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 Fistula Foundation.

Fistula Foundation believes that no woman should have to suffer a life of shame and isolation simply for trying to bring a child into the world. We are dedicated to raising awareness of and funding for obstetric fistula, a wrenching childbirth injury, in Africa and Asia. An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labor, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or feces or both.

For women with obstructed labor, labor that goes unattended, the labor can last up to six or seven days. The labor produces contractions that push the baby’s head against the mother’s pelvic bone. The soft tissues between the baby’s head and the pelvic bone are compressed and do not receive adequate blood flow. The lack of blood flow causes this delicate tissue to die, and where it dies holes are created between the laboring mother’s bladder and vagina and/or between the rectum and vagina. This is what produces incontinence in a fistula patient.

We are the global leader in the battle against obstetric fistula. Last year, we celebrated over 25,000 women transformed by fistula surgery, and to date, we have awarded fistula treatment project grants working at more than 150 sites in 31 countries throughout Africa and Asia.

Fistula Foundation adheres to the highest standards in our financial management. We only invite grant request from proven partners, and our board and staff review biannual reports from the programs we fund. We are also dedicated to keeping our operating expenses low. The Foundation 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.

A major calamity for indigenous people is so-called progress. Interference in the life style of a tribe can be deadly.

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 to call for the closure of the slave markets in Libya.

URGENT ACTION CASES

VENEZUELA

Urgent Action Update Victory! Detainee Release

Gilber Caro, who was disappeared, arbitrary detained and held incommunicado for almost two months, was released on 17 June 2019, prior to a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to Venezuela.

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

Venezuelan opposition member of parliament Gilber Caro was arbitrary detained since 26 April 2019, and since then being in incommunicado detention, putting his personal integrity at risk. Authorities denied having information on his fate and whereabouts since his detention by intelligence officers until 31 May. He was released on 17 June 2019 prior to the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. Until this date there is no official information on the reasons of his detentions neither the basis of his release.

Gilber Caro was also arbitrarily detained from January 2017 until June 2018 under unfounded accusations of treason and stealing military equipment. His disappearance and incommunicado detention is arbitrary since it reverses the freedom he was granted in June. We call on the Director of the intelligence service (SEBIN) to swiftly allow access to Gilber Caro and to release him immediately.

Amnesty International helped keeping Caro’s profile high and visible, but we know there were some other efforts to secure his release in the framework of Bachelet’s official visit to Venezuela, such as one called “the Boston Group” which had accomplished the release of another person who was subjected to arbitrary detentions in 2018.

PARAGUAY

Urgent Action: Indigenous Community at Risk of Eviction

The Tekoha Sauce Indigenous community in Paraguay are, once again, at risk of eviction from their ancestral territory due to legal action being taken against them by the Itaipú Binational (Paraguay-Brazil) Hydroelectric Plant. Both international human rights standards and the Paraguayan Constitution protect Indigenous peoples from eviction from their ancestral territories without their free, prior and informed consent. Amnesty calls on the President of Paraguay to ensure that this Indigenous community is protected from forced eviction.

TAKE ACTION

MEXICO

Urgent Action: National Guard Harasses Migrant Shelter

Since the National Guard was deployed in Mexico with a new role addressing migration-related issues, Amnesty International has seen concerning behaviors that could put at risk the rights of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and human rights defenders. On 23 June, 6 officers attempted to raid, without warrant or legal cause, the migrant shelter CAME, in the northern state of Sonora, and harassed human rights defenders working there. It is urgent to put a stop to a situation that threatens the rights of people working at and being protected by migrant shelters across the country.

TAKE ACTION

COLOMBIA

Urgent Action: Human Rights Defender at Risk

Danelly Estupiñan defends the rights of the afro-descendent population in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca as part of the organization Black Community Process (Proceso Comunitario Negro). For the last seven months, Danelly has been facing surveillance from unknown men, which increased last week from once a day and only at her home to twice per day and at all locations she visits. The unknown men surveil not only Danelly but also her family members; they take pictures and video of what they are doing. The Public Prosecutor’s Office should launch an immediate investigation into these incidents in order to ensure that Danelly is protected.

TAKE ACTION

CAMBODIA

Solidarity with workers at the West Mebun temple

126 skilled workers restoring the West Mebun temple in Cambodia have been out of work for a year . Their working conditions have been worsened and they are subject to union busting. Please click and join the protest.

Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam (1947-2012), a great friend and human rights defender. We wish our US friends a happy 4th of July.

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

CHARITY CORNER

This week we turn our attention to the protest of Jews against the ICE and the brutal treatment of migrants, with the slogan “when we say never again, we mean it (with an expletive participle)”.

Our first action was last Sunday (6/30) when hundreds of us came together from all over the country and disrupted business as usual at the for-profit, privately owned Elizabeth Contract Detention Center in New Jersey. Together, we made headlines and 36 Jews were arrested. Now we need your support to cover their legal fees. But this is just the beginning. More actions are being planned from coast to coast. However, as a grassroots group of young Jews who are not associated with any organization or institution, we rely completely on your financial support. Will you help us reach this goal by donating to and sharing this GoFundMe page? All excess funds raised will go to Movimiento Cosecha. hey shut down a detention center and many were arrested. The next action is: Our first action was last Sunday (6/30) when hundreds of us came together from all over the country and disrupted business as usual at the for-profit, privately owned Elizabeth Contract Detention Center in New Jersey. Together, we made headlines and 36 Jews were arrested. Now we need your support to cover their legal fees. But this is just the beginning. More actions are being planned from coast to coast. However, as a grassroots group of young Jews who are not associated with any organization or institution, we rely completely on your financial support. Will you help us reach this goal by donating to and sharing this GoFundMe page? All excess funds raised will go to Movimiento Cosecha.

Please donate to support this action.

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.

A major calamity for indigenous people is enforced contact which can be deadly. Please help the tribes that reject contact with the outside world.

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 debt bondage in Malaysia.

URGENT ACTION CASES

CYPRUS

Urgent Action: Ahmed H. Must Be Allowed To Return Home

Ahmed H. has been separated from his Cypriot wife and two daughters for almost four years. In September 2015, he was imprisoned in Hungary and wrongfully convicted for “complicity in an act of terrorism” in a blatant misapplication of Hungary’s counter-terrorism laws. Ahmed H. was conditionally released on 19 January 2019 and is being held in immigration detention in Hungary. As he is a Syrian national he is at risk being forcibly returned to Syria, a country that is not safe. Cyprus must allow his return home to be reunited with his family.

TAKE ACTION

SOMALILAND

Urgent Action: Detained Critics Must Be Released

Between 17 April and 1 May, Somaliland authorities arbitrarily arrested and detained journalist Abdimalik Muse Oldon (shown in picture), opposition youth leader Mohamed Sidiiq Dhame, and Jamal Abdi Muhumed, an employee of the Ministry of the Interior. The three were arbitrarily arrested for posting on social media comments perceived as critical of the Somaliland government and public officials.
 

TAKE ACTION

SRI LANKA

Urgent Action Update: Grave Fears for Prisoners on Death Row

Amnesty International has received reports indicating that the President was due to consider signing execution warrants as early as the week of 24 June. Should this be confirmed, up to 13 prisoners would be put at imminent risk of execution There is completely secrecy around the dates of any scheduled executions, as well as identities of the death row prisoners most at risk. Amnesty International has not been able to confirm whether the individuals had fair trials, access to lawyers or whether they were able to engage in a meaningful clemency process. Sri Lanka has not implemented this ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment for more than four decades. It should continue to honor a tradition that chooses life instead of vengeance.

TAKE ACTION

MYANMAR

Urgent Action: Rakhine Journalist in Hiding, Facing Charges

News editor Aung Marm Oo is in hiding after being accused of violating Myanmar’s Unlawful Associations Act, a notorious repressive law which has often been used to target ethnic minorities in Myanmar. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Development Media Group (DMG), a Rakhine State-based news agency which has been reporting on violations during the conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army. The charge carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.
 

TAKE ACTION

 

Our featured image shows our beloved Miriam, 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 Malala fund which is aimed at improving educational opportunities for girls around the world. Help girls in Afghanistan and around the world

Join Malala’s fight to give back to girls what poverty, war and discrimination tried to take away. With more than 130 million girls out of school today, she needs your help to reach the most vulnerable girls denied an education.

Your gift today is an investment in Malala Fund programmes that help girls around the world go to school — from accelerated learning centres for girls across Afghanistan, to training young Pakistani women as activists and providing STEM education to Syrian refugees.

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 join our struggle for indigenous rights around the world.

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 orphanage trafficking.

URGENT ACTION CASES

MEXICO

Urgent Action Victory! Killing of Samir Flores Under Investigation 

The Attorney General of the State of Morelos has opened a criminal investigation into the killing of environmental, land and territory human rights defender Samir Flores Soberanes. Mexico’s National Protection Mechanism has also granted protection measures to several other members of his movement.
Share

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

Samir Flores Soberanes was a human rights defender from the organization Frente de los Pueblos en Defensa de la Tierra y el Agua (Front of Peoples in Defence of the Earth and Water), a grassroots collective dedicated to protecting the environment and territory in the states of Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala (Central-East, Mexico). On 20 February 2019, he was shot dead after having previously received death threats in connection with his human rights work.

The Attorney General of the State of Morelos has opened an investigation into his killing, including lines of inquiry surrounding his work as a human rights defender as a possible motive for the crime. The National Protection Mechanism has also granted protection measures to several other members of the Front of Peoples in Defence of the Earth and Water, the movement to which Samir belonged.

We believe that the public campaign on behalf of Samir Flores Soberanes, including appeals sent by Amnesty International members, contributed to these positive developments.

We will continue to monitor the status of the investigations into his killing and will react if further action is required.

TURKEY

Urgent Action Victory! Detainees No Longer In Police Custody 

All detainees held at the police’s anti-terrorism branch in Urfa province, south eastern Turkey, following clashes between security forces and the armed PKK on 18 May, have been either released or sent to prison custody. The 13 people that were remanded in prison are no longer considered to be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. 

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

A group of at least 47 people including men, women and three children, were detained during police raids following clashes between security forces and the armed PKK in the early hours of 18 May in Urfa province, south eastern Turkey. As of 24 May, 22 individuals, including the three children, had been released, with bail conditions applied on the adults. According to their lawyers’ testimony and photographs seen by Amnesty International, some of the adult detainees had been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment by police officers at the Bozova Yaylak Gendarmerie command post, Urfa province. Some had been prevented from being seen by doctors without the presence of police officers.

As of 29 May, no one remains in police custody, with 13 of the detainees remanded in prison custody and others released with bail conditions. Those remanded in prison custody are not believed to be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

The Urfa Bar Association submitted a criminal complaint to the Urfa prosecutor for torture and other ill-treatment based on detailed interviews with some of these individuals.

Amnesty will continue to call for prompt, independent and impartial investigations into these allegations.

EUROPE

Insidious Discrimination Against The Roma Is Europe’s Shame

We call your attention to a post by Prof. Alon Ben Meir who describes in detail the discrimination against Roma people all over Europe. While we have no specific address for protest, we call upon all of you to post this article on all your social media with the hope that it will go viral and apply pressure to the power structure of Europe.

TURKEY

Urgent Action: Ensure Pride Marches Can Safely Take Place

On 14 June the governorate of Izmir banned all Pride events, followed by the governorate of Antalya the next day. Pride events in other cities have been prevented or are also at imminent risk of being banned, including in Istanbul, where Pride is at risk for the fifth year in a row. This clampdown on the LGBTI community in Turkey has been continuing this year despite this Pride season being the first one after the end of Turkey’s state of emergency in July 2018. The authorities must lift these unlawful bans and ensure that all Pride events are allowed to safely take place. They must protect the right to peaceful assembly without discrimination.

TAKE ACTION

HAITI

Urgent Action: Protesters at Continued Risk

On 9 and 10 June, thousands of Haitians marched in Port-au-Prince against corruption and poverty, some calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moïse. Amidst reports of excess use of force by the police, and ongoing protests, President Jovenel Moïse should guarantee the right to freedom of expression and assembly, promptly investigate alleged human rights abuses, and bring those responsible to justice.

TAKE ACTION

FRANCE

Urgent Action Update: Harassment of Journalists Continues

Seven investigative journalists have been summoned since February for questioning by the Intelligence Services after the Paris Prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation against them for revealing a national defense secret. In April, the online media portal Disclose published the ‘Yemen papers’ regarding the sale of French weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and their use against civilians in the context of the Yemen civil war. The authorities have pressured the journalists to reveal their sources, however their actions are protected by the right to freedom of expression and the preliminary investigation against the journalists must stop.

TAKE ACTION

POLAND

Hutchison Ports must reinstate union activist Marek Szymczak

Proud docker and NSZZ Solidarność organiser Marek Szymczak was sacked by Hutchison Ports in Poland in May 2017. Marek was fighting for a safer job for workers at Hutchison’s Gdynia terminal, campaigning for reduced outsourcing, shorter hours and a change in a culture that relied on excessive overtime, and for a collective agreement that guaranteed higher wages and better conditions for dockers in Gdynia. At the time dockers at the terminal regularly worked more than 16 hours a day, in a system where the first 8-10 hours were recorded by Hutchison, and additional hours were billed by an external company. Serious mechanical safety concerns existed in the workforce with deteriorating equipment and diminishing investment. In May 2017, Marek suffered an accident at work. With his doctor’s approval, Marek took part in the international meeting of young dockers in Antwerp in June 2017. Hutchison hired a private investigator to monitor his activities while on sick leave and fired him on the basis of misuse of sick leave entitlements. In the opinion of union members Marek’s sacking was designed to intimidate the workers and an escalation of Hutchison’s union-busting agenda against NSZZ Solidarność and its activists and members. For 2 years, Marek has been fighting for his reinstatement, and now he and NSZZ Solidarność are asking for your help – and international solidarity – to send a strong and clear message to Hutchison Ports to reinstate Marek Szymczak.

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

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 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.

TAKE ACTION

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.

TAKE ACTION

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.

TAKE ACTION

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

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 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.

TAKE ACTION

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.

TAKE ACTION

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.
Share

TAKE ACTION

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.

TAKE ACTION

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.
Share

TAKE ACTION

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.

TAKE ACTION