International action to end the crisis in South Sudan crucial!

For close to two years now a human rights and humanitarian crisis has been unfolding in the Sudanese states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, along the border with the newly independent nation of South Sudan. While the crisis has rarely captured much media or political attention; it certainly needs to. Sudanese military forces have unleashed a relentless campaign of indiscriminate military attacks in the area which have killed and injured countless civilians and terrorized the entire population. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Some have fled to isolated refugee camps in South Sudan while many have remained displaced within Sudan, still in great peril.  Food supplies are now exhausted because people spend so much time running and hiding from the unceasing rain of bombs from Antonov aircraft that they can no longer plant and cultivate crops. At the same time Sudan has banned UN agencies and aid groups from distributing food in the area. Between the bombs and the hunger, the suffering mounts every day. Amnesty International has been researching, documenting and campaigning for action to address this crisis since 2011. In January 2013 I was part of an Amnesty International mission that carried out research in South Sudan’s refugee camps and in villages and displacement sites throughout Southern Kordofan. It was grim. It was also inspiring to meet determined survivors and committed activists who are doing what they can to expose what is happening in their communities. Support from the Sisters of St. Joseph makes this work possible. These three blog postings, written while I was in the field, give a sense of the gravity of what is happening and the crucial importance of meaningful international action to bring this crisis come to an end.

I did 3 blogs from the field while on the mission. You can find them all at this link:

http://www.amnesty.ca/research/human-rights-missions/mission-to-south-sudan-2013

Alex Neve ( Guest Blogger)
Secretary  General 
Amnesty International Canada
(English branch) 

312 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 1H9  Canada
 
tel:          + 1 613 744 7667 ext 234
fax:         + 1 613 746 2411
email:    aneve@amnesty.ca

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Writing for Rights

On International Human Rights Day, December 10, I participated with a group of Sisters of St. Joseph to write letters and cards as part of the global Amnesty International write-a-thon. 

We wrote for Yolanda Oqueli in Guatemala who has been speaking out about the impact of mining on water supplies for local communities. As a result, she was shot and injured.

We wrote for Narges Mohammadi of Iran who is a human rights activist. For her work she was arrested and imprisoned.

We wrote for Manolis Kypreos of Greece who was hit by police with a stun grenade when working as a journalist and covering a peaceful protest. He became deafened while doing his work as a journalist.

We wrote for Chiou Ho-shun of Taiwan who was sentenced to death after an unfair trial. Even though his prosecutors were convicted of obtaining a confession by torture, he remains on death row.

The letters written were all added to the worldwide total of hundreds of thousands of letters. We know that human rights abuses take place in the dark, and that by shining a light, through our letters, we can all prevent injustice.

For more information on International Human Righs Day
visit Amnesty International.

Mary Kosta
Archivist
Sisters of St. Joseph 

Omar Khadr: Home at Last, But Justice still Awaits

Seems a bit odd to describe the return of someone to a Canadian jail cell as a human rights breakthrough; but that is precisely what has happened in Omar Khadr’s case. His return to Canada on September 29^th, transferred to the Millhaven maximum security prison outside Kingston, Ontario, is the first piece of good news on the human rights front for this young Canadian in over a decade. Good news; but not by any means the end of his journey from injustice to justice.

To recap, Omar Khadr, whose father certainly propelled him down some dangerous paths at a young age, was captured by US forces in Afghanistan in July 2002 following a firefight in which a US soldier was killed. Omar himself was badly injured and near death but was taken into US custody and given medical treatment that saved his life. 

He was only fifteen years old at the time.  Under international law, he was a child soldier and should have been treated very differently from an adult. He was not. Right from the start that was evident, in the relentless interrogations he was subject to at the notorious Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where he was held for three months.

In October 2002 he was sent off to the infamous US ‘war on terror’ prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.  And there he has experienced all of the human rights violations for which Guantánamo has become so well known. He was held without charge. He was denied consular assistance. He was for several years denied a lawyer. He was subject to treatment which almost certainly constitutes torture or at the very least ill-treatment. He was not allowed contact with his family. And, still, he was not recognized as a child soldier and treated accordingly. International law recognizes child soldiers to be victims of human rights abuse, entitled to rehabilitation and other appropriate treatment. Instead, for Omar, he experienced only deepening injustice.

Eventually he was charged with having thrown a grenade that killed the US soldier who died in the firefight.  Omar denied the charge and so, over the course of several years, he faced slow and deeply unfair proceedings before a Military Commission. The trial was presided over by a military officer, was prosecuted by a military officer, was to be decided by a jury of military officers, and Omar was defended by a military officer. Safe to say it could hardly be considered to be independent. I was there three times in 2010 to observe the trial and took note of the many ways that proceedings fell far below international fair trial standards.

The US meted out this relentless abusive and unjust treatment. But equally scandalous, year after year, the Canadian government adamantly refused to do anything to assist him. A series of Canadian court rulings found that the Canadian government was violating his rights, culminating in a  January 2010 Supreme Court of Canada judgement that slammed them for having sent security officials down to Guantánamo in early days to interrogate him even though it was apparent US officials were violating his rights. But the government would not budge and stuck to a line about the Khadr family being hostile to Canada and that Omar faced serious charges. 

Every other westerner held at Guantánamo Bay was defended by his government. Omar was abandoned by his.

In October 2010 Omar decided to find his way out of this labyrinth of injustice. He reached a deal with US officials, pleading guilty in return for an 8 year prison sentence, one year of which was to be served at Guantánamo. Also part of the deal was a US promise that he could then be transferred back to a Canadian prison at the end of that extra year. Canada, at the same time, indicated it would be “favourably inclined” to approve such a transfer request.

That extra year at Guantánamo was up as of October 31, 2011. And once again the Canadian government delayed and obstructed. In fact it was a further 11 months before the transfer took place; 11 more months at Guantánamo. 

So now what?

The transfer back to Canada does not mean this case is closed. For instance, there is no indication yet that Omar will be provided with treatment and programs that recognize he was a child soldier. To date the Canadian government has steadfastly refused to acknowledge that Omar was a child soldier. It also should not be forgotten that the Canadian government has yet to remedy the human rights violations the Supreme Court ruled on in January 2010. There has also been no investigation into the credible allegations that Omar was subject to torture and ill-treatment while in US custody; nor any sign of Canada pushing for investigations.

The coming weeks and months will be telling with respect to these and other outstanding concerns in Omar’s case, some of which may play out in legal proceedings and some of which may only be resolved through further public pressure.

Omar Khadr’s case has come to stand for so much. That all citizens, equally, should be able to count on their government to defend their rights. That human rights should not be sold short in the name of security. That child soldiers deserve to be treated as such, regardless of the popularity of their family or the political dynamics of the conflict they were drawn into. That is why it has been so important not to turn away during this decade long struggle for justice. And that is why we still cannot turn away now. 

Guest Blogger: Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada
Alex Neve has been secretary general of Amnesty International since January 2000. He has authored and contributed many reports and studies for Amnesty International as well as legal submissions to parliamentary committees and the United Nations human rights bodies, including the Maher Arar Commission. He regularly lectures, participates in conferences, and speaks and writes in the national media on a range of human rights issues. On December 28, 2007, Alex Neve was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, in honour of his human rights work. 

Syria: The crisis deepens, so must our response!

What will it take to bring the crisis in Syria to an end? For close to 1½ years now legions of brave Syrian men, women and young people have taken to the streets, in numbers large and small, demanding change. The change they are seeking is basic; it is all about rights, justice and freedom. Because for many long decades their rights have been violated, justice has been denied them and their yearning for freedom has been crushed.

After so many years of fear and relentless repression, their courage has been astounding. Inspired by protest movements and revolutions that have swept away tyranny in other parts of the Arab world, including Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, they are determined that now is their time to be free as well.

But the response of the Syrian governments has been unbelievable in its cruel, callous disregard for human life. The numbers are impossible to verify since Syria denies access to the country to foreign reporters, UN human rights investigators and independent human rights groups like Amnesty International. But it seems certain that more than 15,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011. Thousands have been illegally imprisoned. Torture is commonplace, and unspeakable in its brutality.  Hundreds of children are among the victims: killed, jailed and tortured.

The obvious question then is how does it go on? How is it possible that a tragedy of this scale plays out in 2012, with all the lessons the world has supposedly learned from the many crises that have gone before: Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Darfur and so many others.

It goes on because, sadly, the world is tied up in knots trying to respond. Many countries, including other Arab states, the United States, Canada, and many others have been clear and forceful. But that is not enough, especially when it comes to generating strong and effective action by the UN Security Council. To increase the pressure on Syrian President al-Assad we need such measures as a comprehensive, hard-hitting arms embargo, global sanctions against him, his family and his cronies, and a decision to refer the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court so that investigations can be launched leading to criminal charges against those Syrian officials responsible for the crimes against humanity that have become the daily reality for Syrians.

But any of those measures require Security Council authorization. And that is where things are stuck.  In particular, Syria has been able to count on the support of two powerful allies, Russia and China, who have blocked any Security Council resolution with teeth. Both countries have Security Council veto power, and they have wielded it to President al-Assad’s benefit. In fact they have once again, today, vetoed the latest proposed Security Council resolution, leaving in question the future of the limited UN mission in Syria whose mandate expired July20. It is the third time they have joined forces with a double veto to block effective action.

It is, of course, unconscionable that those two governments have chosen to stand with the Syrian government rather than the Syrian people. And it is disgraceful that they continue to back-up the al-Assad government as the death toll continues to mount.

And again the question becomes why? There is no satisfying answer of course. Russia’s ties with Syria go back decades and run deep and are, it seems, not readily going to be broken. Both Russia and China cling also to the piteous argument that respect for a state’s sovereignty is a principle that trumps all other concerns, even massive human rights violations. And Russia, which has continued to supply arms to Syria, also has financial interests at stake. Most recently they conceded that they will not agree to any “new” arms deals with Syria, making it implicitly clear at the same time that existing deals will still be honoured. For the Russian government, respecting contracts means more than respecting human rights; at least more than the rights of Syrians.

It is disheartening; there is no other way to see it.

But we cannot give up. The courage and tenacity of the millions of Syrians who continue to struggle for their rights and a better future is all the motivation we need. They know the terrible price involved, but they are confident that they will prevail.

So we will, we must, keep up the pressure: pressure on President al-Assad to end the terrible violations; pressure on Russia and China to stop thwarting effective international action.

We cannot look away, give up or move on. The people of Syria deserve and need our solidarity and support until this terrible crisis comes to an end and their rights are fully protected.

Guest blogger Alex Neve
Secretary  General
Amnesty International Canada (English branch)
312 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1H9  Canada 

tel:          + 1 613 744 7667 ext 234
fax:         + 1 613 746 2411
email:    aneve@amnesty.ca

Alex Neve has been secretary general of Amnesty International since January 2000. He has authored and contributed many reports and studies for Amnesty International as well as legal submissions to parliamentary committees and the United Nations human rights bodies, including the Maher Arar Commission. He regularly lectures, participates in conferences, and speaks and writes in the national media on a range of human rights issues. On December 28, 2007, Alex Neve was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, in honour of his human rights work.

Hope and Inspiration: Egypt’s Human Rights Revolution

What a powerful and inspiring time for human rights. 

Above all else it is a powerful and inspiring time for human rights in Egypt; for Egyptians.  And that has been so long overdue.  For these past three decades under Hosni Mubarak, human rights in Egypt have been cruelly ignored, callously trampled on, and brutally violated, day in and day out.

But over these past several weeks Egyptians across Egypt from all walks of life made it courageously clear that now is the time for human rights – for their human rights.  This echoes far beyond Egypt as well.  First Tunisia, now Egypt.  And we know that many, many thousands of brave and determined women, men and young people have taken to the streets in Algeria, Yemen, Libya, Iran, Bahrain and other countries across North Africa and the Middle East.  In many instances, they have been met by fierce police action to curtail their right to protest.  But they have clearly signaled to their government and to the world that they have an unquenchable thirst for change.

Something remarkable has begun and been unleashed.  It is as simple as this.  Tunisians, Egyptians and others taking to the streets have told their governments this: we know our rights.  And in standing up for their rights with such passion and bravery, they have told people the world over – know your rights too; demand your rights.  Do not stay silent in the face of injustice.  Stand up with the courage to know that millions will speak out and stand up with you.

It is a time of exhilaration. But we cannot fool ourselves into thinking the struggle is over.

In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak may be gone, and with his departure this can be a time of great change.  But there is much that needs to change in Egypt to be sure that this human rights revolution takes hold and delivers its great promise to Egyptians: an Egypt in which the human rights of all Egyptians – rich and poor, Muslim and Christian, all Egyptians – are protected.

Change needs to happen now. All prisoners of conscience must be released. The hated, three-decades old State of Emergency must be lifted. And provisions of the Egyptian constitutions that authorize human rights abuse must be repealed.  Beyond these immediate steps, officials must launch a long-term process of meaningful and durable human rights reform.

The international community, certainly including Canada, must support Egyptians in their historic quest for rights and justice. As the wave of protests has washed over Egypt in recent weeks, the Canadian government’s response was timid and lacked conviction.  No more.  Canada’s place in what lies ahead for Egyptians is clear – with the people, for change and for human rights.

Guest Blogger: Alex Neve
Secretary General
Amnesty International Canada

Alex Neve has been secretary general of Amnesty International since January 2000. He has authored and contributed many reports and studies for Amnesty International as well as legal submissions to parliamentary committees and the United Nations human rights bodies, including the Maher Arar Commission. He regularly lectures, participates in conferences, and speaks and writes in the national media on a range of human rights issues. On December 28, 2007, Alex Neve was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, in honour of his human rights work.