Tag archieven: Human Rights

Mass death sentences in Egypt/Urgent appeal about the mass death sentences by the Criminal Court in Minya/Letter to the minister of Foreign Affairs

URGENT APPEAL ABOUT THE MASS DEATH SENTENCES BY THE CRIMINAL COURT IN MINYA/

LETTER TO THE EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

 

 

To the Egyptian minister of Foreign Affairs
Mr Nabil Fahmy
Subject:
Mass Death sentences of 528 people by the criminal Court in Minya
Urgent request to overturn the death sentences
Reason:
Unfair trial, lacking basic due process protections.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”
Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an
independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations
and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 10, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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[Amnesty International\Miraculous escape from execution for teenage inmate turned lawyer

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE FROM EXECUTION FOR TEENAGE INMATE TURNED LAWYER

 

 

 

Hafez Ibrahim is now a lawyer, helping juveniles who languish on death row corridors across Yemen.Hafez Ibrahim is now a lawyer, helping juveniles who languish on death row corridors across Yemen.© Hafez Ibrahim

“>Hafez Ibrahim, with a newspaper celebrating his pardon and release from death row in 2010.

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Hafez Ibrahim, with a newspaper celebrating his pardon and release from death row in 2010.

© Amnesty International.

I was lost, I did not understand what was happening. I later learned that Amnesty International had called on the Yemeni President to stop my execution and the message was heard

Hafez Ibrahim.

The first time Hafez Ibrahim faced a firing squad was in 2005. He was taken to a small yard in a Yemeni prison and brought before a row of officers with rifles in hand. He thought that moment would be his last.

Hafez had written a will. His only thought was of the trauma his mother would suffer when she heard the news of his execution.

But just before he was about to be shot, he was taken back to his cell, with no explanation.

“I was lost, I did not understand what was happening. I later learned that Amnesty International had called on the Yemeni President to stop my execution and the message was heard,” Hafez said.

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[Human Rights Watch]Egypt: Shocking death sentences follow sham trial

EGYPT: SHOCKING DEATH SENTENCES FOLLOW SHAM TRIAL

 

529 Denied Right to Meaningful Defense, Face Capital Punishment
MARCH 25, 2014
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It’s shocking even amid Egypt’s deep political repression that a court has sentenced 529 people to death without giving them any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves. The Minya court failed to carry out its most fundamental duty to assess the individual guilt of each defendant, violating the most basic fair trial right. These death sentences should be immediately quashed.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director

(New York) – The criminal court in Minya, Egyptsentenced 529 people to death, possibly the largest mass death sentence in recent years anywhere, in a trial lacking basic due process protections.

The March 22, 2014, trial, in which the vast majority of defendants were tried in absentia, took place in under an hour. The prosecution did not put forward evidence implicating any individual defendant, even though it had compiled significant evidence during its investigations, and the court prevented defense lawyers from presenting their case or calling witnesses, three of the defense lawyers told Human Rights Watch. A second summary session was held two days later solely to announce the verdict.

“It’s shocking even amid Egypt’s deep political repression that a court has sentenced 529 people to death without giving them any meaningful opportunity to defend themselves,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The Minya court failed to carry out its most fundamental duty to assess the individual guilt of each defendant, violating the most basic fair trial right. These death sentences should be immediately quashed.”

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[Human Rights Watch]/EU: Much Talk on Rights, Few Results

EU: MUCH TALK ON RIGHTS, FEW RESULTS

 

Political Will, Collective Action Needed to Address Serious Abuses
JANUARY 21, 2014
  • European Union flags fly in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. © Reuters 2012

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Respect for human rights is measured in deeds, not words. Ordinary people, from the homeless in Hungary, to black and Arab teenagers constantly stopped by the police in France, to Syrian asylum seekers in Greece, are paying the price for the lack of robust rights enforcement.
Judith Sunderland, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher

(Brussels) – European Union (EU) leaders in 2013 acknowledged problems of rising intolerance and persistent human rights violations across the EU, but failed to take concerted action, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014. Human Rights Watch documented EU-level developments in migration and asylum, discrimination and intolerance, and counterterrorism, highlighting events in 11 member states, including a new member, Croatia.

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Racism in the Netherlands/Party for Freedom/ PVV, Wilders and the poison of racism

 

 

”Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy”
Naomi Wolf
”Ten steps to close down an open society”
INTRODUCTION:
In her book ”The End of America, Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot” [1] the American writer and
activist Naomi Wolf describes ”Ten steps to close an open society”, the ten mechanisms, which
lead to a police State.
The suspension of the freedoms in a democratic State is one thing.
The other thing is the scapegoat model, which leads attention from political and economical
problems and covers the true meanings of authoritarian politicians, who rise to power by
either socalled ”democratic elections” or a military coup.
Through history, that scapegoat model, which breaks solidarity and makes
innumerable innocent victims, has brought disaster on mankind.

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[Human Rights Watch]/South Asia: Protect migrant workers to Gulf Countries

 

SOUTH ASIA: PROTECT MIGRANT WORKERS TO GULF COUNTRIES

 

Seek Reforms in Sponsorship System, Labor Rights Protections
DECEMBER 18, 2013
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The Gulf countries should recognize the crucial role foreign workers play in their economies and take measures to ensure that their rights are fully respected. South Asian governments should join forces to press for reforms to end the terrible abuses against migrant workers that have gone on for far too long.
Brad Adams, Asia director

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[Human Rights Watch]/UAE: Assaults on Dissident, Free Expression

 

UAE: ASSAULTS ON DISSIDENT, FREE EXPRESSION

 

Credible Allegations of Torture in Custody
JANUARY 23, 2014
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The UAE’s repressive laws and dysfunctional justice system belie the government’s efforts to present the country as moderate and progressive. The UAE might seem like a safe place to shop, do business, or take a winter holiday but it’s becoming a very dangerous place to express a political opinion.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director

(Dubai) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013 stifled free expression, and subjected dissidents to manifestly unfair trials marred by credible allegations of torture, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2014.

A court sentenced 69 dissidents to prison terms of up to 10 years in July on charges of aiming to overthrow the government, though most of the evidence the court cited in the 243-page judgment suggested that they had only engaged in peaceful political activities. Many of those convicted, and another group of 30 dissidents facing similar charges, said they experienced mistreatment in pretrial detention that in some cases amounted to torture.

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[Human Rights Watch]/Papua New Guinea: Address Police Brutality

 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ADDRESS POLICE BRUTALITY

 

Violence Against Women, Death Penalty Concerns
JANUARY 22, 2014
  • People inspect a photo of the torture of a woman, who was accused of sorcery by people from her village.

    © Vlad Sokhin/OHCHR
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Papua New Guineans face violence at every turn, including from the police, who should be protecting them. The government should call a halt to police abuse and bring any officers responsible for crimes to justice.
Brad Adams, Asia director

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[Human Rights Watch]/Ukraine: Police beatings, kidnappings in Kiev

 

 

UKRAINE: POLICE BEATINGS, KIDNAPPINGS IN KIEV

 

Thorough Investigation Needed Into Brutal Attacks, Death, Amid Uprising
JANUARY 24, 2014
  • Peaceful protest at Independence Square in Kiev in December 2013.

    @ Yulia Gorbunova Human Rights Watch
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Police in Kiev face serious challenges, but nothing can justify the vicious beatings we’ve documented. These are very serious crimes that need thorough investigation, and the people responsible should be held accountable.
Yulia Gorbunova, Ukraine researcher

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[Human Rights Watch]/Burma: Investigate new killings of Rohingya

 

 

BURMA: INVESTIGATE NEW KILLINGS OF ROHINGYA

 

Ensure Aid and Media Access, Prosecute Abusive Security Forces
JANUARY 23, 2014
“The Burmese authorities need to promptly and transparently investigate this deadly violence, prosecute those responsible, and ensure aid gets to those in need. Official discrimination against the Rohingya population and impunity for past abuses has created a fertile ground for new atrocities to take place.”
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director

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