Kategorie: Humans

Schoolgirls in Afghanistan told Amnesty International that the Taliban’s backtrack on reopening schools for girls has left them “shattered” and “traumatized”.

On 23 March, female students of secondary schools were returning to classrooms for the first time in seven months. While many girls were waiting to start their lessons, at 9 a.m. the Taliban leadership announced it had decided to keep girls’ schools closed ‘until school uniforms are designed in accordance with the Afghan customs, culture, and Sharia and all these girls were told to immediately leave the schools.

Denying girls the right to education will have a far-reaching impact on Afghanistan’s prospects of social rebuilding and economic growth

Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director

“The Taliban’s citing of Sharia and Afghan culture is an old trick designed to deny women and girls their rights. It is a completely unacceptable justification for their devastating U-turn this week, which is a blatant violation of the right to education and casts a shadow over the futures of millions of Afghan girls. Denying girls the right to education will have a far-reaching impact on Afghanistan’s prospects of social rebuilding and economic growth,” said Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.

“Amnesty International is calling on the international community to make women’s and girls’ rights to education a red line during negotiations with the Taliban de-facto authorities. The Taliban must, without further delay, allow girls of all ages to attend school and stop using cynical pretexts to further its discriminatory agenda.”

‘We were all shattered’

Students, teachers, school principals and women activists in Afghanistan were left devastated when within hours of reaching schools they were informed about Taliban’s new order and were once again facing the reality of being denied education.

Since taking over Afghanistan seven months ago, the Taliban has made several commitments to respect girls’ right to education. The Taliban de-facto Ministry of Education circulated a statement on 20 March, announcing that all schools would re-open after the winter break on 23 March. However, secondary schools for girls remained closed for girls. In Herat province secondary schools were open only for two days and on the third day, female students were told that schools shall remain closed for them.

17-year-old Nadia is a Grade 12 student in Badakshan province. On 24 March, she told Amnesty International: “I was extremely excited. I went to school with huge hopes. I met my classmates and teachers. Everyone was happy. Everyone was excited for the start of the classes. However, after few minutes, our principal came and told us that we need to leave. She was ordered to shut down the girls’ schools. We were all shattered. Some started crying, some stood silent. As much as I did not want to leave the school, I forced myself to move towards the exit gate. It broke my heart to once again leave the school not knowing if I will ever be allowed to return.”

Since 23 March, residents, students, women’s rights activists in Kabul, Nangarhar, Badakhshan have held several protests demanding the Taliban to immediately open secondary schools for girls. On Saturday, several young women took to the streets in Kabul. In verified videos accessed by Amnesty, women activists were seen warning that this will lead to the schoolgirls’ loss of talent as well as that their isolation will mean trauma and no future.

‘We showed our pen to the Taliban and told them education is our right. We continued chanting we want to learn.’

Various high schools across the city of Kabul reported that girls had returned to campuses but were quickly ordered to return to their homes. Nakisa, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student in Kabul was one of those who went to school on 23 March. She said: “Despite all the fear and uncertainty, I went to school. I was hoping I would be allowed to start my classes but at 9 am, some men entered our school premises and brought the letter from Ministry of Education. In the past, no men were allowed to enter our school without prior coordination with management. However yesterday, the Taliban entered without permission and asked our principal to send all girls back home and shut down the school. She started crying.”

Nakisa told Amnesty International how students had bravely protested the U-turn, which resulted in physical abuse from Taliban authorities. “We started protesting […] We showed our pens to the Taliban and told them education is our right. We continued chanting; we want to learn. They started abusing us and pushing us to stop the protest. They also threatened our school principal for provoking us to protest. It was disrespectful and heartbreaking to see these militant men disrespecting a senior leader of our school”

The bravery of the girls and women who continue to protest, demanding their right to education and a better future, is humbling. They are fighting for hope, and the international community must not abandon them at this critical time

Yamini Mishra

“The bravery of the girls and women who continue to protest, demanding their right to education and a better future, is humbling. They are fighting for hope, and the international community must not abandon them at this critical time,” said Yamini Mishra.

Nawida Khorasani, a women’s rights activist, called on the international community to seek accountability from the Taliban to follow through on the assurances it has been making on women’s rights. “The Taliban’s latest action is a clear breach of the commitments it made on womens’ rights, and the international community must hold it to account.”
The Taliban appear to be slowly and steadily returning to the repressive policies of the 1990s, when all girls’ schools were banned, and women were not allowed to appear in public.

“The right to education is a fundamental human right, which the Taliban – as the de facto authorities of Afghanistan – are duty-bound to uphold,” said Yamini Mishra. “The policies currently being pursued by the Taliban are discriminatory, unjust and violate international law.”

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In response to the humanitarian truce announced by the Ethiopian Federal Government in the conflict-affected Tigray region which Tigrayan authorities have said they will respect if sufficient aid reaches Tigray within a reasonable timeframe, Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes region said:

“The humanitarian truce is a positive step for millions of people trapped in the conflict in Tigray region, where meagre humanitarian aid supplies have left people starving – with insufficient food, water and other essentials.

“Amnesty International urges all actors in the conflict to seize this opportunity to avoid worsening the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in Tigray. Children and women are dangerously malnourished, and media reports suggest many are already dying of starvation.

“All parties to the conflict must immediately allow humanitarian aid workers uninterrupted access to all conflict-affected areas of northern Ethiopia, including Afar and Amhara regions. This includes opening the flow of aid through the Afar-Tigray land route, which has been closed following the renewed fighting in the border area, and resumption of critical services such as banking, power, and mobile and internet communication.

“The truce also needs to include unfettered and non-discriminatory humanitarian aid, including medical care, to Western Tigray, which is currently under the control of Amhara and Eritrean forces.”

Background

Reports indicate that more than 5.2 million people need food aid in Tigray, but humanitarians were able reach only 784,000 people since May 2021. The Ethiopian government’s shutdown of phone and internet communication, and of banking services, as well as restrictions on cash delivery to Tigray and fuel shortages have crippled humanitarian operations.

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A new law issued by President Kais Saied as part of what he has described as a campaign against goods speculators poses a serious threat to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today. Decree-Law 2022-14, which went into effect on 21 March 2022, contains vaguely worded provisions that could lead to prison terms of between ten years and life including for public debate of the economy. 

The decree-law criminalises the deliberate spread of “false or incorrect news or information” that would cause consumers to refrain from buying, or to disrupt the supply of goods to markets and thereby cause prices to rise. While acts to influence markets through fraudulent means are legitimate grounds for concern, sweeping laws such as decree-Law 2022-14 open the door to unfair and abusive prosecutions.  

Tunisia is facing growing shortages of goods, including staple foods such as grain and sugar. Food supplies are under further pressure from the ongoing war in Ukraine, from which Tunisia imports much of its wheat.  

“Tunisia is already suffering a long-standing economic and financial crisis. It is more important than ever that people in the country be free to discuss and debate the issues that affect them, including food security and goods supplies, without fear of prosecutions,” said Amna Guellali, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. 

“Instead of seeking to criminalize those who express themselves freely about good supplies, the authorities should step up their efforts to ensure that they disseminate reliable, accessible, and trustworthy information as the best way to counter misinformation and protect human rights.” 

Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Tunisia is a state party, guarantees the right to freedom of expression. While governments may restrict expression to protect specified public interests, restrictions must be provided by a law formulated with sufficient precision to enable individuals to regulate their conduct accordingly, and must be demonstrably necessary and proportionate to achieve the specified purpose. 

Blanket prohibitions on the dissemination of information, based on vague and ambiguous concepts such as spreading false or incorrect information, fail this test and are therefore incompatible with international human rights law. Such measures put in jeopardy the right of freedom of expression itself and are not the least restrictive means to achieve the desired objective.

“Decree-Law 2022-14 risks creating a chilling effect that dissuades people from openly discussing food supplies and food security for fear of reprisal.  The new decree-law is the latest in a string of blows to human rights since President Saied suspended parliament last July and began concentrating power in the executive branch,” said Amna Guellali.

Decree-Law 2022-14 risks creating a chilling effect that dissuades people from openly discussing food supplies and food security for fear of reprisal. 

Amna Guellali, Amnesty International

Background

Article 2 of decree-law 2022-14 states that its provisions apply to those engaged in economic activities. Article 17 provides for prison terms ranging from 10 years to life in prison, depending on the circumstances, for acts defined as goods speculation. 

On 25 July 2021, President Saied suspended parliament and dismissed then-Head of Government Hichem Mechichi, citing emergency powers he said were granted to him by Tunisia’s constitution. He has since suspended most of the constitution and granted himself the exclusive right to legislate by decree-laws. 

On 12 February, President Saied undermined judicial independence by granting himself broad powers to intervene in the appointment and career tracks of judges and prosecutors, and to initiate dismissal proceedings against them.

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The Egyptian authorities must immediately halt all deportations of Eritrean nationals to Eritrea where they would face serious human rights violations including torture, said Amnesty International. 

In the past two weeks alone, the Egyptian authorities have deported 31 Eritreans in violation of the prohibition of refoulement under international law. A group of up to 50 people including a baby and three children under seven, detained in the southern city of Aswan are now at imminent risk of deportation. The group has had no access to asylum procedures or the possibility to challenge their expulsion orders.

“These deportations would be a grave breach of Egypt’s obligations under international law and must be halted immediately. There is a well-documented pattern of those forcibly returned to Eritrea being interrogated, arbitrarily detained and tortured. Egyptian authorities must grant this group access to asylum procedures, and stop sending people back to danger,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa for Amnesty International.

“We are also calling on Egyptian authorities to put an end to the prolonged arbitrary detention of Eritreans and ensure that, pending their release, current detainees are held in conditions that meet international standards.” 

Arbitrarily detained Eritreans, including children, are held without charge or trial in cruel and inhuman conditions, and denied access to adequate medical care, items for personal hygiene including sanitary napkins, clothes, and sufficient food. 

The authorities also frequently refuse to grant detained Eritreans access to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) thereby obstructing their right to an asylum process. 

Amnesty International has documented how, ahead of deportation, Egyptian authorities forcibly transport Eritreans to their embassy for travel documents, before taking them for PCR tests in preparation for their deportation.  Many are held with no or limited contact with the outside world, making it difficult to verify information about deportation plans.

Worrying rise in deportations

In recent months, Amnesty International has observed an alarming increase in deportations from Egypt, with 31 Eritrean nationals, including children, deported between 15 and 17 March. At least 40 Eritreans were deported between October and December 2021. 

Deportations of Eritreans violate the principle of non-refoulement, which guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face persecution, torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, or other irreparable harm.

One of the main reasons Eritreans flee their country is to escape human rights abuses and a harsh indefinite military conscription. The UN has documented how Eritreans who are forcibly returned are at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment and forcible disappearance. 

In November 2021, UN human rights experts issued a statement condemning deportations from Egypt, describing how returnees are considered “traitors” and are often “detained upon arrival to Eritrea, questioned, tortured, held in extremely punitive conditions and disappeared.”

Background 

In November 2021, there were 20,778 Eritrean asylum seekers and refugees registered with UNHCR in Egypt. The number of those in need of protection is likely to be much higher as not all Eritreans in Egypt are documented and/or registered with UNHCR. 

Egyptian authorities routinely arrest Eritreans who irregularly enter the country from its southern borders. According to Refugees Platform, an independent NGO, dozens of Eritreans were detained in police stations in Aswan and Red Sea governorates during 2021. 

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Today, 24 March 2022, Bernardo Caal Xol was released from the penitentiary centre in Cobán after more than four years of imprisonment. The defender’s lawyers reported that a judge had ordered his release for good behaviour.

“It’s great news for Bernardo, his family and Guatemala’s Indigenous Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities that he can leave prison and be reunited with his loved ones after more than four years of being a prisoner of conscience. However, Bernardo remains convicted of a crime he did not commit and thus the Guatemalan authorities continue to criminalize him for his work in defence of human rights and the environment,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

After reviewing the criminal case against Bernardo Caal Xol, Amnesty International found that there was no evidence of the crimes he was accused of. The proceedings against him show similar patterns of criminalization that the organization has documented against other human rights defenders in Guatemala. Amnesty International therefore considers Bernardo Caal Xol a prisoner of conscience and has been campaigning globally for years for his immediate and unconditional release.

It’s great news for Bernardo, his family and Guatemala’s Indigenous Mayan Q’eqchi’ communities that he can leave prison and be reunited with his loved ones after more than four years of being a prisoner of conscience

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International

“It’s regrettable that in Guatemala unfounded criminal prosecutions aimed at harassing and obstructing the work of human rights defenders – particularly environmentalists and Indigenous people, and those who fight against impunity and corruption – are such a common tactic. The people of Guatemala have suffered an unprecedented regression in human rights in recent years. The authorities have tried to dismantle the justice system and the social fabric, criminalizing everyone who fights for a more just and dignified country,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas.

Additional information

Bernardo Caal Xol, a 50-year-old indigenous teacher, trade unionist and defender of the rights of the Indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ people and of land, territorial and environmental rights, has been wrongfully imprisoned since 30 January 2018 for defending the rights of the Maya Q’eqchi’ communities affected by the construction of a hydroelectric project on the sacred Cahabón river, in the department of Alta Verapaz, northern Guatemala. Despite the lack of factual evidence to support the charges, on 9 November 2018, the court in Cobán sentenced him to 7 years and 4 months in prison for the crimes of aggravated robbery and aggravated illegal detention.

It’s regrettable that in Guatemala unfounded criminal prosecutions aimed at harassing and obstructing the work of human rights defenders – particularly environmentalists and Indigenous people, and those who fight against impunity and corruption – are such a common tactic

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International

On 16 July 2020, Amnesty International named Bernardo Caal a prisoner of conscience. The Guatemalan human rights defender was one of the individuals included in Amnesty International’s annual and global Write for Rights campaign in 2021, during which people around the world took around half a million actions calling for Bernardo Caal’s release.

Bernardo Caal and his lawyers filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court in September 2021 to review the sentence for human rights violations, but the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court rejected it. Immediately afterwards, Bernardo Caal and his lawyers filed an injunction against this decision, which has not yet been resolved.

In Guatemala, local and international organizations have recorded high levels of attacks against human rights defenders, especially those involved in the fight against impunity and corruption, as well as journalists. The Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders – Guatemala (UDEFEGUA) recorded 839 attacks against human rights defenders from January to November 2021. Guatemala is also one of the most dangerous countries in the world for defenders of land, territory and the environment, according to the latest Global Witness report. Thirteen environmental activists were killed in 2020, again the fourth highest rate of killings of land and environmental defenders per capita.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Duncan Tucker: duncan.tucker@amnesty.org

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