humanrightsupdates

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Saudi Arabia: Dutch-Yemeni Restaurant Owner Arbitrarily Detained - Amnesty UK Urgent Action

Saudi authorities detained Fahd Ezzi Mohammed Ramadhan on 20 November 2023, two days after he arrived in Saudi Arabia from the Netherlands. He was held in incommunicado detention from 23 November 2023 until 1 January 2024, and has had no access to legal representation throughout his detention and interrogation. He told officials from the Dutch embassy in Riyadh that he had sympathized online with a critic of the Saudi royal family and believed that was the reason for his detention.

He is likely to be arbitrarily detained because of his online activities because according to his family, he was asked to sign a document by interrogators in May which included four of his tweets.

Saudi authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Fahd Ezzi Mohammed Ramadhan.

Amnesty International has documented the Saudi authorities’ increasing crackdown on freedom of expression, targeting both citizens and foreign nationals, many of whom have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. This includes criticizing the government and its policies.

Legal proceedings in these cases fall far short of international fair trial standards. Individuals are often held incommunicado without charge, in solitary confinement, and denied access to lawyers or the courts to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.

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Mexico: Woman Human Rights Defender Disappeared - Amnesty UK Urgent Action

Mexican defender Sandra Domínguez and her husband Alexander Hernández are disappeared. Sandra’s relatives reported to the Office of the Attorney General of the state of Oaxaca that Sandra and Alexander were last seen in their home in María Lombardo de Caso, municipality of San Juan Cotzocón, located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, on 4 October, 2024.

We call on Mexican authorities to take all necessary steps and resources to find defender Sandra Domínguez alive in coordination with their relatives and all the authorities responsible for the search, as well as bring those responsible for the disappearance to justice

Sandra Domínguez is an Ayuuk indigenous defender from Oaxaca, a state located in southern Mexico. She is a lawyer and litigates cases of violence against women. In 2020, she publicly denounced a WhatsApp group where officials of the state of Oaxaca participated. In that chat, sexual images of indigenous women were circulating. Sandra, who was one of the victims whose images were shared, filed a criminal complaint against one of the officials involved in the chat.

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Guam’s Indigenous Groups Challenge US Militarization, Colonization

US Should Respect, Protect, and Fulfill Chamorro Human Rights

Since the US seized control of Guam during World War II, its military has turned the Pacific island into a fortress, destroying cultural sites, food sources, and limestone forests that contain medicinal plants used by the Indigenous Chamorro people.

But on October 14, a Chamorro-led advocacy group, Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian (Prutehi), submitted a complaint to the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, alleging various human rights violations committed by the US government against the Chamorro people.

The complaint details the ongoing US colonization of Guam, one of the last formally recognized colonies in the world. It describes impacts of US military expansion on the island, including destruction or endangerment of sacred sites, critical habitat, and the island’s freshwater source, all of which harm environmental and human health.

The US is the colonial administrator of the territory and is obligated under international law to uphold the right to self-determination of the people of Guam. Despite being US citizens, Chamorro people have no meaningful representation within the US political system as colonial subjects: they have no representation in Congress and no right to vote in US presidential elections.

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Lebanon: Israeli Attacks on Medics Apparent War Crimes

Israel’s Allies Should Suspend Arms Sales

(Beirut) – The Israeli military has repeatedly attacked medical workers and healthcare facilities in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch documented three attacks, involving apparent war crimes, in which Israeli forces unlawfully struck medical personnel, transports, and facilities, including paramedics at a civil defense center in central Beirut on October 3, 2024, and an ambulance and a hospital in southern Lebanon on October 4, killing 14 paramedics.

As of October 25, Israeli attacks have killed at least 163 health and rescue workers across Lebanon over the past year and damaged 158 ambulances and 55 hospitals, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The Israeli military should immediately halt unlawful attacks on medical workers and healthcare facilities, and Israel’s allies should suspend the transfer of arms to Israel given the real risk that they will be used to commit grave abuses.

“The Israeli military’s unlawful attacks on medical workers and hospitals are devastating Lebanon’s already frail health care system and putting medical workers at grave risk,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Strikes on medical workers and healthcare facilities also compound risks to injured civilians, severely hindering their ability to receive urgently needed medical attention.”

The United Nations should urgently establish, and UN member countries should support, an international investigation into the recent hostilities in Lebanon and northern Israel, and ensure that it is dispatched immediately to gather information and make findings as to violations of international law and recommendations for accountability.

[humanrightsupdates]

Saudi Arabia: Flawed Assessment of World Cup Bid

Law Firm at Risk of Being Linked to Abuses

(New York) – A flawed human rights assessment of Saudi Arabia’s FIFA 2034 World Cup bid by AS&H Clifford Chance, part of the global partnership of London-based law firm Clifford Chance, leaves the global firm at risk of being linked to abuses which result from the tournament, 11 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, said today.

AS&H Clifford Chance, which is based in Riyadh and sits within Clifford Chance’s integrated global partnership, produced an “independent human rights context assessment” that was published by FIFA. The assessment has helped pave the way for Saudi Arabia to be confirmed as 2034 hosts on December 11, 2034. But it contains no substantive discussion of extensive and relevant abuses in Saudi Arabia, documented by multiple human rights organizations and UN bodies, and has formed the basis of Saudi Arabia’s human rights strategy for the tournament, which was described by Amnesty International as a “whitewash.”

The 11 organizations, which include a Saudi Arabian diaspora organization, Gulf human rights groups, and labor organizations, as well as Football Supporters Europe, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, wrote to Clifford Chance’s Global Managing Partner, setting out in detail all the concerns in a statement and inviting the authors to publish an updated report. The firm, which says that it works in partnership with “some of the world’s leading NGOs and civil society organizations,” said in response that it would be “inappropriate” to offer any further comment on the report and shared a link to publicly available company policies.

“It has been clear for more than a year now that FIFA is determined to remove all potential obstacles to make sure it can hand Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the 2034 World Cup,” said James Lynch, co-director of the FairSquare human rights organization, which led the joint approach to the law firm. “By producing a shockingly poor report, AS&H Clifford Chance, part of one of the world’s largest law firms that makes much of its human rights expertise, has helped to remove a key final stumbling block

[humanrightsupdates]

Saudi Arabia: Flawed Assessment of World Cup Bid

Law Firm at Risk of Being Linked to Abuses

(New York) – A flawed human rights assessment of Saudi Arabia’s FIFA 2034 World Cup bid by AS&H Clifford Chance, part of the global partnership of London-based law firm Clifford Chance, leaves the global firm at risk of being linked to abuses which result from the tournament, 11 organizations, including Human Rights Watch, said today.

AS&H Clifford Chance, which is based in Riyadh and sits within Clifford Chance’s integrated global partnership, produced an “independent human rights context assessment” that was published by FIFA. The assessment has helped pave the way for Saudi Arabia to be confirmed as 2034 hosts on December 11, 2034. But it contains no substantive discussion of extensive and relevant abuses in Saudi Arabia, documented by multiple human rights organizations and UN bodies, and has formed the basis of Saudi Arabia’s human rights strategy for the tournament, which was described by Amnesty International as a “whitewash.”

The 11 organizations, which include a Saudi Arabian diaspora organization, Gulf human rights groups, and labor organizations, as well as Football Supporters Europe, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, wrote to Clifford Chance’s Global Managing Partner, setting out in detail all the concerns in a statement and inviting the authors to publish an updated report. The firm, which says that it works in partnership with “some of the world’s leading NGOs and civil society organizations,” said in response that it would be “inappropriate” to offer any further comment on the report and shared a link to publicly available company policies.

“It has been clear for more than a year now that FIFA is determined to remove all potential obstacles to make sure it can hand Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the 2034 World Cup,” said James Lynch, co-director of the FairSquare human rights organization, which led the joint approach to the law firm. “By producing a shockingly poor report, AS&H Clifford Chance, part of one of the world’s largest law firms that makes much of its human rights expertise, has helped to remove a key final stumbling block

[humanrightsupdates]

Gaza: Israel’s Northern Offensive Endangering Hundreds of Thousands of Civilians

Shelters Under Fire, Mass Displacement

(Beirut) – Israel’s renewed northern Gaza offensive is displacing and endangering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said today. Videos, photographs, satellite imagery, media reports, and UN agency reports analyzed by Human Rights Watch show that civilians are at grave risk of mass forced displacement and other atrocities as the last remaining places of refuge in northern Gaza, including shelters and hospitals, come under fire.

Since early October 2024, Israel has renewed mass evacuation orders for Gaza’s north, largely ordering civilians to move south, including to the “humanitarian” zone in al-Mawasi. The overcrowded area lacks adequate food, shelter, water, sanitation, and medical care. Israeli forces have also frequently attacked the zone, killing civilians.

“Israeli forces in northern Gaza are issuing evacuation orders after having done everything to ensure that there is no safe place to go in Gaza,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Unsafe evacuations are cruel and unlawful and a set up for further crimes against civilians.”

Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, is under a duty to ensure that civilians are evacuated in satisfactory conditions of health and safety and with proper accommodation for the displaced. Its failure to do so makes the displacement unlawful.

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10 Principles for Protecting Human Rights in US Elections

The following principles are based on international human rights law, which offers valuable standards for protecting fundamental human rights during elections. Relevant law can be found in the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Articles 2, 6, 9, 21, 22, 25), ratified by the United States in 1992; the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Articles 1, 4, 5), ratified by the United States in 1994; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 20, 21), which is considered reflective of customary international law. Many of these provisions are reflected in US constitutional, federal, and state law.

Ensure the right to vote without discrimination or discriminatory effects

Given the long US history of discrimination against Black and brown people in their ability to exercise the right to vote, the authorities throughout the United States should ensure that voting procedures do not have discriminatory effects, particularly on Black, Native American, and other people of color, and people with disabilities, among others.

The authorities should end the disenfranchisement of people with criminal convictions, which disproportionately effects Black and brown people, as well as facilitate voting in jails and prisons. Due to existing disenfranchisement laws, voting rights should be restored for people under probation or parole supervision, or who are being barred from voting because they may owe fines and fees.

Ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote, by effectively communicating about voting procedures, making various voting options readily available and accessible, and adopting additional measures as needed

Election officials in the United States should counter any misinformation about polling procedures or locations promptly, consistently, accurately, and using languages and methods of communication designed to reach all eligible voters, including those with disabilities. Officials should offer a range of in-person and other voting options that would ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote. This includes anticipating the possibility of address changes, especially for people facing eviction and other housing transitions.

Officials should anticipate problems people may have voting if they do not have time off from work, lack dependent care, or have no access to safe, accessible, or affordable transportation.

Voters with disabilities, older people, and those unable to vote without assistance must have full and equal access to the ballot box. These measures include ensuring all polling places are fully accessible, that accommodation is provided if requested, and that all election and voting information is available in different formats. [Full article at source link]

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Paraguay: Veto Anti Civil Society Law - Amnesty UK Urgent Action

On 9 October the Congress approved the so-called #LeyGarrote that endangers the work for human rights in Paraguay. The law includes overly broad and ambiguous wordings that increase the control over the work of civil society organisations and result in arbitrary restrictions. We call the President of Paraguay to immediately veto this law in order to uphold and protect the rights to freedom of association and to defend human rights.

Without convening sufficient public consultation and ignoring the international and national cry of human rights defenders and organisms, the Paraguayan Congress approved on 9 October 2024 the bill “that establishes the control, transparency and accountability of non-profit organisations”. On October 22, it was sent to the President of the Republic, who has 12 days to enact or veto the bill. If enacted, Paraguay will endorse highly restrictive conditions for civil society organisations in the country.

The bill approved by the Congress is in many respects contrary to the international human rights treaties to which Paraguay is a state party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the American Convention on Human Rights which guarantee the rights to freedom of association, expression, privacy, and participate in public affairs.

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Mozambique: Post-Election Protests Violently Repressed

At Least 11 People Killed; Dozens Seriously Injured

(Johannesburg) – Mozambique security forces killed at least 11 people and injured dozens of others using live bullets and tear gas during post-election protests across the country on October 24 and 25, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the apparently excessive use of force.

On October 24, the Mozambican election commission announced that Daniel Chapo and the ruling party Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, FRELIMO) had won the October 9 general elections. The elections and pre-elections period were marred by political killings, widespread irregularities, and restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

“The Mozambique security forces’ violent crackdown on protesters has severely increased political tensions following the country’s elections,” said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Mozambican authorities should promptly and impartially investigate alleged misuse of force and hold those responsible accountable.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed 22 people in person and by telephone between October 24 and 27, including victims and witnesses to the violence, physicians, journalists, government officials, and officials of local civil society groups.

Over 50 people suffered serious gunshot wounds, and many, including children as young as one year old, inhaled tear gas that the police fired indiscriminately into residential areas. Police have detained over 400 people who allegedly engaged in public disorder, looting of shops, destruction of public and private property, and an attack on a police station.

[humanrightsupdates]

Mozambique: Post-Election Protests Violently Repressed

At Least 11 People Killed; Dozens Seriously Injured

(Johannesburg) – Mozambique security forces killed at least 11 people and injured dozens of others using live bullets and tear gas during post-election protests across the country on October 24 and 25, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the apparently excessive use of force.

On October 24, the Mozambican election commission announced that Daniel Chapo and the ruling party Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique, FRELIMO) had won the October 9 general elections. The elections and pre-elections period were marred by political killings, widespread irregularities, and restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

“The Mozambique security forces’ violent crackdown on protesters has severely increased political tensions following the country’s elections,” said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Mozambican authorities should promptly and impartially investigate alleged misuse of force and hold those responsible accountable.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed 22 people in person and by telephone between October 24 and 27, including victims and witnesses to the violence, physicians, journalists, government officials, and officials of local civil society groups.

Over 50 people suffered serious gunshot wounds, and many, including children as young as one year old, inhaled tear gas that the police fired indiscriminately into residential areas. Police have detained over 400 people who allegedly engaged in public disorder, looting of shops, destruction of public and private property, and an attack on a police station.

[humanrightsupdates]

Guatemala: High-Stakes Judicial Appointments

Congress Should Prioritize Merit, Independence in Appointing Judges

(Washington, DC) – Guatemala’s Congress should ensure a transparent, merit-based selection process for Supreme Court and appellate court judges, Human Rights Watch said today.

On September 23, 2024, nominating commissions submitted to Congress a list of candidates for all 13 Supreme Court and 156 Court of Appeals positions for the 2024-2029 term. Under Guatemalan law, Congress must elect the judges by October 13, with an absolute majority vote.

“The selection of judges for Guatemala’s high courts offers a crucial opportunity to begin restoring the integrity and independence of the country’s judiciary,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Lawmakers should prioritize candidates with unimpeachable records of integrity and a demonstrated commitment to upholding human rights and the rule of law.”

The Guatemalan judiciary lacks sufficient independence and integrity, undermining the rule of law and threatening human rights protections. This stems from systemic problems in the judicial selection process, including nontransparent nomination procedures, political meddling, and undue influence by private interests and other actors seeking to manipulate the system for their own benefit. These problems have enabled pervasive corruption and allowed judges and prosecutors to arbitrarily target human rights advocates, anti-corruption investigators, and journalists.

Under Attorney General Consuelo Porras, the Attorney General’s Office has filed numerous criminal complaints against independent judges, prosecutors, and journalists who have investigated and exposed corruption and abuse of power. According to the nonprofit Unit for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders of Guatemala, at least 91 people had fled into exile due to criminal prosecution, threats, or harassment since 2022.

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DRC President Felix Tshisekedi must be held accountable for human rights violations

By Jean Mobert Senga, Amnesty International’s DRC researcher

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2024, President Tshisekedi ignored the continuing deterioration of human rights under his own government. The international community must push him to change course.

At the start of his first term in 2019, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi promised to protect human rights — but his government appears to have embarked on a crusade against his own pledges.

The DRC authorities’ response to the armed conflict and inter-communal violence that has ravaged the country for decades has failed to improve the security situation. In some cases, it has made it worse.

While the international community must address serious human rights abuses by armed groups in eastern DRC, including Rwanda and other countries’ alleged support to some armed groups, it must also increase pressure on President Tshisekedi’s government to uphold human rights, tackle impunity, and address deep-rooted socioeconomic injustices.

The DRC is enduring one of the most protracted humanitarian crises in the world. From east to west and from north to south, the civilian population faces daily threats of violence from a myriad of armed groups. Congolese soldiers and affiliated militia groups also continue to target civilians and commit horrendous crimes, often with impunity.

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Israel/OPT: Slovenia, Montenegro and Portugal must not assist the MV Kathrin’s delivery of explosives to Israel 

Slovenia and Montenegro must stop the Portuguese-flagged MV Kathrin, believed to be carrying explosives bound for Israel, from docking at their ports, given the clear risk that such cargo would contribute to the commission of war crimes in Gaza, Amnesty International said. 

According to Namibia’s government and Portugal’s Foreign Minister, the MV Kathrin’s cargo includes explosives destined for Israel. Namibian authorities refused to allow the vessel to enter its main harbour in August, citing information from the ship’s operator that its cargo includes eight containers of RDX Hexogen explosives bound for Israel. Statements from Slovenia’s Prime Minister’s office and Portugal’s Foreign Minister indicate the ship is heading for Montenegro and Slovenia’s port of Koper, where it will offload its cargo. It is unclear how the cargo will then reach Israel.  

“The deadly cargo believed to be on board the MV Kathrin must not reach Israel as there is a clear risk that such cargo would contribute to the commission of war crimes against Palestinian civilians,” said Nataša Posel, head of Amnesty International Slovenia.

“Namibia rightfully upheld its international obligations by ensuring that the MV Kathrin did not transit military cargo to Israel through its port. Now it is up to Slovenia, Montenegro and all other states to do the same and avoid facilitating an unlawful transfer.”

International humanitarian law (IHL) prohibits all states from transferring weapons to a party to an armed conflict where there is a clear risk that doing so would contribute to the commission of war crimes or other serious IHL violations.

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CHINA: TWO ACTIVISTS FACED UNJUST CONVICTION

#MeToo activist, Sophia Huang Xueqin, and labor activist, Wang Jianbing, were arrested on September 19, 2021.

Huang Xueqin is a journalist who has been involved in several #MeToo campaigns to provide support and assistance to survivors of sexual assault and harassment. Wang Jianbing has provided legal support for people with disabilities and workers with occupational diseases. He is also a prominent supporter of the #MeToo movement in China.

On June 14, 2024, Huang was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment, and Wang to 3 years and 6 months, both for “inciting subversion of state power”; the evidence used by the prosecution included allegations that the two had organized weekly private gatherings with activists to discuss civil society challenges in China and received and organized training in “non-violent movements”. Wang and Huang have formally filed appeals.

Recently, Amnesty learned that they are both facing health concerns but have not been allowed appropriate access to medical care.

According to reliable sources recently, Wang’s recent health condition is worsening, particularly regarding his heart and gastrointestinal issues. During routine checkups, he was found to have mitral valve insufficiency, left ventricular abnormalities, and arrhythmia, with occasional severe chest pains.

They should be released immediately and unconditionally.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: March 18, 2025

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Tribes in Nevada Honor Victims of Cavalry Massacre

Commemoration Highlights Need to Respect Indigenous Communities’ Rights

On September 21, I attended the fourth annual commemoration of a massacre at Peehee Mu’huh, land sacred to People of Red Mountain (Atsa Koodakuh wyh Nuwu) in northern Nevada. During the commemoration, tribe members and their supporters gathered at Sentinel Rock in the McDermitt Caldera to celebrate community and honor the ancestors who died there on September 12, 1865, when the United States Cavalry murdered elders, women, and children and left their entrails spread across the sagebrush.

At the commemoration, I watched as the knowledge keepers and descendants of the Fort McDermitt Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock Tribes sang the songs of their people and threw cedar, tobacco, and sage into the fire. People of Red Mountain and other Native people use this land to hunt animals and gather plants for food and medicine. The commemoration was an opportunity to gather and worship the sacred land and spirits who occupy it, and to honor both the memory of those the US military massacred and all who carry their memory forward.

A lithium mine is also under construction at Peehee Mu’huh, signaling a tension between the present, the past, and the future.

The memory of the Peehee Mu’huh massacre is a stark reminder of the violent forces and brutal federal policies that have shaped colonialism in the United States.

People of Red Mountain remain dedicated to honoring the legacy of their people. “There are three things they can never take away from us: our medicine, our prayer, and our song,” said Ray Bacasegua Valdez of the American Indian Movement.

[humanrightsupdates]

Tunisia: Release Former Truth Commission President

Stop Retaliation Against Human Rights Defenders

(Beirut) – A Tunisian judge has detained a prominent activist and former president of the Truth and Dignity Commission, Sihem Bensedrine, apparently in retaliation for her work on accountability for decades of human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. Tunisian authorities should immediately release her.

An investigative judge of a Tunis court ordered Bensedrine detained on August 1, 2024, after a hearing connected to her work as head of the Truth and Dignity Commission between 2014 and 2018. The judge rejected her release request on September 20. Bensedrine, 73, is detained pretrial in Manouba prison and faces prosecution in four other cases related to her work as president of the commission.

“Sihem Bensedrine doesn't belong in prison, and neither do the many other Tunisians unjustly locked up by President Kais Saied’s government, including journalists, lawyers, and activists,” said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “This is a clear case of retaliation, and authorities should immediately release Bensedrine, drop the charges, and stop targeting human rights defenders.”

Bensedrine’s detention comes against a backdrop of increased repression by President Saied’s government in the lead-up to the October 6 presidential election. With Saied running for a second term, the authorities have excluded or jailed prospective competitors, imprisoned activists, and targeted independent media and civil society groups observing the electoral process. Over 170 people are detained in Tunisia on political grounds or for exercising their fundamental rights.