Schlagwort: human rights

Responding to FIFA’s threats to sanction players who planned to wear ‘One Love’ armbands to show support for the LGBTI community, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice said:

“Last minute threats to sanction players for wearing messages in support of human rights and equality is the latest example of FIFA failing to fully uphold its own values and responsibilities. Sport does not happen in a vacuum and these are issues on which FIFA should be leading, not cracking down on. Agreements on armbands, and better protections for LGBTI communities, should have been reached a long time ago.

“We applaud the courage of teams and players who have spoken out about human rights and we hope they continue to do so. Fans, players and FAs want to ensure that football can be a vehicle to promote human rights, and FIFA needs to heed these calls quickly. It must not only encourage messages of equality, but take proactive action to ensure LGBTI people are protected.

“And let’s not forget the migrant workers who made the tournament possible. They must be compensated in full for the unspeakable abuse they suffered.”

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Responding to Gianni Infantino’s recent comments, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Economic and Social Justice said:

“In brushing aside legitimate human rights criticisms, Gianni Infantino is dismissing the enormous price paid by migrant workers to make his flagship tournament possible – as well as FIFA’s responsibility for it. Demands for equality, dignity and compensation cannot be treated as some sort of culture war – they are universal human rights that FIFA has committed to respect in its own statutes.

“If there is one tiny glimmer of hope, it is that Infantino announced that FIFA would establish a legacy fund after the World Cup. This cannot be mere window dressing, however. If FIFA is to salvage anything from this tournament, it must announce that it will invest a significant part of the $6 billion the organisation will make from this tournament and make sure this fund is used to compensate workers and their families directly.”

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Responding to the USA government’s legal submission calling on a US Court to grant Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman immunity from a lawsuit filed by murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: 

“The US government should hang its head in shame. This is nothing more than a sickening, total, deep betrayal. First the evidence of the Crown Prince’s involvement in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was disregarded by President Trump, then President Biden’s fist bump – it all suggests shady deals made throughout.

“For the Saudi government to seek to extend immunity to Mohammed bin Salman simply by declaring him Prime Minister is beyond cynical. It is disappointing that the US government has given effect to this legal ruse. This sends a deplorable message that those in power – be they heads of state, government officials with blood on their hands, generals commanding war crimes, ministers ordering abduction and torture, corrupt executives – are free to operate above the law with total impunity.”

“Mohammed bin Salman must face a court of law to answer these serious allegations and we hold out hope that the US court system will reject the department of justice argument and ensure that the matter proceeds to trial. No one should be assured immunity for such heinous crimes and we, and the international human rights movement as a whole, will not rest until those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder are brought to justice.”

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Thai authorities should drop charges against child protesters after they took part in mass demonstrations between 2020 and 2022, Amnesty International said today, in the lead-up to World Children’s Day on 20 November. 

Amnesty International has been closely monitoring and documenting the impact of the ongoing, years-long crackdown on child protesters, which has included intimidation, surveillance, and criminalization of their activities.  

The organization has recorded instances of Thai police and other government officials following and monitoring dozens of child protesters, pressuring their family members and school authorities to discourage them from joining protests, and directly threatening to file charges against them and their parents. 

“Many of the people who took part in these unprecedented mass demonstrations starting in 2020 were children at the time, who felt a need to express themselves about matters affecting their futures,” said Katherine Gerson, Thailand campaigner for Amnesty International. 

“Thai authorities must take the opportunity of World Children’s Day to create a safe and enabling environment for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. We urge authorities to let these young people get on with their lives without unwarranted legal cases hanging over them and impeding their economic, educational and professional opportunities.” 

We urge authorities to let these young people get on with their lives without unwarranted legal cases hanging over them and impeding their economic, educational and professional opportunities.

Katherine Gerson, Amnesty International Thailand Campaigner

Since 2020, an estimated 283 protesters under the age of 18 have been charged with a range of offenses, the majority under an Emergency Decree Act passed during the pandemic that has since been repealed. Others face charges of royal defamation, sedition and the dissemination of what authorities deem to be “false” information. Nearly 200 of these cases are still active. 

“People have been accused of violating a pandemic-related Emergency Decree that no longer exists. This is nonsensical. Thai authorities should immediately drop all charges and refrain from bringing any additional cases against people, including children, for violating this defunct law,” Gerson said. 

On November 22, the Nonthaburi Provincial Juvenile and Family Court will deliver its ruling in the first case of royal defamation involving a child protester named Thanakorn “Petch” Phiraban, an LGBTI+ activist charged for peacefully participating in a protest on 10 September 2020 when they were 17 years old. In this case, Petch faces the maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment.  

“As recent reports in the lead-up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in Bangkok suggest, groups of children are still taking to the streets to peacefully express themselves despite the potential risks involved in exercising their human rights. Thai authorities must refrain from violating the right to protest and take steps to actively facilitate children’s full enjoyment of this right.” 

Background: 

In 2020, tens of thousands of young people took to the streets in mass protests against the military-dominated government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Peaceful “flash mob” demonstrations began to take place at university campuses and high schools around the country. 

The protest movement rapidly expanded through social media platforms, especially Twitter, where protesters organically coordinated gatherings via hashtags. An overwhelming number of participants at the start of the protests were secondary school students under 18 years old.  

In total, more than 1,800 individuals have been charged for taking part in the protests and expressing their opinions, most of them under the Emergency Decree Act, which was repealed in October 2022.  

Currently, Amnesty International is running the global campaign “Protect the Protest” to ensure people around the world can peacefully demand change without persecution.   

Amnesty International is a global human rights movement, independent of any government, political ideology or economic interest. Raising concerns about human rights violations against individual persons or organizations advocating a particular political position does not imply that Amnesty International supports that person or organization’s platform. 

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Ecuador joins countries such as Colombia and Peru in failing on two levels to protect Venezuelan refugees who survive gender-based violence, indicating an alarming regional trend that must be urgently reversed, Amnesty International said today upon publishing a new report. Unprotected in Ecuador: Venezuelan refugee women survivors of gender-based violence reveals how in Ecuador these women also face ever-present violence and a state incapable of guaranteeing, protecting and respecting their right to a life free from violence.

“It is worrying to see that Ecuador, as a state, is joining Colombia and Peru in its unacceptable treatment of Venezuelan women who survive gender-based violence. As the country taking in the third largest number of people fleeing the massive human rights violations in Venezuela, the Ecuadorian state must urgently address and reverse the lack of protection for Venezuelan women,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

With 502,214 people in the country as of August 2022, Ecuador is third only to Colombia and Peru in the number of Venezuelan refugees it receives, with those countries having received 2.5 and 1.5 million Venezuelans respectively. The global total is increasing steadily and now exceeds 7.1 million people, while the number of countries restricting their entry and protection continues to rise, as in the case of the United States.

In Ecuador, women and children make up approximately half of these half a million people and most of them are in an irregular migratory situation. Amnesty International believes that Venezuelan people who have fled their country due to massive human rights violations need international protection and should be recognized as refugees. Regardless of their current migratory situation in the country, the organization refers to them as refugee women.

It is worrying to see that Ecuador, as a state, is joining Colombia and Peru in its unacceptable treatment of Venezuelan women who survive gender-based violence

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International

The research confirmed that the Ecuadorian state is not guaranteeing the rights of Venezuelan women to seek protection as refugees and to a life free from violence. With regard to protection as refugees, the Ecuadorian authorities are not guaranteeing the right of Venezuelan women to apply for refugee status. Despite meeting the conditions of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration’s definition of a refugee in Article 98 of its Organic Law on Human Mobility, the Ecuadorian authorities rarely apply this definition. Between 2018 and 2022, only 555 women were formally recognized as refugees and some women reported that the authorities discouraged them from seeking international protection. With serious obstacles to accessing existing alternative migration regularization mechanisms, Venezuelan women are left in situations where they are at greater risk of violence and discrimination because of their irregular migration status.

In terms of failing to guarantee the right of Venezuelan women to a life free from violence, the report highlights how gender-based violence is a systematic and prevalent problem in Ecuador: two out of every three women suffer from some form of gender-based violence during their life. In this context, Venezuelan refugee women face an even greater risk of physical, psychological, sexual, patrimonial, gynaecological-obstetric and cyber violence in public and private spaces, along their migratory route and in their place of destination. This vulnerability to violence is exacerbated for women in an irregular migratory situation, as is the case for the majority of Venezuelan women in Ecuador, many of whom are afraid to report gender-based violence for fear of being expelled from the country or fined.

Amnesty International identified structural problems in the front-line institutions that identify and respond to cases of gender-based violence, as well as the system of administration of justice in Ecuador. Stereotypes and discrimination based on gender and xenophobia against Venezuelan women, the lack of resources and the lack of institutionalization of good practices contribute to the lack of access to protection mechanisms and the justice system. All of these factors mean that access to justice and reparation for Venezuelan women is a fantasy in practice, violating their right to a life free of violence.

“More than 7.1 million people have fled an unprecedented crisis in Venezuela in recent years. Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and other countries receiving Venezuelans in search of international protection owe them a coordinated, urgent and human rights-based response. Women and girls, particularly survivors of gender-based violence, must always be a priority for protection for all states and we will continue to demand this,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas.

The findings of the report are based on research carried out between June and September 2022, including fieldwork in the cities of Huaquillas, Machala and Quito between August and September. A total of 99 people were interviewed for this research, including 63 women survivors of gender-based violence, 19 representatives from civil society organizations, seven from international organizations and 10 from government bodies. In addition, Amnesty International submitted 10 requests for access to public information and extensively reviewed current legislation, public policies, existing literature and media reports on the subject.

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