Responding to the news that Pulitzer Prize winning Kashmiri photojournalist, Sanna Irshad Mattoo has been stopped again from travelling abroad by immigration authorities at the Delhi airport on Tuesday, Aakar Patel, chair of board of Amnesty International India, said:

“Arbitrary travel bans have increasingly become the principal tactic of the Indian authorities to silence independent and critical voices in the country. These arbitrary executive actions are not backed by any court order, warrant or even a written explanation, making it difficult for the activists and journalists to challenge these in the courts. This has led to the authorities routinely using travel bans as a preferred tool in the wider crackdown on dissent. This is a blatant violation of human rights and must end now.

The (Indian) authorities routinely using travel bans as a preferred tool in the wider crackdown on dissent.
This is a blatant violation of human rights
and must end now

Aakar Patel, chair of board of Amnesty International India

“In particular, the Indian authorities have increased the use of travel bans against journalists and human rights defenders from region of Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years. This incessant witch-hunt is contrary to India’s international human rights obligations and reflects poorly on its record which is up for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) early next month.

“The Indian authorities must lift all arbitrary travel bans, stop this unlawful practice and live up to their human rights obligations by respecting, protecting, promoting and fulfilling the human rights of everyone including to freedom of expression and movement.”

Background:

Sanna Irshad Mattoo was barred from travelling “despite having a valid visa and ticket” to the United States to attend the award ceremony of the prestigious Pulitzer prize for her coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to media reports, she has not been given an official reason yet despite being stopped from international travel previously in July as well.

In October 2019, right before Jammu & Kashmir was dismantled into union territories, over 450 people including journalists, lawyers, politicians, human rights activists, and businessmen were placed on a temporary “No Fly List” without any judicial order.

Since 2019, Amnesty International has documented the cases of at least six Kashmiri journalists, human rights activists, academics, and politicians including Gowhar Geelani, Shah Faesal, Bilal Bhat, Zahid Rafiq, Sanna Mattoo and Aakash Hassan who have been barred from travelling outside India without any lawful justification.

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On 19 October, UK-Egyptian activist will have been on hunger strike for 200 days 

Sister Sanaa Seif is demanding a meeting with the Foreign Secretary

David Lammy to attend Tuesday evening demo

The sister of a UK national jailed in Egypt will begin a sit-in outside the Foreign Office in central London this week calling for the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to urgently meet the family to explain what the Government is doing to secure their relative’s release.
 
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, 40, a prominent human rights activist and blogger, is on hunger strike in Wadi al-Natrun prison after being unfairly convicted and jailed late last year. 
 
On Wednesday (19 October), Abd el-Fattah will have been on hunger strike for 200 consecutive days and with fears mounting for his well-being his family have stepped up their campaign for his release.

Tomorrow (18 October, 5:00-6:30pm*), Abd el-Fattah’s sister Sanaa Seif will stage a protest at the FCDO which will see her beginning a sit-in at the location until the Foreign Secretary agrees to meet her, or until the beginning of the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, which is set to start on 6 November. 

The Labour shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is also expected to attend tomorrow’s protest, and Amnesty International activists will be attending the sit-in in solidarity with the family. 
 
Abd el-Fattah rose to prominence in Egypt during nationwide protests in 2011 against Hosni Mubarak’s repressive government and has been targeted by the authorities for most of the past decade. Among other things, the activist suffered torture soon after his detention in 2019. He is from a well-known Egyptian family which includes several human rights activists. His mother – Laila Soueif, a mathematics professor at Cairo University – was born in London and the family have significant ties to the UK.

Event details  

WHO: Sanaa Seif, David Lammy
 
WHAT: protest and sit-in outside FCDO, with various banners calling for release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah
 
WHERE: FCDO building, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH
 
WHEN: Tuesday 18 October (5:00-6:30pm), with sit-in to follow

*Note the time has been brought forward from 5:30 (which the photo above still shows) and it will now start at 5:00

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Reading the news can be really depressing. Sometimes there seems to be so much wrong in the world, the idea of changing it for the better feels impossible. But as Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign shows, you can make a big difference by doing something “little”. 

Writing a letter, sending a tweet, signing a petition. Surely you can’t change the world with something so simple? Yes, you can! 

Since Write for Rights started in 2001, millions of people, just like you, have changed the lives of those whose human rights had been stripped from them. Taking just a little bit of time to send a tweet or write a letter has made the world of difference to the people we have supported through the campaign. In the past year alone, we’ve seen positive developments for several people recently featured in the campaign. 

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER FREE  

Bernardo Caal Xol, a Guatemalan teacher and environmental activist, worked tirelessly to defend communities affected by hydroelectric projects on the Cahabón river, in northern Guatemala. In November 2018, he was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on bogus charges aimed at preventing his human rights work. During Write for Rights 2021 more than half a million actions were taken for Bernardo and in March 2022 he was released. In a video message to Amnesty International activists, he said: 

“I, Bernardo Caal Xol, a member of the Maya Q’eqchi’ people of Guatemala, am grateful to each and every one of you. You have given me hope for the justice, liberty and equality that must prevail in every people and nation.” 

FATHER OF THREE REUNITED WITH FAMILY 

On 30 June 2021, Burundian human rights defender Germain Rukuki was released from prison four years into a 32-year sentence. He had been found guilty of a number of sham charges relating to his human rights work. He was jailed before getting a chance to hold his youngest child, born just weeks after he was arrested in July 2017. His family were forced to flee the country for fear of reprisals. Initially unable to leave Burundi following his release, Germain was finally reunited with his family in Belgium in February 2022. Supporters from around the world took more than 436,000 actions calling for Germain’s release. He told Amnesty International: 

“Write for Rights really does have a positive impact. Their support has made me, Germain Rukuki, come out of prison even more committed to defending human rights.” 

FREED FROM DEATH ROW  

Magai Matiop Ngong was a 15-year-old schoolboy in South Sudan when he was sentenced to death on 14 November 2017 for murder. Magai recounted how he told the judge the death was an accident and that he was only a child; despite this, Magai faced trial for capital murder without any access to a lawyer. More than 700,000 actions were taken for Magai during Write for Rights 2019, and in March 2022 the High Court agreed that given his age at the time of the conviction, he should be released. Magai is now safely out of the country and determined more than ever to help people like him. Of the people who campaigned on his behalf, he said:  

“They are life-saving individuals…They made it possible for me to be here today…I’m quite sure that my life is not the only one they have saved. They have saved the lives of people all around the world”

YOU TOO CAN CHANGE THE WORLD AND HERE’S HOW 

Write for Rights 2022 is nearly here! This year, we’re teaming up with Amnesty’s global Protect the Protest campaign. Throughout history, protest has been a powerful tool for change. But governments around the world are cracking down on protests and restricting people’s rights. Write for Rights 2022 will feature 13 people who have paid a great price for speaking truth to power. 

If you have any doubts that your words can make a difference, Jani Silva, an environmental activist from Colombia can assure you they do. Jani’s fearless opposition to environmental contamination and human rights violations has had frightening consequences. She’s been followed, intimidated, and threatened with death. Following the 2020 Write for Rights campaign, Jani said: 

“I am so very grateful for the letters. From the bottom of my heart, this campaign has kept me alive. It’s what has stopped them from killing me, because they know that you are there.” 

The post Write for Rights – the life-changing power of words appeared first on Amnesty International.

Central African Republic (CAR) has suffered  multiple armed conflicts  since 2002. Thousands of civilians have been killed, raped, or otherwise subjected to horrific violence. Many more have had their homes burned or looted, and have been forced to leave for displacement camps.

Indeed, war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity have been inflicted on the CAR population by armed groups, the CAR military and their allies. 

Worse still, very few perpetrators have been held to account for these horrific crimes.

People have continued to live in the vicinity of their attackers, forced to endure the fear and trauma of further violence. 

Most of those who have ordered the worst atrocities have simply continued to go about their lives with total impunity. 

Some have even been promoted into top positions in government.

Yet the SCC faced obstacles and delays in becoming fully operational. Today it is still having difficulties affirming its full independence and overcoming apparent resistance from the CAR authorities and MINUSCA for reasons of political expediency. 

Listen to victims’ stories and their calls for justice

Victims of crimes deserve justice. They cannot move forward with their lives while the perpetrators of their worst sufferings walk free. Indeed, the country cannot recover and move forward as long as there has been no redress. But that requires action from all of us, to show that we care about this situation. 

DEMAND JUSTICE NOW

URGE the CAR authorities to ENSURE the RENEwAL OF SCC' MANDATE

The post Central African Republic:  victims call for justice appeared first on Amnesty International.

Ahead of the 20^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CCP), where President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed as CCP General Secretary for a third term, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Hana Young said:

“Confirmation of Xi Jinping’s third term will be an ominous moment not only for the millions of Chinese citizens who have suffered grave human rights violations under his rule, but also for people around the world who feel the impact of the Chinese government’s repression. 

“President Xi’s decade in power has been characterized by sweeping arbitrary detentions, a ruthless nationwide crackdown on freedom of expression and association, crimes against humanity against Muslims in the Xinjiang region, and a dramatic escalation of repression in Hong Kong.

“The government’s policies and practices under Xi’s leadership pose a threat to rights not just at home, but globally. From the government’s campaign to silence and forcibly repatriate Uyghurs overseas to its attempts to redefine the very meaning of human rights at the United Nations, the arm of Chinese state repression increasingly extends beyond China’s borders.

“And as Chinese activists, human rights lawyers, independent journalists and other human rights defenders brace themselves for more of the same – or worse – the international community must redouble efforts to ensure the next five years are different. There can be no excuse for failing to hold the Chinese authorities to account over atrocities committed in President Xi’s name.”

Background

The confirmation of Xi Jinping’s third term as paramount leader of the Chinese Communist Party is widely expected to be announced at the end of the Party’s 20th National Congress, which begins on Sunday 16 October.

In 2018, Xi Jinping engineered a constitutional reform that eliminated the previous two-term limit on the Presidency. He has been consolidating and concentrating his power since 2017 including through introduction of Xi Jinping Thought as a pillar of the Party and state constitutions, and through purges of the political and legal apparatus pursued through an anti-corruption campaign.

Xi Jinping holds three posts concurrently, giving him control of the Party, Military and State. These posts are General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Chairperson of the Central Military Commission of the Party and President of the People’s Republic of China.

The Presidency role will be officially confirmed in March 2023 at the National People’s Congress.

The Chinese government often tightens censorship during politically “sensitive” times, including major party meetings. In September, the country’s Cyberspace Administration announced a fresh operation to “purge rumours and fake news” on the internet. Since early October, there have been increasing reports of the government banning censorship circumvention tools such as VPNs.

More information on Amnesty International’s human rights concerns in China can be found here.

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