Defenders living in remote areas – The Observatory For Defenders https://observatoryfordefenders.org Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:43:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-OB-eye-orange-32x32.png Defenders living in remote areas – The Observatory For Defenders https://observatoryfordefenders.org 32 32 Venezuela: Detención arbitraria de Kennedy Tejeda, Edward Ocariz y Yendri Omar Velásquez https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/venezuela-detencion-arbitraria-de-kennedy-tejeda-edward-ocariz-y-yendri-omar-velasquez/ Fri, 06 Sep 2024 07:58:43 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=22327 Kennedy Tejeda, Edward Ocariz, y la detención arbitraria y subsecuente liberación del Sr. Yendri Omar Velásquez. Kennedy Tejeda es un dedicado defensor de los derechos humanos, abogado y miembro del equipo legal de Foro Penal, una ONG constituida por abogados y abogadas que promueve y defiende los derechos humanos, prestando asistencia jurídica gratuita a ciudadanos reprimidos por el Estado por disentir y, en general, a víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos. Edward Ocariz es un líder comunitario en Coche, Caracas, miembro del Comité en defensa de los derechos humanos de la parroquia Coche y vicepresidente de la organización Primero Justicia en la parroquia Coche, que colabora con el Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea), organización miembro de la FIDH. Yendri Omar Velásquez es el director del Observatorio de Violencias LGBTIQ+. El 2 de agosto de 2024, Kennedy Tejeda fue detenido por la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana y presuntamente trasladado a la Dirección General de Contra-inteligencia Militar (DGCIM) en Valencia, estado Carabobo. El Sr. Tejeda fue arrestado cuando visitaba el Comando Rural de Montalbán, un centro de detención en el estado Carabobo, para averiguar sobre la situación de unos detenidos en protesta en dicho estado. En la mañana del 3 de agosto de 2024, la madre de Kennedy Tejeda informó al coordinador de Foro Penal en el estado de Carabobo que un funcionario en Montalbán le señalo que el Sr. Tejeda había resultado detenido y trasladado a la sede de la DGCIM, sin indicarle los motivos de su detención. El 4 de agosto de 2024, se confirmó al Foro Penal el decreto de la medida judicial privativa de libertad para Kennedy Tejeda y que estaba bajo la orden de los tribunales con competencia en Terrorismo de la ciudad de Caracas, sin comunicar los delitos imputados. Ulteriormente, el Sr. Tejeda fue trasladado en un comando militar de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana. A la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, ni Foro Penal ni su familia han tenido contacto con Kennedy Tejeda y le ha sido denegado el acceso a sus abogados. Por otro lado, el 2 de agosto de 2024, Edward Ocariz fue detenido por funcionarios de seguridad del Estado enmascarados, en su hogar en Coche, Caracas, y llevado en la Zona 7 de la Policía Nacional Bolivariana, en Boleíta, Caracas. Al momento de su detención, los funcionarios policiales no mostraron orden de allanamiento ni de captura. Edward Ocariz ya había denunciado amenazas de simpatizantes oficialistas con anterioridad a su detención. A la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, se desconocen los motivos de su detención y se encuentra detenido en Tocuyito. Desde el 8 de agosto de 2024, se encuentra incomunicado, ya que su familia afirma no haber podido comunicar con él desde esta fecha. El 3 de agosto de 2024, Yendri Omar Velásquez fue detenido en el aeropuerto de Maiquetía, donde le informaron que su pasaporte había sido anulado mientras se disponía a viajar para representar a una coalición de organizaciones ante el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial (CERD) en Ginebra por invitación de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas. Fue liberado el mismo día, después de varias horas durante las cuales se desconocía su paradero. En el contexto de las recientes elecciones presidenciales de julio de 2024, la práctica de la anulación de pasaportes se ha identificado como una posible acción de intimidación contra las personas opositoras del régimen, y personas defensoras de derechos humanos que colaboran con el sistema internacional de protección de los derechos humanos. Además, los y las abogados/as y voluntarios/as de Foro Penal, quienes han prestado su asistencia pro bono a varios detenidos víctimas de la represión post-electoral en Venezuela, están sufriendo acoso e intimidación por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad, obstruyendo el derecho de las personas detenidas a recibir una representación legal adecuada. El Observatorio recuerda que estas detenciones arbitrarias y actos de intimidación forman parte de una política sistemática de persecución y represión contra voces disidentes y civiles, incluyendo a las personas defensoras de derechos humanos. Esta represión se ha intensificado tras las elecciones presidenciales del 28 de julio de 2024, en las que se proclamó de manera controvertida la victoria de Nicolás Maduro el 29 de julio 2024, la cual ha sido señalada por fuertes indicios de fraude, generando intensas protestas en el país debido a las irregularidades y la falta de transparencia del Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE). En este contexto de represión generalizada contra la sociedad civil en el país, al menos 25 personas fueron asesinadas y más de 2400 personas fueron detenidas a la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, según información de Provea y del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos respectivamente. Asimismo, el 15 de agosto 2024, el Parlamento venezolano aprobó la “Ley de fiscalización, regularización, actuación y financiamiento de las organizaciones no gubernamentales y afines”, que obliga a las ONGs a inscribirse en un registro local y hacer una "relación de donaciones recibidas con plena identificación de los donantes, indicando si son nacionales o extranjeros" bajo la supervisión del Ministerio de Interior. El Observatorio recuerda que esta ley busca aislar aún más a la sociedad civil venezolana, obstaculizando la libertad de asociación y el accionar libre e independiente de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, que se encuentran ahora obligadas a buscar autorización del gobierno para realizar sus actividades, además de tener que declarar cualquier financiamiento extranjero. El Observatorio manifiesta su más alta preocupación por las detenciones arbitrarias e incomunicadas de Kennedy Tejeda y de Edward Ocariz, que parecen ser represalia por su legítima labor en defensa de los derechos humanos. El Observatorio también rechaza la anulación del pasaporte de Yendri Omar Velásquez y la detención arbitraria a la que ha sido sometido, que hacen parte de un patrón por limitar la labor de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos. El Observatorio urge a las autoridades venezolanas a garantizar a Edward Ocariz y a Kennedy Tejeda acceso inmediato e incondicional a sus abogados y familiares, y a liberarlos de manera inmediata e incondicional. El Observatorio también insta a las autoridades de Venezuela a poner fin a todo tipo de hostigamiento, incluido a nivel judicial y administrativo, en su contra y en contra de Yendri Omar Velásquez, del conjunto de integrantes de Foro Penal, así como contra todas las personas defensoras de derechos humanos en el país. El Observatorio exhorta a las autoridades venezolanas a poner un alto a la represión generalizada contra la sociedad civil y también pide que garanticen en todas las circunstancias el derecho a la libertad de reunión pacífica, consagrado en los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos de los que Venezuela es parte, en particular el artículo 21 del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos (PIDCP).]]> Kennedy Tejeda, Edward Ocariz, y la detención arbitraria y subsecuente liberación del Sr. Yendri Omar Velásquez. Kennedy Tejeda es un dedicado defensor de los derechos humanos, abogado y miembro del equipo legal de Foro Penal, una ONG constituida por abogados y abogadas que promueve y defiende los derechos humanos, prestando asistencia jurídica gratuita a ciudadanos reprimidos por el Estado por disentir y, en general, a víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos. Edward Ocariz es un líder comunitario en Coche, Caracas, miembro del Comité en defensa de los derechos humanos de la parroquia Coche y vicepresidente de la organización Primero Justicia en la parroquia Coche, que colabora con el Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea), organización miembro de la FIDH. Yendri Omar Velásquez es el director del Observatorio de Violencias LGBTIQ+. El 2 de agosto de 2024, Kennedy Tejeda fue detenido por la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana y presuntamente trasladado a la Dirección General de Contra-inteligencia Militar (DGCIM) en Valencia, estado Carabobo. El Sr. Tejeda fue arrestado cuando visitaba el Comando Rural de Montalbán, un centro de detención en el estado Carabobo, para averiguar sobre la situación de unos detenidos en protesta en dicho estado. En la mañana del 3 de agosto de 2024, la madre de Kennedy Tejeda informó al coordinador de Foro Penal en el estado de Carabobo que un funcionario en Montalbán le señalo que el Sr. Tejeda había resultado detenido y trasladado a la sede de la DGCIM, sin indicarle los motivos de su detención. El 4 de agosto de 2024, se confirmó al Foro Penal el decreto de la medida judicial privativa de libertad para Kennedy Tejeda y que estaba bajo la orden de los tribunales con competencia en Terrorismo de la ciudad de Caracas, sin comunicar los delitos imputados. Ulteriormente, el Sr. Tejeda fue trasladado en un comando militar de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana. A la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, ni Foro Penal ni su familia han tenido contacto con Kennedy Tejeda y le ha sido denegado el acceso a sus abogados. Por otro lado, el 2 de agosto de 2024, Edward Ocariz fue detenido por funcionarios de seguridad del Estado enmascarados, en su hogar en Coche, Caracas, y llevado en la Zona 7 de la Policía Nacional Bolivariana, en Boleíta, Caracas. Al momento de su detención, los funcionarios policiales no mostraron orden de allanamiento ni de captura. Edward Ocariz ya había denunciado amenazas de simpatizantes oficialistas con anterioridad a su detención. A la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, se desconocen los motivos de su detención y se encuentra detenido en Tocuyito. Desde el 8 de agosto de 2024, se encuentra incomunicado, ya que su familia afirma no haber podido comunicar con él desde esta fecha. El 3 de agosto de 2024, Yendri Omar Velásquez fue detenido en el aeropuerto de Maiquetía, donde le informaron que su pasaporte había sido anulado mientras se disponía a viajar para representar a una coalición de organizaciones ante el Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial (CERD) en Ginebra por invitación de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas. Fue liberado el mismo día, después de varias horas durante las cuales se desconocía su paradero. En el contexto de las recientes elecciones presidenciales de julio de 2024, la práctica de la anulación de pasaportes se ha identificado como una posible acción de intimidación contra las personas opositoras del régimen, y personas defensoras de derechos humanos que colaboran con el sistema internacional de protección de los derechos humanos. Además, los y las abogados/as y voluntarios/as de Foro Penal, quienes han prestado su asistencia pro bono a varios detenidos víctimas de la represión post-electoral en Venezuela, están sufriendo acoso e intimidación por parte de las fuerzas de seguridad, obstruyendo el derecho de las personas detenidas a recibir una representación legal adecuada. El Observatorio recuerda que estas detenciones arbitrarias y actos de intimidación forman parte de una política sistemática de persecución y represión contra voces disidentes y civiles, incluyendo a las personas defensoras de derechos humanos. Esta represión se ha intensificado tras las elecciones presidenciales del 28 de julio de 2024, en las que se proclamó de manera controvertida la victoria de Nicolás Maduro el 29 de julio 2024, la cual ha sido señalada por fuertes indicios de fraude, generando intensas protestas en el país debido a las irregularidades y la falta de transparencia del Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE). En este contexto de represión generalizada contra la sociedad civil en el país, al menos 25 personas fueron asesinadas y más de 2400 personas fueron detenidas a la fecha de publicación de este llamado urgente, según información de Provea y del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos respectivamente. Asimismo, el 15 de agosto 2024, el Parlamento venezolano aprobó la “Ley de fiscalización, regularización, actuación y financiamiento de las organizaciones no gubernamentales y afines”, que obliga a las ONGs a inscribirse en un registro local y hacer una "relación de donaciones recibidas con plena identificación de los donantes, indicando si son nacionales o extranjeros" bajo la supervisión del Ministerio de Interior. El Observatorio recuerda que esta ley busca aislar aún más a la sociedad civil venezolana, obstaculizando la libertad de asociación y el accionar libre e independiente de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, que se encuentran ahora obligadas a buscar autorización del gobierno para realizar sus actividades, además de tener que declarar cualquier financiamiento extranjero. El Observatorio manifiesta su más alta preocupación por las detenciones arbitrarias e incomunicadas de Kennedy Tejeda y de Edward Ocariz, que parecen ser represalia por su legítima labor en defensa de los derechos humanos. El Observatorio también rechaza la anulación del pasaporte de Yendri Omar Velásquez y la detención arbitraria a la que ha sido sometido, que hacen parte de un patrón por limitar la labor de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos. El Observatorio urge a las autoridades venezolanas a garantizar a Edward Ocariz y a Kennedy Tejeda acceso inmediato e incondicional a sus abogados y familiares, y a liberarlos de manera inmediata e incondicional. El Observatorio también insta a las autoridades de Venezuela a poner fin a todo tipo de hostigamiento, incluido a nivel judicial y administrativo, en su contra y en contra de Yendri Omar Velásquez, del conjunto de integrantes de Foro Penal, así como contra todas las personas defensoras de derechos humanos en el país. El Observatorio exhorta a las autoridades venezolanas a poner un alto a la represión generalizada contra la sociedad civil y también pide que garanticen en todas las circunstancias el derecho a la libertad de reunión pacífica, consagrado en los instrumentos internacionales de derechos humanos de los que Venezuela es parte, en particular el artículo 21 del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos (PIDCP).]]> Uganda: Crackdown on activists protesting against large-scale oil projects https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/uganda-crackdown-on-activists-protesting-against-large-scale-oil-projects/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 08:05:44 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=22321 Paris-Geneva, September 3, 2024 – Since May 2024, at least 81 environmental rights defenders and activists protesting against large-scale oil projects in Uganda have been arrested. This marks an escalation of the repression, highlighting a severe attempt to silence civil society, in violation of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression, as opposition to these projects grows. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) urges the Ugandan authorities to put an immediate end to this escalating crackdown on civil society. Just in the month of August 2024, 72 human rights defenders and local community members were arbitrarily arrested and detained, as protests against oil projects grow in Uganda. The repression has been intensifying as large-scale oil projects are advancing in the region, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Kingfisher and Tilenga projects, owned and operated by the French company TotalEnergies and Chinese state-owned enterprise China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), in cooperation with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania. On August 26, 2024, 21 activists, were arrested as they were marching towards the Parliament, TotalEnergies head office and CNOOC offices in Kampala to hand in a petition against the EACOP project. According to their lawyer, seven of the activists arrested are members of communities affected by the EACOP project. Twenty of them were held at the Buganda Road police station before appearing in court on August 27, 2024, where they were, charged with “common nuisance” and remanded to Luzira prison until September 3, 2024. On September 3, 2024, the 20 activists, including seven impacted community members, appeared in court. However, the magistrate was absent and consequently they have been further detained until they can appear in court again on September 5, 2024. The remaining arrested activist was detained at Jinja Road Police Station and was released on August 27, 2024, after the police took down his contact details to reach him in case of further proceedings. On the day of their arrests, several simultaneous protests were being held across the country. On August 9, 2024, 47 students were arrested by police officers in Kampala, as they were engaged in a peaceful protest against the EACOP project. They aimed to march towards the Parliament of Uganda to deliver a petition opposing the project and urging the Ugandan government to sign a fossil-free treaty. However, 45 students were arrested before reaching the Parliament, as they were travelling in taxis, and two other students were arrested in front of the Parliament. Three drivers were also arrested. On August 10, 2024, 45 out of the 47 activists, who had been detained at the Jinja Road Police Station, were released. The two other activists, Kalyango Shafik and Oundo Humphrey, who had been held at the Central Police Station in Kampala, were charged with "inciting violence". They were released on police bond on August 14, 2024, which compels them to report to the police whenever required. On August 5, 2024, three Ugandan activists and a Belgian activist, were arrested as they were marching towards the Chinese embassy in Kampala to present a petition urging the Chinese government to withdraw its support to CNOOC, a minority stakeholder in the EACOP project, one of the Joint Venture partners in the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects, and the lead operator of the latter. They were released on police bond, the three Ugandan activists on the same day of the arrest and the Belgian activist on August 6, 2024. These arrests bring the total number of arrests linked to these large-scale oil projects to at least 81 since May 27, 2024. This repression particularly affects individuals who participate in peaceful protests against the EACOP and Kingfisher projects. The Observatory recalls that on June 5, 2024, Adriko Sostein was arrested and subsequently released on police bond on June 6, 2024 and on May 27, 2024, Bob Barigye, Noah Katiiti, Newton Mwesigwa, Julius Byaruhanga, Desire Ndyamwesigwa, Raymond Binntukwanga, and Jealousy Mugisha Mulimbwa were also arrested in Kampala and released on police bond on May 28, 2024. Cases of torture in detention, judicial and moral harassment, threats and intimidation against environmental rights defenders and activists have also been reported. On June 4, 2024 Stephen Kwikiriza was abducted and detained incommunicado for six days, after having received threats from the Uganda People’s Defence Force deployed at Kingfisher project area. He was reportedly tortured in detention, including severe beating requiring hospitalisation, deprivation of food for a day and a half, and humiliation. The dramatic rise in the number of arrests in the last four months underscores the escalation of the repression. The Observatory recalls that Jealousy Mugisha Mulimbwa had already been arbitrarily arrested on December 14, 2019 and Bob Barigye was also arbitrarily arrested on January 24, 2023 and released on bail on January 27, 2023. In addition to the violations mentioned above, the Observatory reported since 2020 numerous cases of legal and judicial harassment and intimidation against against individuals and organisations defending human and environmental rights in the context of oil project development affecting local populations’ well-being and biodiversity. The human rights and environmental impacts and risks linked to the mentioned oil projects have been repeatedly denounced by civil society, affected communities and environmental and human rights organisations, including FIDH, particularly for their social and environmental impact in Uganda and Tanzania. Recently, more regular protests have been held in opposition to the oil projects, as construction of oil sites is accelerating and companies scramble to secure project financing, both from states and private actors. Recommendations : The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to put an end to the repression against human and environmental rights defenders, immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and put an end to any act of harassment, including at the judicial level, and any act of intimidation against human rights defenders. The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to abide by their human rights obligations under the Ugandan Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression. Uganda’s authorities need to take urgent action to investigate the recent escalation of the repression and take measures to allow human and environmental rights defenders to work freely. The Observatory further calls on the companies and investors involved in the oil projects, in line with their human rights responsibilities, to take action to respond to community grievances in an adequate and timely manner, to investigate alleged human rights abuses which seem to be connected to their projects in Uganda, and exercise their leverage on the Ugandan authorities to put an end to this escalating repression. Additionally, TotalEnergies should abide by its own prior commitments to respect the rights of human rights defenders. The company emphasised publicly in April 2023 the “extensivemeasures which TotalEnergies subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania [had taken] to protect the rights of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) and to exercise leverage on relevant authorities in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)”. Observing the escalating crackdown, the Observatory calls on TotalEnergies to urgently reinforce the measures that it has allegedly taken to protect human rights defenders. The Observatory calls upon international and intergovernmental organisations as well as governments and other diplomatic actors to condemn this repression and increase the scrutiny on the escalating situation facing human and environmental rights defenders in Uganda. The Observatory further call upon them to reinforce the protection mechanisms to allow human and environmental rights defenders to continue their legitimate actions safely.]]> Paris-Geneva, September 3, 2024 – Since May 2024, at least 81 environmental rights defenders and activists protesting against large-scale oil projects in Uganda have been arrested. This marks an escalation of the repression, highlighting a severe attempt to silence civil society, in violation of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression, as opposition to these projects grows. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) urges the Ugandan authorities to put an immediate end to this escalating crackdown on civil society. Just in the month of August 2024, 72 human rights defenders and local community members were arbitrarily arrested and detained, as protests against oil projects grow in Uganda. The repression has been intensifying as large-scale oil projects are advancing in the region, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Kingfisher and Tilenga projects, owned and operated by the French company TotalEnergies and Chinese state-owned enterprise China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), in cooperation with the governments of Uganda and Tanzania. On August 26, 2024, 21 activists, were arrested as they were marching towards the Parliament, TotalEnergies head office and CNOOC offices in Kampala to hand in a petition against the EACOP project. According to their lawyer, seven of the activists arrested are members of communities affected by the EACOP project. Twenty of them were held at the Buganda Road police station before appearing in court on August 27, 2024, where they were, charged with “common nuisance” and remanded to Luzira prison until September 3, 2024. On September 3, 2024, the 20 activists, including seven impacted community members, appeared in court. However, the magistrate was absent and consequently they have been further detained until they can appear in court again on September 5, 2024. The remaining arrested activist was detained at Jinja Road Police Station and was released on August 27, 2024, after the police took down his contact details to reach him in case of further proceedings. On the day of their arrests, several simultaneous protests were being held across the country. On August 9, 2024, 47 students were arrested by police officers in Kampala, as they were engaged in a peaceful protest against the EACOP project. They aimed to march towards the Parliament of Uganda to deliver a petition opposing the project and urging the Ugandan government to sign a fossil-free treaty. However, 45 students were arrested before reaching the Parliament, as they were travelling in taxis, and two other students were arrested in front of the Parliament. Three drivers were also arrested. On August 10, 2024, 45 out of the 47 activists, who had been detained at the Jinja Road Police Station, were released. The two other activists, Kalyango Shafik and Oundo Humphrey, who had been held at the Central Police Station in Kampala, were charged with "inciting violence". They were released on police bond on August 14, 2024, which compels them to report to the police whenever required. On August 5, 2024, three Ugandan activists and a Belgian activist, were arrested as they were marching towards the Chinese embassy in Kampala to present a petition urging the Chinese government to withdraw its support to CNOOC, a minority stakeholder in the EACOP project, one of the Joint Venture partners in the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects, and the lead operator of the latter. They were released on police bond, the three Ugandan activists on the same day of the arrest and the Belgian activist on August 6, 2024. These arrests bring the total number of arrests linked to these large-scale oil projects to at least 81 since May 27, 2024. This repression particularly affects individuals who participate in peaceful protests against the EACOP and Kingfisher projects. The Observatory recalls that on June 5, 2024, Adriko Sostein was arrested and subsequently released on police bond on June 6, 2024 and on May 27, 2024, Bob Barigye, Noah Katiiti, Newton Mwesigwa, Julius Byaruhanga, Desire Ndyamwesigwa, Raymond Binntukwanga, and Jealousy Mugisha Mulimbwa were also arrested in Kampala and released on police bond on May 28, 2024. Cases of torture in detention, judicial and moral harassment, threats and intimidation against environmental rights defenders and activists have also been reported. On June 4, 2024 Stephen Kwikiriza was abducted and detained incommunicado for six days, after having received threats from the Uganda People’s Defence Force deployed at Kingfisher project area. He was reportedly tortured in detention, including severe beating requiring hospitalisation, deprivation of food for a day and a half, and humiliation. The dramatic rise in the number of arrests in the last four months underscores the escalation of the repression. The Observatory recalls that Jealousy Mugisha Mulimbwa had already been arbitrarily arrested on December 14, 2019 and Bob Barigye was also arbitrarily arrested on January 24, 2023 and released on bail on January 27, 2023. In addition to the violations mentioned above, the Observatory reported since 2020 numerous cases of legal and judicial harassment and intimidation against against individuals and organisations defending human and environmental rights in the context of oil project development affecting local populations’ well-being and biodiversity. The human rights and environmental impacts and risks linked to the mentioned oil projects have been repeatedly denounced by civil society, affected communities and environmental and human rights organisations, including FIDH, particularly for their social and environmental impact in Uganda and Tanzania. Recently, more regular protests have been held in opposition to the oil projects, as construction of oil sites is accelerating and companies scramble to secure project financing, both from states and private actors. Recommendations : The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to put an end to the repression against human and environmental rights defenders, immediately release all those arbitrarily detained and put an end to any act of harassment, including at the judicial level, and any act of intimidation against human rights defenders. The Observatory urges the Ugandan authorities to abide by their human rights obligations under the Ugandan Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to respect, protect, promote, and fulfil the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression. Uganda’s authorities need to take urgent action to investigate the recent escalation of the repression and take measures to allow human and environmental rights defenders to work freely. The Observatory further calls on the companies and investors involved in the oil projects, in line with their human rights responsibilities, to take action to respond to community grievances in an adequate and timely manner, to investigate alleged human rights abuses which seem to be connected to their projects in Uganda, and exercise their leverage on the Ugandan authorities to put an end to this escalating repression. Additionally, TotalEnergies should abide by its own prior commitments to respect the rights of human rights defenders. The company emphasised publicly in April 2023 the “extensivemeasures which TotalEnergies subsidiaries in Uganda and Tanzania [had taken] to protect the rights of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) and to exercise leverage on relevant authorities in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)”. Observing the escalating crackdown, the Observatory calls on TotalEnergies to urgently reinforce the measures that it has allegedly taken to protect human rights defenders. The Observatory calls upon international and intergovernmental organisations as well as governments and other diplomatic actors to condemn this repression and increase the scrutiny on the escalating situation facing human and environmental rights defenders in Uganda. The Observatory further call upon them to reinforce the protection mechanisms to allow human and environmental rights defenders to continue their legitimate actions safely.]]> México: Carta de preocupación de organizaciones internacionales por la deslegitimación del CDH Frayba https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/mexico-carta-de-preocupacion-de-organizaciones-internacionales-por-la-deslegitimacion-del-cdh-frayba/ Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:46:11 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=21992 En una carta abierta, 10 organizaciones, incluidas la FIDH y la OMCT en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos, expresan preocupación por los señalamientos, la deslegitimación y la estigmatización en contra del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba) y llaman a que se reconozca públicamente la labor fundamental que desempeñan las organizaciones y personas defensoras de derechos humanos en México, en favor de la justicia, de la protección y promoción de los derechos humanos y de la construcción de paz. 26 de abril de 2024 Las organizaciones internacionales firmantes expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación por los señalamientos, la deslegitimación y la estigmatización en contra del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas que restringen significativamente su espacio de acción para la defensa de los derechos humanos, exponiendo la organización y a sus integrantes a graves riesgos en el desempeño de su labor. En su conferencia de prensa matutina del 22 de abril de 2024, el primer mandatario, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, acusó al Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (Frayba) de estar “buscando crear un ambiente de violencia que no tiene las dimensiones que [desde el Frayba] están registrando”. Asimismo, señala a la organización de “estar magnificando las cosas”, en referencia a las recientes denuncias del Frayba sobre la situación de violencia que está atravesando el estado de Chiapas desde mediados de 2021, cuando estalló la disputa entre grupos del crimen organizado por el control territorial. Los mismos mensajes fueron reiterados en la conferencia de prensa matutina del día 23 de abril, mientras que unas semanas antes, el 3 de abril de 2024, el presidente acusó al Frayba de mentir, por una divergencia sobre las cifras de personas fallecidas en el marco de un enfrentamiento ocurrido el 31 de marzo de 2024 en el municipio de La Concordia (Chiapas) entre elementos de la Guardia Nacional y un grupo del crimen organizado. Ambas declaraciones son muestras del patrón de señalamientos por medio de los cuales el ejecutivo deslegitima la labor de defensa de derechos humanos llevada a cabo por centros de derechos humanos, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y colectivos de familiares de personas desaparecidas, así como por periodistas, quienes documentan y denuncian la violencia territorial y las violaciones a derechos humanos, evidenciando la negligencia de las autoridades de los tres niveles del Estado mexicano. [1] Esta tendencia no es exclusiva del gobierno actual, sino que refleja una problemática histórica que concierne tanto a México como a otros países de América Latina, lo que ha contribuido a que la región se posicione como una de las más peligrosas a nivel mundial para el ejercicio de la defensa de derechos humanos y del periodismo. Como bien lo señala el Relator Especial sobre Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), los Estados deben garantizar la libertad de expresión “de quienes coinciden o tienen identidad con el gobierno, pero también, sobre todo, de aquellas personas que tienen opiniones divergentes”, recordando que “la estigmatización puede ser permisiva o generar un ambiente permisivo a que ocurran agresiones contra defensores de derechos humanos y periodistas”.[2] Señalar públicamente a personas defensoras de derechos humanos y periodistas, quienes, como parte de su labor, vigilan y auditan la actuación estatal en relación a la atención de violaciones de derechos humanos, aumenta su exposición a posibles agresiones y ataques violentos, y a la vez restringe el espacio democrático y de defensa de derechos humanos de la ciudadanía. En este sentido, los estándares internacionales en materia de derechos humanos no sólo disponen el respeto de la labor de defensa de los derechos humanos, [3] sino que también exhortan “a los Estados a que reconozcan, por medio de declaraciones públicas, políticas, programas o leyes, la importante y legítima función que desempeñan los defensores de los derechos humanos en la promoción de todos los derechos humanos, la democracia y el estado de derecho como elementos fundamentales para garantizar su protección, entre otras cosas respetando la independencia de sus organizaciones y evitando estigmatizar su labor”. [4] El Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas lleva 35 años en la defensa y promoción de los derechos humanos en el estado de Chiapas, habiendo acompañado en su trayectoria a víctimas de graves violaciones de derechos humanos en su lucha por la justicia, así como a comunidades y pueblos que defienden su autonomía y libre determinación. Gracias a su ética, rigor y compromiso hacia los derechos humanos se ha consolidado como una de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil más reconocidas en el país, contribuyendo a diario a visibilizar las injusticias y las violencias vividas por las poblaciones más vulnerables del estado. En línea con su misión, el Frayba, en conjunto con otros actores de la sociedad civil mexicana, ha documentado y denunciado la escalada de violencia que ha inundado Chiapas en los últimos tres años, y sus impactos sobre la población civil. La actual coyuntura expone a altos niveles de riesgo a quienes, como el Frayba, acompañan a víctimas de violaciones a derechos humanos en su búsqueda de justicia y reparación, y torna imprescindible el reconocimiento de su labor, así como su protección, por parte de las instituciones públicas de los tres niveles de gobierno. Por todo lo anterior, las organizaciones firmantes llamamos a que cesen los señalamientos en contra de organizaciones y personas defensoras de derechos humanos en México, y se reconozca públicamente la labor fundamental que desempeñan en favor de la justicia, de la protección y promoción de los derechos humanos y de la construcción de paz. Finalmente, solicitamos que se fortalezca el marco legal, así como los mecanismos diseñados para brindar protección a personas defensoras de derechos humanos y periodistas en México.

Notas

[1] CIDH. Informe Anual de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos 2023. Capítulo V. Seguimiento de recomendaciones formuladas por la CIDH en sus informes de país o temáticos. México. OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 386 rev.1. 31 de diciembre de 2023. Párr. 35 [2] Proceso, 22 de abril de 2021. “Relator de la CIDH pide a México reconsiderar el "Quién es quién en las mentiras de la semana". Disponible en: https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2021/7/1/relator-de-la-cidh-pide-mexico-reconsiderar-el-quien-es-quien-en-las-mentiras-de-la-semana-267018.html Ver también: Informe Anual de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos 2023. Capítulo V. Seguimiento de recomendaciones formuladas por la CIDH en sus informes de país o temáticos. México. Op.Cit. Párr. 438.4 [3] Declaración sobre los defensores de los derechos humanos, resolución de la Asamblea General A/RES/53/144 [4] Resolución de la Asamblea General A/RES/74/146, 18 de diciembre de 2019]]> En una carta abierta, 10 organizaciones, incluidas la FIDH y la OMCT en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos, expresan preocupación por los señalamientos, la deslegitimación y la estigmatización en contra del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (Frayba) y llaman a que se reconozca públicamente la labor fundamental que desempeñan las organizaciones y personas defensoras de derechos humanos en México, en favor de la justicia, de la protección y promoción de los derechos humanos y de la construcción de paz. 26 de abril de 2024 Las organizaciones internacionales firmantes expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación por los señalamientos, la deslegitimación y la estigmatización en contra del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de las Casas que restringen significativamente su espacio de acción para la defensa de los derechos humanos, exponiendo la organización y a sus integrantes a graves riesgos en el desempeño de su labor. En su conferencia de prensa matutina del 22 de abril de 2024, el primer mandatario, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, acusó al Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (Frayba) de estar “buscando crear un ambiente de violencia que no tiene las dimensiones que [desde el Frayba] están registrando”. Asimismo, señala a la organización de “estar magnificando las cosas”, en referencia a las recientes denuncias del Frayba sobre la situación de violencia que está atravesando el estado de Chiapas desde mediados de 2021, cuando estalló la disputa entre grupos del crimen organizado por el control territorial. Los mismos mensajes fueron reiterados en la conferencia de prensa matutina del día 23 de abril, mientras que unas semanas antes, el 3 de abril de 2024, el presidente acusó al Frayba de mentir, por una divergencia sobre las cifras de personas fallecidas en el marco de un enfrentamiento ocurrido el 31 de marzo de 2024 en el municipio de La Concordia (Chiapas) entre elementos de la Guardia Nacional y un grupo del crimen organizado. Ambas declaraciones son muestras del patrón de señalamientos por medio de los cuales el ejecutivo deslegitima la labor de defensa de derechos humanos llevada a cabo por centros de derechos humanos, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y colectivos de familiares de personas desaparecidas, así como por periodistas, quienes documentan y denuncian la violencia territorial y las violaciones a derechos humanos, evidenciando la negligencia de las autoridades de los tres niveles del Estado mexicano. [1] Esta tendencia no es exclusiva del gobierno actual, sino que refleja una problemática histórica que concierne tanto a México como a otros países de América Latina, lo que ha contribuido a que la región se posicione como una de las más peligrosas a nivel mundial para el ejercicio de la defensa de derechos humanos y del periodismo. Como bien lo señala el Relator Especial sobre Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), los Estados deben garantizar la libertad de expresión “de quienes coinciden o tienen identidad con el gobierno, pero también, sobre todo, de aquellas personas que tienen opiniones divergentes”, recordando que “la estigmatización puede ser permisiva o generar un ambiente permisivo a que ocurran agresiones contra defensores de derechos humanos y periodistas”.[2] Señalar públicamente a personas defensoras de derechos humanos y periodistas, quienes, como parte de su labor, vigilan y auditan la actuación estatal en relación a la atención de violaciones de derechos humanos, aumenta su exposición a posibles agresiones y ataques violentos, y a la vez restringe el espacio democrático y de defensa de derechos humanos de la ciudadanía. En este sentido, los estándares internacionales en materia de derechos humanos no sólo disponen el respeto de la labor de defensa de los derechos humanos, [3] sino que también exhortan “a los Estados a que reconozcan, por medio de declaraciones públicas, políticas, programas o leyes, la importante y legítima función que desempeñan los defensores de los derechos humanos en la promoción de todos los derechos humanos, la democracia y el estado de derecho como elementos fundamentales para garantizar su protección, entre otras cosas respetando la independencia de sus organizaciones y evitando estigmatizar su labor”. [4] El Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas lleva 35 años en la defensa y promoción de los derechos humanos en el estado de Chiapas, habiendo acompañado en su trayectoria a víctimas de graves violaciones de derechos humanos en su lucha por la justicia, así como a comunidades y pueblos que defienden su autonomía y libre determinación. Gracias a su ética, rigor y compromiso hacia los derechos humanos se ha consolidado como una de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil más reconocidas en el país, contribuyendo a diario a visibilizar las injusticias y las violencias vividas por las poblaciones más vulnerables del estado. En línea con su misión, el Frayba, en conjunto con otros actores de la sociedad civil mexicana, ha documentado y denunciado la escalada de violencia que ha inundado Chiapas en los últimos tres años, y sus impactos sobre la población civil. La actual coyuntura expone a altos niveles de riesgo a quienes, como el Frayba, acompañan a víctimas de violaciones a derechos humanos en su búsqueda de justicia y reparación, y torna imprescindible el reconocimiento de su labor, así como su protección, por parte de las instituciones públicas de los tres niveles de gobierno. Por todo lo anterior, las organizaciones firmantes llamamos a que cesen los señalamientos en contra de organizaciones y personas defensoras de derechos humanos en México, y se reconozca públicamente la labor fundamental que desempeñan en favor de la justicia, de la protección y promoción de los derechos humanos y de la construcción de paz. Finalmente, solicitamos que se fortalezca el marco legal, así como los mecanismos diseñados para brindar protección a personas defensoras de derechos humanos y periodistas en México.

Notas

[1] CIDH. Informe Anual de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos 2023. Capítulo V. Seguimiento de recomendaciones formuladas por la CIDH en sus informes de país o temáticos. México. OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 386 rev.1. 31 de diciembre de 2023. Párr. 35 [2] Proceso, 22 de abril de 2021. “Relator de la CIDH pide a México reconsiderar el "Quién es quién en las mentiras de la semana". Disponible en: https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2021/7/1/relator-de-la-cidh-pide-mexico-reconsiderar-el-quien-es-quien-en-las-mentiras-de-la-semana-267018.html Ver también: Informe Anual de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos 2023. Capítulo V. Seguimiento de recomendaciones formuladas por la CIDH en sus informes de país o temáticos. México. Op.Cit. Párr. 438.4 [3] Declaración sobre los defensores de los derechos humanos, resolución de la Asamblea General A/RES/53/144 [4] Resolución de la Asamblea General A/RES/74/146, 18 de diciembre de 2019]]> Laos: 11 years of government inaction on Sombath Somphone’s enforced disappearance https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/laos-11-years-of-government-inaction-on-sombath-somphones-enforced-disappearance/ Fri, 15 Dec 2023 07:54:31 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=21199 15 December 2023 - On the 11-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals, strongly condemn the Lao government’s continued failure to provide necessary information as to his fate and whereabouts and reiterate our calls to the authorities to deliver truth, justice and reparations to his family. International concerns over Sombath Somphone’s case, expressed by international civil society, United Nations (UN) human rights experts, and UN member states on last year’s anniversary of Sombath’s enforced disappearance, have been ignored by the Lao government. On 25 September 2023, in a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee as part of its follow-up review of Laos under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Lao government repeated previous misleading statements and miserably failed to provide any additional information on the steps it said it had taken to find Sombath. The government claimed it “never stopped trying to find the truth” about Sombath’s fate “in order to bring the offender(s) to justice.” In reality, the Lao authorities have continued to disregard Sombath’s wife, Shui Meng Ng, and have not provided her with any updates on her husband’s case since 2017. The government then made the extraordinary assertion that its Task Force’s investigation had been “carried out on the basis of transparency, impartiality and accountability, including the use of modern investigative techniques consistent with international standards by the capable inquiry officials.” It concluded that the case of Sombath needed “more time for investigation” and added that the Task Force was “still active in the investigation” and had “not yet closed the case.” These government statements are unequivocally false in suggesting any degree of transparency. Existing evidence is clear that the Lao government has been engaged in a continuous cover-up of the facts of Sombath’s case since he was forcibly disappeared in 2012, including providing misleading information about its actions to his family, the Lao public, and the international community, as stated above. We deplore the unmistakable pattern of inaction, negligence, and obfuscation that various Lao authorities have repeatedly engaged in for more than a decade and we continue to resolutely stand in solidarity with Sombath’s family and all other victims of enforced disappearances in Laos. We reiterate our calls on the Lao authorities to take real and effective measures to establish the fate or whereabouts of Sombath and all other victims of enforced disappearances in the country, identify the perpetrators of such serious crimes, and provide victims with an effective remedy and full reparations. We also urge the government to immediately ratify without reservations the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which it signed in 2008, and to fully implement it into national law, policies, and practices. As upcoming chair for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Laos will be placed in a strategic position to lead the regional efforts to strengthen, promote, and protect human rights. However, its continued failure to act on Sombath’s enforced disappearance sends a message of inadequacy to head the regional bloc and to fulfill ASEAN’s purpose under Article 1(7) of the ASEAN Charter, which is to strengthen democracy, enhance good governance, and the rule of law and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. We will continue to seek justice and accountability for Sombath. Until the truth is found and justice is delivered to his family, we will not stop demanding answers from the Lao government to the same question we have been asking for the past 11 years: “Where is Sombath?” Background Sombath Somphone, a pioneer in community-based development and youth empowerment, was last seen at a police checkpoint on a busy street of Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012. Footage from a traffic CCTV camera showed that police stopped Sombath’s vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of police officers. CCTV footage also showed an unknown individual arriving and driving Sombath’s vehicle away from the city center. In December 2015, Sombath’s family obtained new CCTV footage from the same area and made it public. The video shows Sombath’s car being driven back towards the city by an unknown individual. For further information, please visit: https://www.sombath.org/en/]]> 15 December 2023 - On the 11-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals, strongly condemn the Lao government’s continued failure to provide necessary information as to his fate and whereabouts and reiterate our calls to the authorities to deliver truth, justice and reparations to his family. International concerns over Sombath Somphone’s case, expressed by international civil society, United Nations (UN) human rights experts, and UN member states on last year’s anniversary of Sombath’s enforced disappearance, have been ignored by the Lao government. On 25 September 2023, in a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee as part of its follow-up review of Laos under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Lao government repeated previous misleading statements and miserably failed to provide any additional information on the steps it said it had taken to find Sombath. The government claimed it “never stopped trying to find the truth” about Sombath’s fate “in order to bring the offender(s) to justice.” In reality, the Lao authorities have continued to disregard Sombath’s wife, Shui Meng Ng, and have not provided her with any updates on her husband’s case since 2017. The government then made the extraordinary assertion that its Task Force’s investigation had been “carried out on the basis of transparency, impartiality and accountability, including the use of modern investigative techniques consistent with international standards by the capable inquiry officials.” It concluded that the case of Sombath needed “more time for investigation” and added that the Task Force was “still active in the investigation” and had “not yet closed the case.” These government statements are unequivocally false in suggesting any degree of transparency. Existing evidence is clear that the Lao government has been engaged in a continuous cover-up of the facts of Sombath’s case since he was forcibly disappeared in 2012, including providing misleading information about its actions to his family, the Lao public, and the international community, as stated above. We deplore the unmistakable pattern of inaction, negligence, and obfuscation that various Lao authorities have repeatedly engaged in for more than a decade and we continue to resolutely stand in solidarity with Sombath’s family and all other victims of enforced disappearances in Laos. We reiterate our calls on the Lao authorities to take real and effective measures to establish the fate or whereabouts of Sombath and all other victims of enforced disappearances in the country, identify the perpetrators of such serious crimes, and provide victims with an effective remedy and full reparations. We also urge the government to immediately ratify without reservations the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which it signed in 2008, and to fully implement it into national law, policies, and practices. As upcoming chair for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Laos will be placed in a strategic position to lead the regional efforts to strengthen, promote, and protect human rights. However, its continued failure to act on Sombath’s enforced disappearance sends a message of inadequacy to head the regional bloc and to fulfill ASEAN’s purpose under Article 1(7) of the ASEAN Charter, which is to strengthen democracy, enhance good governance, and the rule of law and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. We will continue to seek justice and accountability for Sombath. Until the truth is found and justice is delivered to his family, we will not stop demanding answers from the Lao government to the same question we have been asking for the past 11 years: “Where is Sombath?” Background Sombath Somphone, a pioneer in community-based development and youth empowerment, was last seen at a police checkpoint on a busy street of Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012. Footage from a traffic CCTV camera showed that police stopped Sombath’s vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of police officers. CCTV footage also showed an unknown individual arriving and driving Sombath’s vehicle away from the city center. In December 2015, Sombath’s family obtained new CCTV footage from the same area and made it public. The video shows Sombath’s car being driven back towards the city by an unknown individual. For further information, please visit: https://www.sombath.org/en/]]> Laos: After 10 years, civil society worldwide is still asking: “Where is Sombath?” https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/laos-after-10-years-civil-society-worldwide-is-still-asking-where-is-sombath/ Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:04:04 +0000 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/?post_type=alert&p=19699 13 December 2022 - Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals, renew calls on the Lao government to determine his fate and whereabouts and deliver justice, truth, and reparation to his family. We deplore the Lao authorities’ repeated failure to act on their human rights obligations to thoroughly investigate Sombath’s disappearance and provide adequate, effective, and prompt reparation for Sombath and his family over the past decade. Since Sombath Somphone, a pioneer in community-based development and youth empowerment, was abducted from a busy street in Vientiane on 15 December 2012, numerous United Nations (UN) member states and human rights monitoring mechanisms have repeatedly expressed their concern over his enforced disappearance and urged the Lao government to conduct a prompt and effective investigation into this grave human rights violation and crime under international law. In December 2014, three UN human rights experts urged the Lao authorities to “release more information about the progress of [the] investigation, especially to his family,” and to request international assistance to determine Sombath’s fate and whereabouts. During the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) sessions examining the human rights performance of Laos in 2015 and 2020, a total of 11 UN member states made 15 recommendations that called on the Lao government to investigate Sombath’s disappearance. In July 2018, following the review of Laos’ initial report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the UN Human Rights Committee regretted “the paucity of relevant information” provided by the government regarding its investigation into Sombath’s case, and called on the government to “step up efforts to conduct a thorough, credible, impartial and transparent investigation” into his enforced disappearance. Following his official visit to Laos in March 2019, then-UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston urged the government to “finally allow a meaningful investigation” into Sombath’s disappearance. Four special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council have sent three communications to the Lao government to demand it provide information on Sombath’s fate and whereabouts and about any investigations carried out into his enforced disappearance, one as recently as 2021. Regrettably, the Lao government’s response to the international community’s extraordinary expressions of deep concern has been characterized by a catalogue of apparent inaction, negligence, cover-ups, and misleading statements, and an overall lack of political will to effectively address Sombath’s enforced disappearance. The Lao authorities have completely failed to uphold their international legal obligations to investigate Sombath’s disappearance and to bring those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts, including under the ICCPR and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Laos is a state party. While Laos is yet to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), which it signed in 2008, under international law it is obliged not to defeat the treaty’s object and purpose. The impact of enforced disappearances on the relatives of the disappeared often also constitutes torture. The UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has recognized that official denial of information to relatives of the disappeared about the truth of their fate and whereabouts adds to the “continuous torture” enforced disappearance inflicts upon relatives. The ICPPED further requires officials to ensure family members are informed on the progress and results of all appropriate measures authorities are obliged to take to search for, locate, and release disappeared persons. Since December 2012, the Lao authorities have met with Sombath’s wife, Shui Meng Ng, only four times – the last instance in December 2017. Officials have not provided her with any updates on her husband’s situation since then, despite her repeated requests. The government’s last public remarks on Sombath’s case were made during the third UPR of Laos in September 2020, when a government representative merely said the search for Sombath was “the duty of the Lao government.” Now, more than ever, we stand in solidarity with Sombath’s family and all other victims of enforced disappearances in Laos. We reiterate our call on the Lao authorities to determine the fate or whereabouts of all victims of enforced disappearances in Laos, identify the perpetrators of such serious crimes, and provide victims with an effective remedy and full reparations. We also urge the government to accelerate the process of ratification of the ICPPED without making any reservations and to implement it into national law. We have been pressing for justice and accountability for 10 years. We will not stop demanding the truth until Sombath is found and justice is delivered for him and his family. Once again, we are united in asking a simple and straightforward question to the Lao government: “Where is Sombath?” Background Sombath Somphone was last seen at a police checkpoint on a busy street of Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012. Footage from a CCTV camera showed that police stopped Sombath’s vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of police officers. CCTV footage also showed an unknown individual later arriving, and driving Sombath’s vehicle away from the city center. The presence of police officers at Sombath’s abduction and their failure to intervene is prima facie evidence of the involvement of state agents’ participation in Sombath’s fate, rendering it a presumptive case of enforced disappearance.   For further information, please visit: https://www.sombath.org/en/]]> 13 December 2022 - Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned civil society organisations and individuals, renew calls on the Lao government to determine his fate and whereabouts and deliver justice, truth, and reparation to his family. We deplore the Lao authorities’ repeated failure to act on their human rights obligations to thoroughly investigate Sombath’s disappearance and provide adequate, effective, and prompt reparation for Sombath and his family over the past decade. Since Sombath Somphone, a pioneer in community-based development and youth empowerment, was abducted from a busy street in Vientiane on 15 December 2012, numerous United Nations (UN) member states and human rights monitoring mechanisms have repeatedly expressed their concern over his enforced disappearance and urged the Lao government to conduct a prompt and effective investigation into this grave human rights violation and crime under international law. In December 2014, three UN human rights experts urged the Lao authorities to “release more information about the progress of [the] investigation, especially to his family,” and to request international assistance to determine Sombath’s fate and whereabouts. During the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) sessions examining the human rights performance of Laos in 2015 and 2020, a total of 11 UN member states made 15 recommendations that called on the Lao government to investigate Sombath’s disappearance. In July 2018, following the review of Laos’ initial report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the UN Human Rights Committee regretted “the paucity of relevant information” provided by the government regarding its investigation into Sombath’s case, and called on the government to “step up efforts to conduct a thorough, credible, impartial and transparent investigation” into his enforced disappearance. Following his official visit to Laos in March 2019, then-UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston urged the government to “finally allow a meaningful investigation” into Sombath’s disappearance. Four special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council have sent three communications to the Lao government to demand it provide information on Sombath’s fate and whereabouts and about any investigations carried out into his enforced disappearance, one as recently as 2021. Regrettably, the Lao government’s response to the international community’s extraordinary expressions of deep concern has been characterized by a catalogue of apparent inaction, negligence, cover-ups, and misleading statements, and an overall lack of political will to effectively address Sombath’s enforced disappearance. The Lao authorities have completely failed to uphold their international legal obligations to investigate Sombath’s disappearance and to bring those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts, including under the ICCPR and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Laos is a state party. While Laos is yet to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), which it signed in 2008, under international law it is obliged not to defeat the treaty’s object and purpose. The impact of enforced disappearances on the relatives of the disappeared often also constitutes torture. The UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has recognized that official denial of information to relatives of the disappeared about the truth of their fate and whereabouts adds to the “continuous torture” enforced disappearance inflicts upon relatives. The ICPPED further requires officials to ensure family members are informed on the progress and results of all appropriate measures authorities are obliged to take to search for, locate, and release disappeared persons. Since December 2012, the Lao authorities have met with Sombath’s wife, Shui Meng Ng, only four times – the last instance in December 2017. Officials have not provided her with any updates on her husband’s situation since then, despite her repeated requests. The government’s last public remarks on Sombath’s case were made during the third UPR of Laos in September 2020, when a government representative merely said the search for Sombath was “the duty of the Lao government.” Now, more than ever, we stand in solidarity with Sombath’s family and all other victims of enforced disappearances in Laos. We reiterate our call on the Lao authorities to determine the fate or whereabouts of all victims of enforced disappearances in Laos, identify the perpetrators of such serious crimes, and provide victims with an effective remedy and full reparations. We also urge the government to accelerate the process of ratification of the ICPPED without making any reservations and to implement it into national law. We have been pressing for justice and accountability for 10 years. We will not stop demanding the truth until Sombath is found and justice is delivered for him and his family. Once again, we are united in asking a simple and straightforward question to the Lao government: “Where is Sombath?” Background Sombath Somphone was last seen at a police checkpoint on a busy street of Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012. Footage from a CCTV camera showed that police stopped Sombath’s vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals forced him into another vehicle and drove him away in the presence of police officers. CCTV footage also showed an unknown individual later arriving, and driving Sombath’s vehicle away from the city center. The presence of police officers at Sombath’s abduction and their failure to intervene is prima facie evidence of the involvement of state agents’ participation in Sombath’s fate, rendering it a presumptive case of enforced disappearance.   For further information, please visit: https://www.sombath.org/en/]]> México: criminalización y detención arbitraria de la Sra. Kenia Inés Hernández Montalván https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/mexico-criminalizacion-y-detencion-arbitraria-de-la-sra-kenia-ines-hernandez-montalvan/ Wed, 11 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/alert/mexico-criminalizacion-y-detencion-arbitraria-de-la-sra-kenia-ines-hernandez-montalvan/ CARTA ABIERTA - EL OBSERVATORIO / IM-DEFENSORAS / FRONT LINE DEFENDERS / CIVICUS / RED NACIONAL DE DEFENSORAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS EN MÉXICO A: Sr. Andrés Manuel López Obrador Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos Dr. Adán Augusto Secretario de Gobernación Sra. Evelyn Salgado Pineda Gobernadora Constitucional del Estado de Guerrero Sr. Alfredo del Mazo Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de México Sr. Alejandro Gertz Manero Fiscal General de la República En Ginebra-París-Dublín-Ciudad de México, a 11 de mayo de 2022 Reciban un cordial saludo desde el Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos (el Observatorio), un programa conjunto de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) y de la FIDH; de la Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras); Front Line Defenders (FLD); CIVICUS; y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México. En esta ocasión, el Observatorio, la IM-Defensoras, FLD, CIVICUS y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México nos dirigimos a ustedes para expresar nuestra honda preocupación por la continuidad de la criminalización y la detención arbitraria de la Sra. Kenia Inés Hernández Montalván, así como por los actos de discriminación basados en su género y pertenencia al pueblo indígena amuzga en el marco de los procesos judiciales en su contra. Las organizaciones firmantes han emitido reiterados llamados a las autoridades de México solicitando la liberación y el fin de los procedimientos judiciales contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández, en tanto que consideran que su detención responde a un contexto de criminalización de la protesta social y de las personas defensoras de los derechos humanos en Guerrero y en el conjunto del territorio mexicano[efn_note]Alerta Urgente de IM-Defensoras del 10 de febrero de 2022 disponible aquí; Alertas Urgentes de FLD disponibles aquí; Entrevista de CIVICUS al abogado de Kenia Hernández, Antonio Lara Duque del 9 de marzo de 2022, disponible aquí.[/efn_note]. La Sra. Kenia Hernández, mujer indígena amuzga y abogada originaria de Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero, es defensora de los derechos de las mujeres, de la tierra y de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas. En sus roles como coordinadora del “Colectivo Libertario Zapata Vive”; co-fundadora y miembro del “Movimiento por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos del estado de Guerrero” (MOLPEG), la Sra. Kenia Hernández acompaña a sobrevivientes de violencia machista y a familiares de víctimas de feminicidio, defiende los derechos de las personas injustamente recluidas y las afectadas por las actividades de empresas extractivas multinacionales en el territorio mexicano. No obstante, es precisamente por su legítima labor en defensa de los derechos humanos que la Sra. Kenia Hernández se encuentra recluida en aislamiento en el Centro Penal de Máxima Seguridad del estado de Morelos desde octubre de 2020. Hasta la fecha, se le ha negado por cuestiones burocráticas tanto el acceso a sus representantes legales, así como la participación presencial en las audiencias de los diferentes procesos judiciales en su contra, argumentando su carácter de presa de máxima seguridad. Además, a la Sra. Kenia Hernández también se le ha negado el derecho a recibir visitas de sus familiares bajo argumentos relacionados con la prevención de la Covid-19. Por todos estos hechos, la Sra. Kenia Hernández emprendió dos huelgas de hambre de dos meses cada una en mayo y otra en octubre de 2021, lo cual ha profundizado su condición de vulnerabilidad y riesgo. El Observatorio, la IM-Defensoras, FLD, CIVICUS y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México han acompañado con profunda consternación los procesos de criminalización que se han llevado a cabo contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández desde junio de 2020 por la supuesta comisión de delitos de “ataques a las vías de comunicación en pandilla” y “robo con violencia con uso de arma”, en perjuicio de Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE) y Autovías Concesionaria Mexiquenses. De las nueve causas penales que se están desarrollando en su contra, dos de ellas se están dirimiendo a nivel local, en el Estado de México y las otras sietea nivel federal en las entidades de Guerrero, Guanajuato y Morelos. La Sra. Kenia Hernández ha sido condenada en dos de los casos a 11 años y 3 meses, y a 10 años y seis meses de cárcel, respectivamente. Ambas sentencias se encuentran en fase de apelación. Estos procesos de criminalización, vinculados a empresas extractivas multinacionales, tiene por objetivo castigar y poner fin al legítimo trabajo en defensa de los derechos humanos que lleva a cabo la Sra. Kenia Hernández, y particularmente su participación pacífica en manifestaciones que exigían la aparición con vida del abogado defensor de derechos humanos Arnulfo Cerón, la libertad de los defensores de los derechos humanos e integrantes del Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositoras a la Presa la Parota (CECOP) y la protección a mujeres víctimas de violencia machista en la región de la Costa Chica, en Guerrero. Cabe destacar que la condición de defensora de derechos humanos de la Sra. Kenia Hernández ha sido reconocida tanto por el Mecanismo para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas, al que fue incorporada en 2019 debido a amenazas de muerte que recibió por su labor; así como por la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH), que ha hecho reiterados llamados a respetar su derecho al debido proceso. Las organizaciones firmantes de esta carta expresan preocupación por la discriminación basada en su condición de mujer indígena a la que está sujeta la Sra. Kenia Hernández. A lo largo de las audiencias, la defensora de derechos humanos solicitó en reiteradas ocasiones que se le facilitara interpretación en idioma amuzgo, lo que fue desestimado por el juez a cargo del caso, al considerar que, por haber estudiado y hablar castellano, no era necesaria la traducción, vulnerando así el artículo 2 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. La solicitud de aplicar la perspectiva de género a lo largo de los procedimientos judiciales presentada por la Sra. Kenia Hernández fue igualmente desestimada por el juez, argumentando que ésta era solo aplicable a “mujeres sumisas” o que habían sido víctimas de violencia de género en el entorno doméstico. Asimismo, la privación arbitraria de libertad de la Sra. Kenia Hernández, en cuanto madre y único sustento de sus hijos menores de edad, vulnera las Reglas de las Naciones Unidas para el Tratamiento de las Reclusas (Reglas de Bangkok), particularmente las Reglas 4, 26 y 64, las cuales requieren que las mujeres detenidas sean enviadas a centros de reclusión cercanos a su hogar teniendo presentes sus responsabilidades de cuidado de otras personas; la facilitación por todos los medios razonables del contacto con sus familiares, incluidos sus hijos; y la preferencia por imponer sentencias no privativas de la libertad a mujeres que tengan hijos a cargo. Las organizaciones firmantes asisten con preocupación a las restricciones al derecho a la protesta social, así como al uso indebido del derecho penal utilizado contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández, y urgen a las autoridades mexicanas a tomar las medidas necesarias a poner fin a su detención arbitraria y a los numerosos procesos de criminalización en su contra. Las organizaciones firmantes esperan también que se garantice el derecho a un juicio justo e imparcial, con perspectiva de género y teniendo en cuenta las especificidades culturales en cuanto mujer indígena de la Sra. Kenia Hernández durante la totalidad de los procesos judiciales en su contra. Agradeciendo de antemano su atención, quedamos a su entera disposición si precisan información adicional. Atentamente, - Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura, en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos - FIDH, en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos - CIVICUS - Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras) - Front Line Defenders (FLD) - Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México]]> CARTA ABIERTA - EL OBSERVATORIO / IM-DEFENSORAS / FRONT LINE DEFENDERS / CIVICUS / RED NACIONAL DE DEFENSORAS DE DERECHOS HUMANOS EN MÉXICO A: Sr. Andrés Manuel López Obrador Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos Dr. Adán Augusto Secretario de Gobernación Sra. Evelyn Salgado Pineda Gobernadora Constitucional del Estado de Guerrero Sr. Alfredo del Mazo Gobernador Constitucional del Estado de México Sr. Alejandro Gertz Manero Fiscal General de la República En Ginebra-París-Dublín-Ciudad de México, a 11 de mayo de 2022 Reciban un cordial saludo desde el Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos (el Observatorio), un programa conjunto de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) y de la FIDH; de la Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras); Front Line Defenders (FLD); CIVICUS; y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México. En esta ocasión, el Observatorio, la IM-Defensoras, FLD, CIVICUS y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México nos dirigimos a ustedes para expresar nuestra honda preocupación por la continuidad de la criminalización y la detención arbitraria de la Sra. Kenia Inés Hernández Montalván, así como por los actos de discriminación basados en su género y pertenencia al pueblo indígena amuzga en el marco de los procesos judiciales en su contra. Las organizaciones firmantes han emitido reiterados llamados a las autoridades de México solicitando la liberación y el fin de los procedimientos judiciales contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández, en tanto que consideran que su detención responde a un contexto de criminalización de la protesta social y de las personas defensoras de los derechos humanos en Guerrero y en el conjunto del territorio mexicano[efn_note]Alerta Urgente de IM-Defensoras del 10 de febrero de 2022 disponible aquí; Alertas Urgentes de FLD disponibles aquí; Entrevista de CIVICUS al abogado de Kenia Hernández, Antonio Lara Duque del 9 de marzo de 2022, disponible aquí.[/efn_note]. La Sra. Kenia Hernández, mujer indígena amuzga y abogada originaria de Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero, es defensora de los derechos de las mujeres, de la tierra y de los derechos de los pueblos indígenas. En sus roles como coordinadora del “Colectivo Libertario Zapata Vive”; co-fundadora y miembro del “Movimiento por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos del estado de Guerrero” (MOLPEG), la Sra. Kenia Hernández acompaña a sobrevivientes de violencia machista y a familiares de víctimas de feminicidio, defiende los derechos de las personas injustamente recluidas y las afectadas por las actividades de empresas extractivas multinacionales en el territorio mexicano. No obstante, es precisamente por su legítima labor en defensa de los derechos humanos que la Sra. Kenia Hernández se encuentra recluida en aislamiento en el Centro Penal de Máxima Seguridad del estado de Morelos desde octubre de 2020. Hasta la fecha, se le ha negado por cuestiones burocráticas tanto el acceso a sus representantes legales, así como la participación presencial en las audiencias de los diferentes procesos judiciales en su contra, argumentando su carácter de presa de máxima seguridad. Además, a la Sra. Kenia Hernández también se le ha negado el derecho a recibir visitas de sus familiares bajo argumentos relacionados con la prevención de la Covid-19. Por todos estos hechos, la Sra. Kenia Hernández emprendió dos huelgas de hambre de dos meses cada una en mayo y otra en octubre de 2021, lo cual ha profundizado su condición de vulnerabilidad y riesgo. El Observatorio, la IM-Defensoras, FLD, CIVICUS y la Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México han acompañado con profunda consternación los procesos de criminalización que se han llevado a cabo contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández desde junio de 2020 por la supuesta comisión de delitos de “ataques a las vías de comunicación en pandilla” y “robo con violencia con uso de arma”, en perjuicio de Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE) y Autovías Concesionaria Mexiquenses. De las nueve causas penales que se están desarrollando en su contra, dos de ellas se están dirimiendo a nivel local, en el Estado de México y las otras sietea nivel federal en las entidades de Guerrero, Guanajuato y Morelos. La Sra. Kenia Hernández ha sido condenada en dos de los casos a 11 años y 3 meses, y a 10 años y seis meses de cárcel, respectivamente. Ambas sentencias se encuentran en fase de apelación. Estos procesos de criminalización, vinculados a empresas extractivas multinacionales, tiene por objetivo castigar y poner fin al legítimo trabajo en defensa de los derechos humanos que lleva a cabo la Sra. Kenia Hernández, y particularmente su participación pacífica en manifestaciones que exigían la aparición con vida del abogado defensor de derechos humanos Arnulfo Cerón, la libertad de los defensores de los derechos humanos e integrantes del Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositoras a la Presa la Parota (CECOP) y la protección a mujeres víctimas de violencia machista en la región de la Costa Chica, en Guerrero. Cabe destacar que la condición de defensora de derechos humanos de la Sra. Kenia Hernández ha sido reconocida tanto por el Mecanismo para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas, al que fue incorporada en 2019 debido a amenazas de muerte que recibió por su labor; así como por la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH), que ha hecho reiterados llamados a respetar su derecho al debido proceso. Las organizaciones firmantes de esta carta expresan preocupación por la discriminación basada en su condición de mujer indígena a la que está sujeta la Sra. Kenia Hernández. A lo largo de las audiencias, la defensora de derechos humanos solicitó en reiteradas ocasiones que se le facilitara interpretación en idioma amuzgo, lo que fue desestimado por el juez a cargo del caso, al considerar que, por haber estudiado y hablar castellano, no era necesaria la traducción, vulnerando así el artículo 2 de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos. La solicitud de aplicar la perspectiva de género a lo largo de los procedimientos judiciales presentada por la Sra. Kenia Hernández fue igualmente desestimada por el juez, argumentando que ésta era solo aplicable a “mujeres sumisas” o que habían sido víctimas de violencia de género en el entorno doméstico. Asimismo, la privación arbitraria de libertad de la Sra. Kenia Hernández, en cuanto madre y único sustento de sus hijos menores de edad, vulnera las Reglas de las Naciones Unidas para el Tratamiento de las Reclusas (Reglas de Bangkok), particularmente las Reglas 4, 26 y 64, las cuales requieren que las mujeres detenidas sean enviadas a centros de reclusión cercanos a su hogar teniendo presentes sus responsabilidades de cuidado de otras personas; la facilitación por todos los medios razonables del contacto con sus familiares, incluidos sus hijos; y la preferencia por imponer sentencias no privativas de la libertad a mujeres que tengan hijos a cargo. Las organizaciones firmantes asisten con preocupación a las restricciones al derecho a la protesta social, así como al uso indebido del derecho penal utilizado contra la Sra. Kenia Hernández, y urgen a las autoridades mexicanas a tomar las medidas necesarias a poner fin a su detención arbitraria y a los numerosos procesos de criminalización en su contra. Las organizaciones firmantes esperan también que se garantice el derecho a un juicio justo e imparcial, con perspectiva de género y teniendo en cuenta las especificidades culturales en cuanto mujer indígena de la Sra. Kenia Hernández durante la totalidad de los procesos judiciales en su contra. Agradeciendo de antemano su atención, quedamos a su entera disposición si precisan información adicional. Atentamente, - Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura, en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos - FIDH, en el marco del Observatorio para la Protección de los Defensores de Derechos Humanos - CIVICUS - Iniciativa Mesoamericana de Mujeres Defensoras de Derechos Humanos (IM-Defensoras) - Front Line Defenders (FLD) - Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en México]]> Egypt: Release of human rights defender Ibrahim Ezz El-Din https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/egypt-release-of-human-rights-defender-ibrahim-ezz-el-din/ Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/alert/egypt-release-of-human-rights-defender-ibrahim-ezz-el-din/ Egypt. New information: The Observatory has been informed about the release of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, a human rights defender, urban planning engineer and researcher on the right to housing at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), a human rights law firm based in Cairo operating in several governorates. Before his arbitrary detention, Mr. Ezz El-Din documented living conditions in slums, forced evictions and Egypt’s urban planning policies. On April 23, 2022, the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) ordered the release of Ibrahim Ezz El-Din. He was effectively released on April 26, 2022, without probation requirements, after 1,050 days of pre-trial arbitrary detention. However, the charges against Ibrahim Ezz El-Din were not dropped. The Observatory welcomes the release of Ibrahim Ezz El-Din but urges the authorities to drop all charges against him and underlines that he should have never been detained in the first place. The Observatory recalls that Egyptian authorities have increasingly employed repressive tactics such as prolonged pre-trial detention, recycling cases against dissidents, enforced disappearance, torture, unjust sentences and judicial harassment to silence all critical voices and punish them for their legitimate human rights activities, including through unfounded investigations for national security and counter-terrorism related charges. The Observatory reiterates its utmost concern over the arbitrary detention against human rights defenders and recalls that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention highlighted that there is “a systemic problem with arbitrary detention in Egypt”. Moreover, the prison conditions in the country are inhumane, including denial the of family visits, lack of access to lawyers, and inadequate medical care leading or contributing to death in custody. Therefore, the Observatory calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained and put an immediate end to all acts of harassment against them. Actions requested: Please write to the authorities in Egypt, urging them to: i. Immediately and unconditionally put an end to all acts of harassment against Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, including at the judicial level; ii. Immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders in Egypt, as their detention is arbitrary since it only seems to aim at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities. Addresses: Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Egypt in your respective country. *** Geneva-Paris, May 5, 2022 Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society. To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: ]]> Egypt. New information: The Observatory has been informed about the release of Mr. Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, a human rights defender, urban planning engineer and researcher on the right to housing at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), a human rights law firm based in Cairo operating in several governorates. Before his arbitrary detention, Mr. Ezz El-Din documented living conditions in slums, forced evictions and Egypt’s urban planning policies. On April 23, 2022, the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) ordered the release of Ibrahim Ezz El-Din. He was effectively released on April 26, 2022, without probation requirements, after 1,050 days of pre-trial arbitrary detention. However, the charges against Ibrahim Ezz El-Din were not dropped. The Observatory welcomes the release of Ibrahim Ezz El-Din but urges the authorities to drop all charges against him and underlines that he should have never been detained in the first place. The Observatory recalls that Egyptian authorities have increasingly employed repressive tactics such as prolonged pre-trial detention, recycling cases against dissidents, enforced disappearance, torture, unjust sentences and judicial harassment to silence all critical voices and punish them for their legitimate human rights activities, including through unfounded investigations for national security and counter-terrorism related charges. The Observatory reiterates its utmost concern over the arbitrary detention against human rights defenders and recalls that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention highlighted that there is “a systemic problem with arbitrary detention in Egypt”. Moreover, the prison conditions in the country are inhumane, including denial the of family visits, lack of access to lawyers, and inadequate medical care leading or contributing to death in custody. Therefore, the Observatory calls on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders arbitrarily detained and put an immediate end to all acts of harassment against them. Actions requested: Please write to the authorities in Egypt, urging them to: i. Immediately and unconditionally put an end to all acts of harassment against Ibrahim Ezz El-Din, including at the judicial level; ii. Immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders in Egypt, as their detention is arbitrary since it only seems to aim at punishing them for their legitimate human rights activities. Addresses: Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Egypt in your respective country. *** Geneva-Paris, May 5, 2022 Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society. To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: ]]> Ukraine/Russia: Abduction of citizen journalist Iryna Danilovich https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/ukraine-russia-abduction-of-citizen-journalist-iryna-danilovich/ Wed, 04 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/alert/ukraine-russia-abduction-of-citizen-journalist-iryna-danilovich/ Crimean Tatars. The Observatory recalls that, in this framework, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Ukranian journalist of “Radio Liberty”, was convicted of possession of explosives and sentenced to six years of prison in a colony and a fine after being detained on March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in Crimea. He was detained incommunicado and subjected to torture to extract to seek evidence. The Russian FSB stated that Yesypenko allegedly "conducted intelligence and subversive activities in the interests of Ukrainian special services," namely, "photographed and videotaped areas, livelihoods, and places of mass stay in the Crimea." Mr. Yesypenko’s conviction is exemplary regarding the criminalisation of journalists who defend freedom of speech and media independence in occupied Crimea. The Observatory expresses its utmost concern over the abduction of Iryna Danilovich and urges the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally disclose her whereabouts, release her and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the administrative and judicial levels, against her and all human rights defenders and journalists in Crimea.]]> Crimean Tatars. The Observatory recalls that, in this framework, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Ukranian journalist of “Radio Liberty”, was convicted of possession of explosives and sentenced to six years of prison in a colony and a fine after being detained on March 2021 by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in Crimea. He was detained incommunicado and subjected to torture to extract to seek evidence. The Russian FSB stated that Yesypenko allegedly "conducted intelligence and subversive activities in the interests of Ukrainian special services," namely, "photographed and videotaped areas, livelihoods, and places of mass stay in the Crimea." Mr. Yesypenko’s conviction is exemplary regarding the criminalisation of journalists who defend freedom of speech and media independence in occupied Crimea. The Observatory expresses its utmost concern over the abduction of Iryna Danilovich and urges the Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally disclose her whereabouts, release her and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the administrative and judicial levels, against her and all human rights defenders and journalists in Crimea.]]> India: Arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of journalist Kanishk Tiwari https://observatoryfordefenders.org/alert/india-arbitrary-arrest-and-ill-treatment-of-journalist-kanishk-tiwari/ Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/alert/india-arbitrary-arrest-and-ill-treatment-of-journalist-kanishk-tiwari/ Kanishk Tiwari in the town of Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh State. Mr. Tiwari reports on local issues through his YouTube news channel MP Sandesh News 24, where he scrutinises the activities of local politicians and the police department and reports on human rights violations and social issues. In the evening of April 2, 2022, Kanishk Tiwari went to the Kotwali Police Station, Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh State, to cover a peaceful protest for the release of Mr. Neeraj Kunder, a theatre artist who had been arrested earlier that day for allegedly running a fake Facebook profile of the nephew of a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Kedar Nath Shukla. The police violently dispersed the 40 people who had gathered in front of the police station, beating them with sticks. Nine individuals were arbitrarily arrested, including Mr. Tiwari, who was reporting on the excessive use of force by the police against the protesters, and forcefully brought inside the Kotwali police station, where they were detained overnight. Throughout the night, Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters were verbally and physically tortured. According to them, Mr. Amar Singh Kallu, a close associate of Mr. Shukla, arrived at the site and started beating Mr. Tiwari with a pipe, while the policemen stood by and watched. Mr. Tiwari reported that the eight peaceful protesters and himself were taken one by one to a room where they were beaten with sticks, plastic pipes, punched, kicked and slapped by the policemen. While they were being beaten, Mr. Kallu, also present in the room, was making video calls to show the beatings to an unknown person. Then, the nine were regrouped, beaten once more and stripped of their clothes. The policemen ripped off from some of the men’s chests theirjaneu, a sacred thread worn primarily by men of the Brahmin caste. They were left in their undergarments all night and paraded around the police station. A police officer from the Amiliya Police Station threatened Mr. Tiwari that he would be paraded naked through the whole town of Sidhi if he did not stop publishing critical information about the local police and Mr. Shukla. On April 3, 2022, the nine men were formally arrested under Sections 151, 152, 153, 186, 341, 504 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (“knowingly continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse”, “obstructing a public servant when suppressing a riot”, “provocation with intent to cause riot”, “obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions”, “wrongful restraint”, “intentional insult intended to provoke breach of peace” and “acts by persons with a common intention”, respectively). They were kept in their undergarments until almost 2pm, when they were produced before a magistrate and released on bail pending investigation at around 7pm on the same day. On April 7, 2022, a video went viral on social media, showing the victims standing half naked in the Kotwali police station. After the video triggered public outcry, two policemen, Mr. Soni and Mr. Parihar, from Kotwali Police Station and Amiliya Police Station, respectively, were suspended. According to the media, when asked about the video, senior police officials termed this as a normal police process to prevent unwanted measures by the detainees. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, no criminal complaint has been registered against the police officials involved into the above-mentioned acts of torture and ill-treatment against Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters. The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest, criminalisation, and acts of torture and ill-treatment against Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters and urges the Indian authorities to carry out a transparent, impartial, immediate, and thorough investigation into the allegations of torture against them, in order to hold those responsible accountable. The Observatory further urges the authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Kanishk Tiwari and to guarantee his right to freedom of expression.  ]]> Kanishk Tiwari in the town of Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh State. Mr. Tiwari reports on local issues through his YouTube news channel MP Sandesh News 24, where he scrutinises the activities of local politicians and the police department and reports on human rights violations and social issues. In the evening of April 2, 2022, Kanishk Tiwari went to the Kotwali Police Station, Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh State, to cover a peaceful protest for the release of Mr. Neeraj Kunder, a theatre artist who had been arrested earlier that day for allegedly running a fake Facebook profile of the nephew of a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Kedar Nath Shukla. The police violently dispersed the 40 people who had gathered in front of the police station, beating them with sticks. Nine individuals were arbitrarily arrested, including Mr. Tiwari, who was reporting on the excessive use of force by the police against the protesters, and forcefully brought inside the Kotwali police station, where they were detained overnight. Throughout the night, Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters were verbally and physically tortured. According to them, Mr. Amar Singh Kallu, a close associate of Mr. Shukla, arrived at the site and started beating Mr. Tiwari with a pipe, while the policemen stood by and watched. Mr. Tiwari reported that the eight peaceful protesters and himself were taken one by one to a room where they were beaten with sticks, plastic pipes, punched, kicked and slapped by the policemen. While they were being beaten, Mr. Kallu, also present in the room, was making video calls to show the beatings to an unknown person. Then, the nine were regrouped, beaten once more and stripped of their clothes. The policemen ripped off from some of the men’s chests theirjaneu, a sacred thread worn primarily by men of the Brahmin caste. They were left in their undergarments all night and paraded around the police station. A police officer from the Amiliya Police Station threatened Mr. Tiwari that he would be paraded naked through the whole town of Sidhi if he did not stop publishing critical information about the local police and Mr. Shukla. On April 3, 2022, the nine men were formally arrested under Sections 151, 152, 153, 186, 341, 504 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (“knowingly continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse”, “obstructing a public servant when suppressing a riot”, “provocation with intent to cause riot”, “obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions”, “wrongful restraint”, “intentional insult intended to provoke breach of peace” and “acts by persons with a common intention”, respectively). They were kept in their undergarments until almost 2pm, when they were produced before a magistrate and released on bail pending investigation at around 7pm on the same day. On April 7, 2022, a video went viral on social media, showing the victims standing half naked in the Kotwali police station. After the video triggered public outcry, two policemen, Mr. Soni and Mr. Parihar, from Kotwali Police Station and Amiliya Police Station, respectively, were suspended. According to the media, when asked about the video, senior police officials termed this as a normal police process to prevent unwanted measures by the detainees. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, no criminal complaint has been registered against the police officials involved into the above-mentioned acts of torture and ill-treatment against Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters. The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest, criminalisation, and acts of torture and ill-treatment against Mr. Tiwari and the eight peaceful protesters and urges the Indian authorities to carry out a transparent, impartial, immediate, and thorough investigation into the allegations of torture against them, in order to hold those responsible accountable. The Observatory further urges the authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Kanishk Tiwari and to guarantee his right to freedom of expression.  ]]>