Kategorie: Humans

1931 – 2021

Amnesty International paid tribute today to one of the world’s dedicated human rights champions, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Tutu passed away on 26 December 2021 at the age of 90.

The death of Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu leaves a big void in the struggle for human rights and freedom around the world. He dedicated his entire life to the fight to create a world where people could be free to claim and exercise their freedoms, without being prejudiced or persecuted for who they are.

The world has lost a dedicated human rights champion. Archbishop Desmond Tutu refused to sit and watch injustice meted out against the people of South Africa by the apartheid government at the time when it was costly to stand up against the regime. He also stood up for the oppressed people elsewhere around the world, ensuring that he spoke out for their freedom.

Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.

He will be remembered for standing up for the oppressed people of South Africa during the apartheid government’s segregation and oppression of black people, denying them basic human rights such as freedom of association, movement and assembly.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been a fervent supporter of Amnesty International’s human rights work. He supported the organization’s Arms Trade Treaty campaign, an international treaty that sets out robust global rules to stop the flow of weapons, munitions and related items to countries when it is known they would be used to commit or facilitate genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and serious human rights violations.

He also worked with the organization to campaign to free political prisoners in Burma in August 2012, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
“Archbishop Desmond Tutu devoted his entire life to ensuring justice for all. He wanted to see a world where all co-existed in peace and harmony, without any prejudice. He is a true example of a selfless human rights fighter,”

He also worked with Amnesty International to champion the rights of LGBTI people. He also supported the organization’s campaign against death penalty, putting pressure on countries still using it as punishment for crime to bring an end to the cruel and inhuman practice.

“Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu leaves a remarkable human rights legacy. It is for us to continue where he left off, to demand better from our governments and to create human rights respecting societies.”

Background

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born in Klerksdorp on 7 October 1931, but later moved to Johannesburg at the age of 12 with his parents.

He studied theology at King’s College in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and later became the Archbishop. He was appointed as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches in 1978. He became Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985 and in 1986 the Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa’s Anglican church hierarchy.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984.

He was appointed a patron of the World Campaign Against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa in 1994.
In 1995 President Nelson Mandela appointed him the Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up to probe gross human rights violations that occurred under apartheid.

During the 2008-2009 Gaza war, he called the Israeli offensive “war crimes”. He retired from public life in October 2010, but he continued speak out on social justice, freedom and human rights. In September 2012, he called for former US president George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be tried for their role in the Iraqi war by the International Criminal Court. Since his retirement, Tutu has worked as a global activist on issues pertaining to democracy, freedom and human rights.

The post Amnesty International pays tribute to Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu appeared first on Amnesty International.

Reacting to the news that the Russian Supreme Court today ordered the closure of civil society organization International Memorial for allegedly violating “foreign agent” legislation, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

“International Memorial is a highly respected human rights organization that has worked tirelessly to document the atrocities and political repression carried out under the rule of Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders. By closing down the organization, Russian authorities trample on the memory of millions of victims lost to the Gulag.

“The closure of International Memorial represents a direct assault on the rights to freedom of expression and association. The authorities’ use of the ‘foreign agents’ law to dissolve the organization is a blatant attack on civil society that seeks to blur the national memory of state repression. The decision to shut down International Memorial is a grave insult to victims of the Russian Gulag and must be immediately overturned.”

Background

Founded in 1989, International Memorial is one of Russia’s most respected civil society organizations. 

The prosecutors claimed that International Memorial repeatedly violated the “foreign agents” law by refusing to label their content as produced by a “foreign agent” or adding lengthy disclaimers stating the same.

A request to liquidate Human Rights Center Memorial, International Memorial’s sister organization, was also submitted to the Russian Supreme Court on the same day. The court is due to make a decision on this request in the coming days.

The post Russia: Closure of International Memorial is an insult to victims of the Russian Gulag appeared first on Amnesty International.

Following the release of three Cameroonian students sentenced in 2016 to 10 years in jail for sharing a sarcastic text message that referenced Boko Haram, Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director, said:

“The release of Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three young men who were absurdly punished for simply sharing a joke on their mobile phones is a great relief.

We are delighted that they have been released over the weekend and were finally able to reunite with their families after seven long years behind bars.

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director

“All those who have tirelessly campaigned for their release, including the more than 300 000 people across the globe who wrote in 2016 to President Paul Biya asking him to end this injustice, were also delighted that they are finally free.

“These three students who were only exercising their right to freedom of expression should never have been arrested in the first place. Cameroon’s authorities should protect human rights and ensure all people can speak freely without fear of reprisal.”
Background
Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three students who had been handed a 10-year jail sentence on 2 November 2016 by a military court which convicted them for “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information” have left the prison over the weekend. 

This follows the 16 December 2021 supreme Court ruling to reduce their sentence from 10 to five years in jail, which they have already spent.

According to their lawyer, Victorine Chantal Edzengte, the Court upheld the charges of “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information’’ against them but quashed the 10-year sentence.

In December 2014, Fomusoh Ivo Feh received a text message from a friend, saying: “Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, including religion”.

His friend’s message was intended as a comment on the difficulty of finding a good job without being highly qualified – joking that even the armed group Boko Haram won’t recruit you without good exam results.

Ivo forwarded the message to Afuh Nivelle Nfor, who sent it to Azah Levis Gob. One of their teachers saw the text, having confiscated the phone, and showed it to the police. Ivo and his friends were all arrested. They were transferred to prison in Yaoundé on 14 January 2015.

Amnesty International campaigned for their release and over 310 000 people across the globe, including former Cameroonian football striker Patrick Mboma, wrote to President Paul Biya.

The post Cameroon: Release of students sentenced for 10 years for sharing joke on Boko Haram is a great relief appeared first on Amnesty International.

Ahead of a Thai Cabinet meeting on 28 December, Amnesty International urges the government to immediately withdraw the proposed Operation of Not-for-Profit Organizations Act, after reviewing a copy of the latest draft. 

“In its current form the excessively restrictive law could easily be misused to obstruct the work of or even shut down a wide range of grassroots, national and international civil society groups in Thailand, threatening its status as a regional hub for local and international NGOs,” said Roseann Rife, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director. 

“The list of prohibitions in the draft law are so broad, numerous and open to abuse that they could significantly impact the day-to-day operations of civil society.” 

The list of prohibitions in the draft law are so broad, numerous and open to abuse that they could significantly impact the day-to-day operations of civil society.

-Roseann Rife, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director

“Of the many problematic sections of the latest draft, one forbids not-for-profits from affecting ‘public order,’ ‘good morals’ or the ‘happy normal existence of other persons.’ All of these vague terms leave organizations at risk from authorities’ unchecked, discretionary power. In a country of 70 million people, any of these provisions could easily be applied arbitrarily to severely restrict freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and other human rights.”

“Amnesty International would like to stress the importance of a transparent and meaningfully inclusive consultative process and urge Thai authorities to seek more input from the public, not-for-profit organizations and their partners so that this law is in line with international human rights standards.” 

“We call on the Thai government to withdraw the Draft Act immediately and reaffirm its constitutional and international human rights obligations.” 

Background 

The latest draft act of the Operation of Non-for-Profit Organizations is dated 21 December 2021. This follows previous versions from 13 December and earlier this year. 

At this point, it is unclear whether there will be additional public consultation before it is reviewed by Thailand’s Cabinet and Parliament. 

A more detailed analysis of the latest draft can be found in this joint open letter to Thailand’s Cabinet signed by over 40 Thai and international civil society organizations, including Amnesty International. 

The post Thailand: Draft NGO law could be used to suppress civil society appeared first on Amnesty International.

We, the undersigned Thai and international organizations, write to express our deep concern regarding the Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for Profit Organizations B.E… (‘Draft Act’) dated 21 December 2021. We are civil society groups working on a wide range of social, economic, environmental and human rights issues and collectively our activities assist millions of people in Thailand.

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