Monday, November 26, 2018
Saturday, November 24, 2018
CANADA: Stop Forced Sterilization of Indigenous Women - ONLINE ACTION
When 29-year-old Lisa* entered a Saskatchewan hospital to give birth in 2001, she could never have expected her doctor would also perform a tubal ligation against her will, leaving her unable to have more children.
Yet, that is exactly what happened -- and Lisa* is not alone.
Across Canada, and as recently as 2017, Indigenous women report being forcibly or coercively sterilized after giving birth. Some women were incorrectly told the procedure is reversible. Others were separated from their babies until they consented to a tubal ligation surgery.
Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, will you call on Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau to make sure that not one more Indigenous woman is sterilized without consent?
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
CONGO: Activists Held Incommunicado - URGENT ACTION
Activists Arsene Katolo, Alain Muwaka, Oto Shaminga, Heritier Losomba, Miko Booto, Enoch Muanda and Mwanza are being held incommunicado at an unknown location in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Arsene Katolo, Alain Muwaka, Oto Shaminga, Heritier Losomba, Miko Booto, Enoch Muanda and Mwanzawere arrested on 11 September in Kinshasa as they were handing out leaflets against controversial plans to use electronic voting machines in next month’s election. The elections are scheduled for 23 December.
Their families and lawyers have not been allowed to see them and they have not been presented in court. There is concern that they could be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment while in detention.
The activists are members of “Les Congolais Debout”, a movement of Congolese activists opposed to human rights violations, and defending civil and political liberties in the country.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - SAD NEWS
Dear AIUSA members,
Today at 4:30pm GMT, the International Secretariat posted on the Amnesty International website the Laddie report which investigates the death of Gaëtan Mootoo, who was a long-time Africa researcher for Amnesty. The UK barrister James Laddie had a scope of work to determine whether there was a breach of the duty of care Amnesty is obligated to provide staff in the case of Gaëtan taking his own life. While the report does not find a breach in the duty of care, Laddie does highlight a number of serious concerns regarding the culture and structure of Amnesty. It is also particularly critical of the organization’s management, and there are a series of recommendations in the report that have been accepted in full by Kumi and the SLT.
You can find Kumi’s response to the report here. Please note that any media queries should be directed to the AIUSA media team – media@aiusa.org – and we are deferring all comments to the IS spokespeople.
Today’s report includes information that is difficult to read and includes recommendations that can be applied to our work here in the U.S. as well as across the global movement. Our thoughts are with people who have been impacted by Gaëtan’s tragic death. When a colleague takes their own life, it can affect any of us in different ways and we all need to be mindful of the potential impact on our colleagues and ourselves.
Friday, November 16, 2018
MYANMAR: Acquitted Former Child Soldier Held - URGENT ACTION
Amnesty International, USA, Nov. 15, 2018.
Former child solider Aung Ko Htwe has been acquitted of the latest in a series of charges against him after he gave a media interview about being forcibly recruited by the Myanmar military when he was only 13. Despite this acquittal, he remains in prison serving two years and six months on other politically motivated charges. He should be immediately and unconditionally released.
VIETNAM: Prisoner Critically Ill - URGENT ACTION
Amnesty International, USA, November 15,2018.
Nguyễn Văn Túc health is quickly deteriorating to the point where he is fainting on a daily basis, yet the authorities continue to deny him adequate medical treatment and have moved him to a remote prison, making family visits much more difficult. Determined to be a prisoner of conscience, Nguyễn Văn Túc should be immediately and unconditionally released.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
EGYPT: Death Sentence Upheld - URGENT ACTION
On 24 September 2018, Egypt’s Court of Cassation...upheld the death sentences of 20 Egyptians, including Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel. They were convicted of killing 13 policemen during the 2013 attack on a police station in the Giza suburb of Kerdasa.
On 26 September 2013, Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel was arrested from a mosque. After six months of investigations without a lawyer, he was put on trial. On 2 February 2015, he was sentenced to death. The sentence was upheld by the Court of Cassation on 24 September 2018.
Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel does not have any political affiliation and did not participate in the criminal acts at Kerdasa. During the trial, two prosecution witnesses denied the testimonies written in the affidavits presented by the prosecution and that incriminated Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel.
Sheikh Abdel Rehim Abdel Halim Gabreel’s lawyers performed a forensic medical examination, confirming that he suffers from Psoriasis...His overall physical and psychological health deteriorated in prison, as he cannot have access to adequate health care. The Wadi al-Natrun prison authorities did not allow his family to bring him medication; they only accept giving him some medication and refuse to let his family provide him with all the medication he needs.
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