https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/ Sun, 27 Apr 2025 21:29:25 +0000 es-ES hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-OB-eye-orange-32x32.png https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/ 32 32 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/israel-opt-288-organisations-demand-biden-administration-condemn-israels-crackdown-on-human-rights-groups/ Fri, 29 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=17726 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law form part of the bedrock of Palestinian civil society that has been protecting and advancing Palestinian human rights for decades across the full spectrum of issues of global concern, including children’s rights, prisoners’ rights, women’s rights, socio-economic rights, the rights of farmworkers, justice and accountability for international crimes. They are: Defense for Children International - Palestine, Al Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. They are trusted partners in our collective work to secure human rights for all. The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed a commitment to center and promote human rights worldwide and protect the role of civil society. These actions by the Israeli government are a clear attack on human rights. As such, we urge you to issue a swift rejection of this unprecedented attack on Palestinian human rights organisations and the attempt by the Israeli government to shut down, delegitimize, isolate, and chill a growing human rights movement. We agree with 17 UN Special Rapporteurs that “the freedoms of association and expression must be fully respected in order to enable civil society to perform its indispensable work, and cannot be undermined by the manifestly egregious misuse of counterterrorism and security legislation.” Smearing the promotion and defense of human rights as "terrorist" activity is a dangerous, well-worn tactic of authoritarian regimes and a shameful political maneuver to undermine the vital work of these organisations. In a joint statement, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called the move “appalling and unjust” and “an alarming escalation that threatens to shut down the work of Palestine’s most prominent civil society organisations” and linked Israel’s emboldened authoritarian actions to decades of inadequate responses by the international community to Israel’s ongoing grave human rights abuses. This should change. As groups committed to social justice, civil rights, and universal human rights, we have seen first hand the ways that the charge of “terrorist” and the so-called “war on terror” threatens not only international human rights defenders, but also social movements and marginalized communities here in the U.S.: Indigenous, Black, brown, Muslim, and Arab activists and communities have similarly faced silencing, intimidation, criminalization and surveillance under such baseless charges. A threat against the Palestinian human rights movement is a threat against movements for social justice everywhere, and in order to protect human rights and human rights defenders, all states must be held accountable for taking such manifestly unjust actions. While our government has long offered unconditional support to the Israeli government, our movements and organisations will always stand first and foremost with the rights and safety of people. Therefore, we the undersigned organisations and individuals, call on you as Secretary of State, to: Affirm that the Biden administration’s commitment to human rights has universal applicability; Issue a public statement that rejects the Israeli government’s false accusations levied against Palestinian civil society organisations; Publicly condemn and rebuke Israel for this authoritarian action, and call on Israeli authorities to immediately reverse their decision and end all efforts aimed at delegitimizing and criminalizing Palestinian human rights defenders; Support Palestinians seeking the protection and promotion of fundamental human rights, justice and accountability, including at the International Criminal Court. Sincerely,]]> 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law form part of the bedrock of Palestinian civil society that has been protecting and advancing Palestinian human rights for decades across the full spectrum of issues of global concern, including children’s rights, prisoners’ rights, women’s rights, socio-economic rights, the rights of farmworkers, justice and accountability for international crimes. They are: Defense for Children International - Palestine, Al Haq, Addameer, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. They are trusted partners in our collective work to secure human rights for all. The Biden administration has repeatedly expressed a commitment to center and promote human rights worldwide and protect the role of civil society. These actions by the Israeli government are a clear attack on human rights. As such, we urge you to issue a swift rejection of this unprecedented attack on Palestinian human rights organisations and the attempt by the Israeli government to shut down, delegitimize, isolate, and chill a growing human rights movement. We agree with 17 UN Special Rapporteurs that “the freedoms of association and expression must be fully respected in order to enable civil society to perform its indispensable work, and cannot be undermined by the manifestly egregious misuse of counterterrorism and security legislation.” Smearing the promotion and defense of human rights as "terrorist" activity is a dangerous, well-worn tactic of authoritarian regimes and a shameful political maneuver to undermine the vital work of these organisations. In a joint statement, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called the move “appalling and unjust” and “an alarming escalation that threatens to shut down the work of Palestine’s most prominent civil society organisations” and linked Israel’s emboldened authoritarian actions to decades of inadequate responses by the international community to Israel’s ongoing grave human rights abuses. This should change. As groups committed to social justice, civil rights, and universal human rights, we have seen first hand the ways that the charge of “terrorist” and the so-called “war on terror” threatens not only international human rights defenders, but also social movements and marginalized communities here in the U.S.: Indigenous, Black, brown, Muslim, and Arab activists and communities have similarly faced silencing, intimidation, criminalization and surveillance under such baseless charges. A threat against the Palestinian human rights movement is a threat against movements for social justice everywhere, and in order to protect human rights and human rights defenders, all states must be held accountable for taking such manifestly unjust actions. While our government has long offered unconditional support to the Israeli government, our movements and organisations will always stand first and foremost with the rights and safety of people. Therefore, we the undersigned organisations and individuals, call on you as Secretary of State, to: Affirm that the Biden administration’s commitment to human rights has universal applicability; Issue a public statement that rejects the Israeli government’s false accusations levied against Palestinian civil society organisations; Publicly condemn and rebuke Israel for this authoritarian action, and call on Israeli authorities to immediately reverse their decision and end all efforts aimed at delegitimizing and criminalizing Palestinian human rights defenders; Support Palestinians seeking the protection and promotion of fundamental human rights, justice and accountability, including at the International Criminal Court. Sincerely,]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/ind-001-0421-obs-049-laishram-herojit-singh/ Mon, 19 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=17169 Laishram Herojit Singh, aka Shintha, a human rights defender working on the promotion of the right to health and the Secretary General of the Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol (CADA) [1], in Thoubal District, Manipur State. On April 7, 2021, at 2pm, a group of around 18 policemen from the Thoubal Police Station arbitrarily arrested Shintha at his home in Thoubal, Thoubal District, without producing a warrant and in the presence of his parents and neighbour. Shintha was subsequently taken to the Thoubal Police Station, where he was hit in the face by the police inspector, after he refused to sign the arrest memo. The document falsely stated that Shintha was a member of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). On April 8, 2021, Shintha appeared before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate of Thoubal and was charged under Section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Thoubal police. The FIR alleged that Shintha was arrested in the city of Wangjing, Thoubal District, where he was accused of carrying out operations as an over ground worker [2] for the UNLF. Shintha denied the accusations and was subsequently remanded to police custody for four days. On April 12, 2021, Shintha was released on bail pending trial. The Observatory underlines that four hours before his arrest on April 7, Shintha had attended a peaceful gathering organised by CADA to protest against the recent acquittal of the former chairman of the Autonomous District Council of Moreh, who had been arrested in 2018 in connection with a drug haul case. The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, and acts of ill-treatment against Shintha, which seem to be aimed at punishing him for his human rights peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory reiterates its concern over the misuse of the UAPA by the Indian authorities to target human rights defenders and silence dissent, and condemns all acts of harassment and persecution of human rights defenders in India. The Observatory urges the authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Shintha and put an end to all acts of harassment against all human rights defenders in the country.]]> Laishram Herojit Singh, aka Shintha, a human rights defender working on the promotion of the right to health and the Secretary General of the Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol (CADA) [1], in Thoubal District, Manipur State. On April 7, 2021, at 2pm, a group of around 18 policemen from the Thoubal Police Station arbitrarily arrested Shintha at his home in Thoubal, Thoubal District, without producing a warrant and in the presence of his parents and neighbour. Shintha was subsequently taken to the Thoubal Police Station, where he was hit in the face by the police inspector, after he refused to sign the arrest memo. The document falsely stated that Shintha was a member of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). On April 8, 2021, Shintha appeared before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate of Thoubal and was charged under Section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Thoubal police. The FIR alleged that Shintha was arrested in the city of Wangjing, Thoubal District, where he was accused of carrying out operations as an over ground worker [2] for the UNLF. Shintha denied the accusations and was subsequently remanded to police custody for four days. On April 12, 2021, Shintha was released on bail pending trial. The Observatory underlines that four hours before his arrest on April 7, Shintha had attended a peaceful gathering organised by CADA to protest against the recent acquittal of the former chairman of the Autonomous District Council of Moreh, who had been arrested in 2018 in connection with a drug haul case. The Observatory strongly condemns the arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, and acts of ill-treatment against Shintha, which seem to be aimed at punishing him for his human rights peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. The Observatory reiterates its concern over the misuse of the UAPA by the Indian authorities to target human rights defenders and silence dissent, and condemns all acts of harassment and persecution of human rights defenders in India. The Observatory urges the authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Shintha and put an end to all acts of harassment against all human rights defenders in the country.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/rdc-intimidation-et-menaces-de-mort-a-lencontre-du-dr-denis-mukwege/ Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=16317 https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/afghanistan-killing-of-mr-asmatullah-salaam-director-of-zhowand-in-ghazni/ Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=16308 Asmatullah Salaam, director of the civil society organisation Zhowand and head of a local community council in Andar District, Ghazni Province. According to the information received, on August 1, 2020, Mr. Asmatullah Salaam was kidnapped by Taliban members while he was driving to Khwzeyo, Andar District, Ghazni Province, to visit his family for Eid celebrations. The kidnappers stopped his car and abducted him. His body was found a day later, on August 2, in Wahghez, with signs of severe torture. Mr. Asmatullah Salaam was an emblematic figure among the young people he worked with, was active in promoting education, and had recently started to implement projects with the Afghan Ministry of Education through Zhowand. This is not the first time that the organisation’s staff have been subjected to targeted killings. On June 22, 2020, Mr. Salaam’s predecessor, former Zhowand director Mr. Naqibullah Khaksar, was killed in Ghazni. The Observatory strongly condemns the killing of Mr. Asmatullah Salaam, which seems to be merely aimed at punishing him for his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities in a context of systematic attacks on Afghan human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and journalists by armed insurgent groups. The Observatory urges the Afghan authorities to immediately carry out a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into the killing of Mr. Asmatullah Salaam, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law. The Observatory is particularly concerned by the alarming number of targeted attacks against human rights defenders across Afghanistan and recalls that in a previous attack, the Taliban targeted two staff members of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), Ms. Fatima Khali and Mr. Jawid Folad, who died when an improvised explosive device (IED) placed under their car exploded in Kabul on June 27, 2020[1]. On June 3, 2020, Mr.  Ibrahim Ebrat, representative of the Civil Society Joint Working Group (CSJWG) in Zabul Province, was fatally shot in the street while he was returning from Ramadan prayers[2]. To date, no investigations have been carried out in relation to their assassinations. The Observatory calls on the Afghan authorities to implement the strategy for the protection of human rights defenders, to which they publicly committed on January 20, 2020, and to put an end to the culture of impunity that prevails in the country.]]> Asmatullah Salaam, director of the civil society organisation Zhowand and head of a local community council in Andar District, Ghazni Province. According to the information received, on August 1, 2020, Mr. Asmatullah Salaam was kidnapped by Taliban members while he was driving to Khwzeyo, Andar District, Ghazni Province, to visit his family for Eid celebrations. The kidnappers stopped his car and abducted him. His body was found a day later, on August 2, in Wahghez, with signs of severe torture. Mr. Asmatullah Salaam was an emblematic figure among the young people he worked with, was active in promoting education, and had recently started to implement projects with the Afghan Ministry of Education through Zhowand. This is not the first time that the organisation’s staff have been subjected to targeted killings. On June 22, 2020, Mr. Salaam’s predecessor, former Zhowand director Mr. Naqibullah Khaksar, was killed in Ghazni. The Observatory strongly condemns the killing of Mr. Asmatullah Salaam, which seems to be merely aimed at punishing him for his legitimate and peaceful human rights activities in a context of systematic attacks on Afghan human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and journalists by armed insurgent groups. The Observatory urges the Afghan authorities to immediately carry out a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into the killing of Mr. Asmatullah Salaam, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law. The Observatory is particularly concerned by the alarming number of targeted attacks against human rights defenders across Afghanistan and recalls that in a previous attack, the Taliban targeted two staff members of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), Ms. Fatima Khali and Mr. Jawid Folad, who died when an improvised explosive device (IED) placed under their car exploded in Kabul on June 27, 2020[1]. On June 3, 2020, Mr.  Ibrahim Ebrat, representative of the Civil Society Joint Working Group (CSJWG) in Zabul Province, was fatally shot in the street while he was returning from Ramadan prayers[2]. To date, no investigations have been carried out in relation to their assassinations. The Observatory calls on the Afghan authorities to implement the strategy for the protection of human rights defenders, to which they publicly committed on January 20, 2020, and to put an end to the culture of impunity that prevails in the country.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/pakistan-ongoing-harassment-against-ms-gulalai-ismail-and-her-relatives/ Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=15377 Gulalai Ismail and about threats and harassment against her relatives. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by ’the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [1]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27 and June 4. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad three times and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment. According to the information received, toxins were allegedly injected into his body, he was punched in the head, and he was beaten with a pistol. Furthermore, he was threatened with his children being killed. The driver was released eight hours later. Moreover, on July 12, 2019, a FIR was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. The Observatory condemns the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail and her relatives, and calls upon the Pakistani authorities to put an immediate end to these acts of harassment, which seem to be aimed to punish Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time that Ms. Ismail faces judicial harassment because of her human rights activities. Since October 2018, she has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. Moreover, on February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [2] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTMcore committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [3].]]> Gulalai Ismail and about threats and harassment against her relatives. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by ’the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [1]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27 and June 4. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad three times and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment. According to the information received, toxins were allegedly injected into his body, he was punched in the head, and he was beaten with a pistol. Furthermore, he was threatened with his children being killed. The driver was released eight hours later. Moreover, on July 12, 2019, a FIR was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. The Observatory condemns the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail and her relatives, and calls upon the Pakistani authorities to put an immediate end to these acts of harassment, which seem to be aimed to punish Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time that Ms. Ismail faces judicial harassment because of her human rights activities. Since October 2018, she has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. Moreover, on February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [2] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTMcore committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [3].]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/pakistan-abduction-and-enforced-disappearance-of-ms-gulalai-ismails-father-2/ Thu, 24 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=15364 Gulalai Ismail, and the threats and harassment against her family members. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, on October 24, 2019, Mr. Muhammad Ismail was abducted by unidentified men in black clothes outside of the High Court of Peshawar, where he was due to present himself as a bail condition. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, his fate and whereabouts remained unknown. During the night of October 17 to 18, 2019, armed police officers – some in police uniform, and some in plain clothes with their faces hidden- knocked at Ms. Gulalai Ismail parents’ house asking for Mr. Muhammad Ismail to come out of the house, which he refused to do. The police officers stayed outside the house for an hour before leaving. The Observatory recalls that on July 12, 2019, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. Ms. Gulalai Ismail’s parents received a Bail Before Arrest (BBA) from the court and as a condition of that BBA, must present themselves to the court every week. Without any official notification, Ms. Ismail’s parents have also been placed on the Exit Control List, and the immigration services refused to issue a new passport to Ms. Ismail’s mother. The Observatory condemns the suspected abduction and enforced disappearance of Mr. Muhammad Ismail, as well the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail’s relatives, which seem to be only aimed at punishing Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose Mr. Muhammad Ismail’s whereabouts and fate, to give him access to his family and lawyer, and to unconditionally release him. Background information: Since October 2018, Ms. Gulalai Ismail has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. On February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [1] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTM core committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [2]. Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [3]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided three times Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment for about eight hours before being released.]]> Gulalai Ismail, and the threats and harassment against her family members. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, on October 24, 2019, Mr. Muhammad Ismail was abducted by unidentified men in black clothes outside of the High Court of Peshawar, where he was due to present himself as a bail condition. At the time of publication of this Urgent Appeal, his fate and whereabouts remained unknown. During the night of October 17 to 18, 2019, armed police officers – some in police uniform, and some in plain clothes with their faces hidden- knocked at Ms. Gulalai Ismail parents’ house asking for Mr. Muhammad Ismail to come out of the house, which he refused to do. The police officers stayed outside the house for an hour before leaving. The Observatory recalls that on July 12, 2019, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. Ms. Gulalai Ismail’s parents received a Bail Before Arrest (BBA) from the court and as a condition of that BBA, must present themselves to the court every week. Without any official notification, Ms. Ismail’s parents have also been placed on the Exit Control List, and the immigration services refused to issue a new passport to Ms. Ismail’s mother. The Observatory condemns the suspected abduction and enforced disappearance of Mr. Muhammad Ismail, as well the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail’s relatives, which seem to be only aimed at punishing Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose Mr. Muhammad Ismail’s whereabouts and fate, to give him access to his family and lawyer, and to unconditionally release him. Background information: Since October 2018, Ms. Gulalai Ismail has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. On February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [1] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTM core committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [2]. Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [3]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided three times Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment for about eight hours before being released.]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/russian-federation-ministry-of-justice-attempts-to-shut-down-the-for-human-rights-ngo/ Fri, 18 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=15349 Lev Ponomarev, recently supported peaceful rallies organised to protest the arrest and prosecution of youth groups under anti-terrorist laws (see background information) - in response to which he was detained himself detained and prosecuted - and denounced the arbitrary arrests of peaceful activists during the demonstrations that took place during the summer to protest Moscow City Council election fraud and brutal repressions of the Moscow protests by the authorities [1]. According to the information received, on October 8, 2019, the Ministry of Justice submitted a lawsuit requesting the Supreme Court of Russia to shut down the “For Human Rights” NGO, under the pretext that the NGO “violated Russian laws and Constitution”, including the 2012 Foreign Agent Law for Non-Commercial Organisations (hereafter the “Foreign Agent Law”), which targets non-profit organisations receiving foreign financial assistance or carrying out activities deemed to be “political”. The Observatory recalls that the “For Human Rights” NGO was listed as a foreign agent for the second time in its history [2] in February 2019, following an inspection made by the Ministry of Justice in January 2019, a few weeks after Mr. Lev Ponomarev was sentenced and arbitrarily detained (see background information). In addition, the organisation was fined multiple times in the recent months for alleged violations of the Foreign Agent Law. In a statement published on October 16, 2019, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights recalled that “European human rights standards specify that the dissolution of an NGO can only be used as a last resort, confined to exceptional circumstances justified by serious misconduct”, and added that “the Russian authorities have employed the Law on Foreign Agents against the All-Russia Movement for Human Rights and its leader Lev Ponomarev at least seven times since the beginning of this year, imposing sanctions entailing a heavy financial burden for legitimate human rights activities”[3]. This statement underlines that the application of the Foreign Agent Law is a clear obstacle to the right of freedom of association in the country. The Observatory strongly condemns the tentative of dissolution of the “For Human Rights” movement and urges the Russian authorities to immediately put an end to the liquidation proceedings against the NGO, respect in all circumstances the right to freedom of association as enshrined in Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and ensure in all circumstances that human rights defenders are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals. Background information: On December 7, 2018, the Moscow City Court confirmed in appeal the conviction of Mr. Ponomarev, Executive Director of the Moscow-based “For Human Rights” movement, pronounced two days before by the Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court for organising a rally. However, due to Mr. Ponomarev’s health condition, the sentence was reduced to 16 days of detention, including the time already served. The court found Mr. Ponomarev guilty under part 8 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code of Russian Federation of “repeated violation of the established procedure for conducting a rally” for reposting on his Facebook page a public call encouraging citizens to attend a peaceful rally outside of the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in Moscow. According to the Federal Law N 54-FZ “On Assemblies, Meetings, Demonstrations, Rallies and Pickets”, any call to participate in a rally amounts to its organisation. The charges relate to the reposting on October 25, 2018 by Mr. Ponomarev of an earlier announcement made on the website of the radio station Echo of Moscow calling for participation in the October 28, 2018, action called “For your children and ours!” [4], organised in solidarity with a group of more than 20 young activists detained on trumped-up ‘terrorism’ and ‘extremism’ charges [5]. Mr. Lev Ponomarev was also instrumental in seeking the approval for the peaceful marches with the authorities, which was denied. More than 1,000 people participated in the rally on October 28, 2018, in four Russian cities. 58 persons were arrested in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Mr. Ponomarev had previously faced harassment for his actions of protest against the harassment of the same youth groups. On July 31, 2018, Mr. Lev Ponomarev was fined with 10,000 rubles (around 130 Euros) for holding a one-man picket in support for two female activists accused in the “Novoye Velichiye” case, which made the presently impugned offence “repeated”. Moreover, on December 10, Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court rejected Mr. Ponomarev’s request to attend the funeral of the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, human rights defender Lyudmila Alekseeva, who died on December 8, 2018, at 92 years old. The Observatory notes that the current established procedure for conducting a rally contradicts existing, standards on freedom of assembly at European and international level, as stated by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights [6], as well as the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) [7].]]> Lev Ponomarev, recently supported peaceful rallies organised to protest the arrest and prosecution of youth groups under anti-terrorist laws (see background information) - in response to which he was detained himself detained and prosecuted - and denounced the arbitrary arrests of peaceful activists during the demonstrations that took place during the summer to protest Moscow City Council election fraud and brutal repressions of the Moscow protests by the authorities [1]. According to the information received, on October 8, 2019, the Ministry of Justice submitted a lawsuit requesting the Supreme Court of Russia to shut down the “For Human Rights” NGO, under the pretext that the NGO “violated Russian laws and Constitution”, including the 2012 Foreign Agent Law for Non-Commercial Organisations (hereafter the “Foreign Agent Law”), which targets non-profit organisations receiving foreign financial assistance or carrying out activities deemed to be “political”. The Observatory recalls that the “For Human Rights” NGO was listed as a foreign agent for the second time in its history [2] in February 2019, following an inspection made by the Ministry of Justice in January 2019, a few weeks after Mr. Lev Ponomarev was sentenced and arbitrarily detained (see background information). In addition, the organisation was fined multiple times in the recent months for alleged violations of the Foreign Agent Law. In a statement published on October 16, 2019, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights recalled that “European human rights standards specify that the dissolution of an NGO can only be used as a last resort, confined to exceptional circumstances justified by serious misconduct”, and added that “the Russian authorities have employed the Law on Foreign Agents against the All-Russia Movement for Human Rights and its leader Lev Ponomarev at least seven times since the beginning of this year, imposing sanctions entailing a heavy financial burden for legitimate human rights activities”[3]. This statement underlines that the application of the Foreign Agent Law is a clear obstacle to the right of freedom of association in the country. The Observatory strongly condemns the tentative of dissolution of the “For Human Rights” movement and urges the Russian authorities to immediately put an end to the liquidation proceedings against the NGO, respect in all circumstances the right to freedom of association as enshrined in Article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and ensure in all circumstances that human rights defenders are able to carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance and fear of reprisals. Background information: On December 7, 2018, the Moscow City Court confirmed in appeal the conviction of Mr. Ponomarev, Executive Director of the Moscow-based “For Human Rights” movement, pronounced two days before by the Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court for organising a rally. However, due to Mr. Ponomarev’s health condition, the sentence was reduced to 16 days of detention, including the time already served. The court found Mr. Ponomarev guilty under part 8 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code of Russian Federation of “repeated violation of the established procedure for conducting a rally” for reposting on his Facebook page a public call encouraging citizens to attend a peaceful rally outside of the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in Moscow. According to the Federal Law N 54-FZ “On Assemblies, Meetings, Demonstrations, Rallies and Pickets”, any call to participate in a rally amounts to its organisation. The charges relate to the reposting on October 25, 2018 by Mr. Ponomarev of an earlier announcement made on the website of the radio station Echo of Moscow calling for participation in the October 28, 2018, action called “For your children and ours!” [4], organised in solidarity with a group of more than 20 young activists detained on trumped-up ‘terrorism’ and ‘extremism’ charges [5]. Mr. Lev Ponomarev was also instrumental in seeking the approval for the peaceful marches with the authorities, which was denied. More than 1,000 people participated in the rally on October 28, 2018, in four Russian cities. 58 persons were arrested in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Mr. Ponomarev had previously faced harassment for his actions of protest against the harassment of the same youth groups. On July 31, 2018, Mr. Lev Ponomarev was fined with 10,000 rubles (around 130 Euros) for holding a one-man picket in support for two female activists accused in the “Novoye Velichiye” case, which made the presently impugned offence “repeated”. Moreover, on December 10, Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court rejected Mr. Ponomarev’s request to attend the funeral of the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, human rights defender Lyudmila Alekseeva, who died on December 8, 2018, at 92 years old. The Observatory notes that the current established procedure for conducting a rally contradicts existing, standards on freedom of assembly at European and international level, as stated by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights [6], as well as the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) [7].]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/pak-002-0719-obs-062-gulalai-ismail/ Tue, 16 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=15200 Gulalai Ismail and about threats and harassment against her relatives. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by ’the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [1]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27 and June 4. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad three times and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment. According to the information received, toxins were allegedly injected into his body, he was punched in the head, and he was beaten with a pistol. Furthermore, he was threatened with his children being killed. The driver was released eight hours later. Moreover, on July 12, 2019, a FIR was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. The Observatory condemns the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail and her relatives, and calls upon the Pakistani authorities to put an immediate end to these acts of harassment, which seem to be aimed to punish Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time that Ms. Ismail faces judicial harassment because of her human rights activities. Since October 2018, she has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. Moreover, on February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [2] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTMcore committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [3].]]> Gulalai Ismail and about threats and harassment against her relatives. Ms. Ismail, an ethnic Pashtun and woman rights defender, is the founder of the Youth Peace Network and co-founder and Chairperson of the Aware Girls NGO, an organisation aiming at strengthening the leadership of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building. Ms. Ismail has led a campaign against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan and was awarded the 2017 Anna Politkovskaya Award by ’the organization Reach all Women in War (RAW). According to the information received, Ms. Gulalai Ismail was forced into hiding after facing charges of “defamation” (Section 500 of the Penal Code), “sedition” (Section 124-A of the Penal Code), “promoting enmity between different groups” (Section 153-A of the Penal Code) and other charges under Section 6/7 of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act. The charges stemmed from a speech she gave at a rally in Islamabad, in which she called for justice in the case of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in May 2019 and denounced the authorities’ inaction to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice [1]. Moreover, Ms. Ismail’s relatives have faced repeated acts of harassment and intimidation by security forces since two First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against her by the police in Islamabad on May 22 and 23, 2019. For instance, on May 24 at dawn, the police raided her family home in Islamabad and threatened her family members. The family’s residence was again raided on May 27 and June 4. Again, on July 4, 2019, a large group of men in civilian clothes raided Ms. Ismail’s house in Islamabad three times and threatened to harm Ms. Ismail’s younger sister if the former did not cease her work as an activist. Security forces also took away the family’s driver, interrogated him, and subjected him to physical acts of ill-treatment. According to the information received, toxins were allegedly injected into his body, he was punched in the head, and he was beaten with a pistol. Furthermore, he was threatened with his children being killed. The driver was released eight hours later. Moreover, on July 12, 2019, a FIR was lodged against Ms. Ismail and her parents by the Counter-Terrorism Department in Peshawar, accusing them of having received “financial support from terrorist organizations”. The Observatory condemns the ongoing harassment against Ms. Gulalai Ismail and her relatives, and calls upon the Pakistani authorities to put an immediate end to these acts of harassment, which seem to be aimed to punish Ms. Ismail for her human rights work. The Observatory recalls that this is not the first time that Ms. Ismail faces judicial harassment because of her human rights activities. Since October 2018, she has been placed on Pakistan’s Exit Control List and prevented from leaving the country. Moreover, on February 5, 2019, Ms. Ismail and other Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) [2] members were arrested outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while they were taking part in a protest to denounce the killing of Mr. Ibrahim Arman Loni, a teacher and PTMcore committee member in Baluchistan Province. Ms. Ismail was first taken to G9 Women’s Police Station in Islamabad before being moved to an unknown location, until her release on February 6, 2019 [3].]]> https://observatoryfordefenders.org/es/alert/dcl-mar-120319-helena-maleno-garzon/ Tue, 12 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000 https://pods.local/?post_type=alert&p=14848 Helena Maleno es periodista e investigadora y lleva 14 años viviendo en Marruecos. Es experta en migración y trata de personas y se centra particularmente en los derechos de las mujeres y la infancia. Su labor de defensa de los derechos humanos ha sido reconocida a nivel internacional y ha recibido varios premios, entre ellos el premio de derechos humanos «Nacho de la Mata» (2015) concedido por el Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, el premio de derechos humanos de la Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (2018), y el Séan MacBride por la Paz (2018), concedido por el International Peace Bureau. La criminalización de Helena Maleno en Marruecos ha sido denunciada por varios expertos de las Naciones Unidas, entre ellos por el relator especial de la ONU sobre la situación de los defensores/as de derechos humanos y el relator especial de la ONU sobre ejecuciones extrajudiciales, sumarias o arbitrarias. Helena es integrante y fundadora de Caminando Fronteras, una organización no gubernamental de derechos humanos que se ha trabajado en la protección de los derechos de las personas migrantes en los últimos 16 años. La organización ofrece un línea de asistencia telefónica para personas migrantes que arriesgan sus vidas en su tránsito hacia Europa, cruzando el mar Mediterráneo a menudo en barcos que no son aptos para navegar. Cuando reciben llamadas de las personas migrantes en riesgo, la organización alerta a las autoridades marítimas de España, Marruecos y Algeria. Asimismo, Caminando Fronteras brinda apoyo legal, social y sanitario a personas migrantes y documenta los abusos de derechos humanos desde ambos lados de las fronteras. Además de las acusaciones criminales, Helena Maleno ha enfrentado amenazas, campañas de difamación, intimidaciones y hostigamiento en relación con su labor de derechos humanos. Recientemente, el 31 de enero de 2019, el ministro español de Fomento hizo una declaración pública acusando a las organizaciones que trabajan por los derechos de los migrantes, incluida Caminando Fronteras, de promover la inmigración irregular y la trata de personas a través de su trabajo humanitario en el mar Mediterráneo. Las restricciones y riesgos que han enfrentado Helena son compartidas por muchas otras personas defensoras de los derechos de los migrantes en Europa. El caso de Helena es un ejemplo emblemático del entorno cada vez más hostil, la criminalización y la intimidación que las personas defensoras que trabajan en temas relacionados con personas migrantes y refugiadas en Europa han estado enfrentando en los últimos años. Women’s Link Worldwide, Justice Associates (JASS), Front Line Defenders, la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) y la Federación Internacional de Derechos Humanos (FIDH) celebran la decisión del Tribunal de Apelación de Tánger de cerrar la investigación criminal contra Helena Maleno. Sin embargo, siguen preocupados por la situación general de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos que trabajan para promover y proteger los derechos de los migrantes. También les recuerdan a Marruecos y España las obligaciones de los Estados de, en todas las circunstancias, respetar y proteger a todos los defensores de los derechos humanos y garantizar que puedan llevar a cabo sus actividades legítimas sin temor a represalias y libres de todas las restricciones, incluido el acoso judicial.]]> Helena Maleno es periodista e investigadora y lleva 14 años viviendo en Marruecos. Es experta en migración y trata de personas y se centra particularmente en los derechos de las mujeres y la infancia. Su labor de defensa de los derechos humanos ha sido reconocida a nivel internacional y ha recibido varios premios, entre ellos el premio de derechos humanos «Nacho de la Mata» (2015) concedido por el Consejo General de la Abogacía Española, el premio de derechos humanos de la Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (2018), y el Séan MacBride por la Paz (2018), concedido por el International Peace Bureau. La criminalización de Helena Maleno en Marruecos ha sido denunciada por varios expertos de las Naciones Unidas, entre ellos por el relator especial de la ONU sobre la situación de los defensores/as de derechos humanos y el relator especial de la ONU sobre ejecuciones extrajudiciales, sumarias o arbitrarias. Helena es integrante y fundadora de Caminando Fronteras, una organización no gubernamental de derechos humanos que se ha trabajado en la protección de los derechos de las personas migrantes en los últimos 16 años. La organización ofrece un línea de asistencia telefónica para personas migrantes que arriesgan sus vidas en su tránsito hacia Europa, cruzando el mar Mediterráneo a menudo en barcos que no son aptos para navegar. Cuando reciben llamadas de las personas migrantes en riesgo, la organización alerta a las autoridades marítimas de España, Marruecos y Algeria. Asimismo, Caminando Fronteras brinda apoyo legal, social y sanitario a personas migrantes y documenta los abusos de derechos humanos desde ambos lados de las fronteras. Además de las acusaciones criminales, Helena Maleno ha enfrentado amenazas, campañas de difamación, intimidaciones y hostigamiento en relación con su labor de derechos humanos. Recientemente, el 31 de enero de 2019, el ministro español de Fomento hizo una declaración pública acusando a las organizaciones que trabajan por los derechos de los migrantes, incluida Caminando Fronteras, de promover la inmigración irregular y la trata de personas a través de su trabajo humanitario en el mar Mediterráneo. Las restricciones y riesgos que han enfrentado Helena son compartidas por muchas otras personas defensoras de los derechos de los migrantes en Europa. El caso de Helena es un ejemplo emblemático del entorno cada vez más hostil, la criminalización y la intimidación que las personas defensoras que trabajan en temas relacionados con personas migrantes y refugiadas en Europa han estado enfrentando en los últimos años. Women’s Link Worldwide, Justice Associates (JASS), Front Line Defenders, la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT) y la Federación Internacional de Derechos Humanos (FIDH) celebran la decisión del Tribunal de Apelación de Tánger de cerrar la investigación criminal contra Helena Maleno. Sin embargo, siguen preocupados por la situación general de las personas defensoras de derechos humanos que trabajan para promover y proteger los derechos de los migrantes. También les recuerdan a Marruecos y España las obligaciones de los Estados de, en todas las circunstancias, respetar y proteger a todos los defensores de los derechos humanos y garantizar que puedan llevar a cabo sus actividades legítimas sin temor a represalias y libres de todas las restricciones, incluido el acoso judicial.]]>