A Human Rights Blog

China must end clampdown on media as Al-Jazeera reporter is expelled

Al-Jazeera English has been forced to close its Beijing bureau after reporter Melissa Chan was expelled from China, prompting Amnesty International to call on the authorities there to immediately renew her visa and press credentials.

The channel has voiced its disappointment at the situation and said it will continue to request a presence in China.

Chan is reportedly the first accredited foreign journalist to have her press credentials and visa revoked since 1998, when Yukihisa Nakatsu of the Yomiuiri Shimbun and Juergen Kremb of Der Spiegel were expelled. China’s foreign ministry has not given any explanation for the decision not to extend her documents.

“The expulsion of Melissa Chan is part of a wider pattern of attempted intimidation of foreign journalists which is preventing them from reporting on subjects seen as ‘sensitive’ by the authorities,” said Corinna-Barbara Francis, Amnesty International’s China researcher.

“International journalists reporting from China have had to self-censor for years in order to stay in the country. But forcing Al-Jazeera to close down its Beijing bureau is a dangerous escalation, which does not bode well for the future of press reporting out of China. “

During the recent case of activist Chen Guangcheng and his six-day stay in the US embassy in Beijing, several foreign journalists were threatened with visa revocation for allegedly entering the parking lot of the hospital where Chen is receiving medical care.

Chan has covered several controversial stories from China, including reports on the imprisonment of petitioners from the countryside in unofficial “black jails” and the illegal seizures of farmland.

Petitioners are individuals who attempt to use traditional rights to report personal cases of injustice directly to authorities, outside the normal legal channels.

Some petitioners take their cases to the central authorities in Beijing, where they are typically forcibly returned to their home provinces, and sometimes imprisoned in the so-called “black jails”, unregistered places of detention where individuals are sent without any legal procedures. They are typically held without notification to their families and are at high risk of ill-treatment.

“If the Chinese authorities have a commitment to freedom of expression, they must stop attempting to muzzle journalists through these punitive measures and immediately renew Melissa Chan’s visa and allow Al-Jazeera English to continue to operate in the country, “said Corinna-Barbara Francis.

UK plans for secret courts ‘dangerous’

UK government plans to end centuries of open justice by allowing some court evidence to be heard behind closed doors are “dangerous”, Amnesty International said.

The proposed legal changes, part of the Justice and Security Bill, could result in information and evidence of human rights violations by UK state representatives, being kept secret.

Plans by the government to introduce new legislation were confirmed in the Queen’s speech during Wednesday’s state opening of the UK Parliament.

“These proposals are dangerous and should be dropped,” said Tara Lyle, Policy Adviser at Amnesty International UK.

“They will allow the government to throw a cloak of secrecy over wrongdoing, including matters as serious as the alleged involvement by UK officials in rendition, secret detention, enforced disappearances and torture.”

The Bill would allow for the use of “closed material procedures” in future civil claims cases. This would allow the courts to consider secret material presented by UK authorities in closed sessions.

Claimants and their lawyers of choice would not have access to the material or the closed sessions and would, instead, have a court appointed Special Advocate to represent their interests.

The Special Advocate would be prohibited from discussing any part of the secret material with the claimant or taking instructions from them after seeing the material, seriously impeding their ability to serve the interests of the claimant.

Amnesty International considers that the use of Special Advocates fails to sufficiently mitigate the unfairness of “closed material procedures”.

Amnesty International believes the right to redress and a fair trial for victims of alleged human rights violations could be critically undermined by the proposals.

The proposals for the Bill come amid allegations that the UK has been involved in rendition, unlawful detention and mistreatment.

“After David Cameron promised to get to the bottom of allegations of complicity in human rights violations by UK officials, this Bill is a sell-out to the security services,” said Tara Lyle.

“The victims of human rights violations as well as the general public have a right to learn the truth about whether and how government officials have been involved in rendition, secret detention, enforced disappearances and torture.”

“If members of the intelligence and security services are suspected of involvement in human right violations, the government should not be able to invoke ‘national security’ to avoid real accountability.”

US: Obama Statement for LGBT Rights

(New York) – US President Barack Obama and Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller should be commended for their statements during their election campaigns on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people.

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Algeria: Crackdown on Protest as Election Nears

(Algiers) – Algerian authorities have used arrests and other tactics to keep people from demonstrating in the capital in the period leading up to the May 10, 2012 elections, Human Rights Watch said today.

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North Carolina: Same-sex marriage ban ‘setback’ for human rights

North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage is a setback for human rights, Amnesty International said after voters in the south-eastern state approved a state constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages and civil unions.

Some 61 per cent of voters in North Carolina supported the amendment.

“This is a sad day for same-sex couples in North Carolina,” said Susan Lee, Amnesty International’s Director for the Americas.

“All people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be able to enjoy the full range of human rights, without exception.

“While several states across the USA have voted to allow same-sex couples to marry, North Carolina has taken a backward step and brought in a discriminatory ban which not only prohibits same-sex marriage but directly contravenes rights safeguarded in international law.”

“Banning same-sex marriage prevents many people from enjoying a whole range of other rights, such as the right to housing and social security, and stigmatises those relationships in ways that can fuel discrimination and other human rights abuses against lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”

The right marry to marry and found a family is clearly articulated under international law, to which the USA is a signatory.

Same-sex marriage is legally recognized only in Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Washington and Iowa.

Twenty-nine US states already have a ban on same-sex marriage.

US House: Bill Puts Immigrant Women at Risk

(Washington) –The full US House of Representatives should reject a dangerous version of a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would undermine the law and expose immigrant women and families to abuse, Human Rights Watch said.

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Singapore authorities urged to save Malaysian man from execution

A young Malaysian man under threat of imminent execution in Singapore for drug trafficking should be granted clemency, Amnesty International and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) have said.

Yong Vui Kong, who was 19 when he was first arrested for possessing 47g of heroin in 2007, has no other options left.

On 4 April, the Supreme Court rejected his third and final appeal, which was made on the basis he was subjected to unequal treatment before the law.

“Countries around the world have abolished the mandatory death penalty because it does not allow courts to consider the circumstances of the defendant and the crime – Yong Vui Kong must be spared this cruel and degrading punishment,” said Lance Lattig, Amnesty International’s Singapore researcher.

In an open letter, Amnesty International and ADPAN urged the Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs and other Cabinet members to intervene and recommend clemency for Yong Vui Kong, to establish a moratorium on the death penalty and suspend executions.

Clemency granted by the President, following advice from the Cabinet, is Yong’s last hope.

Yong’s lawyer cited the Singapore attorney general’s decision not to prosecute the alleged mastermind of the drug operation, dropping 26 charges against the Singaporean who was Yong’s boss.

“The Boss of the drugs syndicate has had the charges against him dropped, while Yong Vui Kong, poor and only 19 at the time of his arrest, will be put to death. No enlightened legal system could justify this result,” said Mr. M. Ravi, counsel for Yong Vui Kong and ADPAN member.

Yong was sentenced to death in 2008 under Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act, which requires the death penalty for anyone caught with more than 15g of heroin.

The case has sparked concern around the world. In Malaysia, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and legislators requested the Singaporean authorities to grant clemency in 2010.

The President of Singapore can only grant a presidential pardon upon the advice of the Cabinet.

Clemency for a death sentence has only been granted six times since independence in 1965.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and without reservation.

ADPAN is an independent regional network comprising lawyers, NGOs and civil society groups from 24 countries including Singapore. It campaigns for an end to the death penalty across the Asia-Pacific region.

Russia: Investigate Police Use of Force Against Peaceful Protesters

(Moscow) – Russian authorities should promptly and effectively investigate reports of excessive use of force against protesters and arbitrary detentions during and following a protest on May 6, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today.

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Bahrain: Activist arrested over ‘insulting’ tweets must be freed

A prominent human rights activist detained for posting tweets deemed “insulting” to Bahrain’s Ministy of Interior must be released, Amnesty International said.

Nabeel Rajab, the director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was arrested on Saturday evening and has been charged with “insulting a national institution”.

“This is the Bahraini authorities’ latest attempt to clamp down on dissenting voices in the country,” said Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“Nabeel Rajab is a prisoner of conscience and he must be immediately and unconditionally released.”

Rajab was arrested on arrival at Bahrain International Airport, following a trip to Denmark, Sweden and finally Lebanon.

Just before travelling abroad, he had been summoned for questioning by the Public Prosecutor after the Ministry of Interior accused him of sending “insulting” tweets. He did not attend because of his travel.

The activist was brought to the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Sunday and interrogated. Rajab’s lawyer said about eight insulting tweets were mentioned, and he was given a seven-day detention order pending investigation.

Rajab also appeared before a lower criminal court on Sunday in another case against him, in which he is charged with calling for participation in illegal gatherings in which some protesters acted violently. The trial was adjourned until 22 May.

“Nabeel Rajab has not called for the use of violence – in fact he has publically stated he is against the use of violence in protests – so the authorities have no grounds to punish him,” said Philip Luther.

“Peaceful public gatherings and freedom of expression must be allowed in Bahrain, in line with the country’s international obligations to uphold these rights.”

Rajab has denied all charges against him and is currently held in al-Houra police station in Manama.

Repression of government critics has continued in Bahrain despite government pledges to implement reforms recommended in November, when a team of international jurists published a key report on the crackdown on protests.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry – chaired by Egyptian jurist Cherif Bassiouni – prescribed wide-ranging change that included decriminalizing public gatherings. However, key recommendations have so far not been implemented.

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court of Appeal today held its first session in the case of 21 prominent opposition activists, seven of whom were being tried in absentia. However, the trial was adjourned until 21 May because two defendants are in hospital.

One of the men, human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, has been on hunger strike for more than two months in protest at his unfair imprisonment. Amnesty International understands his physical condition is critical.

Amnesty International considers all those currently detained in the case as prisoners of conscience and is calling for their immediate and unconditional release.

Russia urged to reconsider anti-gay laws as activist fined

A prominent Russian LGBTI rights activist has become the first person to be fined for spreading “gay propaganda” under a new St Petersburg law after he picketed the city hall with a poster that said “homosexuality is not a perversion”.

Nikolai Alexeyev announced the news of his conviction via Twitter: “Who can pay my fine for gay propaganda in St. Petersburg? 5000 rub, 130 euros, 180 usd”.

Alexeyev was convicted under an offence created only in March this year when St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, followed the lead of regions such as Arkhangelsk and Riazan and introduced anti-“gay propaganda” legislation.

Amnesty International, which at the time urged St Petersburg not to enact such legislation, has condemned the conviction.

“Such laws threaten freedom of expression and fuel discrimination against the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community,” said Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Programme Director John Dalhuisen.

The new laws effectively ban LGBTI public events and demonstrations under the pretext of protecting minors. Even information leaflets on rights or assistance or advice available to such groups can be severely restricted.

There are concerns that the legislation violates the rights of freedom of expression and assembly as well as the right to non-discrimination and equality before the law, guaranteed by international human rights treaties to which Russia is a party.

“Furthermore, it contributes to a climate of hostility and violence towards LGBTI individuals,” said Dalhuisen.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned that plans for laws aimed at banning “propaganda of homosexuality” are underway in other regions including Samara and Novosibirsk.

A similar Bill was introduced to the Russian State Duma at the end of March.

Nikolai Alexeyev has said that he will appeal the decision. If a higher court in St Petersburg upholds the Friday decision he will go to Russia’s Constitutional Court and then to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Moscow’s former mayor Yuri Luzhkov described gay parades as “satanic”; his successor Sergei Sobyanin has said he disapproves of gay gatherings because they can offend the religious beliefs of many Russians.

Further indications of a growing intolerance towards LGBTI demonstrations come in a report from Reuters that around 17 gay rights activists were arrested in St Petersburg by Russian police under the “homosexual propaganda” law after participating in a May Day celebration.