Human Rights Action Update February 1-8

Miriam, Human Rights Defender, 1947-2012

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HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

    

EMBASSY FINDER 

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country. http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER

This week we refer you to Just Detention International, an organization that works to protect prison inmates from sexual and other types of abuse. Founded in 1980, JDI is the only organization in the world dedicated exclusively to ending sexual abuse behind bars. JDI works to: hold government officials accountable for prisoner rape; promote public attitudes that value the dignity and safety of people in detention; and ensure that survivors of this violence get the help they need. Rape is never part of the sentence for anyone, regardless of the crime he or she may have committed.

 

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.
This week we raise the issue of land theft and its deadly effect on uncontacted tribes.  Please open the links and post them wherever you can.

Without their ancestral land, the Guarani cannot survive.

© Survival

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers' supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

 

  Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

 

 We present you with a few case studies about slavery in today's world.

CHINA 

Urgent Action Victory! Not-Guilty Verdict For Men Sentenced To Death 

After more than 13 years since Huang Zhiqiang, Fang Chunping, Cheng Fagen and Cheng Lihe were originally sentenced to death, the Jiangxi Provincial Higher People’s Court has announced a not-guilty verdict. All four men were immediately released after a closed-door retrial on 30 November 2016. No further action required. Thanks to all who participated in this long action.

INDIA 

Urgent Action Victory! Children Released From Unlawful Detention 

Rayees Ahmad Mir and Waheed Ahmed Gojree have been released after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed their detention orders on 6 and 31 December 2016 respectively. The teenagers were unlawfully detained in prison under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), an administrative detention law that expressly prohibits the detention of anyone under 18 years of age.  No further action required. Thanks to all who participated in this action.

ZIMBABWE 

Urgent Action Update:  Human Rights Defender Re-Arrested

Pastor Evan Mawarire, a human rights defender and leader of the #ThisFlag movement in Zimbabwe, was arrested again on 1 February on arrival at Harare International Airport. He was initially charged with ‘subverting a constitutional elected government’ and now faces additional charges of ‘insulting the flag of Zimbabwe’. He has not been brought before a court. Amnesty International is concerned that Pastor Evan Mawarire’s arrest and detention are an attempt to intimidate him and keep him from his human rights work. Please call for his immediate and unconditional release as a prisoner of conscience.

COLOMBIA 

Urgent Action Update: Paramilitary Build-Up in Peace Community 

Residents in several hamlets in or near the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó in north-western Colombia continue to report the presence of paramilitaries. The security of Peace Community members and other inhabitants in the area is at serious risk. Please call upon the government of Colombia to take action to protect the community.

 

 

 

 

 

MEXICO

Urgent Action: Indigenous Leader Killed, Community at Risk 

On 1 February, Indigenous leader Juan Ontiveros Ramos was found dead in Chihuahua State, northern Mexico. Unknown men forcibly took from his home the day before and brutally beat other members of his family during the attack. Inhabitants of the Choréachi community remain at risk. Please call for action on the part of the government.

NIGERIA 

Thousands of dockworkers in Nigeria are struggling to support their families since losing their jobs in December 2015. Please open the site and join the protest against arbitrary dismissals on their behalf