Kategorie: Humans

Reacting to the visit of Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders to Tajikistan, which concluded on 9 December, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said:

“In her capacity as UN Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor visited Tajikistan and met with some unlawfully imprisoned human rights defenders and independent journalists, before making a bold statement at the conclusion of the mission. Our hope is that this helps cast light on the deplorable human rights situation in the country and that the authorities will act on her recommendations. Imprisoned human rights defenders are subjected to extreme hardship and abuse in Tajikistan and kept in terrible conditions sometimes with minimal or no contact with the outside world. The situation of prisoner of conscience Buzurgmekhr Yorov deserves attention. But he is just one human rights defender among many who are unfairly imprisoned.”

Imprisoned human rights defenders are subjected to extreme hardship and abuse in Tajikistan and kept in terrible conditions sometimes with minimal or no contact with the outside world

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director

“Languishing in jail for fighting for human rights and for representing the interests of other human rights defenders and civil society activists in court, Buzurgmekhr Yorov faces the frightening prospect of being cut off from the outside world, at risk of torture or other ill-treatment, and with no access to necessary medical treatment.”

“Buzurgmekhr Yorov must be released as he has committed no internationally recognizable crime and faces reprisals for his lawful work to protect human rights and establish justice. So must all those who have been imprisoned under false charges.”

Background

According to his supporters, prisoner of conscience Buzurgmekhr Yorov, a human rights lawyer and activist, was hospitalized in the prison infirmary on the evening of 23 November, after being moved to a punitive prison cell where he was allegedly subjected to torture a week earlier. Buzurgmekhr Yorov managed to get a note to his family from prison explaining that he was being transferred from Vakhdat penal colony to a high-security detention facility in the capital Dushanbe without the prospect of being able to communicate with the outside world for the next two years.

Buzurgmekhr Yorov is serving a 24-year prison sentence after being convicted on politically motivated charges, including fraud and “insulting the leader of the Nation,” following a series of blatantly unfair trials in 2016 and 2017. He has always denied the charges.

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The Iranian authorities’ arbitrary arrest, intimidation and harassment of relatives of children, unlawfully gunned down or beaten to death by security forces in connection with protests, exposes their inconceivable cruelty and sinister attempt to cover up their crimes, said Amnesty International today.   

In updated research, Amnesty International has documented how the unlawful killings of children by Iran’s security forces continue unabated, detailing the names and details of at least 44 children and the heartless violence inflicted upon their families.   

The authorities have been killing children in a bid to crush the spirit of resistance among the country’s youth and retain their iron grip on power at any cost.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International

“The authorities have not only condemned families of children killed to a lifetime of inconsolable sadness, but they have also inflicted extreme mental anguish upon them through cruel restrictions on burials, commemorations and relentless intimidation aimed at enforcing silence. These practices violate the absolute prohibition on cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The recent establishment of a UN fact-finding mission to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations sends a clear message to the Iranian authorities that they can no longer commit crimes under international law and other grave violations of human rights without fear of consequences. Amnesty International now urges all states to exercise universal jurisdiction to criminally investigate Iranian officials involved in militarized attacks on demonstrators, including children.”

Amnesty International’s research has shown that Iran’s security forces shot 34 of the identified child victims with live ammunition in the heart, head or other vital organs. At least four were killed by metal pellets unlawfully fired by the security forces at close range. Five other children, four girls and one boy, died from injuries consistent with fatal beatings, and one girl was killed after being struck on the head with a tear gas canister. The recorded child victims include 39 boys, aged between two and 17, and five girls, three of whom were 16 years old, one 17 years old, and one aged six.

Children represent 14% of overall deaths of protesters and bystanders recorded by Amnesty International, which exceeds 300 since the protests erupted. Our investigations into killings by security forces continue and the number of those killed, including children, is believed to be higher (For more information on the organization’s methodology, see here).

The Iranian authorities have routinely harassed and intimidated the families of child victims to coerce them into silence or to force them to accept narratives absolving authorities of responsibility for the deaths of their loved ones in written statements or video recordings broadcast on state television. Amnesty International has identified such practices against the relatives of at least 13 child victims. Information obtained by the organization from informed sources indicates that security forces subjected them to coercion including arbitrary arrest and detention, threats to bury the bodies of their loved ones in unidentified location, and threats to kill, rape, detain or otherwise harm bereaved parents and their surviving children.

The father of Koumar Daroftadeh, a 16-year-old boy killed by live ammunition said on 13 November in an interview with Radio Farda, an independent media outlet:

“They [security and intelligence agents] summoned me and told me that I should say whatever they dictate to me… The authorities killed my son and must be held accountable.

Cruel restrictions on burials and commemorations 

Security and intelligence agents often threatened not to return the bodies of child victims for burial unless families commit, in writing, to remaining silent and observing restrictions on funeral and memorial ceremonies.

In some cases, officials prepared the bodies of victims for burial without notifying families, then handed them the bodies, wrapped in shrouds, minutes before the scheduled burial, denying families their right to wash and prepare their loved ones for burial in accordance with their own religious and cultural traditions.

Other restrictions included forcing families to bury their loved ones in remote villages, banning the use of word “martyr” and prohibiting relatives from hanging large memorial banners or sharing images of victims and funeral posters on social media.

Denying responsibility for unlawful killings of children

The Iranian authorities have publicly denied responsibility for the killing of at least 19 of the child victims. They have blamed 12 of these deaths on attacks by either “hired terrorists” or “unknown persons”, attributed three to suicidal or accidental falls from heights, one to a suicidal or accidental drug overdose, one to a dog bite, one to a motorcycle accident and another to a stampede.

For nine other children, all from the oppressed Baluchi minority, the authorities have questioned their deaths, claiming in their reports to member states of the UN Human Rights Council that “there is no death record” for the children concerned in the Sistan and Baluchistan province.

Children from persecuted minorities most targeted

Over 60% of the children killed were from Iran’s oppressed Baluchi and Kurdish minorities. These communities have long suffered from systemic discrimination and persecution by the authorities. 

A family member of a child unlawfully killed in Sistan and Baluchistan told Amnesty International:

“They did not pay any attention to us. They [Iranian authorities] do not consider us [Baluchis] human. There are many witnesses [to the killings], but their testimonies are worthless against the Islamic Republic because the authorities do not accept them.”

Of the 44 recorded child victims, 18, which amounts to 40%, belonged to Iran’s oppressed Baluchi minority. Thirteen of them were killed by security forces on 30 September in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan province, during the deadliest day of the authorities’ crackdown on the protests, widely known to Iranians as “Bloody Friday”.

Ten of the children killed, which amounts to 20%, were from the Kurdish minority and were killed in eight cities or towns in the Kurdish populated provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan.

The remaining 16 child victims were killed in six other provinces across Iran.

“The authorities have been killing children in a bid to crush the spirit of resistance among the country’s youth and retain their iron grip on power at any cost. And yet despite that, many children have courageously continued to take to the streets in search of a future without political oppression and inequality,” said Heba Morayef.

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Responding to reports of at least one boat carrying Rohingya refugees stranded at sea, Amnesty International’s Southeast Asia Researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said: 

“Seven years after the Andaman Sea crisis, which saw an extensive loss of lives, Rohingya people continue to risk everything in dangerous journeys to escape persecution at home in military-run Myanmar, and the abysmal conditions in Bangladeshi refugee camps.  

“International humanitarian law requires the rescue of people at sea when they are in distress, and their delivery to a place of safety. Swift action is needed to protect lives. Further delays to alleviate this suffering or any attempts to send Rohingya back to Myanmar where they face persecution are unconscionable.  

“Regional governments must urgently coordinate and cooperate on search and rescue operations. They must attempt to locate any boats in distress and ensure the people on board are allowed to disembark safely and receive proper medical support, food and water.” 

Background: 

UNHCR has reported a six-fold increase of mostly Rohingya people making risky journeys by sea from Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2022, with 119 people reported dead or missing.

Regional authorities have made extensive commitments to improve their coordination of search and rescue operations of boats in distress, after the loss of lives due to delayed response.   

In August 2017, more than 740,000 Rohingya women, men and children fled northern Rakhine State to neighboring Bangladesh after Myanmar security forces launched a widespread and systematic assault on Rohingya villages, including extrajudicial killings, destruction of property and sexual assault. 

More than 130,000 Rohingya people remain in squalid internment camps in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Rohingya in Myanmar continue to face severe restrictions on freedom of movement, access to education and health services in a system that Amnesty International has called apartheid. 

Myanmar military authorities routinely and arbitrarily detain Rohingyas for travelling outside of Rakhine state. Those detained are sent to prisons without the right to defend themselves or access to legal counsel. Conditions in Myanmar prisons are inhumane and do not meet international human rights standards. 

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Responding to the media reports of killing of at least one person and more than 60 others sustaining injuries following a clash between supporters of the opposition party and the police in Dhaka on Wednesday, Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia, said:

“This incident shows that the Bangladesh authorities have very little regard for the sanctity of human life and sends a chilling message that those who dare to exercise their human rights will face dire consequences. Authorities must put an end to excessive use of force when responding to large-scale demonstrations and only respond in a manner that is consistent with international standards.

This incident shows that the Bangladesh authorities have very little regard for the sanctity of human life and sends a chilling message that those who dare to exercise their human rights will face dire consequences.

Yamini Mishra, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for South Asia

“In recent weeks, we have seen an alarming escalation of repression by the authorities, who are carrying out mass arrests of political activists, raising serious concerns about violence, intimidation and harassment ahead of the parliamentary elections next year. It’s imperative that the government shows the political will to uphold the human rights of everyone, including guaranteeing that people can fully exercise their rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in the country.

“Authorities must end impunity for repression of peaceful protests, and promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate cases of excessive use of force by the police. They must ensure that suspected perpetrators are brought to justice, and that victims are provided with access to justice and effective remedies.”

BACKGROUND

On 7 December, activists and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the largest opposition party, and the police clashed outside the party headquarters in Dhaka’s Paltan area after the BNP announced a major political rally on December 10.

As per media reports, 32-year-old Mokbul died from a bullet wound while atleast three of the injured and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. Thousands of BNP activists were standing in front of the party headquarters when the police opened fire with live ammunition, pellets, rubber bullets and tear gas. 

The Bangladesh authorities have also launched a drive to mass arrests political activists leading to the arrest of 1400 activists so far.

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• Women and girls face re-traumatization trying to remove explicit content from internet
• Google’s inadequate reporting system fails to deliver swift and transparent responses

Survivors of online sexual abuse in South Korea have told Amnesty International their suffering has been compounded by Google’s slow and convoluted system for processing content takedown requests.

Women and girls targeted with digital sex crimes said the process for reporting non-consensual explicit content on Google was so difficult to navigate that videos of sexual abuse have ended up proliferating online.

“As a wave of digital sex crimes in South Korea causes severe harm to the women and girls who have been targeted, Google’s inadequate system for reporting non-consensual explicit content is making matters even worse,” said Jihyun Yoon, Director of Amnesty International Korea. 

“Google must do more to prevent the spread of online gender-based violence – not just in Korea, but everywhere. Survivors around the world are forced to use this same flawed reporting system when they try to get harmful content removed, so it is highly likely this issue extends way beyond Korea.”

Amnesty International today launched a global petition calling on Google to address the flaws in its reporting system.

Digital sex crimes rise despite “Nth Room” case

In March 2020, a group of South Korean journalists exposed the existence of eight secret chat rooms on messaging app Telegram where thousands of videos of women and girls containing explicit non-consensual sexual content, were being sold using cryptocurrency without their consent. Korean police said more than 60,000 people participated in the crimes by entering these rooms, collectively known as the “Nth Room” case.

In October 2021, one of the “Nth Room” case chat operators was sentenced to 42 years in jail. However, digital sex crimes are continuing, and what distinguishes them from other instances of sexual violence is the additional harm caused by the ease of repeated sharing and distribution.

Recent criminal cases show that perpetrators habitually threaten survivors with existing video content to force them into producing more sexually abusive content.  This shows that unless the non-consensual content and personal information of survivors is deleted, women and girls are subjected to further harm or crimes even when the original perpetrators are punished.

“Deleting non-consensual explicit content circulated online is essential for restoring the survivors’ daily lives. These women have no choice but to put their faith in removal requests to tech companies, despite the painful process of having to repeatedly search for and collect the non-consensual explicit content they are featured in,” said Jihyun Yoon.

“When these requests are not processed quickly and the abusive content can be re-distributed at any time, survivors are exposed to prolonged physical and mental harm.”

Google’s poorly functioning reporting system

Google says non-consensual explicit content can be removed on request. However, the survivors and activists who spoke with Amnesty International Korea said Google’s reporting categories and procedures were confusing and difficult to follow. The appropriate forms were difficult to find, and they contained ambiguous categories about the type of content being reported.

After a complaint had finally been successfully submitted, users then faced a lack of communication on the progress of their claim – often for months on end.

Google has a lot of advantages – you can easily get the information you want. But to the victims, Google is nothing more than a huge distribution website. It is the worst website in terms of secondary victimization.

Survivor Hyun-jin

Amnesty International Korea carried out a survey of 25 survivors and activists – and all 11 of those who made complaints via Google said it was difficult to confirm whether their requests had been properly processed. This was mainly due to a lack of communication from Google during the reporting process.

Survivor *Hyun-jin waited just over a year between receiving a confirmation receipt from Google and finally being informed of the outcome of a series of removal requests she had sent.

Google also appeared to fail to take into account survivors’ trauma when crafting its takedown procedures. When reporting content, users must tick a box saying they recognize they can be punished if the submission is not true, while Google states it will not process incomplete complaints.

Hyun-jin said these guidelines heightened her anxiety: “I submitted it with difficulty, but rather than being convinced that it would be deleted, I became more anxious because I thought that if it didn’t work, it would be my responsibility.”

She has since prepared a 600-word model response explaining in detail why the content is unlawful, and she has shared it with other survivors to help them make removal requests.

One of the reporting forms provided by Google also requires a “photo ID” to be attached when submitting a report, failing to take into account the fact that survivors who have had explicit material distributed without their consent fear sharing their image online.

“Asking survivors to post photo IDs online, where videos of victims are circulating, is nothing short of traumatic,” said Dan of activist group Team Flame.

Google ‘the worst website in terms of secondary victimization’

Amnesty International interviewed four survivors of online gender-based violence along with six activists who have been supporting them. All survivors reported damage to their physical and mental health, including a need to isolate themselves from society to avoid stigma.

While the sexual abuse and its dissemination online already caused immense harm to these survivors, this was exacerbated when they were confronted with the slow and confusing process of trying to remove the content from the internet.

“It was so easy [for the perpetrator] to upload a video, but it took months to get it removed,” survivor Hyun-jin told Amnesty International.

She had gone to the police after a non-consensual video of her, containing sexually explicit content, was distributed online. She wrongly assumed the video would soon be deleted.

“When you are victimized like this, you have no idea what to do. I was looking at my phone and googling my name the whole day. I could barely sleep an hour a day, spending most of my time searching. I had constant nightmares, but reality itself was more of a nightmare.

“In order to delete videos, images and search keywords, I had to take hundreds of screenshots and report these to Google. I couldn’t ask someone else to do all this for me because I had to attach these harmful images depicting myself when I reported them. I had to face it all alone.

“Google has a lot of advantages – you can easily get the information you want. But to the victims, Google is nothing more than a huge distribution website. It is the worst website in terms of secondary victimization. The other day, I checked the URLs with the distributed content, and [the search results] were over 30 pages long. They weren’t even easily removed on request. [Yet] I can’t help but continue making removal requests.”

Responsibility of tech companies to prevent harm on their services

Google’s inadequate reporting system is difficult to navigate, inconsistent and hard to track, resulting in a failure to deliver swift and transparent responses to survivors.

The responsibility of all companies to respect human rights has been well articulated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which state that all business enterprises are required to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their own activities, and to address such impacts when they occur.

Google’s own human rights policy states its commitment to “upholding the standards established in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”.

“By responding inconsistently and slowly to removal requests by survivors of digital sex crimes, Google is failing to respect human rights. It must adopt a survivor-centered reporting system that prevents re-traumatization and is easy to access, navigate and check on,” Jihyun Yoon said.

“Google must ensure that online gender-based violence does not occur on its services. Survivors of digital crimes need to be helped by Google’s reporting mechanisms, rather than having their suffering needlessly prolonged by them.”

Amnesty International wrote to Google on 11 November requesting a response to its findings. Google did not provide an official response but stated in a private meeting that this issue is of importance and the company wants to improve how it responds to it.

*All survivors’ real identities have been protected at their request.

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