August 5
SINGAPORE:
Singapore's anti-death penalty concert to go ahead
Police have approved Singapore's 1st concert against the death penalty but
demanded that no posters bearing the face of a recently hanged Indian
origin drug trafficker would be displayed, organisers said.
The face of Shanmugam Murugesu was prohibited from appearing on any
materials promoting or at the indoor concert dubbed "Hung At Dawn: Local
Bands Remember Sam".
The event, scheduled Friday, has been organised by musicians from
Singapore and Malaysia in addition to the Think Centre, an activist group.
Centre president Sinapan Samydorai said he could not understand the logic
behind the ban on Shanmugam's photographs.
Posters with Shanmugam's picture that were previously put up have been
pulled down.
"This is a concert campaigning against the death penalty," Samydorai said.
"We are not glorifying him as a drug trafficker but as a symbol of our
anti-death penalty stand."
Shanmugam was hanged May 13 for trafficking in more than 500 gm of
cannabis after a flurry of last-ditch appeals by his lawyer, an overnight
vigil by his mother and twin sons and an online petition drive.
The police do not want a convicted drug trafficker glorified, said
assistant superintendent Victor Keong.
The concert was approved on the condition the event and associated
efforts, be they in the form of banners, posters, T-shirts or any
paraphernalia, do not glorify people who have been tried and convicted by
the courts, he added.
Another "Hung At Dawn" concert is scheduled for Aug 18 and Lin Shin Yun,
one of the organisers, said another attempt may be used to use Shanmugam's
image again.
Human rights group Amnesty International has said the city-state has one
of the highest incidences of the death penalty and its drug laws are among
the world's harshest.
Australian Nguyen Tuong Van is awaiting a decision on his bid for a pardon
from Singapore President S.R. Nathan. The 29-year-old was sentenced to
death in March after being found guilty of smuggling 400 gm of heroin into
the country.
(source: Indo-Asian News Service)
CHINA:
Hong Kong journalist accused of spying: risks death penalty -- Ching
Cheong was researching papers about Zhao Ziyang. The people of Hong Kong
claims Beijing wants to muzzle the territorys media.
Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong has been formally charged by Beijing
with espionage. He risks the death penalty. According to Xinhua, the
editor-in-chief of the Strait Times (Singapore) spied for Taiwan,
receiving "enormous sums of money" from Taipei.
Ching, 55 years, was arrested in Guangzhou on 22 April and so far he has
been under house arrest. Ching was in southern China to look for and
collect transcripts of interviews with former party secretary Zhao Ziyang,
who fell into disgrace for his opposing the massacre in Tiananmen square.
Zhao Ziyang died last January.
It was only on 31 May that a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry,
Kong Quan, said Ching Cheong has been apprehended and that he had
confessed to his crimes, but no proof was given.
Citing anonymous sources, the Xinhua agency said today that Ching Cheong
had gathered "top secret" or "confidential" documents about political,
economic and military matters, which he then handed to the government of
Taiwan. In China, most information about the life of the nation is
considered as "state secret" and revealing it to the media is labelled as
"an attempt on state security." Currently at least 42 journalists in the
country are detained for this reason. Dissident activists have told
AsiaNews the real reason behind Ching Cheong's arrest is tied to his
research on Zhao Ziyang and the Tiananmen massacre. The government
continues to justify the massacre as a "minor" evil which guaranteed
national stability and order, leading to economic success.
Ching is the 1st journalist of Hong Kong to be accused of spying. In that
territory, his innocence is widely upheld as he is well-known for his
professionalism and morality. Ching's wife, Mary Lau Man-yee said she
believes in her husband's innocence. The woman, herself a journalist,
thinks Ching will be judged and then expelled from China.
In the past, Ching Cheong worked in Hong Kong as editor-in-chief for
Filo-Chinese newspaper, Wen Wei Po. In 1989, he handed in his resignation
in protest against the Tiannanmen massacre.
Many Hong Kong politicians have called for the journalist's release.
Petitions have been launched at international level. Public opinion thinks
Ching Cheong is being victimized to serve as an example: China intends to
subdue freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
(source: AsiaNews.it)
************************************
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International
AI Index: ASA 17/023/2005 5 August 2005
China: Human rights -- a long way to go before the Olympics
"Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort,
the educational value of good example and respect for universal
fundamental ethical principles," - Olympic Charter, Fundamental
principles, parpagraph 2.
In 3 years from now, on 8 August 2008, the Olympic Games will begin in
Beijing. Today Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to
make good on their promise to improve the human rights situation in their
country for Olympic Games 2008.
"This is the perfect opportunity for China to show the world that it cares
about human rights," said Catherine Baber - Asia/Pacific Deputy Programme
Director of Amnesty International.
"Unfortunately despite the promises given to the International Olympic
Committee, serious violations of human rights continue in China."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may be particularly concerned by
the violations of human rights experienced by Chinese citizens that are
linked to China's preparation for the Games. These include the
imprisonment of individuals who have sent open letters to the IOC calling
for improvements in China's human rights, the thousands of Beijing
residents forcibly evicted from their homes, many illegally, in the city's
preparation for the Games, and intensified suppression of groups that the
authorities fear may embarrass the nation during the Games, to name a few.
Amnesty International is today releasing a list of concerns relating to
China's human rights record and a set of realistic, practical, steps that
now need to be taken. The measures proposed would bring government
practice closer in line with international human rights standards and the
ideals of the Olympic Charter. Their implementation by the Chinese
authorities is realistic within the remaining 3 years before the Games
commence.
"Amnesty International will be monitoring and reporting on China's
progress in these areas over the next three years," added Catherine Baber.
Amnesty International is calling on the Chinese authorities to:
Abolish the death penalty;
Reform urgently the judicial system;
Allow citizens full freedom of expression and association;
Release all prisoners of conscience and those imprisoned for exercising
their right to free expression, whether on the internet or other media;
Provide justice for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown;
End forced evictions.
Amnesty International continues to have broader human rights concerns in
China but will be monitoring China's progress closely in these particular
areas given their direct connection with its hosting of the Olympics.
"Amnesty International will be monitoring and reporting on China's
progress in these areas over the next three years," said Catherine Baber.
"We will be urging the International Olympic Committee and the wider
Olympic movement to work together with our worldwide membership and in
solidarity with human rights activists within China to press for concrete
and positive human rights reform in China before August 2008," concluded
Catherine Baber.
Background
In April, 2001, Liu Jingmin, Vice President of the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games Bid Committee stated "(b)y allowing Beijing to host the Games you
will help the development of human rights." Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing also
pledged that by hosting the games, social progress and economic
development in China would move forward, as would China's human rights
situation. Officials of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have
also make clear the expectation that human rights in China should improve
as a result of Beijing being chosen to host the Games.
For the full text of the Amnesty International's recommendations to
Chinese government, please go to:
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPzBabjeMQbb0havb/
View all AI documents on China:
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPzBabjeMRbb0havb/
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(source: Amnesty International)
SYRIA:
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International
AI Index: MDE 24/060/2005 4 August 2005
Syria: Time to make human rights a reality in Syria - - The UN Human
Rights Committee issues recommendations to Syria
Amnesty International today called on the Syrian authorities to
immediately take steps towards the full implementation of the
recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC). The
recommendations were released last week following the Committee's
consideration of Syria's third periodic report concerning its
implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR).
Prior to the consideration of Syria's state report, Amnesty International
submitted written briefings to the Committee focusing its concerns on:
discrimination and violence against women; the state of emergency
legislation; the death penalty; torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary
arrest and detention; unfair trials; restrictions of the rights to freedom
of expression, assembly and association; and discrimination against Syrian
Kurds (please see Memorandum [February 2005] and Update [June 2005] to the
HRC, AI Index: MDE 24/047/2005 and MDE 24/048/2005, both made public on 18
July 2005).
In its concluding observations the HRC regretted that the recommendations
it had addressed to Syria in 2001 had not been taken fully into
consideration by the authorities and that most of its previous concerns
remain.
The HRC expressed its concern over many areas including: the continued
state of emergency for over 40 years, the use of the death penalty that is
not consistent with the ICCPR, the extensive limitations on the right to
freedom of opinion and expression and on the right to peaceful assembly,
discrimination and violence against women, and the targeting of human
rights defenders.
The HRC issued 15 recommendations to the Syrian authorities, including to:
take immediate steps to establish an independent and credible commission
of inquiry into all disappearances in line with the recommendations the
Committee made in 2001;
take firm measures to stop the use of incommunicado detention and
eradicate all forms of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment;
immediately release all persons detained because of their activities in
the field of human rights and end all harassment and intimidation of human
rights defenders;
review existing laws in order to ensure equality between men and women;
revise legislation to ensure that any limitations on the right to freedom
of opinion and expression are consistent with the ICCPR; and
ensure that all members of the Kurdish minority enjoy effective protection
against discrimination and are able to enjoy their own culture and use
their own language.
The fact that Syria acceded to other international human rights
instruments in the reporting period - including the Migrant Workers
Convention, the Convention against Torture, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the 2
Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child - was
welcomed by the HRC but, on the basis of the lack of implementation of the
ICCPR, Amnesty International is concerned that the Syrian authorities may
not be prepared to make a reality of the human rights contained therein
either.
To see the HRCs full concluding observations please go to:
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPz2abjePcbb0havb/
To See Amnesty International's Submissions on Syria to the Human Rights
Committee go to: http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPz2abjePdbb0havb/
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(source: Amnesty International)
IRAQ:
News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International
AI Index: MDE 14/024/2005 5 August 2005
Iraq: Amnesty International calls for a human rights based constitution
Amnesty International believes that the next 10 days present a unique
opportunity for Iraqis to adopt a constitution that enshrines fundamental
international human rights principles and standards.
On Sunday, 5 August 2005, leaders of major political parties in the Iraqi
Transitional National Assembly, including President Jalal Talabani and
Prime Minister Dr Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, as well as members of the
Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) will start debating the draft
constitution with a view to finding a consensus on a few major contentious
issues which members of the CDC were unable to solve. Among these issues
are federalism, the future of Kirkuk, the role of Islam in legislation and
women's rights. The final draft of the constitution will be submitted to
the Transitional National Assembly for discussion and approval by 15
August and then it will be put to a referendum by 15 October 2005.
Amnesty International welcomes the drafting of the new permanent
constitution which encompasses many guarantees for the protection and
promotion of human rights, including the prohibition of torture, the right
to fair trial and freedom of expression and assembly.
However, many women's groups have voiced concerns about certain provisions
contained in the current draft, especially the one which stipulates that
Islam is the main source of legislation. There is concern that Islam may
be used to perpetuate discrimination against women and other forms of
discrimination.
Amnesty International calls on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that the
new constitution will reflect, without any ambiguity, all fundamental
human rights guarantees which are found in international human rights
treaties, many of which have been ratified by Iraq. Amnesty International
recommends that all rights guarantees in international human rights law
apply to all persons without any discrimination.
Firm and unambiguous constitutional guarantees are vital for the
protection and promotion of human rights, especially in a country that saw
gross and endemic human rights atrocities over a period of 3 decades.
Amnesty International urges that the issues listed below be given due
attention in the forthcoming debates:
address concerns that Islam may be used to perpetuate discrimination
against women and ensure that the constitution prohibits unequivocally
discrimination on the basis of gender and promotes women's full rights;
prohibit discrimination on all grounds included in international human
rights treaties;
make a specific reference to international human rights law as one of the
sources of national legislation. In case of conflict between national and
international laws, the Constitution should specify that international law
should prevail;
emphasise that all human rights, including civil, cultural, economic,
political and social are protected and are indivisible;
protect the rights of the child as guaranteed in the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, including the definition of the child as "every human
being below the age of 18", as well as the prohibition of the recruitment
or enlistment of children under 18 years into armed forces (or groups),
and their use in hostilities;
abolish the death penalty which Amnesty International considers to be the
ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and violates the right to
life;
establish universal jurisdiction for the crimes of genocide, crimes
against humanity, war crimes, torture, extra-judicial executions and
"disappearances";
prohibit discrimination and protect rights to all those under the
jurisdiction of Iraq, according to international human rights law, and not
only to Iraq citizens. Only specific rights can be limited to citizens, in
a way consistent with international human rights law.
View all AI documents on Iraq:
http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadPDuabje4nbb0havb/
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NIGERIA:
Nigerian man faces death sentence for gay sex -- Members of Congress
protest stoning execution plans
22 members of Congress this week asked the Nigerian president to intervene
in a case involving a 50-year-old man from Kano who was sentenced to death
by stoning after he admitted to a judge that he had sex with another man.
The international community first learned about the case when Philip
Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur, stumbled across the man while
he was conducting interviews in a Nigerian prison in June.
Alston declined to comment for this story, but in an e-mail to the Blade,
he said that appeals in the mans case are underway and that he fears that
international attention could jeopardize the mans release.
Cary Alan Johnson, senior Africa specialist with the International Gay &
Lesbian Human Rights Commission, said the group is also being cautious and
has not asked for any action to be taken, but instead is working with
local Nigerian activists to learn how best to respond to the situation.
"[Action] might cause those courts to be offended by the tone, to move
into a defensive position," Johnson said. "It could compromise the appeals
process to bring about the repeal of the death sentence."
According to the IGLHRC, the man, after being accused by a neighbor, was
tried for having sex with another man in a Sharia, or strict Muslim,
court. The court dismissed the case for lack of evidence.
After the trial was over, the judge asked the man if he had ever had sex
with another man. When the man said yes, the judge then sentenced him to
death by stoning, according to the IGLHRC. Recently, 2 more men were
arrested in another northern state for homosexuality. Human rights
advocates are concerned that their cases will follow a similar path as the
Kano case.
"[W]e believe that the execution by stoning or by any other means of any
individual for private, adult consensual sexual activity is grossly
inhumane," the congressional representatives letter stated. The letter was
signed by, among others, gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-Calif.) and Rep. James P. Moran (D-Va.).
Homosexuality outlawed
About 6 years ago, after decades of civil war and unrest, Nigeria
transformed itself from military to civilian rule. In 2000, northern
states began introducing Muslim law. Twelve of Nigerias 36 states operate
under Muslim law.
Homosexuality is outlawed in both the Nigerian penal code and in Muslim
law. However, in northern states under Muslim law the punishment can be
death; in the civil penal code homosexuality can carry up to a 14-year
prison sentence.
Northern states, at times, use Sharia law as a "political football" to
demonstrate autonomy from the federal government, according to Scott Long,
director of Human Rights Watchs Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender
Program. Rather than imposing Muslim law on all of the states inhabitants,
citizens should be able to opt out for civil law, he said.
"We have to say this is not about religion or culture," he said. "They are
using religion and culture for political purposes."
Often charges of homosexuality in Nigeria are based on neighbors
accusations or rumors, human rights advocates said. The numbers of people
arrested and sentenced for sodomy are unknown, Johnson said. Even local
Nigerian activists were unaware of the case involving the man from Kano,
he noted.
But it is not just the threat of arrest and punishment that haunts gay and
lesbian Nigerians. The criminalization of homosexuality puts them at
constant risk of being exploited or discriminated against in employment,
housing or education, Johnson said.
"It can form a backdrop for extortion, blackmail, harassment by police
[and] impunity from being dismissed by your job," he said.
Christopher Nugent, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in those
seeking asylum based on sexual orientation, said that in many Muslim
countries, accusations of homosexuality are often used as retaliation and
revenge.
Some Nigerian gays have tried to gain asylum in the United States based on
their countries persecution of homosexuals. Gaining asylum is always a
difficult process but it can be more onerous for Nigerians, Nugent said.
Nigerian asylum seekers are put under an even greater microscope because
immigrants from the country have a reputation of providing fraudulent
documents, explained Nugent.
Proving persecution is now even harder under the 2005 Real ID Act, which
requires those seeking asylum to show all available documentation, such as
police reports, trial records and medical records, according to Nugent.
Prior to this act, the asylum seekers testimony, coupled with expert
witnesses, was often sufficient to prove persecution, Nugent said.
Prior to the Supreme Courts Lawrence vs. Texas decision that struck down
sodomy laws, Nugent explained, it was difficult for gays and lesbians to
gain asylum based on their home countrys threat of imprisonment.
"Many judges would say, 'weve got sodomy statutes in the U.S.," Nugent
said. "A year or two sentence incarceration - many judges werent
considering that persecution."
One Nigerian gay man who was eventually granted asylum in December 2000
was forced to spend 2 years in New Jersey detention facilities until his
petition was approved, according to Amy Gottlieb, who represented him at
the Federal Court of Appeals. Gottlieb said the judge made his decision
based on the threat of a 14-year prison sentence and persecution by his
tribe.
In Nigeria, death sentences for adultery and sodomy are often overturned
on appeal, IGLHRCs Johnson said. Human rights advocates are hopeful that
will be the case with the 50-year-old man in Kano, who has not been
identified by name in public reports.
"We believe that there are forces within the court system to keep it in
line with international law," Johnson said.
However, he cautioned, "You never know."
(source: Washington Blade)
