action. None were charged. At least one gay rights activist was attacked and kicked to the ground.

From late April onwards, gay rights activists had applied to the Mayor’s office for permission to hold a march or a meeting. According to Nikolai Alekseev, the main organizer of gay rights parades, 155 applications were handed in. None were sanctioned by the authorities.

Under Russian law, authorities can’t simply ban a public meeting, unless that meeting is against the laws and constitution of the Russian Federation. The authorities can propose a different date, a different location and have to provide reasonable arguments as to why they propose these changes. The Moscow authorities did not do this.

In Turkey on 29 May, the Third Civil Court of First Instance in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul ruled in favour of a complaint brought by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, and ordered the closing of Lambda Istanbul, a group advocating LGBT people’s human rights.

The complaint, made in early 2007, claimed that the name and objectives of the group were offensive to Turkish "moral values and its family structure." In July 2007, the local Prosecutor’s Office rejected the complaint, but the Governor’s Office took the case to the courts. The court conducted six hearings before issuing its verdict.

Turkish authorities have targeted other LGBT organizations in recent years. In September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused the Ankara-based group KAOS-GL of "establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality." Similarly, the Ankara Governor’s Office attempted in July 2006 to close the human rights group Pembe Hayat (Pink Life), which works with transgender people, claiming that the association opposed "morality and family structure." In both cases, prosecutors dropped the charges.

On 30 May, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lluís Maria de Puig, expressed his concern after the banning of Lambda Istanbul.

"The arguments put forward by the prosecutor, reportedly leading to the closure of the association Lambda Istanbul whose activities were held to infringe the laws on public morality, are puzzling to me," said Mr de Puig.

"Freedom of expression and freedom of association are enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, which Turkey has ratified as a member of the Council of Europe. Thus any person, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, has the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, without discrimination. It rests with the authorities to ensure that everyone can exercise these rights," said Mr de Puig.

Lambda Istanbul will not be closed down until a final decision by the Supreme Court of Appeals. The group can continue to operate in the mean time and has announced its intention to fight the ban. According to its website, Lambda is planning to stage a demonstration on Saturday 7 June.

Different voices

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:52:17 +0100

When Amnesty International presented Report 2008 to the media at The Foreign Press Association in London on 27 May, several people involved in human rights campaigning around the world were invited as special guests. We caught up with three of them.

The first female judge to work at the High Court in Pakistan, Majida Razvi, is now retired. She is currently a women's rights defender and one of seven trustees of the Panah Shelter Home for women in Karachi.

Panah seeks to provide a peaceful haven and temporary refuge for women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, or under threat of honour killings.

Majida Razvi says she's happy to support the launch of Amnesty International's Report 2008 because "we established the shelter homes in 2001 and the seed money was given by Amnesty International to start with. Also other organizations connected to Amnesty International have been helping us in Karachi. So I think Amnesty International has been a great help and I hope it will be in the future."

Since starting Panah, Majida Razvi says the greatest change she has noticed is the overall awareness of the issues surrounding violence against women. "We are not only providing shelter for these women but we are also trying to create awareness amongst these women by holding workshops and the like."

"There's a greater awareness amongst the public now too. We've also been successful in changing the attitude of the police and the judiciary, trying to get them to be more sympathetic and polite to women who are victims. We need a revolution in the mind of the public and in the minds of men and also in the minds of the women who are governed by their husbands, and by the mullahs of the area."

A young Brighton-based Zimbabwean, Alois Mbawara, has been living in exile in the UK since 2002. He is one of the founding members of Free-Zim Youth, an organization that tries to influence institutions and organisations to take a tougher stance on Harare.

"We are young Zimbabweans in exile who fled the repression and political violence in Zimbabwe," says Mbawara. "As citizens of Zimbabwe we need to be exposing the gross human rights violations being perpetuated by the Mugabe regime. So that's how we came up with the idea for this civic organization to lobby the African Union, to get it to take a stance on what is happening in Zimbabwe.

Mbawara explains why he agreed to join Amnesty’s launch event "It's good exposure. In particular it gives us a multilateral venue to express what is happening in Zimbabwe. It is an historical opportunity to express our views on the political nature of Zimbabwe."

He adds that Amnesty’s work has been helpful in "documenting the day-to-day lives of the ordinary person in Zimbabwe. I have to stress that, due to the lack of free press and media, even people who work for human rights organizations don't have access to information about the political violence in Zimbabwe and are unable to publicize it. So, Amnesty International plays a very pivotal role."

Since starting Free-Zim Youth, Mbawara says their advocacy work, lobbying and demonstrations have had an effect. "Some may call it undiplomatic but we had to confront South African leaders when they came over to the UK and say to them 'now look here, you need to be in a position to do something'" he says, recalling the group's protest during South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dhlamini Zuma's 2006 lecture at the London School of Economics.

"We have been having a positive response from that. The South African government has since released a critical statement that they will take a tough stance on what is happening in Zimbabwe."

Released from Guantánamo on 24 August 2006, German-born Turkish national Murat Kurnaz had been held for four years and eight months without charge or trial, despite little evidence to link him to "terrorist" activities. Both US and German intelligence services secretly acknowledged this, yet it took years to secure his release.

Kurnaz has alleged that he was subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in US custody. His book, Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantánamo, was launched at an Amnesty International event in Belfast on May 8. John Le Carre called it "The most compassionate, truthful and dignified account of the disgrace of Guantanamo that you are ever likely to read." Patti Smith wrote a song about Kurnaz called "Without Chains" in 2006. She also wrote the foreword to his book.

Kurnaz says he agreed to attend the launch of the Amnesty International Report 2008 because "I like to use all the chances I have to talk, not for me, because I am already a free man, but I'm still trying to help the ones still held in torture camps and prisons and I'm campaigning against those people supporting torture and building torture camps."

Speaking about Amnesty International, Kurnaz says "Amnesty International is trying to show the people what is going on. It's up to the people, when they know the truth, then they can try to make things change."

While positive, Kurnaz concedes that change won't happen overnight. "Because things that have happened in the past have come to light, maybe they won't happen again in the future. I feel like even if it's very slow, things are going to get changed. A few days ago I was the first former Guantánamo detainee to testify before the American Congress. It was the first time they had talked about Guantánamo. I hope this will mean big changes for the future."

Video - Riga Pride 2008

Sat, 31 May 2008 19:31:16 +0100

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Amnesty International activists from around 30 countries gathering in Latvia to join Riga Pride 2008 in solidarity with the Mozaika alliance of LGBT people and other LGBT people in Riga, in Latvia and in the Baltic states.

South Africa must protect those at risk of "xenophobic" attack

Fri, 30 May 2008 17:28:34 +0100

Amnesty International has called on the South African government to take all necessary measures to protect the human rights of people at continuing risk of violent attacks and displacement from their homes on the basis of their perceived ethnic origins or status as "foreigners" or asylum-seekers.

The organization urged the government to ensure that those who have been subjected to this violence and displacement have access to humanitarian assistance, legal remedies and psycho-social support. No deportations should be carried out without access to full and fair asylum procedures and other full procedural guarantees. Law enforcement agencies should take effective steps to investigate the attacks and those responsible should be brought to justice.

Amnesty International condemns the human rights abuses that have been and continue to be committed against individuals, families and groups defined on the basis of their perceived identity or status.

In the wave of killings, beatings, sexual assaults, looting and destruction of property, the victims have been identified by the perpetrators according to their alleged identity or status. This violence has now occurred in at least five provinces, including most currently in the Durban and Cape Town areas.

Amnesty International acknowledges that members of the government have publicly denounced the violence and are taking some steps to improve the coordination and level of security response to it. All members of the security forces carrying out law enforcement duties, including any members of the armed forces, should comply with the UN Code of Conduct and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. In conjunction with the commendable work of non-governmental service-providing organizations there also has been an improvement in the official responses to humanitarian needs of the many thousands displaced by the violence.

Members of government at national and provincial levels and leading ANC officials have publicly referred to possibly politically-motivated, organized, ‘third force’ origins of this violence. Whatever may be the factual basis for these views, Amnesty International urges that any official inquiry into the violence be independent and impartial and investigate fully, among other things, any evidence of negligence by law enforcement officials either in the form of failures to act on information provided to them about threats or planned attacks and/or their having turned a ‘blind eye’ to actual attacks.

In addition, the inquiry should examine the role of possible contributory factors to the violence. These include the longstanding pattern of discriminatory practices and attitudes shown towards asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants by officials, including from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the police services and also the magistracy.

Legal and advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly raised with the government their concerns that these practices and attitudes result in effective denial of access to asylum determination procedures, place individuals at risk of arbitrary arrest, unlawful deportation, or forcible return to their countries of origin where they may be subjected to further human rights violations. In addition, an implicit official denial that Zimbabweans in South Africa may be in need of international protection may also have contributed to the hostility towards this group, who have been targeted in the current violence.

Amnesty International is also concerned that those responsible for earlier incidents of attacks on individuals or businesses owned by non-South Africans, including as recently as March 2008, do not appear to have been brought to justice -- thereby contributing to a climate of impunity for these abuses. Moreover, there appear also to have been no disciplinary or other measures taken against police officers who were involved in a high profile police raid on Johannesburg’s Central Methodist Church on 31 January this year, during which hundreds of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees sheltering at the church were subjected to arbitrary arrest and in some cases excessive force by police. They also were subjected to delays in access to necessary medical treatment for chronic illnesses or injuries received at the hands of the police. Some of those arrested were also unlawfully detained due to the improper and prejudiced conduct of the magistrate who presided over bail hearings.

While the national Minister of Home Affairs publicly stated that no-one affected by the violence should be subjected to deportations, Amnesty International has received reports of deportations occurring, including allegedly involuntary ones. Amnesty International urges the Minister and the DHA to ensure, in cooperation with other relevant departments and service-providers, that any person displaced or otherwise affected directly by the violence should receive counselling support and legal and other advice to enable them to make an informed decision about whether they wish to return to their country of origin. This measure is particularly important in the case of those individuals who had already applied or attempted to apply for asylum or have received refugee status.

Finally, Amnesty International urges the national Minister of Social Development to exercise his discretion under section 5 of the Social Assistance Act of 2004 to ensure that all those displaced by the violence, irrespective of their citizenship status, are able to receive emergency assistance grants.

Riga Pride needs protection

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:49:28 +0100

To read more about Riga Pride 2008, please see:
http://blog.amnesty.org/prideblog/

A Latvian organization for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, called Mozaika, is planning to hold a Gay Pride event in the centre of Latvia’s capital, Riga on 31 May.

When similar events were organized in 2005 and 2006, they were either banned or inadequately protected against attacks from homophobic counter-protestors.

In 2007, a Gay Pride march celebrating the rights of LGBT people was held inside a park in Riga. It received adequate police protection, but was marred by large numbers of counter-demonstrators chanting homophobic abuse outside the park. Two homemade explosive devices were thrown into the park, where they exploded.

This year, Mozaika is again facing problems trying to organise the march. They have faced difficulties in obtaining a permit for holding a Gay Pride from Riga City Council. However, a permit has now been given to hold a Gay Pride on a major street in Riga on 31 May.

However, the Pride march is likely to be targeted by counter-demonstrators and the Pride marchers will need to be adequately protected by law enforcement officials.

Iran urged to overturn sentences against women activists

Tue, 20 May 2008 18:09:05 +0100

Amnesty International has written to the Head of the Judiciary in Iran, urging him to ensure that appeals hearings against the convictions and sentences of six women’s rights defenders (WRDs) passed in recent weeks in connection with their peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and association are heard promptly and impartially.

If the sentences are confirmed at appeal, the organization is calling on the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, to review the cases and to overturn the convictions of the women, all of whom will become prisoners of conscience if imprisoned.

Amnesty International also asked the Head of the Judiciary to ensure that all women’s rights defenders were free to leave and return to the country, in accordance with Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a state party.

All the sentences are suspended, but could be implemented if the women are convicted of a similar offence during the period of suspension. If any of them were to be imprisoned in the future as a result of these sentences, Amnesty International would call for their immediate and unconditional release as prisoners of conscience.

The organisation also urged the Head of the Judiciary to ensure that the flogging sentences imposed on the women are not implemented under any circumstances. Flogging is a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, which amounts to torture, and is outlawed under Article 7 of the ICCPR.

The six women received suspended sentences between February and May 2008, in connection with their participation in a peaceful gathering on 4 March 2007 outside a court where five women’s rights activists were on trial for their involvement in an earlier demonstration in June 2006 demanding an end to discriminatory legislation. Thirty-three women in total were arrested at that time. All have been prosecuted under vaguely-worded laws on “security offences”. At least 12 others have been acquitted of all charges in connection with the March 2007 demonstration.

Marzieh Mortazi Langaroudi received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment and 10 lashes, suspended for two years, in February 2008.
Zeynab Peyghambarzadeh received a suspended sentence of two years in March 2008. She was convicted of “participating in an illegal gathering and collusion with intent to disrupt national security”.
Nasrin Afzali received a suspended sentence of six months and 10 lashes after conviction of “disturbing public order” in April 2008. She was acquitted of “participating in an illegal gathering and refusal to obey the orders of the police”.
Nahid Ja’fari received a sentence of six months and 10 lashes suspended for two years, in April 2008. She was convicted of “disturbing public order” but acquitted of “collusion with the intent of endangering national security and refusal to obey the orders of the police”. During her arrest on 4 March 2007, Nahid Jafari was beaten which resulted in some of her teeth being broken. She later lodged a complaint against those who arrested her in connection with the injuries she received. Her complaint has yet to be investigated by the courts.
Rezvan Moghaddam received a sentence of six months and 10 lashes, suspended for 3 years, several days later.
Parvin Ardalan received a sentence of two years imprisonment, suspended for three years, on charges of " gathering and collusion with the intent of endangering national security." In March 2008, prior to the issuing of her verdict, Parvin Ardalan was also banned from travelling to Sweden where she was due to collect the Olof Palme Human Rights Award. She was later summoned to Branch 13 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, where she was questioned in relation to her involevement with writing and editing on the websites of Change for Equality and Zanestan. She was also told that she must present invitations to conferences abroad as a precondition for the removal of her travel ban, although Iranian law does not require individuals to seek prior permission to travel. At the end of the court session, Parvin Ardalan was charged with “propaganda against the system”, although she was not detained pending her trial on this charge. Amnesty International is not aware of any date scheduled for her trial.

Amnesty International is calling on the Head of the Judiciary to overturn any convictions that may be confirmed in appeal hearings against the six women’s rights defenders found guilty in recent weeks in connection with the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and association while demanding an end to discriminatory legislation in Iran.

Amnesty I is also urging the Head of the Judiciary to suspend immediately all sentences of flogging, including any imposed in connection with peaceful activities on behalf of women’s rights, and lift the travel ban imposed on Parvin Ardalan and any other women’s rights defenders who may be prevented from travelling abroad and return freely to Iran.

Post-election violence increases in Zimbabwe

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:07:29 +0100

Zimbabweans had little to celebrate on Friday 18 April, the 28th anniversary of their country's independence. Since the country went to the polls on 29 March 2008, nearly three weeks ago, the results of the presidential vote have still not been announced and violent attacks on opposition supporters are increasing in number.

Amnesty International has received confirmed reports of one death and over 240 people injured as a result of state-sponsored human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Of those 240 people, 18 are currently in hospital with severe injuries.

The number of casualties has risen sharply since the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a general strike on Tuesday 15 April. Forty-two recorded cases were treated by doctors on 17 April alone.

At least 150 people have been arrested since 14 April and on the morning of 18 April were detained in Harare Central police station alone.

Violence appears to be targeted at active supporters of the MDC and their families, particularly those in rural areas and low income suburbs where the MDC appears to have gained more votes than the ruling the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party. Mashonaland East and West provinces have been particularly badly affected and numbers of reported incidents of violence are on the increase in Harare.

Victims report receiving death threats unless they vote "correctly" in a second round of voting should it be found that there was no outright winner of the presidential vote.

Many of the casualties have seen their homes, food reserves and livestock destroyed and are now displaced. Hundreds of homesteads are reported to have been burnt in Manicaland and Mashonaland East.

Perpetrators of the violence include so-called “war veterans” and supporters of the ruling party, as well as police officers and soldiers. State actors are accused of working hand-in-hand with ZANU-PF supporters. Individuals have been abducted from their homes by members of the military, in uniform and in plain clothes, as well as by ZANU-PF supporters.

An MDC activist in Mashonaland West province was stabbed to death on 13 April by ZANU-PF supporters outside his house, according to local reports. His brother, a 58-year-old man, also an MDC member from Mashonaland West, reported that three groups of about 60 ZANU-PF supporters came to the MDC activist’s house and started throwing stones asking him to come out because they wanted to "sort him out".

Though nine other MDC members also gathered at his house and retaliated by throwing back the stones, they were out-numbered by the ZANU-PF supporters. The ZANU-PF supporters managed to reach his house and abduct his brother, the MDC activist.

The MDC activist was stabbed twice with a knife in the stomach and died at the scene. The brother of the deceased also suffered serious injuries and had to be hospitalised. The case was reported to the police who are reported to have said they were too afraid to intervene.
A 21-year-old woman in Harare, an MDC activist, was woken up during the night on 30 March 2008 by ZANU-PF supporters after she had been celebrating the victory of MDC councillors in the election. The ZANU-PF supporters took her from her house and assaulted her with clenched fists and sjamboks [whips].
A 30-year-old man from Mashonaland East province reported that, on 9 April, a group of "war veterans" burnt down three houses at about 11pm. The inhabitants had previously received a tip-off that this would happen and had fled to the bush.
On another occasion, nine people from a residential area in Harare were detained, while they were attending a funeral, by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit and other people suspected to be members of the Zimbabwe National Army who were dressed in plain clothes.
On 16 April, 22 people were abducted by soldiers and ZANU-PF supporters from their homes in a high density suburb outside Harare city centre during the early hours of the morning. Some of the people were assaulted with booted feet and slapped all over the body.

In some cases, doors were forced open to enable ZANU-PF supporters and members of the army to gain entry into the homes of the victims. Victims were not informed of the charges levelled against them either as they were arrested or after they had been taken to police stations.

In a statement published in newspapers in approximately seven Southern African countries on and around Zimbabwe’s Independence Day, Amnesty International’s Secretary General appeals to President Robert Mugabe in his capacity as head of state and as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party to denounce and bring to an end all human rights abuses, including violent attacks by soldiers, police, “war veterans” and ZANU-PF supporters.

Irene Khan also appeals to the Commissioner-General of Police and the Zimbabwe National Army Commander as well as the chairperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association.

She urges Southern African leaders to redouble their diplomatic efforts to avoid further deterioration of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and to acknowledge publicly and express concern at the human rights abuses being perpetrated by members of state security organizations, “war veterans”, and ZANU-PF supporters.

Zimbabwe opposition under attack

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:07:59 +0100

Opposition parties in Zimbabwe have complained of violence against people perceived to be their supporters. There have been allegations of police and army involvement in some of the incidents in the post-election period.

Amnesty International has received information about widespread incidents of post-election violence, suggesting the existence of coordinated retribution against known and suspected opposition supporters. Violence has been reported in Harare, Mashonaland East, Midlands, Matabeleland North and Manicaland provinces.

According to the reports, victims of political violence have been pulled from buses and assaulted at their homes in rural areas, townships and farms.

In Gweru, on or around Sunday, 6 April, soldiers were reported to have assaulted people in a bar at Mkoba 6 shopping centre. Victims told local human rights groups that the soldiers were accusing them of “not voting correctly”.

On and around Monday 7 April, soldiers also assaulted shoppers at Mkoba 14 shopping centre in Gweru. The soldiers were reported to be wearing anti-riot gear and assaulted people with sticks.

At around midnight on Sunday, about 10 soldiers and two people dressed in police uniform, went to the home of a known Movement for Democratic Change activist, in Mkoba 14 in Gweru and assaulted him and two of his friends. They were assaulted with baton sticks and kicked. The activist sustained injuries and required medical treatment. The matter was reported to the police, yet no-one has so far been arrested.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Amnesty International welcomed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) announcement of an emergency meeting to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis to be held on 12 April in Lusaka. The organisation called on the SADC leaders to redouble their diplomatic efforts to avoid further deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.

“SADC leaders should come out and publicly acknowledge the human rights violations being perpetrated by security organisations, war veterans, and supporters of political parties – and insist on an end to the political violence,” said Simeon Mawanza, Amnesty International’s Zimbabwe researcher.

“SADC should also publicly acknowledge that one of the causes of the increasing tension in Zimbabwe is the delayed release of the presidential election results. They must urge the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to immediately release the results.

“Zimbabwe has been allowed to operate outside the African Union and United Nations human rights frameworks for too long – reinforcing a culture of impunity in the country.”

Gangs and police cripple Jamaica's inner cities

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:07:01 +0100

Poor inner city Jamaicans are left at the mercy of gangs and abusive police officers who are rarely, if ever, brought to justice for human rights abuses.

A new Amnesty International report exposes how the Jamaican authorities are wilfully neglecting the poorest communities by failing to tackle the violence - and its causes - that is shattering inner cities. This particularly includes abusive policing methods that lead to hundreds of fatal shootings and extrajudicial executions.

"Poor inner city Jamaicans are paying the price of this public security crisis with their lives. They are being held hostage in an endless confrontation between gangs and police officers who kill with impunity," said Kerrie Howard, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Americas programme.

Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates and police killings in the Americas with around 1,500 homicides and 272 police killings in 2007. Gang leaders use the vacuum left by the absence of the state to control huge aspects of inner city people's lives -- including the collection of "taxes", allocation of jobs, distribution of food and the punishment of those who transgress gang rules.

"Criminal gangs make up a small proportion of the community population but their actions are devastating: they keep thousands of people living in constant fear and provide an excuse for government officials and the society in general to label all community members as criminals," said Kerrie Howard.

Despite the violence, community members are reluctant to report abuses due to fear of reprisals by gang leaders, lack of confidence in the judicial system and mistrust of police officers working in their communities.

18-year-old Ravin Thompson was shot by police and soldiers in July 2007, while talking to his aunt at her house. The officers had been pursuing another young man who ran into the home.

Ravin's aunt insisted on accompanying him to the hospital in the officers' jeep but, while on route, she claims a soldier pushed her out. When she finally arrived, Ravin was dead. The autopsy later revealed that he had four gunshot wounds. Yet Ravin's aunt and others present at the shooting were certain he had only been injured in the arm and shoulder. They claim he was murdered in the jeep, before arriving at the hospital.

The police recorded the incident as a "shoot-out". They initiated investigations but, to Amnesty International’s knowledge, no officer has been charged in connection with Ravin’s death.

"There are many good serving police officers in Jamaica who risk their lives every day to help improve security for Jamaican citizens. However, until human rights abusers are brought to justice and corruption purged they won’t be able to make a change," said Kerrie Howard.

Amnesty International has called on the Jamaican authorities to take urgent and effective measures to tackle the underlying causes of this public security and human rights crisis – including the reduction of homicide rates in inner cities, the introduction of human rights-based policing and the reform of the judicial system to improve access to justice.

"The conversation that needs to take place in Jamaica is no longer about 'ifs' or 'hows' but about when will the urgent changes be made in order to stop the crisis taking any more lives - and the answer must be today," said Kerrie Howard.