Schlagwort: human rights

Responding to comments made by the Secretary General of the Qatar World Cup Supreme Committee, Hassan Al Thawadi, about migrant worker deaths during an interview with Piers Morgan, and a subsequent clarification of those comments issued by the Supreme Committee, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice, said: 

 “The continued debate around the number of workers who have died in the preparation of the World Cup exposes the stark reality that so many bereaved families are still waiting for truth and justice.     

“Over the last decade, thousands of workers have returned home in coffins, with no explanation given to their loved ones. Qatar’s extreme heat and gruelling working conditions are likely to have contributed to hundreds of these deaths, but without full investigations the true scale of lives lost can never be known. Meanwhile, families are suffering the added anguish of severe financial insecurity that comes from losing the main wage earner. 

There can be no excuse for denying families truth, justice and compensation any longer

Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's Head of Economic and Social Justice

“There is nothing natural about this scale of loss and there can be no excuse for denying families truth, justice and compensation any longer. Until all abuses suffered by migrant workers in Qatar are remedied, the legacy of this World Cup will be severely tarnished by their mistreatment.” 

Background 

During an interview on Piers Morgan’s ‘Uncensored’ programme, Hassan Al Thawadi said that an estimated 400-500 migrant workers had died as a result of work they were carrying out for the World Cup. The Supreme Committee subsequently issued a clarification stating that the figure cited by Al Thawadi referred to national statistics from 2014-2020 covering all work-related fatalities nationwide in Qatar, covering all sectors and nationalities.

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Serbia’s Social Card law is an intrusive surveillance system that could harm the most marginalized members of society, including Roma communities, Amnesty International said today, as it submits a legal opinion as part of a review of the constitutionality of the law. 

The law, which entered into force on 1 March 2022, authorizes the establishment of a centralized government database that processes 130 categories of personal data from those applying for social security support to assess their eligibility. The Serbian authorities say the procedure allows for a fairer distribution of funds for the socially disadvantaged, yet in reality it is an invasive digital surveillance system that threatens the right to equality.  

“The legal opinion submitted by Amnesty International and seven other rights organizations raises serious concerns over how the Social Card law will affect people’s rights to social security, equality and non-discrimination. It also details how the system does not appear to comply with human rights-based approaches to data protection,” said Imogen Richmond-Bishop, Amnesty Tech’s Researcher on Technology and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 

“The Social Card law is likely to harm the most marginalized people in Serbia. The authorities must urgently clarify how they are using the system to assess eligibility for financial support, and ensure that individual rights are not being violated.” 

The legal opinion submitted by Amnesty International and seven other rights organizations raises serious concerns over how the Social Card law will affect people’s rights to social security, equality and non-discrimination.

Imogen Richmond-Bishop, Amnesty Tech’s Researcher on Technology and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Those receiving social security support in Serbia, many of whom are people with disabilities or members of the Roma community, tend to have the lowest incomes in the country. By excluding them from the financial support system, the Social Card law could further exacerbate the already precarious living conditions of the most vulnerable people.  

There has been a total lack of transparency on the decision-making process used for the Social Card system, with the Serbian government yet to release any information on the automated technology employed for the scheme. 

In recent years, Serbia has increasingly relied on technology to monitor its citizens. In September 2021, following objections by the civil society and the Data Protection Commissioner, the government was forced to put on hold the planned roll-out of the facial recognition software and biometric video surveillance in public spaces. The unchecked use of technology by the government enables unprecedented intrusion into the lives of people in Serbia and could magnify discrimination of minority groups. 

“The vast amount of personal data being processed, coupled with an inability to amend data once it is in the system, means it is likely the automated system will make errors when assessing eligibility for social security. In such cases, individuals or families may face long delays if they challenge these mistakes and be denied crucial financial support from the state while doing so,” said Imogen Richmond-Bishop. 

Amnesty International, along with the seven co-authors of the legal opinion, is urging the Serbian government to halt its rollout of the Social Card law and to undertake a full assessment of whether the legislation complies with Serbia’s obligations under international human rights law. This review must also offer meaningful participation to those currently receiving social security support in Serbia, so they can assess whether the law meets their needs. 

Background 

On 28 November 2022, Amnesty International, in partnership with the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), submitted a legal opinion to the Serbian A11 Initiative as evidence for their Constitutional Court challenge of Serbia’s Social Card Law. 

The legal opinion is co-authored by Amnesty International, Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Justicia y Sociedad (Dejusticia), the Digital Welfare State & Human Rights Project (DWS Project) at the Center for Human Rights & Global Justice at New York University School of Law, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) at Northeastern University. 

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Responding to widespread protests unprecedented in recent years, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Hana Young said:

“The tragedy of the Urumqi fire has inspired remarkable bravery across China. Peaceful protesters are holding blank pieces of paper, chanting slogans, and engaging in many forms of creative dissent. It is virtually impossible for people in China to protest peacefully without facing harassment and prosecution. Authorities have shown zero tolerance to opposition especially in the last 10 years under President Xi, but this has not stopped the protests.”

“Instead of penalising the people, the government should listen to their calls. Authorities must let people express their thoughts freely and protest peacefully without fear of retaliation.”

Authorities must let people express their thoughts freely and protest peacefully without fear of retaliation.

Hana Young, Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director

“Unfortunately, China’s playbook is all too predictable. Censorship and surveillance will continue, and we will most likely see police use of force and mass arrests of protesters in the coming hours and days. Long prison sentences against peaceful protesters are also to be expected.”

“People have been incredibly patient with lockdown measures but authorities must not abuse emergency policies. These unprecedented protests show that people are at the end of their tolerance for excessive Covid-19 restrictions.”

“The Chinese government must immediately review its Covid-19 policies to ensure that they are proportionate and time-bound. All quarantine measures that pose threats to personal safety and unnecessarily restrict freedom of movement must be suspended.”

“The government also needs to promptly, effectively and thoroughly investigate the Urumqi fire, to avoid a reoccurrence, bring justice to the victims and their families, and show the people they are responsive to their grievances.”

Background

On Thursday, 24 November, a fire broke out in an apartment building in Urumqi killing at least 10 people according to government sources. Many blamed Covid-19 restrictions for the deaths but local authorities have disputed this claim. This did not stop protests from breaking out in Urumqi, the capital of the western region of Xinjiang. The next morning, the government declared that Covid outbreak is under control and the city will ease lockdowns, following more than 100 days of severe restriction on inhabitants’ movement.

Since 25 November, videos shared on social media show protests breaking out across universities and cities throughout China, including in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Wuhan. Peaceful protesters commemorated victims of the Urumqi fire and called for the easing of lockdown measures. Many also demanded censorship to end and some called for President Xi to step down.

Amnesty international is not able to independently verify all the online videos now being circulated from multiple cities.

At least one woman was arrested in Urumqi for “spreading rumours” according to official sources. Dozens were arrested on Urumqi Road in Shanghai evening of November 26 according to online sources. Protests are ongoing.

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Responding to the public flogging of three women and 11 men on Wednesday on the orders of a Taliban court on charges of theft and moral crimes in Logar province of Afghanistan, Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner, said:

“The public flogging of women and men is a cruel and shocking return to out-and-out hardline practices by the Taliban. It violates the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under international law and should not be carried out under any circumstances.

The public flogging of women and men is a cruel and shocking return to out-and-out hardline practices by the Taliban.

Samira Hamidi, Amnesty International’s South Asia Campaigner

“The Taliban continue to ignore widespread criticism as they flagrantly flout basic human rights principles in an alarming slide into what looks like a grim reminder of their rule three decades ago. These outrageous punishments are just another step in the legalization of inhuman practices by the Taliban’s cruel justice system and expose the de-facto authorities’ complete disregard for international human rights law.

“The criminal practice of public flogging and all other forms of corporal punishments must be immediately and unconditionally stopped and a formal justice mechanism with fair trials and access to legal remedies must be put in place. The international community must immediately intensify its efforts to ensure the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan abolish all cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments.”

The Taliban continue to ignore widespread criticism as they flagrantly flout basic human rights principles in an alarming slide into what looks like a grim reminder of their rule three decades ago.

Samira Hamidi

Background:

On Sunday 14 November, the Taliban Supreme leader gave an obligatory order for full implementation of sharia law in Afghanistan.

Since then, the Taliban have carried out several public floggings on women and men accusing them of adultery, theft, same-sex sexual conduct or kidnapping, in different provinces in Afghanistan.

This interpretation of Islamic law includes public executions, public amputations and stoning – which were carried out during the Taliban’s first rule that ended in late 2001.

As the Taliban captured power in August 2021, they promised a more moderate rule in the country including respect to women’s rights.

Amnesty International has documented the Taliban’s continued escalation of human rights violations and abuses since they took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. This includes extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, disappearances, repression of women and girls, and censorship on media and other restrictions of freedom of expression.

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Responding to today’s announcement that the UN Human Rights Council has passed a landmark resolution to establish a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, especially with respect to women and children, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: 

“This important and long overdue step shows that the cries of people in Iran for justice have finally been heard. We hope the establishment of this fact-finding mission marks a fundamental shift in the international community’s approach to tackling the crisis of systematic impunity that has long fueled crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations in Iran. The resolution not only enhances international scrutiny of the dire situation in Iran, but also puts in place a process to collect, consolidate and preserve crucial evidence for future prosecutions.

This important and long overdue step shows that the cries of people in Iran for justice have finally been heard.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International

“Amnesty International has been working towards the establishment of an international investigative and accountability mechanism on Iran for years. While the fact-finding mission should have come far sooner, today’s vote sends a clear message to the Iranian authorities that they can no longer commit crimes under international law without fear of consequences.

“States must now ensure that the mandate is made operational and sufficiently resourced without delay and call upon the Iranian authorities to cooperate fully with the mission and allow unhindered access to the country. Today’s vote must also serve as a wake-up call for the Iranian authorities to immediately end their all-out militarized attack on demonstrators.”

Background

As the resolution was being negotiated in Geneva, the Iranian authorities continued to reject the findings of UN experts and human rights organizations. In the meantime, at home they persisted in their widespread use of unlawful lethal force and sought the death penalty for protesters. 

The fact-finding mission has a mandate to “collect, consolidate and analyze evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation, in any legal proceedings.”

The Iranian authorities’ deadly repression of the ongoing popular uprising in Iran, which erupted after the death in custody of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini on 16 September 2022, is the latest in the cycle of violent attacks waged by the authorities against people expressing their legitimate grievances since December 2017-January 2018.

Amnesty International has consistently documented crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations committed by the Iranian authorities in the context of protests, including unlawful killings following unwarranted use of lethal force, mass arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment, and the sentencing of individuals to lengthy prison terms or death following grossly unfair trials. The Iranian authorities have ignored repeated calls by the international community to open criminal investigations into such crimes. Instead, they have sought to destroy evidence of their crimes while persecuting survivors and victims’ relatives calling for truth, justice and reparation.

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