The South Korean authorities should immediately release a social media activist accused of helping “the enemy” for re-tweeting messages from North Korea’s official government Twitter account, Amnesty International said today.

Park Jeonggeun, a 24-year-old Socialist Party activist, was yesterday charged by South Korean law enforcement authorities with violating the country’s national security law for re-tweeting the message “long live Kim Jong-il” from North Korea’s official Twitter account.

Park, who says his re-tweets were meant to ridicule North Korea’s leaders rather than support them, has been held at Seoul Detention Centre since 11 January and could face up to seven years in jail.

“This is not a national security case, it’s a sad case of the South Korean authorities’ complete failure to understand sarcasm,“ said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“Imprisoning anyone for peaceful expression of their opinions violates international law but in this case, the charges against Park Jeonggeun are simply ludicrous and should be dropped immediately,” he said.

The South Korean Socialist Party, of which Park Jeonggeun is a member, has frequently criticized North Korea for exploiting its labour force, outlawing trade unions and forcing people to work under appalling conditions.

“Park is a member of a party which openly criticizes North Korea but the absurd case against him is not an isolated one. For too long South Korean authorities have been using the National Security Law (NSL) to restrict basic freedoms and gag civil society in the name of national security,” he added.

Police have accused Park Jeonggeun of spreading North Korean propaganda.

“My intention was to lampoon North Korea’s leaders for a joke; I did it for fun,” Park Jeonggeun told Amnesty International.

“I also uploaded and changed North Korean propaganda posters on Twitter – I replaced a smiling North Korean soldier’s face with a downcast version of my own face and the soldier’s weapon with a bottle of whisky.”

“Even though I disagree with North Korean communism, I’m interested in North Korean culture and have a right to know about it,” he added.

“The NSL has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in South Korea. It is used not to address threats to national security, but instead to intimidate people and limit their rights to free speech. It should be reformed in line with human rights law, and if the government cannot do this, it must be abolished,” said Sam Zarifi.

During South Korea’s military rule in the 1970s and 80s, people were regularly imprisoned under the NSL. Torture, forced confessions and unfair trials were commonplace within the criminal justice system.

Despite the end of military rule in South Korea, authorities have increasingly used the NSL to harass critics of the government’s North Korea policies since 2008.

South Korean authorities – especially the police, the prosecution and the National Intelligence Service – continue to use the NSL as a tool to suppress dissent, in particular critics of the government’s policy towards North Korea.

Numerous arrests have been made under the NSL for “propagating or instigating a rebellion against the state”, under which an individual found guilty of praising, inciting or propagating the activities of an “anti-government organisation” could face up to seven years in prison.

The criteria that would define “praise”, “incite” or “propagate” are open to interpretation.

There are currently a number of investigations under way against those who have posted materials related to North Korea, where authorities have deemed the materials to be “enemy benefiting”.

Amnesty International has urged the Ukrainian authorities to stop the ill-treatment of a group of detained asylum-seekers and their supporters, who were yesterday attacked by security forces attempting to forcibly end a hunger strike.

Baton-wielding security officers in riot gear descended on the Migrant Accommodation Centre in Zhuravichi, Western Ukraine, where a group of about 60 Somalis and six Eritreans had been on hunger strike in protest against their illegal detention since 6 January.

Detainees at the centre told Amnesty International that security forces forced them to eat, and then filmed them doing so.

“The authorities must ensure there is no torture or other ill-treatment of these detainees, who should not be held in the first place,” said John Dalhuisen Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

“These migrants and asylum-seekers are merely trying to escape human rights violations in their countries of origin and they are now being subjected to abuses in Europe.”

Previously, detainees at the centre had reported that they were being beaten and ill-treated.

Some said they had been placed in an isolation unit without a bed for several days, and that they received anonymous emails and phone calls containing death threats and racist abuse.

The Somali nationals were rounded up by police in various parts of Ukraine around 23 December and the Eritreans were detained in November 2011.

The group includes about 20 children, some of whom are unaccompanied.

They have all been sentenced to up to a year of detention “for the purposes of deportation”. However, records show that no Somali or Eritrean nationals have ever been deported from Ukraine.

“As there is no prospect of deportation, there are no legal grounds for detaining these asylum-seekers and their detention is arbitrary and unlawful and they must be released,” said John Dalhuisen.

“The Ukrainian authorities must stop the practice of detaining Somali and Eritrean nationals when there is no prospect of deporting them.”

As a state party to the UN Refugee Convention, Ukraine cannot return anybody to a country where they would be at risk of grave human rights violations.

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like

(New York) – Syrian army and security officers have detained and tortured children with impunity during the past year, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch has documented at least 12 cases of children detained under inhumane conditions and tortured, as well as children shot while in their homes or on the street.

read more

Amnesty International has urged the Ukrainian authorities to stop the ill-treatment of a group of detained asylum-seekers and their supporters, who were yesterday attacked by security forces attempting to forcibly end a hunger strike.

Baton-wielding security officers in riot gear descended on the Migrant Accommodation Centre in Zhuravichi, Western Ukraine, where a group of about 60 Somalis and six Eritreans had been on hunger strike in protest against their illegal detention since 6 January.

Detainees at the centre told Amnesty International that security forces forced them to eat, and then filmed them doing so.

“The authorities must ensure there is no torture or other ill-treatment of these detainees, who should not be held in the first place,” said John Dalhuisen Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

“These migrants and asylum-seekers are merely trying to escape human rights violations in their countries of origin and they are now being subjected to abuses in Europe.”

Previously, detainees at the centre had reported that they were being beaten and ill-treated.

Some said they had been placed in an isolation unit without a bed for several days, and that they received anonymous emails and phone calls containing death threats and racist abuse.

The Somali nationals were rounded up by police in various parts of Ukraine around 23 December and the Eritreans were detained in November 2011.

The group includes about 20 children, some of whom are unaccompanied.

They have all been sentenced to up to a year of detention “for the purposes of deportation”. However, records show that no Somali or Eritrean nationals have ever been deported from Ukraine.

“As there is no prospect of deportation, there are no legal grounds for detaining these asylum-seekers and their detention is arbitrary and unlawful and they must be released,” said John Dalhuisen.

“The Ukrainian authorities must stop the practice of detaining Somali and Eritrean nationals when there is no prospect of deporting them.”

As a state party to the UN Refugee Convention, Ukraine cannot return anybody to a country where they would be at risk of grave human rights violations.

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like

(Washington, DC) – The Colombian government should ensure prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into two bomb attacks against police stations in southwestern Colombia, which are reported to have killed at least 10 civilians and wounded more than 65, Human Rights Watch said today.

read more

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like

(Paris) – France should learn the lessons of the European Court of Human Rights decision today concerning a serious deficiency in its asylum procedure.

read more

Haiti’s judicial authorities have dealt yet another blow to the victims of former leader Jean-Claude Duvalier, Amnesty International said today after the criminal case against the former “president-for-life” for grave human rights violations was dropped.

An investigating judge in Port-au-Prince yesterday announced that Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier will not stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity – including torture, disappearances and extrajudicial executions – but only for embezzlement of public funds committed during his rule between 1971 and 1986. The text of the judge’s decision has not been made public.

Jean-Claude Duvalier has been under investigation in Haiti since he returned from exile in France in January 2011, after a group of victims filed complaints accusing him of crimes against humanity as well as corruption and theft.

The victims can appeal the judge’s decision and Amnesty International has vowed to continue supporting their search for justice.

“The conclusion of the sham investigation into Duvalier is a disgrace and will further entrench impunity in Haiti. No serious effort was made to determine the truth despite the multiple complaints and abundant evidence about the crimes committed and the victims,” said Javier Zúñiga, Special Adviser at Amnesty International who researched the crimes of Jean-Claude Duvalier in the 1980s.

“The handful of victims that have been interviewed had been subjected to intimidation by Duvalier supporters and his lawyers. It is clear that the investigating judge left out invaluable evidence and decided not to interview all the victims that filed complaints. This is a dark day for Haiti and for justice.”

“Duvalier benefited from a safe haven in France for 25 years until he returned to Haiti, where the authorities have failed to hold him to account for the crimes under international law perpetrated by his subordinates while he was in power.”

In January 2011, Amnesty International submitted extensive documentation on the grave human rights violations committed under Duvalier, none of which was considered by the magistrate.

Under international law, torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests are considered crimes against humanity when committed as part of a systematic or widespread attack against the civilian population.

No statute of limitations may apply to crimes against humanity and the alleged perpetrators cannot benefit from amnesties, even in the case of former heads of state.

Amnesty International has expressed concern that the current Haitian government lacks the will to bring Duvalier to justice.

“Recent public statements from President Martelly hinted at pardoning Duvalier. This could amount to unacceptable pressure and interference with the investigation. Inviting Jean-Claude Duvalier to take part in public official ceremonies clearly showed that the government wanted to rehabilitate Duvalier instead of holding him to account,” said Javier Zúñiga.

“Haiti has failed to live up to its international obligations to investigate all allegations of crimes against humanity and bring their perpetrators to justice. Victims have been awaiting justice for more than 25 years, and today’s decision is a major setback to them and all Haitians. But this is not the end of the road – we will continue to support the victims at the appeal stage and in international instances if necessary.”

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like

(Tripoli) – A Libyan diplomat who served as ambassador to France died less than 24 hours after he was detained by a Tripoli-based militia from the town of Zintan, Human Rights Watch said today. Dr. Omar Brebesh, who was detained on January 19, 2012, appears to have died from torture.

read more

• Tweet Widget
• Facebook Like

(New York) – The Iranian government has been intimidating and detaining relatives and friends of foreign-based Persian-language journalists to obtain information or silence them, Human Rights Watch said today.

read more

Haiti’s judicial authorities have dealt yet another blow to the victims of former leader Jean-Claude Duvalier, Amnesty International said today after the criminal case against the former “president-for-life” for grave human rights violations was dropped.

An investigating judge in Port-au-Prince yesterday announced that Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier will not stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity – including torture, disappearances and extrajudicial executions – but only for embezzlement of public funds committed during his rule between 1971 and 1986. The text of the judge’s decision has not been made public.

Jean-Claude Duvalier has been under investigation in Haiti since he returned from exile in France in January 2011, after a group of victims filed complaints accusing him of crimes against humanity as well as corruption and theft.

The victims can appeal the judge’s decision and Amnesty International has vowed to continue supporting their search for justice.

“The conclusion of the sham investigation into Duvalier is a disgrace and will further entrench impunity in Haiti. No serious effort was made to determine the truth despite the multiple complaints and abundant evidence about the crimes committed and the victims,” said Javier Zúñiga, Special Adviser at Amnesty International who researched the crimes of Jean-Claude Duvalier in the 1980s.

“The handful of victims that have been interviewed had been subjected to intimidation by Duvalier supporters and his lawyers. It is clear that the investigating judge left out invaluable evidence and decided not to interview all the victims that filed complaints. This is a dark day for Haiti and for justice.”

“Duvalier benefited from a safe haven in France for 25 years until he returned to Haiti, where the authorities have failed to hold him to account for the crimes under international law perpetrated by his subordinates while he was in power.”

In January 2011, Amnesty International submitted extensive documentation on the grave human rights violations committed under Duvalier, none of which was considered by the magistrate.

Under international law, torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests are considered crimes against humanity when committed as part of a systematic or widespread attack against the civilian population.

No statute of limitations may apply to crimes against humanity and the alleged perpetrators cannot benefit from amnesties, even in the case of former heads of state.

Amnesty International has expressed concern that the current Haitian government lacks the will to bring Duvalier to justice.

“Recent public statements from President Martelly hinted at pardoning Duvalier. This could amount to unacceptable pressure and interference with the investigation. Inviting Jean-Claude Duvalier to take part in public official ceremonies clearly showed that the government wanted to rehabilitate Duvalier instead of holding him to account,” said Javier Zúñiga.

“Haiti has failed to live up to its international obligations to investigate all allegations of crimes against humanity and bring their perpetrators to justice. Victims have been awaiting justice for more than 25 years, and today’s decision is a major setback to them and all Haitians. But this is not the end of the road – we will continue to support the victims at the appeal stage and in international instances if necessary.”