Kategorie: Humans

The postponement of Libya’s first-ever presidential election, originally scheduled to begin on 24 December, after the authorities failed to confirm a list of eligible candidates, illustrates the need to address the myriad human rights violations that characterized the run-up to the election, Amnesty International said today.

Preparations for the election had been taking place in a highly volatile climate characterized by disputes over electoral laws and the eligibility of candidates. In its detailed analysis released today, Amnesty International outlines how armed groups and militias repeatedly repressed dissenting voices, restricted civil society and attacked election officials in the lead-up to the now postponed elections.

“Establishing an electoral environment free of violence and intimidation is all but impossible when armed groups and militias not only enjoy rampant impunity but are integrated into state institutions without any vetting to remove those responsible for crimes under international law,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. 

“For elections free of coercion to take place, the Government of National Unity and the Libyan Arab Armed Forces must immediately instruct all armed groups and militias under their command to end their harassment and intimidation of electoral officials, judges and security staff. They must also release all those held simply for expressing their views on the elections.”

On 26 November, Emad al-Sayeh, the head of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), expressed concerns over election security after armed men raided and forcibly closed at least four of its regional offices, disrupted the voter registration process, and looted voting cards.

Several HNEC and Ministry of Interior officials responsible for providing election security also reported being threatened by members of militias and armed groups. In Sabha, armed men surrounded the city’s courthouse with the apparent aim of halting the judicial review of a candidate’s eligibility.

Militias and armed groups have also abducted at least 21 protesters, journalists and activists in cities such as Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Ajdabiya and Sirte over their support for particular candidates or views on the electoral process.

In Sirte, armed men affiliated with the Internal Security Agency, which is itself linked to the armed group Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), an armed group in control of large parts of eastern and southern Libyan, arrested at least 13 men, including journalists, over their alleged involvement in a rally held in support of Seif al-Islam al-Gaddafi’s candidacy on 14 November. They were released five days later.

Laila Ben Khalifa and Heneda al-Mahdi, the two women who applied to be presidential candidates, have also reported being subjected to gender-based harassment and online mockery.

“For any election to take place, the Libyan authorities and those in de facto control of territory must ensure that all candidates, voters, activists and politicians are protected from violence, threats and arbitrary detention. They must also protect women from gendered attacks and ensure civil society actors are allowed to express their views and participate in the electoral process without fear of reprisals,” said Diana Eltahawy.

Highly polarized climate overshadowed the election process

Libya has been split between rival political groups that have competed for control since 2014. The postponed election formed part of the UN-led peace process after a decade of chaos and conflict following the toppling of Muammar al-Ghaddafi in 2011.

In March, the newly appointed transitional Government of National Unity (GNU) began preparing the nation for presidential elections in December. Since then, the GNU has struggled to keep control, with the LAAF controlling vast swathes of the country amid persistent political divisions.

Of 96 individuals who applied to be candidates in the election, 25 were initially rejected by the HNEC over prior convictions, failure to collect the required number of signatures from registered voters, dual nationality or lack of medical fitness.

The candidacies of three of the frontrunners – Khalifa Heftar, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi and Abdelhamid Dbeiba – were appealed in court and continue to face fierce opposition.

Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s former ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi, was cleared to run by courts despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity for his role in suppressing protests against his father in 2011. Amnesty International has repeatedly called for his handover to the ICC.

Khalifa Heftar, whose LAAF forces tried to take over Tripoli and western Libya in a year-long offensive thwarted in June 2020, was also ruled eligible to run by courts. Amnesty International and others have extensively documented crimes under international law committed by the LAAF and affiliated armed groups, including war crimes. There are reasonable grounds to investigate whether, as commander of the LAAF, Khalifa Heftar failed to prevent and punish crimes committed by forces under his command.

The candidacy of GNU Prime Minister Abdelhamid Debibah was also unsuccessfully challenged in court. Amnesty International has documented crimes under international law committed by forces under the GNU – particularly against migrants and refugees – while he was in power. The GNU has continued to appoint individuals suspected of committing crimes under international law.

“The Libyan authorities should use the postponed elections as an opportunity to break the cycle of impunity and ensure that those suspected of committing crimes under international law are excluded from positions that would allow them to commit further violations, interfere in investigations or grant them immunity,” said Diana Eltahawy.

Background

The head of the parliamentary committee on the electoral process today acknowledged in a message addressed to the speaker of parliament that it would be impossible to hold the elections on 24 December.

The HNEC then issued a statement, saying the failure to resolve differences around the eligibility of candidates and the electoral framework caused the delay in elections. It also recommended that the presidential election now begin on 24 January and called on the House of Representatives to resolve the obstacles.

On 21 December, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed concern about the mobilization of armed elements in the capital.

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The Tunisian authorities must halt the implementation, pending amendment, of a new Covid-19 decree-law that will deny anyone aged 18 or above without a vaccine pass access to many public and private spaces, ban them from working in public-sector or salaried private-sector jobs, and – if they are Tunisian citizens – bar them from traveling abroad, Amnesty International said today. 

The new law is set to come into force on 22 December for six months. Although some aspects of Decree-Law 2021-1, which mandates use of the pass, align with international law and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, Amnesty International calls on authorities to amend provisions that violate the rights to work and freedom of movement as guaranteed by international law.  

“After the health crisis this summer, the population of Tunisia enjoys far greater access to vaccines, but not all people enjoy the same access to public healthcare or vaccines. In seeking to limit the spread of Covid-19, the Tunisian authorities must only introduce restrictions that are necessary and proportionate for the protection of public health,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. 

“The Tunisian authorities must not implement the new decree-law until they have amended it to ensure the vaccine pass requirements do not violate international human rights law by needlessly threatening the livelihoods of Tunisians and inflicting unduly harsh penalties for non-compliance.” 

The new decree-law, which Amnesty International has extensively analyzed, bans public sector and salaried private sector employees from working until they are able to obtain a vaccine pass, with their employers ordered not to pay wages for during the period of suspension. The authorities are also mandated to order businesses that fail to enforce the vaccine pass requirements, with the exception of private health facilities, to close for up to 15 days.  

These penalties could unreasonably undermine the livelihoods of those penalized and their families, especially considering the fact that Tunisia is already suffering from a severe economic crisis. Public healthcare infrastructure is uneven across the country and weaker in some poorer regions, which affects access to vaccines. 

The Tunisian authorities have said the vaccine pass aims to help “bring about collective immunity“, yet they have not offered a clear, widely communicated, science-based rationale to justify vaccine pass requirements as per Decree-Law 2021-1 as opposed to less restrictive measures. Although the authorities consulted a committee of medical professionals, they have not shared the outcome of any consultations they may have undertaken with labour unions, civil society groups or others to help ensure a healthy public debate on plans for a vaccine pass.  

According to WHO guidance on Covid-19 vaccine mandates and vaccine pass requirements, governments should provide clear reasoning behind these policies to help build public trust and address any ethical questions that arise through consultation with the public, especially representatives of those likely to be most affected.  

“Instead of intimidating people and tightening the noose around their daily lives, the Tunisian authorities should opt for effective communication strategies and public outreach to encourage people to get vaccinated by choice,” said Amna Guellali.  

The decree-law also requires Tunisian citizens aged 18 and above to show a vaccine pass to travel outside the country. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Tunisia has ratified, any limitation on the right to freedom of movement must be necessary to achieve a legitimate aim, proportionate, provided by law and must not violate other rights guaranteed by the ICCPR.  

“This requirement is clearly not a legitimate limitation on freedom of movement under international law, because it is unjustified and unfairly restrictive,” said Amna Guellali.  

WHO guidance on international travel during the Covid-19 pandemic states that governments should not impose blanket travel restrictions based on proof of vaccination, and should opt instead for risk-based measures such as testing for Covid-19, imposing quarantine on incoming travellers, or requiring arrivals to present a negative Covid-19 test result. 

The authorities should also establish a transparent mechanism for the frequent review of their vaccine pass policy based on the latest scientific research, Tunisia’s obligations under international human rights law and WHO recommendations, and then communicate the findings clearly and transparently to the public. 

Background:  

President Kais Saied, who suspended Parliament on 25 July and has granted himself the power to legislate by decree, issued the new vaccine pass law on 22 October, a month after dissolving a government body tasked with vetting the constitutionality of new laws and disallowing Tunisia’s Administrative Tribunal from annulling decree-laws.  

Tunisia began its Covid-19 vaccination campaign in March 2021, yet the rollout proceeded slowly and was undermined by a lack of transparency, political interference, and significant delays in vaccine shipments. Meanwhile, rates of Covid-19 infection increased exponentially and, by mid-July 2021, Tunisia’s daily confirmed deaths per million was the second highest in the world.  

From late July onwards, the authorities ramped up vaccinations, eventually raising the percentage of the population who are fully vaccinated from six percent in mid-July to around 46 percent in mid-December.  

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In response to the news that three people were hanged in Japan today, Chiara Sangiorgio, Death Penalty Advisor at Amnesty International, said:

“The recent appointment of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was a chance for progress on human rights in Japan. But today’s abhorrent resumption of executions is a damning indictment of this government’s lack of respect for the right to life.

“After two years without executions, this feels like a missed opportunity for Japan to take long overdue steps to abolish the cruel practice of the death penalty.

“More than 100 countries worldwide have completely abolished the death penalty in law, and two-thirds in total have abandoned it in law or practice.

“It is dismaying that Japan bucks this trend by continuing to use this cruel and inhuman punishment. It is high time to establish a moratorium on all executions as a first important step.”

Background

Three death row inmates – Yasutaka Fujishiro, Mitsunori Onogawa and Tomoaki Takanezawa – were hanged on Tuesday, the first executions in Japan since 2019.

Japan is one of a handful of countries that has persistently executed in recent years. Amnesty International recorded 483 executions in 18 countries excluding China in 2020, the lowest number of executions recorded in at least a decade.

Executions in Japan are shrouded in secrecy, with prisoners typically given only a few hours’ notice and some given no warning at all before their death sentences are carried out. Their families are usually notified about the execution only after it has taken place.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on Japan to establish an immediate official moratorium on all executions as a first step towards total abolition.

These are the first executions under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who came to power in October.

Yasutaka Fujishiro killed seven of his relatives in 2004, while Mitsunori Onogawa and Tomoaki Takanezawa were convicted of two murders in 2003.

Fujishiro suffered a personality disorder, but the court ruled that he could be held criminally responsible for his actions.

Onogawa had filed a second request for a retrial, a decision about which was still pending when he was executed.

Takanezawa had previously withdrawn an appeal to the high court filed by his lawyer. His lawyer requested the court to cancel the withdrawal, but his objection was rejected.

Japan’s most recent execution prior to today took place in December 2019, when a Chinese man convicted of four murders was hanged.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.

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Rajat Khosla, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Advocacy, Research and Policy

“The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation — a test we have essentially failed,” these were the words of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in his address to a UN Security Council meeting on Post Coronavirus Global Governance. He was not alone in lamenting this failure. Several others also attempted to remind everyone that “we are all in this together” when the harsh reality that played out was, that we are not in this together.

If there is one trend that can describe the past year, it is the failure of international cooperation. While time and again clarion calls were made for solidarity and cooperation, time and again we instead saw nationalistic policies, greed and self-interest. While many global leaders were repeatedly called upon to show leadership and cooperate, what they did instead was close the doors and turn their backs not only on international law and commitments to cooperation but to humanities’ most desperate cries to work together.

The overriding antagonism at a time when cooperation was so desperately needed and “beggar-thy-neighbour bidding wars” when solidarity is what was required have defined the pandemic and the global policy space more broadly.[1]

But in a world in which leadership is defined by demagoguery, is international cooperation a mere fantasy? In a world where greed and me-first sentiments characterise geopolitics and the geoeconomics, what would cooperation look like?

Recently, as the world scrambled to figure out ways to address Omicron, the new mutant variant of Covid-19, some rightly commented that “our failure to put vaccines into the arms of people in the developing world is now coming back to haunt us”.[2] For several countries around the world, especially those most acutely affected with Omicron (based on present data), and developing countries more widely, these failures of cooperation are being manifested both in terms of mounting new cases but also in the emergence of new mutations. As public health scientists pointed out, both outcomes were all-too predictable. While high-income countries are rushing their populations for booster jabs, many in low-income countries have yet to receive their first one. None are anywhere close to the WHO vaccination target rate of 40% by the end of 2021. The inability of many wealthy countries to cooperate and to agree on the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS waiver, which would remove obstacles that currently stand in the way of allowing increased production of much needed supplies to developing countries, is yet another example of this failure.  All this has taken place against a shameful background of high-income countries sitting on stockpiles of vaccines many times their population size, some of which are going to waste and being put in the bin, while refusing to share them with those most in need.[3]

The Charter of the United Nations, in its very first article, talks about the need, “To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”. Why is it then the member states of the UN refuse to cooperate while humanity faces one of its biggest crises since WWII? As naïve as the question might seem, the answer to it holds the key to our collective futures. Because unless we cooperate, we will not find solutions to the challenges we face.

The abandonment of the basic ethos of solidarity and cooperation were laid bare as world leaders sat muted and saw the falling of Afghanistan. Or when the conflict in Ethiopia told of unimaginable horrors. Or when world leaders copped out at COP26 and, instead of showing the bold leadership we need to protect humanity and our planet, took minimal steps,[4] failing to treat the climate crisis as urgently as required, and indeed as Greta said, on key issues such as providing funding for loss and damage faced by people due to climate change, all it amounted to was “blah, blah, blah”. And while they refused to cooperate and fulfil their international human rights law obligations, they continue to play handmaidens to the corporate lobby. Whether it was pharmaceuticals or fossil fuels, global leaders chose to remain silent and let corporate greed supersede human rights.

Social media erupted when the Prime Minister of Barbados in her speech at COP26 asked, “when will the leaders lead” and issued a resounding call to act ambitiously and act now before it’s too late.

But there is hope. Lessons in leadership and cooperation came from people marching on the streets and saying, “not in our name” and demanding vaccine equity and justice.[5] It also came from communities who opened their doors to provide support to those fleeing persecution, violence and threats. Lessons in solidarity and cooperation also came from our health workers who have worked around the clock saving lives during some of the most harrowing moments of the Covid-19 pandemic. If only these same lessons trickled up with power to affect change, we would be in a much stronger position to beat Covid-19 or any other international challenge that we will need to face as a global community.

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[1] https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article/36/Supplement_1/S64/5863407

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/26/new-covid-variant-rich-countries-hoarding-vaccines

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/26/new-covid-variant-rich-countries-hoarding-vaccines

[4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/IOR40/4989/2021/en/

[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/7/leaders-of-the-world-have-failed-us-qa-with-agnes-callamard

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• Testimony from people returned to Iraq
• “My body was left black and blue”
• Pushbacks from Poland in full knowledge of abuses by the other side

Asylum-seekers and migrants trying to enter the EU from Belarus and facing pushbacks and other human rights violations on the Polish border, are subjected to horrific torture or other ill-treatment, inhumane conditions, extortion and other abuse at the hands of Belarusian forces, new evidence gathered by Amnesty International reveals.

Harrowing testimonies reveal that people including families with children, often in need of immediate help, have been beaten with batons and rifle butts and threatened with security dogs by Belarusian forces, as well as being forced to repeatedly cross the border in dangerous conditions by both Belarussian and Polish authorities, including through a fast-flowing river.

“People at the border find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Stranded in what is effectively an exclusion zone on Belarus’s border with the EU, they face hunger, exposure and shocking levels of brutality from Belarusian forces repeatedly forcing them into Poland where they are systematically pushed back by Polish officers. The opposing forces are playing a sordid game with human lives,” said Amnesty International Refugees and Migrant Rights Researcher Jennifer Foster.

People at the border find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Stranded in what is effectively an exclusion zone on Belarus’s border with the EU, they face hunger, exposure and shocking levels of brutality from Belarusian forces

Jennifer Foster, Amnesty International Refugees and Migrant Rights Researcher

Amnesty International interviewed a total of 75 people who were lured into Belarus between July and November 2021 by a false promise of easily crossing into the EU. They then experienced pushbacks by EU countries, including Poland. The interviewees included 66 Iraqi nationals, seven Syrian nationals who travelled  from Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria, one Lebanese man, and one Sudanese man. With several of those interviewed travelling with family and friends, the testimonies account for a total of 192 affected people.

Amnesty International’s research revealed beatings and other serious torture or other ill-treatment, including people being deprived of food, water, shelter, and sanitation, as well as theft of phones and money or extortion for bribes by members of Belarusian forces.

Those interviewed by the organization testified that they faced these abuses from Belarusian forces as they moved from Minsk to what is effectively an exclusion zone, typically fenced off, on Belarus’ border with Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. People were escorted in groups to “collection sites” within the fenced off zone before being violently forced to cross into Poland, while being chased by dogs and forced to walk through freezing rivers by Belarusian authorities.

A Syrian man told the organization that he was in a group of around 80 people driven in a military truck to the border.

“They offloaded us… There were about ten [Belarusian] soldiers and they had four dogs with them. They said they would let the dogs loose so if we didn’t run fast, we would get bitten. The soldiers ran after us beating anyone who didn’t run fast enough with batons. After they had chased us for about 200 meters the soldiers turned around, leaving us in the buffer zone in the middle of the woods. Families had been separated. Those bitten by the dogs were bleeding.”

There were about ten [Belarusian] soldiers and they had four dogs with them. They said they would let the dogs loose so if we didn’t run fast, we would get bitten. The soldiers ran after us beating anyone who didn’t run fast enough with batons

Once in a “collection site”, people are not allowed to leave or go back towards unfenced areas accessible to civilians, and are trapped in inhumane conditions for days or weeks. People described being left without any food for days, or with minimal amounts of water or bread, and no shelter or sanitation. Several individuals told Amnesty International that they were only allowed to leave the “collection sites” and the border strip zone after paying bribes. 

A Kurdish Syrian family interviewed by Amnesty International stayed in the fenced zone for 20 days. They ate only once per day and, on one occasion, went at least 24 hours with nothing to feed their two children. The father described his family’s ordeal:

“We were almost unconscious sometimes and were hungry and thirsty and couldn’t find any help, neither from Polish soldiers nor the Belarusians.”

We were almost unconscious sometimes and were hungry and thirsty and couldn’t find any help, neither from Polish soldiers nor the Belarusians

Belarusian officials also took advantage of people entering the fenced areas and beat them violently as they crossed in, often stealing phones and money from them during the process. One asylum-seeker even said he was punched with “knuckle dusters” and kicked with steel-toed boots. A Kurdish Iraqi man told Amnesty International:

“Some had iron finger boxing rings and steel tipped boots. They kicked us while we were lying on [the] ground. They made us hand over money and phones. My body was left black and blue.”   

International human rights law protects the right to claim asylum, as well as the right to freedom from torture or other ill-treatment. Belarus is flagrantly violating these rights, despite being party to relevant international treaties that protect them.

Poland: Pushbacks as a standard practice, asylum procedures and human rights guarantees ignored

Most of those who made it across the border fence into Poland were immediately apprehended and pushed back by Polish soldiers after a few hundred metres. Amnesty International also documented several cases of individuals who managed to go further into Polish territory, including walking for days before being picked up by Polish law enforcement authorities or approaching the authorities themselves after days spent without food or shelter.

All but one person Amnesty International spoke to was pushed back to Belarus, without any due process. Despite individuals expressing their intention to apply for asylum in the EU, they were stopped in a long series of systematic mass expulsions that completely disregarded international and EU law obligations.

All but one person Amnesty International spoke to was pushed back to Belarus, without any due process

Polish security forces clearly witnessed the mistreatment asylum seekers and migrants suffered on the Belarusian side, and yet still turned them back across the border fence.

Most of the people who Amnesty International spoke to who had tried to cross the border more recently said their phones were frequently damaged by Polish forces, and at times people suffered violent treatment, including children being pepper sprayed and adults being pushed into rivers.   

A Syrian man who travelled with his wife and two children told Amnesty International that members of Polish forces put him and his family inside the back of a military truck: “It was big enough for 50-60 migrants and they drove about one hour. And then they pushed us back in the buffer zone. In the truck a soldier was listening to us talking and used pepper spray against us again, and my son and daughter cried for almost one hour”.

In the truck a soldier was listening to us talking and used pepper spray against us again, and my son and daughter cried for almost one hour

An Iraqi Yazidi man told Amnesty International that about an hour after crossing into Poland he was apprehended by Polish forces and, along with several other men, taken to a small river marking the border with Belarus: “The river was only about 10 or 15 meters-wide but it was deep and fast moving. They forced us off the vehicles and pushed us into the water. Anyone who didn’t get in the river was beaten with batons. [They] also had dogs. Women and kids and also some men were taken elsewhere. I saw one man taken away by the current. If you couldn’t swim, you drowned”.

Poland is in clear violation of international law and standards, including through violation of the prohibition of torture or other ill-treatment. The principle of non-refoulment provides that authorities must not forcibly send any person to another country or territory where they would be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

European Commission fails to act against abuses

Despite egregious rights violations by the EU states bordering Belarus, the European Commission (EC) has failed to carry through legal proceedings to uphold EU laws. Furthermore, on 1 December 2021 the EC proposed provisional emergency measures that could allow Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to derogate from EU rules, including by holding asylum-seekers at the border for 20 weeks with minimal safeguards and making deportations easier. The move is unjustifiable and will weaken the EU’s legal framework on migration and asylum.

“Thousands of people – including many fleeing war and conflict – find themselves stuck in Belarus in the depths of winter in extremely precarious conditions. Instead of receiving the care they need, they are subjected to brutal violence. Belarus must immediately cease this violence, and EU member states must stop denying people the chance to escape these egregious violations let alone returning them to Belarus to face them again and again,” said Jennifer Foster.

Belarus must immediately cease this violence, and EU member states must stop denying people the chance to escape these egregious violations let alone returning them to Belarus to face them again and again

Jennifer Foster, Amnesty International Refugees and Migrant Rights Researcher

Amnesty International is concerned that those who remain trapped in Belarus with irregular status, whether in the border regions or the capital Minsk and other cities, are at risk of serious human rights violations. Confronted with an increasing number of stranded asylum seekers, Belarusian authorities have already started forcibly returning them to their countries of origin, including returning them unlawfully without an evaluation of their protection needs. Many people the organization spoke to face forcible return to Syria and not the countries they departed from, including Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon, due to re-entry bans.

Beginning in June 2021, the number of people arriving into EU territory from Belarus began to increase. EU leaders described this as a “hybrid threat” orchestrated by the Belarusian authorities in response to the EU sanctions introduced after widespread human rights violations following the 2020 presidential election, the official outcome of which was widely disputed and led to mass peaceful protests.

Amnesty International conducted nine in-depth interviews with Syrian, Lebanese and Sudanese people who travelled, some accompanied by their families, from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Russia with the intention of seeking asylum in the EU. At the time of the interviews, these individuals were in Germany, Lebanon, and still in Belarus. Additionally, the organization travelled to Iraq where it was able to speak with 66 individuals who had been returned, both voluntarily and involuntarily, to their country after failed attempts to reach the EU. These interviews took place in and around Baghdad, Dohuk, Baadre, Khelakh, Shariya, Zakho and Raniya.

Amnesty International requested access to the border zone and the people stranded there from Belarusian authorities. In their reply, the authorities stated that “the Belarusian side does not see any usefulness in the visit of the representatives of Amnesty International with the stated purpose.”

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