P.O. Box 130901, Houston, TX 77219-0901
832-310 9326
http://www.amnestyhouston.org
mail@amnestyhouston.org

Monthly meeting first Wednesday of every month (except holidays).

NEWS AND NOTES

Monthly Meeting Agenda:

       Introductions
       Reports by Coordination Groups:
       Group case (Bárbara Italia Méndez)
       Avdo Palic
       Death Penalty
       Radio Committee
       Stop Violence Against Women Campaign
       Counter Terror With Justice Campaign
       South Asian Regional Action Network (SARAN)
       Refugees
       Out Front Campaign
       Who Will Bring Letter Next Meeting
Old Business:
      December Write-a-thon
New Business:
 

Local Group 23 News:

• Phivan Wright wrote a letter we hoped to publish in the Houston Chronicle Outlook section concerning ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but it was never published.

• We have openings for Group Coordinator and Secretary.

The authorities in Tajikistan must properly prosecute violence against women as a criminal offence, Amnesty International said in a report published on Tuesday.

Violence is not just a family affair: Women face abuse in Tajikistan, documents the physical, psychological and sexual abuse women face in the family and urges the authorities to address it as the crime it is and not to dismiss it as a "private family matter".


"Women in Tajikistan are beaten, abused, and raped in the family but the authorities tend to reflect the societal attitude of blaming the woman for domestic violence. They see their primary role as mediator, to preserve the family rather than protect the woman and to safeguard their rights," said Andrea Strasser-Camagni, Amnesty International's expert on Tajikistan.

"The traditional Tajik family values, reinforced after the break-up of the Soviet Union, impose further discrimination on women by narrowing their identity to that of wife and mother, or pushing them into the lowest paid sector of the job market."

"By writing off violence against women as a family affair the authorities in Tajikistan are shirking their responsibility to a large part of the population. They are allowing perpetrators of such crimes to act with impunity and, ultimately, denying women their human rights."

Violence against women, and especially in the family, is widespread in Tajikistan. One-third to one-half of women have regularly been subjected to physical, psychological or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or their in-laws.

Often, Tajik women are economically dependent on their husband's family. They have told Amnesty International that upon setting foot in the in-law's home after marriage they may be subjected to harsh treatment not only from their husbands, but also from their in-laws, and in particular from their mothers-in-law who themselves may have been abused as young brides.

"Women are being treated as servants or as the in-laws' family property. They have no one to turn to as the policy of the authorities is to urge reconciliation which de facto reinforces their position of inferiority. This experience of violence and humiliation in the family makes many women to turn to suicide," Andrea Strasser-Camagni said.

There are insufficient services to protect the survivors of domestic violence, and most of these are provided by internationally funded local non-governmental organizations. The police, judiciary and medical staff are not sufficiently trained to deal with cases of domestic violence.

Education is a key factor in developing girls' empowerment and providing an escape route from violence and poverty. However, girls drop out early from schools; instead, they enter into early and often unregistered or polygamous marriages, all of which increase their dependency on their husbands.

Initial measures undertaken by the Tajikistani government to combat domestic violence have proved largely insufficient.

Although Tajikistan has ratified relevant international human rights treaties, it is falling short of its international obligation to protect and fulfil women's rights.

Amnesty International has called upon the Tajikistani authorities to:

prevent and prosecute violence against women in the family through the introduction of an effective domestic law and nationwide support services;
carry out a nationwide public awareness campaign in order to address the unlawful practices of unregistered, polygamous, and early marriages;
remove all barriers to girls' education and address the root causes of girls dropping out of education.

Amnesty International has welcomed the government of Sri Lanka's promise to lift by 1 December any restrictions on movement of at least 130,000 people displaced by the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE).

"Now the Sri Lankan government needs to demonstrate that it will provide the displaced with necessary assistance such as shelter, food and security as they re-establish their homes,"said Madhu Malhotra, deputy director of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific programme.

Hundreds and thousands of Tamils who escaped the war have been detained in camps under military control for the past six months, deprived of their freedom of movement. Many of them survived months of difficult conditions as they were forced to travel with retreating LTTE forces who forcibly recruited civilians, including children, and in some instances used civilians as human shields.

The Sri Lankan government has agreed to give people a choice about whether to remain in camps to seek alternative accommodation or attempt to return home.

"For months vulnerable people have been held in inadequate conditions in camps lacking adequate sanitation facilities and clean drinking water. If the Sri Lankan government follows through on its promise to allow thousands of people to return home, it would be the first step in the long struggle ahead for people rebuilding their devastated lives," said Madhu Malhotra.

Amnesty International stressed the continued need to protect the rights of internally displaced people both within and outside the camps.

The organization also urged the Sri Lankan authorities to abide by the principles of International humanitarian law and ensure that displaced people are supported to make voluntary and informed decisions about their future.

"Humanitarian and human rights organizations should be given unimpeded access to displaced people and those attempting to resettle to monitor their safety and wellbeing and ensure their needs are being met, including that they are protected against further human rights violations," said Madhu Malhotra.

Since the war ended in May, an estimated 12,000 displaced people (including children) suspected of links to the LTTE have been arbitrarily arrested, separated from the general displaced population and detained by the authorities in irregular detention facilities, such as vacated school buildings.

Amnesty International said it is concerned about lack of transparency and accountability in that process, which is conducted outside of any legal framework and the increased dangers to detainees when they are held incommunicado.

The organization said that persons arrested on suspicion of links to the LTTE and accused of crimes should be charged with legitimate offences, tried and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Government Must Immediately Disband Private Armies and Paramilitaries in Run Up to National Elections

(Washington) – Amnesty International condemns the killings of at least 21 civilians, including journalists and members of a politician’s family, in the southern Philippines province of Maguindanao. These murders are the first reported killings linked to the national elections scheduled for May 2010.

A group of approximately 45 people were ambushed and abducted by 100 armed men, according to reports. The military recovered the bodies of 13 women and eight men, some of which had been mutilated.

“These killings underline the danger facing civilians in the run up to the national elections,” said Donna Guest, deputy Asia-Pacific director for Amnesty International. “The authorities must immediately launch an independent and effective investigation into these murders and ensure that they do all they can to prevent more killings and other violence.”

Esmael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of Buluan town, became a target of this violence when his sister and wife were attacked on their way to file his certificate of candidacy as provincial governor.

Amnesty International has also been informed of at least 12 journalists that were among the targeted group. It is not known how many journalists were killed.

The province of Maguindanao has witnessed widespread election violence during previous polls. Private armies, often employed by rich and politically influential families in Mindanao, have historically committed abuses with impunity, and threaten to do so again.

“The government must prohibit and disband private armies and paramilitary forces immediately,” said Guest. “The authorities should also establish clear standards on human rights protection and ensure their implementation, particularly during the election period when politically-motivated killings could increase.”

Amnesty International has urged the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Huang Qi, a human rights defender who worked with the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. He was sentenced on Monday to three years' imprisonment.

The Court said the conviction was based on two city level documents found in Huang Qi's house and found him guilty of "unlawfully holding state secrets". Several dozen police surrounded the court on Monday morning. After negotiation, only his wife and mother were allowed to enter the court.

Several local women supporters who requested to enter the court to hear the sentence were beaten and injured.

There was only a verbal announcement and no written verdict has been given to the family. Huang Qi's lawyers were not able to come from Beijing to attend due to the short notice given.

Huang Qi protested immediately and said he will appeal. The judge asked court police to take him away and not allow him to speak.

Huang Qi was detained because of his work on behalf of families of five primary school pupils who died when school buildings collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake of May 2008. He had been attempting to bring a legal case against local authorities.

He was sentenced by the Wuhou District People's Court in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

"The Chinese government is penalizing someone who is trying to help the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. Huang Qi should be treated as a model citizen, committed to the rule of law, but instead he has fallen victim to China's vague state secrets legislation," said Sam Zarifi, director of Amnesty International's Asia Pacific programme.

"He should never have been detained in the first place and should be released immediately."

"China's state secrets legislation needs to urgently be reviewed. These laws are used extensively to retroactively penalize lawful human rights activities and restrict freedom of expression."

Huang Qi was detained by plain clothed police officers on 10 June 2008 while having dinner in a restaurant. He was tried behind closed doors in August 2009.

The criminal proceedings against Huang Qi fell far short of China's legal regulations and international human rights standards.

Huang Qi was denied access to his family and lawyer while in detention, on the grounds that the case involved “state secrets”. He was first allowed to meet with his lawyer Ding Xikui, on 23 September 2008, after more than a hundred days in incommunicado detention.

On 2 February 2009, the Wuhou District People’s Court in Chengdu failed to publicly announce the schedule of his trial, as required by China’s Criminal Procedure Law.

On 3 February 2009, the Court, on the pretext of protecting “state secrets”, prohibited lawyer Ding Xikui from making photocopies of case documents to prepare for his defence.

During the 5 August trial, the court forbade witnesses from testifying on Huang Qi’s behalf, again citing “state secrets”.

Huang Qi’s health is said to be rapidly deteriorating.

His family fears that he is not receiving adequate medical treatment in custody. According to his other lawyer, Mo Shaoping, a doctor at the detention centre has diagnosed Huang Qi with two tumours, one in his stomach and another in his chest.

Amnesty international believes that Huang Qi was treated inhumanely during his custody, including being interrogated by police for long hours and subjected to sleep deprivation.

Chinese authorities have turned down repeated requests by Huang Qi’s family to release him on bail to await trial. His wife has been barred from visiting since the closed-door trial on 5 August 2009.

Huang Qi was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in 2003 for hosting an online discussion about the protests in Tiananmen Square in 2000.

The “evidence” against him included reference to an Amnesty International document about the Tiananmen crackdown, which had been posted on his web-site.

He was released on 4 June 2005. Following his release, he continued to maintain his website and his human rights work and was detained again on 10 June 2008, apparently for his assistance to the parents of students who died during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in bringing legal cases against the local authorities.

Amnesty International has welcomed a decision by Russia's Constitutional Court that brings the country a step closer to full abolition of the death penalty.

The Court decided on Thursday to extend the current moratorium on executions, which was due to expire in January, and recommended abolishing the death penalty completely.

“By taking this decision, the court frees the people of Russia from the fear of being put to death by their government. As long as Russia remains execution free, the inherent dangers of the wrongful use of the death penalty are removed,” said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Director at Amnesty International.

A moratorium has been in place since 1999 and was due to expire when all regions of the Russian Federation had introduced jury trials. This is set to happen on 1 January 2010 when jury trials are introduced in Chechnya.

The Court has now extended that moratorium, stating that: “The path towards the full abolition of the death penalty is irreversible."

Amnesty International has now called on the Russian authorities to remove the death penalty from law and ratify Protocol 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

“Russia has long been a supporter of abolition in the international arena and it is high time the country undertakes the last step and removes the death penalty in law," said Nicola Duckworth.

When Russia joined the Council of Europe in 1996, it promised to abolish the death penalty by 1999. The country stopped imposing the death penalty in 1998 and the Constitutional Court ordered a moratorium in 1999.

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