Group 48 Newsletter - April 2016

8/18/2019 Group 48 Newsletter - April 2016

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Amnesty International USA Group 48

Newsletter 4.16

2 CHAD: Urgent Action

-

Activists Risk Six Months To

One Year In Prison

4 UKRAINE: Urgent Action

-

Body O Missing Lawyer

Has Been Found

6 CHINA: Urgent Action

-

Falun Gong Practitioners

Risk Torture In China

7 DRC: Urgent Action

- Six

Month Prison Term For

Activists Afer Appeal

9 UNITED ARAB

EMIRATES: Urgent Action

-

Mass Trial Ends Amid

Serious Fair Trial Concerns

11 Qatar: Abuse o World Cup

workers exposed

12 Colombia: Peace talks with

ELN must not allow human

rights abuses to go

unpunished

Call on Apple and Samsung to investigate their

cobalt supply chainsby Terrie Rodeo, AIUSA Central Africa Activist Network Coordinator

One o the current global campaignsor the Democratic Republic o Congo

targets the cobalt supply chain and

those companies that use cobalt in their

products.

In January, 2016, Amnesty Interna-

tional issued a report Tis is What We

Die For: Human Rights Abuses in the

Democratic Republic o the Congo

Power the Global rade in Cobalt, that

traces the cobalt supply chain rom

the artisanal miners to the big brands

selling electronic devices and exposes

all the governments and companies,

such as Samsung and Apple, along the

way that have turned a blind eye to the

human rights violations suffered by the

miners.

Cobalt is an ingredient in lithium-ion

rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion

rechargeable batteries? Tey are in your

mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and

cameras, and even power electric cars.

Where does cobalt come rom? Hal

o the world’s cobalt comes rom the

Democratic Republic o the Congowhere Amnesty International has docu-

mented adults and children as young

as seven working in hazardous condi-

tions without any protective clothing or

equipment.

Te current targets o the campaign are

Samsung and Apple. Amnesty Interna-

tional believes Samsung and Apple are

j ak ov c evi c sl avi s a S t o c k .X c h n g

AIUSA-Group 48

http://aipdx.org

503-227-1878

Next Meeting:

Friday April 8th

First Unitarian Church

1011 SW 12th Ave

7:00pm inormal gathering

7:30pm meeting starts»


2/14

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter April 2016 Pg 2

ailing to do basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child

laborers and adults working in hazardous conditions have not

been used in their products.

“Te glamorous shop displays and marketing o state o the art

technologies are a stark contrast to the children carrying bags

o rocks, and miners in narrow manmade tunnels risking

permanent lung damage,” said Mark Dummett, Business &

Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International.

It is time Samsung and Apple took some responsibility or the

mining o the raw materials that make their lucrative prod-

ucts and you, the consumer, can make them:

ake Action: Call on Samsung to investigate their cobalt sup-

ply chain

ake Action: Call on Apple to investigate their cobalt supply

chain

For more Amnesty International research, including a video,

go to this blog post by Dr. Rebecca De Winter o AIUSA

Business and Human Rights Group:

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/arica/what-do-you-know-about-

your-batteries/

CHAD: Urgent Action

- Activists Risk Six Months To One Year In PrisonMahamat Nour Ibedou (m), Younous Mahadjir (m), Nadjo Kaina Palmer (m), Celine Narmadji (f)

Te our activists on behal o their respective organisations,

were planning to organize peaceul public demonstrations

which would have taken place on March 22nd and March

29th. Te demonstrations were being organized to protest

against the current President Idriss Deby’s bid or re-election

or a fifh mandate.

Te our have been charged with ‘incitement to an unarmed

gathering’, ‘disturbing public order’ and ‘disobeying a lawul

order’. Teir trial is scheduled or March 31st. I convicted,

the activists could be sentenced to jail terms o between six

months to one year.

Action

Please write immediately in French or your own language:

◌ Calling on Chadian authorities to immediately release Ma-

hamat Nour Ibedou, Younous Mahadjir, Nadjo Kaina Palmer

and Celine Narmadji and drop all charges against them;◌ Urging them to ensure that, pending their release, the our

activists are not subjected to torture or other il l-treatment and

have access to a lawyer o their choice, to amily visits and to

all basic necessities;

◌ Urging the authorities to end all orms o harassment

against all human rights activists and deenders and political

activists in Chad;

◌ Urging them to protect and ensure the right to reedom o

Four activists will be standing trial or planning to organizepeaceul demonstrations to protest against President IdrissDeby’s re-election bid. Tey are currently detained at the Am-

sinene Prison in N’Djamena and risk jail terms o between six

months to one year.

Mahamat Nour Ibedou and Younous Mahadjir, spokesper-

sons o the civil society organizations platorm ‘Ça suffit’ (‘It’s

enough’ in French) were arrested on March 21st and March

22nd respectively. Nadjo Kaina Palmer, coordinator o the

youth movement ‘Iyina’ (‘We are tired’ in local Arabic) was

arrested on March 22nd. Celine Narmadji, spokesperson

o the civil society movement ‘rop c’est trop !’ (‘Enough is

enough’ in French) was arrested on March 23rd. All our were

arrested afer reporting to the judicial police headquarters or

questioning on orders rom the Public Prosecutor Alghassim

Khamis.

Mahamat Nour Ibedou, Younous Mahadjir, Nadjo Kaina

Palmer and Celine Narmadji were detained at the judicial

police headquarters in N’Djamena beore being transerred to

the Amsinene prison on March 24th at around 1 PM.

Fabio Bueno Stock.Xchng

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expression and assembly or all in conormity with Chad’s

international human rights obligations.

Appeals To

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE MAY 11th 2016 O:

Minister o Justice and Human Rights

Dr. Ateib Idriss Halawlaw

Ministry o Justice and Human Rights

N’Djamena, Chad

Salutation: Dear Minister

Public Prosecutor

Alghassim Khamis

Office o the Public Prosecutorribunal de Grande Instance

P.O. Box: 426

N’Djamena, Chad

Email: [email protected]

Salutation: Dear Public Prosecutor

Copies To

Minister o Public Security and Immigration

Ahmat Mahamat Bachir

Ministry o Public Security and Immigration

N’Djamena, Chad


His Excellency Mr Ambassador Mahamat Nasser Hassane,

Embassy o the Republic o Chad

2401 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

Phone: (202) 652-1312


Please let us know i you took action so that we can track our

impact! EIHER send a short email to [email protected] with

“UA 68/16” in the subject line, and include in the body o the

email the number o letters and/or emails you sent, OR fill

out this "https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7ZK5NCM"short

online orm to let us know how you took action. Tank you

or taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action

Office i taking action afer the appeals date.

Additional information

14 candidates are running or president in Chad in the next

presidential elections that will be held on April 10th. Te

electoral campaign started on March 20th.

Amongst the candidates is the current Chadian PresidentIdriss Deby who has been in power or 25 years afer toppling

Hissene Habre in 1990 and is seeking a fifh term in office. In

2005, the Chad Constitution was amended and the two-term

limit on presidential tenure was eliminated.

For security reasons, on March 19th, the Chadian Minister

o Public Security and Immigration, Ahmat Mahamat Bachir,

publicly announced that all public demonstrations not part o

the election campaigns were orbidden.

From inormation received by partners in Chad, several hu-man rights activists and deenders have gone into hiding since

March 21st as the police and national security agency are

looking to arrest them or their involvement in the platorm

‘ça suffit’ and the youth movement ‘Iyina’.

Amnesty international published a press release on March

22nd calling or the immediate release o Mahamat Nour

Ibedou and Nadjo Kaina Palmer - "https://www.amnesty.org/

r/latest/news/2016/03/tchad-les-autorites-doivent-liberer-

deux-activistes-arrets-pour-avoir-prepare-une-maniestation-

pacifique/" https://www.amnesty.org/r/latest/news/2016/03/

tchad-les-autorites-doivent-liberer-deux-activistes-arrets-

pour-avoir-prepare-une-maniestation-pacifique/

Group Coordinator

Megan Harrington

megan.harrington

@gmail.com

Treasurer

Tena Hoke

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor

Dan Webb

[email protected]

OR Area Coordinator

Marty Fromer

[email protected]

Indonesia

Max White

[email protected]

Prisoners’ Cases

Jane Kristof

[email protected]

Jama Chorush

[email protected]

Concert Tabling

Will Ware

[email protected]

Central Africa/

OR State Death

Penalty Abolition

Terrie Rodello

[email protected]

AIUSA Group 48 Contact Inormation

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


4/14


UKRAINE: Urgent Action

- Body Of Missing Lawyer Has Been FoundOksana Sokolovskaya (f), Valentyn Rybin (m), Yuri Grabovski (m).

ance on March 6th. She was finally granted bodyguards rom

the Security Service o Ukraine on March 28th, afer Yuri

Grabovski’s body was discovered.

During the investigation into Yuri Grabovski’s disappear-

ance, the authorities seized some legal documents related to

Aleksandr Aleksandrov’s case. Te Ukrainian authorities must

guarantee the access to these documents by the new lawyer

and must ensure that the confidentiality o the lawyer-client

relationship is ully respected.

Action

Please write immediately in Ukrainian, Russian or your own

language:

◌ Calling on the authorities to ensure that the murder o Yuri

Grabovski is promptly, effectively and impartially investigated

including identiying the author o the video presented on

March 29th, and that those responsible are brought to justice

in a trial which accords with international air trial standards;

◌ Urging them to ensure that Oksana Sokolovskaya can saely

and independently carry out her legitimate work as a lawyerwithout obstruction or harassment;

◌ Calling on them to guarantee the saety o Valentyn Rybin,

the new lawyer o Aleksandr Aleksandrov, and ensure that he

has ull access to previous case materials and is able to deend

his client saely and effectively, in accordance with the UN

Basic Principles on the Role o Lawyers.

Appeals To


Acting Prosecutor General o Ukraine

Yuriy Sevruk

Vul. Riznytska 13/15

01601, Kyiv, Ukraine

Fax: +380 44 280 2603


Salutation: Dear Acting Prosecutor General

Head o the Security Service o Ukraine

Vasyl Hrytsak

Volodymyrska St., 35

he body o missing Ukrainian lawyer, Yuri Grabovski, wasdiscovered on March 25th in a shallow grave in woods, about

100 km outside o Kyiv. Te authorities must guarantee the

saety o his colleague, Oksana Sokolovskaya, and the new

lawyer who has replaced Yuri Grabovski, and ensure that they

can deend their clients without any hindrance.

Yuri Grabovski had been acting as the deense lawyer in a

high profile and deeply politicized case since 2015 and had re-

peatedly denounced the harassment and intimidation he was

subjected to by the Ukrainian authorities. He was last seen in

his office in Kyiv on the evening o 6 March afer taking docu-

ments relating to the case rom his sae and leaving with an

unknown man.

Following Yuri Grabovski’s disappearance on March 6th, two

suspects were arrested, one o whom reportedly disclosed the

whereabouts o Yuri Grabovski’s body, which was ound on

March 25th. According to Ukraine’s Chie Military Prosecu-

tor, Anatolyi Matios, Yuri Grabovski had been beaten and

shot. An explosive bracelet was wrapped around his ankle and

may have been used by his captors to ensure his compliance.

On March 29th, during a press conerence, Anatolyi Matiospresented a video, supposedly retrieved during the investiga-

tion, in which a visibly distressed Yuri Grabovski makes a

statement reusing to deend his client Aleksandr Aleksan-

drov. Anatolyi Matios did not disclose any other inormation

because o the ongoing investigation. Aleksandr Aleksandrov

has since hired Valentyn Rybin as his new lawyer.

Yuri Grabovski’s colleague, Oksana Sokolovskaya, a deence

lawyer in the same case, had requested to be put under an

official protection scheme afer Yuri Grabovski’s disappear-

J onn yAr t i s t S t o c k .X c h n g

»


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01034, Kyiv-34, Ukraine

Fax: +380 44 279 30 40


Salutation: Dear Colonel-General

Copies To

Minister o Internal Affairs o Ukraine

Arsen Avakov

Bohomoltsa str. 10

01024, Kyiv, Ukraine

Fax: +380 44 256 16 33


Ambassador Valeriy Chaly, Embassy o Ukraine3350 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007

Phone: 1 202 349 2920

Fax: 1 202 333 0817






out this "https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PD85NVB"short


or taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action

Office i taking action afer the appeals date.

Additional Information

Oksana Sokolovskaya and Yuri Grabovski have been act-

ing as the deense lawyers or two Russian citizens, Yevgeny

Yeroeyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov, respectively. Yevgeny

Yeroeyev and Aleksandr Aleksandrov were injured and

captured by Ukrainian orces in May 2015 in Lugansk Region,

eastern Ukraine, ollowing a battle between Ukrainian andpro-Russian separatist orces there. Te Ukrainian authorities

accuse them o being active Russian servicemen, something

which they reportedly initially confirmed but later denied.

Tey are charged with illegal border crossing, illegal posses-

sion o arms and involvement in terrorist activity. Te Russian

authorities denied that either o them were acting members o

the Russian military at the time o their capture and insisted

that both had earlier resigned rom military service and had

come to Ukraine as “volunteers”.

Since starting work on the case, both Oksana Sokolovskaya

and Yuri Grabobski have repeatedly spoken publicly about

the harassment and intimidation they have been subjected

to by the Ukrainian authorities which, they have said, was

an attempt to obstruct them rom effectively deending their

clients.

Yuri Grabovski was last seen in his office in Kyiv on the

evening o March 6th. He took documents relating to the

case rom his sae and lef with an unknown man. On March

3rd he had posted on his Facebook page that he anticipated

urther harassment by the authorities to “destroy all o our

evidence and intimidate any lawyers who ‘dare to go againstthe will’ o the system.” Around the time o his disappearance,

uncharacteristic posts appeared on his Facebook page includ-

ing one on March 9th saying he had lef Ukraine against his

will, out o concern or his saety.

Oksana Sokolovskaya began work on the case in May 2015,

and a month later a criminal case was filed against her accus-

ing her o causing grievous bodily harm during a domestic

dispute dating back to July 2014. Te Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office

initially requested or her to be detained or 60 days argu-

ing that she could abscond or influence witnesses. Te judgereused the request but the Prosecutor appealed. Te appeal

hearing is scheduled or March 23rd. Oksana Sokolovskaya

claims the case is abricated and intended to prevent her rom

carrying out her legitimate work to deend her client. Follow-

ing Yuri Grabovski’s disappearance, Oksana Sokolovskaya

asked the authorities to place her under an official protec-

tion scheme. Her request or state protection was granted on

March 21st by a court decision and she received bodyguards

rom the Security Service o Ukraine on 28 March.

Within the United States

$0.35 - Postcards

$0.49 - Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

To all international destinations

$1.20 - Postcards

$1.20 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

Postage Rates


6/14


CHINA: Urgent Action

- Falun Gong Practitioners Risk Torture In ChinaYao Guofu (m) and Liang Xin (f)

◌ Calling on them to ensure Yao Guou and Liang Xin have

regular access to their amily, and lawyers.

Appeals To


Director

Lu Jianyuan

Nanyang City Number One Detention Centre

Wancheg, Nanyang,

Henan 473005,

People’s Republic o China

el: +86 377 3222146Salutation: Dear Director

Director

Zhu Haijun

Nanyang Public Security Bureau

Zhangheng Road,

Wancheng, Nanyang,

Henan


Salutation: Dear Director

Copies To

Governor o Henan Province

Xie Fuzhan

Henan Sheng Renmin Zhengu

Nongye Lu Dong 28 hao

Hennan Ribao Baoye Dasha

11 Lou Dong Bangongting


Ambassador Cui Tiankai

Embassy of the People's Republic o China

3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

Fax: 1 202 495 2138

Phone: 1 202 495 2266






out this "https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F3RBNM7"short

An elderly couple in China’s Henan province have beenarrested as a result o their belies. Tey are acing criminal

charges and are at risk o torture and other orms o ill-treat-

ment while in detention.

Approximately 30 plainclothes police officers broke into theapartment o Yao Guou, 63 and Liang Xin, 62 in Nanyang,

Henan province on December 5th 2015. According to amily

members, police officers took them into custody, confiscated

two computers, our printers and ten large boxes filled with

Falun Gong materials.

Tey were criminally detained on December 6th, 2015 by

the Nanyang Public Security Bureau on the charges o “us-

ing a heretical organization to subvert the law”. Te Wolong

District prosecutor’s office approved their arrest on the same

charges on January 12th, and they are now awaiting possible

indictment and a subsequent court trial – the final phases o

the Chinese criminal justice system. Tey are being held at

the Nanyang City Number One Detention Center.

According to amily members, Yao Guou has been beaten by

ellow detainees, but detention center guards have not inter-

vened to stop the beatings.

Action

Please write immediately in Chinese, English or your own

language:

◌ Demanding that the authorities immediately and uncondi-tionally release Yao Guou and Liang Xin, as they have been

imprisoned solely or exercising their right to reedom o

belie and expression;

◌ Urging them to ensure that Yao Guou and Liang Xin are

not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, that they are immedi-

ately provided with any medical treatment they require, and

that the conditions o their detention adhere to international

law and standards;

David Berencsi Stock.Xchng

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or taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Ac-

tion Office i taking action afer the appeals date.


Te spiritual movement Falun Gong was banned in China as

a "threat to social and political stability" afer its practitioners

held a peaceul sit-in on iananmen Square in July 1999. Te

government established a dedicated office, reerred to as the

“610 Office”, responsible or overseeing the crackdown on the

Falun Gong and other “heretical cults”, with offices operat-

ing rom the central level down through provincial and local

party and government organs.

Since then, tens o thousands o Falun Gong practitioners

have been arbitrarily detained where the mission is to “trans-

orm” them by orcing them into renouncing their spiritual

belies, ofen through the use o torture and ill-treatment. Te

vast majority o Falun Gong practitioners were held in Re-

education Trough Labour (RL) acilities until this orm o

administrative detention was abolished in 2013. Te Chinese

authorities are increasingly using alternative channels o arbi-

trary detention, as well as criminal prosecutions o individu-

als who previously may have been sent to RL.

orture and other ill-treatment are endemic in all orms

o detention, although China ratified the UN Convention

Against orture in 1988. Amnesty International also receivesregular reports o deaths in custody, many o them caused

by torture, in a variety o state institutions, including prisons

and police detention centers. Other inmates and cell bosses

are used by detention centre and prison authorities to moni-

tor the behavior o ellow inmates and mete out punishment

including subjecting resistant detainees to sleep deprivation,

stress positions, as well as other physical and mental orms o

torture or other ill-treatment.

Te criminal justice system in China is roughly divided into

three distinct phases: the investigation phase conducted bythe police; the prosecution phase, in which the prosecutors

approve o the initial evidence needed to arrest a suspect and

engages in urther investigation to decide whether to indict a

suspect; and the final trial phase carried out by the courts. In

China in 2015, the conviction rate was higher than 99.9%, as

in previous years. It is strategically important to voice con-

cern in earlier phases o the criminal justice process – most

notably, beore the decisions to arrest or indict suspects are

made.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Urgent Action

- Six Month Prison Term ForActivists After AppealRebecca Kavugho, Serge Sivyavugha, Justin Kambale Mutsongo, Melka Kamundu, John Anipenda

and Ghislain Muhiwaheld in protest against delays in organizing the 2016 general

elections in the Democratic Republic o Congo (DRC).

LUCHA activists Rebecca Kavugho, Serge Sivyavugha, Justin

Kambale Mutsongo, Melka Kamundu, John Anipenda and

Ghislain Muhiwa had their prison sentence reduced rom two

years to six months on March 4th by an appeal court. Teyremain detained at Muzenze prison in Goma.

In the early morning o February 16th, authorities orced their

way into a house where the six LUCHA activists had spent

the night preparing messages or the general strike, called or

by the opposition and civil society. Te general strike was in

protest against attempts to delay preparations or the 2016

general elections, which would extend President Kabila’s rule

beyond the timerame outlined in the Constitution o the

DRC.

An appeal court has reduced the prison sentence or sixmembers o the Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) youth

movement rom two years to six months. Te six were arrest-

ed on February 16th in Goma, hours beore a general strike

m a r k c h a m b e r s S t o

c k . X c h n g

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Tey stood trial or charges o “attempting to incite disobedi-

ence”.

Amnesty International believes the six activists have been

convicted solely or peaceully exercising their rights to ree-

dom o expression and peaceul assembly, and considers them

to be prisoners o conscience.

Action

Please write immediately in French or your own language:

◌ Calling on the DRC authorities to drop all charges against

the six LUCHA activists in Goma and to immediately and

unconditionally release them;

◌ Urging them to ensure that the six LUCHA activists are not

subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while in deten-

tion.

Appeals To


Minister o Justice

Monsieur Alexis ambwe Mwamba

Ministry o Justice

228 Avenue de Lemera

BP 3137Kinshasa – Gombe

DRC


Salutation: Honourable Minister

Minister o Interior and Security

Proessor Evariste Boshab

Ministry o Interior and Security

Avenue Roi Baudoin

Kinshasa – Gombe

DRC


Salutation: Honourable Minister

Copies To

Prime Minister

His Excellency Augustin Matata Ponyo

Office o the Prime Minister

5 Avenue Roi Baudoin

Kinshasa – Gombe

DRC


Ambassador François Balumuene, Embassy o the Demo-

cratic Republic o Congo

1726 M St, NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC 20036

el: 202 234 7690

Fax: 202 234 2609






out this "https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8Q9NXGY"short





DRC’s Constitution limits a presidential mandate to two

consecutive five years terms. ensions have increased as the

incumbent President Kabila is prevented by the Constitution

rom seeking another term afer he was declared the winner

o two consecutive elections in 2006 and 2011.

President Kabila has never declared his intention to stay in

power beyond the Constitution’s limit o terms. However,

there have been several attempts by the ruling majority to

change the Constitution to allow him to stay in office or ex-

tend his rule beyond the timerame fixed by the Constitution.

LUCHA is a youth movement that was created in Goma, east-

ern DRC in 2012. It is a community based organization that

holds sit-ins, demonstrations and other actions to campaign

or human rights and on social issues. LUCHA has been

vocal in campaigning or the authorities to observe electoral

deadlines in the Constitution, and or the president to respect

term limits as enshrined in the Constitution.

Te government has accused LUCHA o being a criminal

movement, set up with the aim o disturbing public order. At

least 19 people connected to LUCHA are currently in jail.


9/14


UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Urgent Action

- Mass Trial Ends Amid Serious FairTrial Concerns

and seven men were sentenced to three years. Te court also

acquitted seven men. Te our oreign nationals will also be

deported afer they serve their sentences. Tose convicted

have no right to appeal their sentences.

At least 21 o the group were arrested between November

20th and December 7th 2013 by the UAE’s State Security body

and held in secret detention acilities. None had any access

to the outside world, including their amilies or lawyers, or

20 months afer their arrest. In July 2015, some o them were

transerred to al-Razeen Prison and al-Wathba Prison in AbuDhabi. Te trial o the 41 began on August 24th 2015. Dur-

ing the trial one o the men’s lawyers stated that the written

conessions presented to the court were too similar, suggest-

ing that they were ake. Te Prosecution showed in court

video ootage o the men “conessing” to the charges brought

against them.

Action

Please write immediately in Arabic, English or your own

language:

◌ Calling on the UAE authorities to ensure the convictions othe 34 men are quashed and to order a retrial beore an ordi-

nary criminal court in accordance with international air trial

standards, including the right to appeal, and without recourse

to the death penalty; adding that those under 18 at the time

o arrests should be retried in a court abiding by international

standards o juvenile justice;

◌ Calling on them to ensure that any “conessions” obtained

by torture and other ill-treatment are not used as evidence

in court and that the men are protected rom any urther ill-

treatment; and calling on them to order an independent and

impartial investigation into the allegations o torture, in line

with the Istanbul protocol.

Appeals To


Vice-President and Prime Minister

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,

Prime Minister’s Office

PO Box: 212000, Dubai

he mass trial o 41 men ended in Abu Dhabi, United ArabEmirates (UAE), on March 27th with 34 o them receiving

sentences ranging between three years and lie imprisonment.

Tree o those sentenced were under the age o 18 at the timeo their arrests. Seven others were acquitted.

Names: Khalid Kalantar, Abdullah Kalantar, Abulrahman

Kalantar, Othman Kalantar, Mohammed Kalantar, Ali Salim

al-Boloushi, Ahmed Abdulrahman Nawab al-Boloushi, Ali

Miran al-Boloushi, Ali Abdullah al-Boloushi, Jumaa Abdul-

rahman Murad al-Boloushi, Mohammed Hassan al-Boloushi,

Mohammed Abdullah al-Raesi, Khalil Saeed al-Shimili,

Mohammed Yousse Ahli, Abdulrahman al-Marzouqi (aka

Abdulrahman Dal), Abdulrahman al-Marzouqi (aka Abdul-

rahman Saket), Naye al-Mulla, Suhail al-Marri, Mansour

al-Naqbi, Ahmed Hassan al-Hammadi, Abdulaziz Ahmed

al-Jasmi and 20 others.

Te trial o 41 men, including 37 UAE nationals, two Irani-

ans, one Syrian and one Comorian beore the State Security

Chamber at the Federal Supreme Court, ended on March

27th. Tey were convicted o terrorism-related charges,

including establishing a group called the Shabab al-Manara

(Minaret Youth Group) in order to overthrow the UAE

government and replace it with an “ISIL-style caliphate” andsmuggling weapons, ammunition and explosives into the

UAE with the aim o “endangering the security and saety and

the lives o people, including the leadership o the country”.

Te court sentenced eleven men, including one who was a

juvenile at the time o his arrest and two men in their absence,

to lie imprisonment. Te rest o the group received varying

lengths o sentence: two men were sentenced to 15 years in

jail; thirteen men to 10 years; two men, who were under the

age o 18 at the time o their arrest, were jailed or five years;

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United Arab Emirates

Fax: +971 4 330 4044Email: [email protected]

http://uaepm.ae/English/Pages/ContactUs.aspx

witter: @HHShkMoh

Salutation: Your Highness

Minister o Interior

Lt General Sheikh Sai bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Zayed Sport City, Arab Gul Street

Near to Shaikh Zayed Mosque

Abu Dhabi POB: 398

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Many o the 41 men on trial in the al-Manara group case are

related. Khalid Kalantar and his our sons Abdullah, Abul-

rahman, Othman, and Mohammed were arrested between

November 20th and December 2nd 2013. Ali Salim al-Bo-

loushi, a medical student at UAE University, was arrested on

December 6th 2013 at 9:30pm while going to buy bread or

the amily dinner. His uncle, Ahmed Abdulrahman Nawab

al-Boloushi, had been arrested by State Security officers at

1:30 am on December 4th 2013 at the emergency room o a

hospital where his ather was a patient. He was then taken to

his house, which was searched. Teir relative Jumaa Abdul-

rahman Murad al-Boloushi had been arrested on December

3rd 2013 at a hospital where his son was being treated. On

March 27th 2016, Khalid Kalantar and his two sons, Othman

and Abdullah Kalantar were sentenced to lie imprisonment.

Another o his sons, Abdulrahman was sentenced to 10 years

in jail, while Ali Salim al-Boloushi, Ahmed Abdulrahman

Nawab al-Boloushi and Jumaa Abdulrahman Murad al-Bo-

loushi were among seven men to be acquitted.

Te Comorian national is rom the UAE’s stateless Bidun

minority and holds a passport rom the Comoros Islands

(an agreement between the UAE and the government o the

Comoros Islands allows the stateless Bidun minority who are

not granted UAE citizenship to obtain Comoros citizenship

instead). wo o the our oreign nationals were sentenced to

lie imprisonment and two to 10 years in jail. Tey will all be

deported afer they have served their sentences.

Te UN Convention on the Rights o the Child (CRC), rati-

fied by the UAE in 1997, is a legally binding treaty. It defines a

child as anyone below the age o 18. However, UAE law is un-

clear on the age at which people are considered children. Te

1976 Juvenile Law defines a child as someone not exceeding

15 years o age, whereas Article 63 o the Penal Code states

that anyone above the age o 7 and under 18 should be treated

under specific legal regulations relating to juveniles. »


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State Security officials in the UAE have arrested several

hundred people since 2011, including oreign nationals, and

subjected them to enorced disappearance, holding them

in incommunicado and secret detention. Some individuals

previously subjected to enorced disappearance have said

they were tortured or otherwise ill-treated and were orced to

make “conessions” during interrogations without the pres-

ence o a lawyer. Te State Security Chamber o the Federal

Supreme Court ofen allows the use o such “conessions,” in

contravention o international human rights law, and convicts

deendants even when they have repudiated them.

rials held beore the State Security Chamber o the FederalSupreme Court’s proceedings do not meet international air

trial standards. Its judges are appointed by executive decree

and they are neither independent nor impartial when trying

cases generally brought under broad and sweeping national

security provisions in the Penal Code or the cybercrimes or

counter-terrorism laws. Tis court raises particular concern

because its judgements cannot be appealed to a higher court,

as international human rights law requires, so deendants

who are wrongly convicted have no judicial means o remedy.

Although the UAE government has told Amnesty Interna-

tional that the independence o the judiciary is guaranteed

under the Constitution, the United Nations Special Rappor-

teur on the independence o judges and lawyers in 2014 said

the UAE’s entire judicial system is “under the de acto control

o the executive branch o government.” She described this asan “important challenge or the independence and impartial-

ity o the judiciary.”

Qatar: Abuse of World Cup workers exposed, First evidence of migrantexploitation on 2022 World Cup siteMarch 30, 2016

can eel like a living nightmare,” said Amnesty International

Secretary General Salil Shetty.

“Despite five years o promises, FIFA has ailed almost com-pletely to stop the World Cup being built on human rights

abuses.”

Severe abuses including forced labor

Te report is based on interviews with 132 migrant construc-

tion workers rebuilding Khalia stadium,set to be the first

stadium completed or the tournament and slated to host

a World Cup semi-final in 2022. A urther 99 migrants also

interviewed were landscaping the green spaces in the sur-

rounding Aspire Zone sports complex, where Bayern Munich

Everton and Paris Saint-Germain trained this winter.

Every single gardener and construction worker who spoke to

Amnesty International reported abuse o one kind or another,

including:

◌ squalid and cramped accommodation,

◌ paying large ees ($500 to $4,300) to recruiters in their

home country to get a job in Qatar,

◌ being deceived as to the pay or type o work on offer (all

but six o the men had salaries lower than promised when

they arrived, sometimes by hal),

Migrant workers building Khalia International Stadium inDoha or the 2022 World Cup have suffered systematic abuses,

in some cases orced labor, Amnesty International reveals in a

new report published today.

Te report, “Te ugly side o the beautiul game: Labour

exploitation on a Qatar 2022 World Cup site”, blasts FIFA’s

shocking indifference to appalling treatment o migrant work-

ers. Te number o people working on World Cup sites is set

to surge almost ten-old to around 36,000 in the next two

years.

“Te abuse o migrant workers is a stain on the conscience o

world ootball. For players and ans, a World Cup stadium is a

place o dreams. For some o the workers who spoke to us, it

B o b S mi t h S t o c k .X c h n g

»


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◌ not being paid or several months, creating significant fi-

nancial and emotional pressures on workers already burdened

with heavy debts,

◌ employers not giving or renewing residence permits, leav-

ing them at risk o detention and deportation as “absconded”

workers,

◌ employers confiscating workers passports and not issuing

exit permits so they could not leave the country,

◌ being threatened or complaining about their conditions.

Amnesty International uncovered evidence that the staff o

one labor supply company used the threat o penalties to ex-act work rom some migrants such as withholding pay, hand-

ing workers over to the police or stopping them rom leaving

Qatar. Tis amounts to orced labour under international law.

Te workers, mostly rom Bangladesh, India and Nepal, spoke

to Amnesty International in Qatar between February and

May 2015. When Amnesty International researchers returned

to Qatar in February 2016, some o the workers had been

moved to better accommodation and their passports returned

by companies responding to Amnesty International findings,

but other abuses had not been addressed.

“Indebted, living in squalid camps in the desert, paid a pit-

tance, the lot o migrant workers contrasts sharply to that o

the top-flight ootballers who will play in the stadium. All

workers want are their rights: to be paid on time, leave the

country i need be and be treated with dignity and respect,”

said Salil Shetty.

Qatar’s sponsorship system leaves workers threatened,

living in fear

Qatar’s kaala sponsorship system, under which migrantworkers cannot change jobs or leave the country without their

employers (or “sponsors”) permission, is at the heart o the

threats to make people work. A much-touted reorm o the

sponsorship system, announced in late 2015 will do little to

alter the power dynamics between migrant workers and their

employers.

Some o the Nepali workers told Amnesty International they

were not even allowed to visit their loved ones afer the 2015

April earthquake that devastated their country leaving thou-

sands dead and millions displaced.

Nabeel (name changed to protect identity), a metal workerrom India who worked on the Khalia stadium reurbish-

ment, complained when he was not paid or several months

but only received threats rom his employer:

“He just shouted abuse at me and said that i I complained

again I’d never leave the country. Ever since I have been

careul not to complain about my salary or anything else. O

course, i I could I would change jobs or leave Qatar.”

Deepak (name changed to protect identity), a metal worker

rom Nepal, said: “My lie here is like a prison. Te work is

difficult, we worked or many hours in the hot sun. When Ifirst complained about my situation, soon afer arriving in

Qatar, the manager said ‘i you [want to] complain you can

but there will be consequences. I you want to stay in Qatar

be quiet and keep working’.”

World Cup Welfare Standards not enforced

Qatar’s Supreme Committee or Delivery and Legacy, the or-

ganization responsible or World Cup 2022 and ultimately or

stadium construction published Workers’ Welare Standards

in 2014. Tey require companies working on World Cup proj-

ects to deliver better standards or workers than are provided

or under Qatari law.

“Te Supreme Committee has shown commitment to workers’

rights and its welare standards have the potential to help. But

it is struggling to enorce those standards. In a context where

the Qatari government is apathetic and FIFA is indifferent,

it will be almost impossible or the World Cup to be staged

without abuse,” said Salil Shetty.

Time for FIFA and sponsors to up the pressure

Amnesty International is calling on major World Cup spon-sors like Adidas, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s to pressure FIFA

to address the exploitation o workers on Khalia stadium,

and disclose its plan or preventing urther abuses in World

Cup projects.

FIFA should push Qatar to publish a comprehensive reorm

plan beore World Cup construction peaks in mid-2017.

Essential steps include removing employers' power to stop

oreign employees rom changing jobs or leaving the coun-»


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try, proper investigations into the conditions o workers and

stricter penalties or abusive companies. FIFA itsel should

carry out, and publish, its own regular independent inspec-

tions o labor conditions in Qatar.

“Hosting the World Cup has helped Qatar promote itsel as

an elite destination to some o the world’s biggest clubs. But

world ootball cannot turn a blind eye to abuse in the acilities

and stadiums where the game is played,” said Salil Shetty.“I

FIFA’s new leadership is serious about turning a page, it can-

not allow its showcase global event to take place in stadiums

built on the abuse o migrant workers.”

Facilities at the heart of world football

Khalia stadium is part o the Aspire Zone sports complex,

whose Aspire Academy training and Aspetar medical acili-

ties have been used by some o the world’s biggest ootball

clubs (see backgrounder).

“Some o world ootball’s biggest stars may already be training

on pitches grown and maintained by exploited migrant work-

ers. Tey could soon be playing in stadiums built by them too,

said Salil Shetty.“It is time or ootball’s leaders to speak out or

be tainted by association, be they global ootball brands like

Bayern Munich and PSG or major sponsors like Adidas and

Coca-Cola.”

Te report will be live at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/re-

search/reports/the-ugly-side-o-the-beautiul

Colombia: Peace talks with ELN must not allow human rights abuses to gounpunished

“Te talks between the ELN and the government, coupled

with an imminent peace deal with the FARC, bring hope that

more than hal a century o conflict in Colombia might soon

be over,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at

Amnesty International.

“However, the authorities must ensure that all those suspected

o criminal responsibility or crimes under international law

committed in this conflict – be they members o the security

orces, paramilitaries or the guerrilla groups, including third

parties such as businesspeople and politicians – must not

avoid justice beore ordinary civilian courts.

“Te government and the ELN must ensure that human rights

including measures to put an end to impunity, lie at the heart

o the negotiations.”

Te 50-year conflict in Colombia has been marked by wide-

spread as well as systematic violations andabuses o human

rights, including unlawul killings, enorced disappearance,

torture, orced displacement, and sexual violence.

Tese have been committed by the security orces, either act-

ing alone or in collusion with paramilitaries, and by guerrilla

groups.

Indigenous Peoples and Aro-descendant and peasant armer

Justice or the many victims o human rights abuses and violations amid Colombia’s five-decade armed conflict must

lie at the heart o peace talks announced today between the

government and the National Liberation Army (Ejército de

Liberación Nacional, ELN), Amnesty International said.

Te government and the ELN, the country’s second largest

guerrilla group, said that official peace negotiations between

the two sides are soon to begin in Ecuador. Te country’s

largest guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces o

Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colom-

bia, FARC) are expected to sign a peace agreement with the

government in the coming weeks or months afer more than

three years o talks.

S t o c k .X c h n g


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Postage


AIUSA group 48 Newsletter April 2016

communities, as well as human rights deenders, community

leaders and trade unionists, have been particularly at risk.

“Tere can be no long-lasting, effective peace without ull

respect or the rights o the conflict’s victims to truth, justice

and reparation in line with international law and standards,”

said Erika Guevara-Rosas.

“Te agreements on justice reached thus ar with the FARC

appear to all well short o this mark.” Tere has been a recent

spike in threats against - and killings o - human rights de-

enders in Colombia.

Tere have also been ongoing attacks against Indigenous

Peoples and Aro-descendant and peasant armer communi-

ties, mostly carried out by paramilitary groups.

“Recent attacks on activists and other groups are a grave

reminder that the human rights crisis in Colombia goes on

despite the peace talks,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas.“Te Co-

lombian authorities must now step up efforts to protect those

groups and communities at risk, including by effectively com-

bating paramilitary groups and breaking the links that such

groups still have with some sectors o the security orces.

Group 48 Newsletter - April 2016

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Transcript of Group 48 Newsletter - April 2016