Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam (1947-2012), a great friends and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Please note that there are calls for specific action in each item in the blog, including charity, indigenous peoples and the fight against modern slavery, as well as under the Urgent Action rubric.

CHARITY CORNER

This week we turn our attention to PAI, an organization that works to help women around the world to control their reproductive rights. Their mission statement: Our mission is to promote universal access to reproductive health and reproductive rights through research, advocacy and innovative partnerships. Achieving this will dramatically improve the health and autonomy of women, reduce poverty and strengthen civil society. The lead the struggle against the global gag rule:

The Global Gag Rule risks women’s health and lives by forcing foreign NGOs to choose between receiving U.S. global health assistance and providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care.

Please donate. The charity has a high rating with Charity Navigator.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.

This week we ask you to act on behalf of the Bushmen of Southern Africa. Read the sad story of how they have been treated in their ancestral homeland.

You can download this book

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Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and raise your voice against support of the Uzbek cotton industry that is heavily tainted by forced labor.

URGENT ACTION CASES

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Urgent Action: Health of Imprisoned Crimean Tatar at Risk

Crimean Tatar, Edem Bekirov, has been detained in Simferopol since his detention by Russian security forces on 12 December 2018. He is a wheelchair user and has serious health conditions that require specialized medical care not available in the detention center. After the last visit on 24 May, his lawyer reported a grave deterioration of Edem Bekirov’s health prompting concerns for his life.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Urgent Action: Incommunicado Detainee at Risk of Torture

Lebanese detainee Ahmad Ali Mekkaoui has been held incommunicado since 11 April 2019. He is at heightened risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Ahmad Ali Mekkaoui is serving a 15-year prison sentence in the United Arab Emirates on “terrorism” charges. Legal proceedings against him have been seriously flawed, including arbitrary detention, excessive pre-trial detention, forced confessions, allegations of torture, and lack of access to medical care. In April 2019, the Prosecutor pressed new speech-related charges against Ahmad following a TV news report in which his sister and legal consultant were interviewed about Ahmad’s torture and unfair trial.

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ZIMBABWE

Urgent Action: Seven Activists Arrested, Charged with Treason

Seven activists, arrested on different dates, are facing charges of treason after they attended a training organised by the Center for Non-Violence Action and Strategies (CANVAS) in the Maldives. Five of the activists have already appeared in court and are remanded in custody until 6 June. The offense ‘subverting a constitutional government’ carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. These arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders, activists and opposition members in the country and are an attempt by the government to stifle peaceful protest over the recently implemented austerity measures.

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WORLDWIDE

One Job Should Be Enough

Underpaid workers in the airline and hotel business’s are protesting and on the verge of strikes. Please click to read their stories and support their struggles.

Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam, a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

We mark the 30th anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square. On the evening of 3–4 June 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square to brutally crush an unprecedented democracy movement. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed when troops opened fire on the students and workers who were peacefully calling for political reforms.

CHARITY CORNER

This week we turn our attention to Journalists Without Borders, a worldwide organization designed to protect freedom of the press and the access to true information. As we all know true democracy is possible only if information is freely available to the public. Leaders of repressive regimes are the greatest enemies of the free press.

See the violations of freedom barometer:

The figures in 2019 for repression of freedom of information:

Archives▾

• 16 journalists killed
• 1 citizens journalists killed
• 1 media assistants killed

How many are imprisoned at this time

• 172 journalists imprisoned
• 150 citizens journalists imprisoned
• 17 media assistants imprisoned

Donate to protect your own freedom.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming.

Please act on behalf of the tribes of the Congo basin who are suffering severe abuse in the name of so-called conservation/

You can download this book

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Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and raise your voice to pledge to join the fight for Freedom For Girls

URGENT ACTION CASES

TURKEY

Urgent Action: Dozens at Risk of Torture in Police Detention

A group of 47 people, including men, women and three children, were detained between 18 and 21 May during police raids following clashes between security forces and the armed PKK in Urfa province, south eastern Turkey. There are credible allegations that the adults were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. As of 24 May, 22 of them, including the three children, have been released. The 25 still being held at the police’s anti-terrorism branch are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and must be given immediate access to independent medical care.

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THAILAND

Urgent Action: Defamation Charges for Exposing Labor Abuse

Human rights defenders, activists, journalists and former employees are facing criminal defamation lawsuits for their public comments on labor rights abuses faced by many workers at Thammakaset Co. Ltd, a chicken farm in central Thailand. Nan Win, a former farm worker and Sutharee Wannasiri, a human rights specialist and former employee of Amnesty International Thailand, go on trial on 24 May 2019 while Tun Tun Win, a migrant worker from Myanmar, will stand trial on 5 June 2019. They are three of at least 22 individuals who have faced criminal and civil proceedings initiated by this company.

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VIET NAM

Urgent Action: Prisoner of Conscience Tortured to Confess

Journalist and human rights defender Nguyen Van Hoa was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in December 2017 for reporting on the 2016 Formosa environmental disaster in central Viet Nam. Tortured by the authorities to confess to his “crime”, he is currently being held in solitary confinement as punishment for his refusal to cooperate. Nguyen Van Hoa is a prisoner of conscience and should be immediately and unconditionally released.
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PHILIPPINES

Holcim workers demand justice

For years contractual workers at the Holcim cement plant in Davao have demanded regular employment, in line with Philippine law. Last year they filed a complaint with the Department of Labor and Employment, however in March 140 contract workers were laid off, while non-union workers were offered new employment contracts. Since then the workers have been picketing the factory, but in May they found out the owner of the plant – multinational cement giant Lafarge Holcim – is planning on selling the factory to notoriously anti-union Filipino conglomerate San Miguel. On May Day the workers’ picket line was violently attacked by thugs, and the union is convinced that Holcim is responsible for the attack. These workers need justice, not violence and repression. Please click and join the protest.

Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam (1947-2012) a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

CHARITY CORNER

This week we turn our attention to the World Pediatric Project.

Mission We heal critically ill children and build healthcare capacity in the world.

This is a highly rated charity that provides health care where needed around the world.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. They are the best conservationists--help that fact go viral.

A major calamity for indigenous people is enforced contact which can be deadly. Please act for people on the Peruvian contact border.

You can download this book

Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and raise your voice against child slavery. https://www.freedomunited.org/freedom-university/child-slavery/

URGENT ACTION CASES

MOROCCO

Urgent Action Victory! Human Rights Defender Released

On 5 April 2019, human rights defender Zine El Abidine Erradi was released after serving a one-year sentence in Agadir local prison, following an unfair trial. Zine El Abidine holds a refugee status in France and had been arrested upon his arrival in Morocco to visit his father. As of 15 May, he could eventually come back in safety in France after receiving his travel documents.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.

On 5 April 2019, human rights defender Zine El Abidine Erradi was released after serving a one-year sentence, solely in relation to his peaceful activism. After the Moroccan and French authorities granted him the needed travel documents on 15 May 2019, he could eventually travel back to France, where he holds a refugee status.

In April 2018, Moroccan authorities arrested Zine El Abidine Erradi upon his arrival from France, at Agadir airport in Morocco. His arrest followed a warrant issued in absentia in December 2014 by a court in Agadir, based on trumped-up charges, including “violence and insults to public officers” and “destroying public properties”. Zine El Abidine was traveling to Morocco for exceptional circumstances, with a travel document provided by the French authorities.

Before leaving Morocco to seek asylum in France, he had been arrested twice and prosecuted three times for his work in defense of human rights in Sidi Ifni, his hometown, in southern Morocco.

Amnesty International has been calling for Zine El Abidine Erradi’s immediate and unconditional release, as he was held solely for his peaceful work in defense of human rights, and for his safe return to France. Amnesty’s mobilization, particularly in Morocco and France, has been essential to increase the visibility on his case, and to pressure the authorities to grant him a safe return to France.

HAITI

Urgent Action: Human Rights Defender Fears for Safety

On April 26, two unknown men on motorbikes, presumably belonging to a local gang, circled the office of Pierre Espérance (fourth from the left in the image below), a prominent Haitian human rights defender, in Port-au-Prince. He reported that different sources advised him about recent death threats made against him and stated that the police were aware of them. Pierre Espérance received previous threats in 2018, and in 2014 when a letter containing a gun bullet was sent to the organization’s offices. We demand that the Haitian authorities provide him with effective protection according to his wishes and that authorities immediately and independently investigate these threats.

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FRANCE

Urgent Action: Stop Harassing Investigative Journalists

On 14 and 15 May, journalists Geoffrey Livolsi and Mathias Destal, working for Disclose, and Benoît Collombat, with Radio France, were summoned for a hearing by the Intelligence Services after the Paris Prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation against them for revealing a national defense secret. In April, they had published “the Yemen papers”, a series of classified documents regarding the sale of French weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and their use against civilians in the civil war in Yemen. The actions of these journalists are protected by the right to freedom of expression and the investigation against them must stop.
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USA

Urgent Action: Drop Charges Against Human Rights Defender

On 17 January 2018, US Border Patrol agents arrested Dr. Scott Warren, a 36-year old Human Rights Defender and humanitarian aid volunteer. The USA government is now prosecuting Dr. Warren for allegedly “harboring” two undocumented migrants by providing them with humanitarian aid in the desert town of Ajo, where he lives. He faces up to 20 years in prison, if convicted on all charges. The arrest came hours after the release of a report documenting the willful destruction by border agents of humanitarian aid supplies in the USA–Mexico border areas. His trial begins on 29 May 2019. Authorities should immediately drop all criminal charges against Dr. Warren for his vital humanitarian work.

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Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam, a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to “The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam”.

 

CHARITY CORNER

This week we call upon you to support the Doris Day Animal Foundation whose founder has just passed away at age 97. This great actress/singer was an animal rights activist who devoted great efforts to finding homes for unwanted or homeless pets. She found homes for thousands, but came to realize that addressing the root cause of homeless pet overpopulation through spay/neuter was the key.  To complement the Doris Day Pet Foundation, she formed the Doris Day Animal League in 1987, a national non-profit citizens’ lobbying organization, whose overriding mission is to reduce the pain and suffering of non-human animals through legislative initiatives, education and programs to develop and enforce statutes and regulations protecting animals.  In 1995 Doris and DDAL founded  Spay Day USA.  Now known as World Spay Day and under the auspices of the Humane Society of the United States, this annual event has reached global proportions and has helped spay and neuter more than 1.5 million animals in the first 15 years since inception.  In 2007, the Doris Day Animal League merged with the Humane Society of the United States for an even greater legislative voice in Washington.

Please donate in her memory.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. They are the best conservationists--help that fact go viral.

Please step up for the Baka people of Central Africa whose way of life is under threat.

 

 

You can download this book

Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and call to End the Criminalization of Child Sex Trafficking Victims

URGENT ACTION CASES

VENEZUELA

Urgent Action: Parliamentarian Disappeared in Venezuela

The fate and whereabouts of Venezuelan opposition member of parliament Gilber Caro are unknown since 26 April 2019, when intelligence officers took him at a restaurant in Caracas, according to reports. Gilber Caro was arbitrarily detained from January 2017 until June 2018, under unfounded accusations of treason and stealing military equipment. His detention and disappearance in April 2019 is arbitrary since it reverses the freedom he was granted in June under political motives. We call on the Director of the Bolivian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) to swiftly provide information on Gilber Caro’s fate and whereabouts and to release him immediately.

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HONDURAS

Urgent Action: Land Defenders at Risk

Rosalina Dominguez, her four sons and two members of the community of Río Blanco, Intibucá, in Honduras were threatened last 30 April and 1 May 2019. The community members are afraid that this might be the beginning of a new wave of attacks against them after previous threats for protesting the Agua Zarca Dam together with the Civic Council of Popular Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). We urge the Minister of Human Rights to immediately guarantee the safety of Rosalina Domínguez, her family, members of Río Blanco and COPINH and to investigate any attacks against them.

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POLAND

Urgent Action: Stop Harassment of Human Rights Activist

On 6 May at around 6am the police raided the home of prominent human rights defender Elżbieta Podleśna, arrested her and kept her in detention for several hours. The police claimed to have found in her home copies of posters depicting the Virgin Mary with a halo around head and shoulders in the colours of the LGBTI flag and she is being investigated for “offending religious believes”, a criminal offence that carries up to two years’ imprisonment. Elżbieta Podleśna is being targeted for her human rights activism and this absurd investigation must be stopped.

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BANGLADESH

Union members assaulted at Perfetti Van Melle Bangladesh after calling for an end to child labor. Please click and join the protest.

Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam, (1947-2012) a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

CHARITY CORNER

This week we call your attention to the disasters in southern Africa. Mozambique was lashed with two deadly cyclones, Idal in March and six weeks later Kenneth in late April. There had been no such cyclones in a decade and now two in close sequence. UN weather experts say it is unprecedented for two cyclones of such intensity to hit Mozambique in the same season.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also said that no previous records show a cyclone striking the region as far north as Kenneth.It said a fact-finding mission would examine the “impact of climate change and sea-level rise on Mozambique’s resilience” to extreme weather.

The devastation is catastrophic and the need for both rapid emergency aid and long term help in rebuilding is huge. Many governments and NGO’s are trying to help and we call upon you to step forward with donations. You might consider the Mercy Corps or Oxfam for example.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. They are the best conservationists--help that fact go viral.

A major calamity for indigenous people is enforced contact which can be deadly. Please act for people on the Peruvian contact border.

You can download this book

Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and raise your voice against child slavery.

 

URGENT ACTION CASES

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Urgent Action Victory! Mikhail Tsakunov Released, Trial Ongoing

Prisoner of conscience Mikhail Tsakunov was released under travel restrictions on 26 April after spending almost a year in pre-trial detention. He was arrested in May 2018 and charged with violence against a police officer for his peaceful participation in an opposition rally. The criminal proceedings against him are ongoing and he is still facing up to five years in prison if convicted.

NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.

PHILIPPINES

Urgent Action: End Attacks Against Human Rights Defenders

Cristina Palabay of Philippines-based human rights alliance Karapatan received on 22 April a text message from an unidentified person warning her and several others that they are targeted to be killed this year. Hours earlier, Karapatan member Bernardino Patigas was shot dead in Escalante City, Negros Occidental. He is the second human rights defender killed who was on a supposed ‘hit list’ released in 2018. The killing of Patigas and the threats against Palabay come amid increasing risks for human rights defenders in the country.

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CHINA

Urgent Action Update: Labor Activist Held Incommunicado

Wei Zhili, an editor of “New Generation” (xinshengdai) a website which monitors and reports on internal migrant workers in China, has been transferred to secret incommunicado detention since 20 April 2019. Under this form of detention, he does not get access to a lawyer of his choice. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

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COLOMBIA

Urgent Action: Thousands in Need of Urgent Protection

7,000 persons from Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in Bojayá, Chocó (western Colombia) face live-threathening and forced displacement risk as the guerrilla National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) and the paramilitary group Gaitanistas Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia) are increasing hostilities in their territory. The communities of Unión Baquiaza, Union Cuití, Carrillo, Playita, Mesopotamia and Egoróquera are at risk. In Chocó several assassinations of community leaders recently occurred, and communities are constantly under threats from armed groups without any preventive action from national authorities.

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CHINA

Urgent Action:
Help Muslims in Xinjiang, China, observe Ramadan
Write to the organization representing Muslim countries and demand it speaks up for Muslims being denied the right to practice their religion in Xinjiang.

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UGANDA

Urgent Action Update: Apaa Communities Attacked, Forcibly Evicted

Since 3 January, rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority have been carrying out forced evictions of communities in the Apaa area in northern Uganda. They have burnt homes, looted property and attacked community members. Hundreds of people have been rendered homeless, while several others remain at risk of forced evictions.

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Our featured image shows our  beloved Miriam (1947-2012), a great friend and human rights defender

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

CHARITY CORNER

This week we turn our attention to hBooks for Africa, A simple name for an organization with a simple mission. We collect, sort, ship, and distribute books to students of all ages in Africa. Our goal: to end the book famine in Africa. The charity is highly rated by Charity Navigator and other charity monitors and is worthy of your support.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival International could be forthcoming. They are the best conservationists--help that fact go viral.

A major calamity for indigenous people is land theft. Please help take a stand against this pernicious practice.

You can download this book

Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places. We invite you to join Freedom United        and Demand Dignity for Domestic Workers in Australia and everywhere.

URGENT ACTION CASES

BOLIVIA

Urgent Action: Venezuelan Refugees Persecuted and Deported

On 17 March, police and immigration officers arbitrarily detained 14 Venezuelan refugees (three women and 11 men) at a shelter in La Paz, Bolivia, who had participated in a peaceful demonstration at the Cuban Embassy against human rights violations in Venezuela on 15 March. Officers took them to an immigration office, interrogated them and accused them of “conspiracy” and “political activities in exchange for money”, violating their right to due process. That same day, six of them were arbitrarily deported to Peru, which was the entry point to Bolivia. The remaining eight, who had applied for asylum, were released but five subsequently fled to Peru fearing further persecution. Those released who remain in Bolivia currently fear persecution and arbitrary deportation. According to local organizations and witnesses, many were ill-treated and threatened by police officers. Urge the Minister of Government to stop persecuting and arbitrarily deporting Venezuelan refugees in need of international protection.

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RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Urgent Action Update: Two Jehovah’s Witnesses Still Detained

Artur Severinchik was released from detention on 15 March by the Khanty-Mansiisk Regional Court’s decision of 7 March. Yevgeniy Fedin and Sergei Loginov, remain behind bars and face risk of torture and other ill-treatment. They are prisoners of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally.

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CHINA

Urgent Action Update: Restrictions on Released Human Rights Lawyer

Immediately after human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was released from prison on 28 February 2019, he and his father and sister were taken away. While they have now been returned to his family home, he remains under tight surveillance and is being constantly followed, with no freedom to choose his employment. Having completed his two-year sentence for ‘inciting subversion’, Jiang Tianyong was a prisoner of conscience and should never have been detained for practicing his right to freedom of expression.

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INDIA

That’s terrible, that’s Tetley! – tea workers denied their human right to safe drinking water

For the past two years workers, mainly women, on plantations in the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal which supply tea giant Tetley have been organizing to demand decent water and sanitation – a fundamental human right. Please read more and join the protest.