Pakistan: Death penalty u-turn ‘exceptionally cruel’

Pakistan’s flip-flop over a decision to commute Indian national Sarabjit Singh’s capital sentence to a life term is a cruel blow to him and his family, Amnesty International said today.

The country’s authorities had announced yesterday that following the commutation of his sentence Singh would be released – having served two decades in jail.

But on Wednesday it emerged it was not Sarabjit Singh they meant but rather Surjit Singh – who has spent more than 20 years in prison after his death sentence was commuted to life term in 1989 - who will be released. 

“The decision to back down on commuting Sarabjit Singh’s death sentence - whether due to a mistake or something else - is exceptionally cruel to Sarabjit Singh and his family in the Indian state of Punjab who were getting ready to welcome him home,” said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“That Sarabjit Singh remains under sentence of death having filed  five mercy petitions is gravely disappointing. ”

“While we welcome Pakistan’s announcement that it is going to release another Indian national, Surjit Singh, the authorities must do more – they should stand by Tuesday’s announcement and commute Sarabjit Singh’s death sentence, and further commute all death sentences in Pakistan," she added.

Behram Khan, a Pakistan national, is scheduled to be executed in Karachi this Saturday. He was sentenced to death by an Anti-Terrorism Court on 23 June 2003 for the murder of lawyer Mohammad Ashraf.

“The execution of Behram Khan would be the first in Pakistan in nearly four years and would open the door to further executions. President Zardari must now act urgently to commute the death sentence of Behram Khan,” said Baber.

“The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment – Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception.”

More than 8,300 prisoners are currently under sentence of death in Pakistan.

“Both Pakistan and Indian authorities should commute all death sentences and introduce an official moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition of the death penalty,” Baber added.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/pakistan-death-penalty-u-turn-exceptionally-cruel-2012-06-28

MALDIVES - “Nasheed’s ouster Maldives’ historical equivalent of Tiananmen Square”: US Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies.

One of the world’s leading scholars on non-violent conflict, Dr Mary King, has compared the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed with the ruthless crushing of democratic movements in Communist China and Soviet Russia.

“For 300,000 Maldivians, President Nasheed’s ouster was the historical equivalent of Tiananmen Square in 1989 or the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968: the sensation of new freedom one day, its threatened disappearance the next,” said Dr King.

Dr King’s comments were included in a statement from the International Centre on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), which will today award Nasheed with the James Lawson Award for Achievement in the Practice of Nonviolent Action. The ceremony will take place at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

The press release stated that the award is in recognition of Nasheed’s “leadership during many years of the nonviolent opposition to dictatorship in his country, his courage in the face of an armed coup earlier this year which forced him from power, and his renewed nonviolent action on behalf of restoring genuine democracy in his country.”

Dr King, a professor of Peace and Conflict studies at the UN-affiliated University for Peace in Costa Rica, is a former recipient of the James Lawson award herself.

The award is to be presented by Dr James Lawson himself, a leading activist in the American civil rights movement who is best known for devising the Nashville lunch-counter sit ins of the 1960s.

President and founder of the ICNC, Jack Du Vall, said that nonviolent action can be the only basis for a ruler’s legitimacy.

“The question for the Maldives is whether it will have a real democracy or not, and whether it will be led by a person who was elected to that office by the people and whose elevation to power was based solely on nonviolent action,” he added.

President’s Office Spokesman Abbas Adil Riza said that he was not aware of the statements, saying that the ICNC was “free to say whatever it wished.”

Asked for a government response to such opinions, Abbas said: “The Maldives is a free society and has a free media. Only the courts will decide if it was a legal change of government.”

The Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) mandated to investigate the circumstances surrounding the February transfer of power was recently reformed in order to enhance its credibility.

The group began its investigations on June 21 and is scheduled to have completed its work by July 31.

The CNI is not a criminal investigation and will hand its findings over to the President, the Attorney General (AG) and the Prosecutor General (PG).

Nasheed’s US visit has included a speech at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a briefing given to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a follow up meeting with the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Committee on Foreign Affairs after it had sent a team to the Maldives earlier in the year.

Nasheed is also said to have met with State Department Assistant Secretary Robert Blake as well as having briefed the International Republic Institute on the political situation in the Maldives.

By Daniel Bosley  

http://minivannews.com/politics/%E2%80%9Cnasheed%E2%80%99s-ouster-maldives-historical-equivalent-of-tiananmen-square-us-professor-of-peace-and-conflict-studies-39887

Maldives on Tier 2 Watch List for Human Trafficking three years running.

The Maldives has appeared on the US State Department’s Tier Two Watch List for Human Trafficking for the third year in a row.

Having “not demonstrated evidence of increasing efforts to address human trafficking over the previous year”, the country only narrowly avoided a descent to Tier 3 – the worst category – after presenting a written plan that, “if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.”

MORE: http://minivannews.com/politics/maldives-on-tier-2-watch-list-for-human-trafficking-three-years-running-39760

Pakistan, complotto per uccidere attivista per i diritti umani - di Riccardo Noury

Ormai tre settimane sono passate da quando è emersa la notizia di un piano per uccidere una delle più note e prestigiose attiviste e avvocate del Pakistan. Nonostante l’impegno del primo ministro Yousun Raza Gilani ad accertare l’accaduto e la predisposizione di misure di protezione straordinarie, non è ancora chiaro chi abbia ordito il piano.

Asma Jahangir, fondatrice della Commissione per i diritti umani del Pakistan (Hrcp), dal 4 giugno non esce dalla sua abitazione di Lahore. Secondo l’Hrcp, l’informazione non sarebbe stata fatta trapelare appositamente, a scopo d’intimidazione; si tratterebbe piuttosto di una fuga di notizie dall’apparato di sicurezza del Pakistan. Ovvero, il progetto di ucciderla era concreto ed è stato sventato solo perché è diventato pubblico.

Asma Jahanghir è una paladina dei diritti delle donne e dei minori, ha preso le parti delle minoranze religiose perseguitate dalle leggi sulla blasfemia, ha denunciato più volte lo sfruttamento nel mondo del lavoro. È stata arrestata per aver criticato lo stato di emergenza dichiarato nel novembre 2007 dall’allora presidente Pervez Musharraf. È stata più volte minacciata di morte a causa del suo lavoro in difesa dei diritti umani.

Dopo aver fondato l’Hrcp, Asma Jahangir è stata nominata avvocata presso la Corte suprema. Dal 1998 al 2004 è stata Relatrice speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulle esecuzioni extragiudiziali, arbitrarie e sommarie e dal 2004 al 2010 Relatrice speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulla libertà di credo e di religione. Nell’ottobre 2010 è stata la prima donna a essere eletta presidente dell’Associazione degli avvocati della Corte suprema del Pakistan. Il mese dopo, le è stato assegnato il Premio Unesco Bilbao per la promozione di una cultura dei diritti umani, a riconoscimento del suo eccezionale contributo alla promozione dei diritti umani nel mondo.

Una donna straordinaria come Asma Jahangir dovrebbe essere uno dei motivi di vanto di un paese, se le sue istituzioni hanno a cuore i diritti umani.

L’Inter-Service Intelligence (Isi), i servizi di sicurezza del Pakistan i diritti umani invece li hanno nel mirino. Nell’ultimo anno il numero dei difensori dei diritti umani uccisi nel paese è aumentato, coinvolgendo in molti casi proprio l’Isi, come nel caso del sequestro e del’uccisione del giornalista Saleem Shahzad.

L’Alta commissaria delle Nazioni Unite per i diritti umani, Navi Pillay, ha espresso preoccupazione per il complotto ai danni di Asma Jahangir. Amnesty International ha lanciato un appello al governo pachistano affinché avvii un’indagine completa sul presunto complotto per ucciderla, indagando a tutto campo senza risparmiare l’Isi.

 

http://lepersoneeladignita.corriere.it/2012/06/24/pakistan-complotto-per-uccidere-attivista-per-i-diritti-umani/

MALDIVES - Police deny Amnesty International reports of “excessive force” against demonstrators.

By Ahmed Naish 

Police have refuted “in the harshest terms” allegations of police brutality by Amnesty International, after the human rights body released a statement on June 11 condemning the “excessive use of force” against demonstrators.

Amnesty’s statement followed its investigation of the police crackdown on a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protest against the dismantling of the MDP’s Usfasgandu protest camp on May 29 – a crackdown which included “beatings, pepper-spraying, and arrests. Those attacked include peaceful demonstrators, members of parliament, journalists and bystanders.”

In a press release yesterday, police insisted that “the minimum required force” was used to arrest 52 protesters on May 29, which included those who “obstructed police from performing their duty” and “disobeyed and resisted orders” as well as others taken into custody “on suspicion of attempting to inflict physical injury on police officers” and “for behaving in ways that cause loss of public order.”

Minivan News however observed one protester sustain a head injury after he was hit in the head by a baton, and was rushed to hospital in a pickup truck refueling at the nearby petrol shed.

Local daily Haveeru uploaded video footage showing violent confrontations between police and demonstrators during the arrests.

Minivan News also witnessed a cameraman from local TV station Raajje TV being pepper-sprayed by police while he was attempting to film police arresting a demonstrator.

“Incalculable damage”

The police statement noted that a report on the day’s events by a monitoring team from the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) “stated in very clear terms that excessive force was not used to arrest those among the demonstrators who threw objects at police, used obscene language and tried to obstruct police duties and that no physical harm was caused by police.”

The HRCM monitoring team however observed a police officer chase two demonstrators and strike them with his baton on the night of May 29. After protesting behind police barricades at the Usfasgandu area, MDP supporters began to gather at the intersection of Chandanee Magu and Majeedhee Magu in the centre of Male’ around 8:45pm.

The police statement explained that force was used to disperse the crowd at the Chandhanee Magu junction after protesters began throwing rocks at police officers from a construction site in the area.

“While six police officers sustained varying degrees of injury during the disturbances that day, two police vehicles were severely damaged,” reads the statement.

It added that police have concluded investigations of five demonstrators taken into custody on May 29 – including MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’ – and forwarded the cases for prosecution.

Police also noted that “very few complaints” were lodged concerning alleged misconduct and brutality by police officers.

A complaint by Maimoona Haleem, wife of former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem, alleging excessive use of force in her arrest was being investigated by the police professional standard command, the statement revealed.

According to the Amnesty statement, ‘Mana’ Haleem was “walking home with her female friend in Majeedee Magu Street when police stopped them and began beating them repeatedly with their batons on their arms, back and hips before taking them in a van to the police station.”

“In her testimony Mana Haleem says: ‘I asked why we were being held, but received no answer. Later, they [police] told us it was because we had not obeyed their orders. We asked them how we could have disobeyed their orders if they had not given any, but they were not interested. I have bruises on my shoulder, my back and my hip.’”

However, the police statement claimed that in addition to a complaint filed at the HRCM by a detained demonstrator alleging the use of obscene language during his arrest, no complaints were lodged at the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), the oversight body for police.

The police statement slammed Amnesty for not reporting the “incalculable damage caused to police officers and property” during the MDP protest.

“Maldives Police Service calls on Amnesty International to clarify information from the relevant authorities and state the facts impartially and without bias when issuing such reports in the future,” the statement reads.

The statement concluded by urging “anyone with a complaint regarding police conduct” to formally lodge complaints at independent institutions.

In previous reports highlighting human rights abuse by police, Amnesty has noted police response denying the allegations and its recommendation that victims complain to HRCM.

“HRCM has told Amnesty International that they have serious limitations in terms of trained investigative staff and dealing with human rights issues in a highly politicised environment is an overwhelming challenge for them,” Amnesty has previously noted.

“By referring cases of police abuse of power to the HRCM, when it is clear that such investigations are beyond its capacity, the government is in effect forfeiting its own responsibility to enforce respect for human rights within the police force,” the organisation noted.

“Minimum force”

In its statement on the May 29 incidents, Amnesty had said that despite police claims to have used “the minimum required force to dismantle the area and arrest unruly demonstrators”, “it is clear that by far the majority of demonstrators were not using violence, and any such incidents cannot be used by police as an attempt to justify the ill-treatment of bystanders and those rallying peacefully.”

“Amnesty International believes that the police response to the demonstrations on 29 May was a clear example of excessive use of force.”

Amnesty’s statement included testimony from a number of protesters, noting that the latest reports “are consistent with many other testimonies Amnesty International has gathered previously.”
“One woman protesting peacefully in Majeedee Magu Street told Amnesty International that police officers suddenly pushed into them, and hit her and other peaceful demonstrators with their riot shields. Police hit them repeatedly on their back, and then pepper-sprayed them, aiming at their face and eyes. She said that police grabbed one demonstrator by the neck, shouted at him to open his mouth, and sprayed directly into his mouth,” the human rights organisation reported.

“Police also beat bystanders who showed no signs of violence. An eyewitness saw a man sitting on a stationary motorbike taking no active part in the demonstrations. Police went for him and hit him on his head with their batons. He lost consciousness. His friends took him to a nearby house where they arranged private medical treatment for him – they did not take him to hospital straight away as they were afraid he would be arrested.”

Amnesty called on countries supplying police and military equipment to the Maldives, particularly pepper-spray, to ensure that the substance was not being used to commit human rights violations.

“Any country that knowingly supplies police or military equipment to a force that uses them to commit human rights violations is itself partly responsible for those violations,” the human rights organisation warned.

“Amnesty International is calling on the government of Maldives to halt attacks on peaceful demonstrators including beating and pepper-spraying; bring to justice any police personnel who have used excessive force; ensure that security forces in the Maldives receive comprehensive training on what constitutes human rights violations, which they should not commit.”

http://minivannews.com/politics/police-deny-amnesty-international-reports-of-excessive-force-against-demonstrators-39518

Nepal: Fears for missing Nepali: Ajit Kumar Karna.

A Nepali man, Ajit Kumar Karna, was reportedly arrested by police on 6 May, in connection with a bombing that killed five people and injured more than 30. Police have denied holding him and his family still do not know his whereabouts. He may have been subjected to enforced disappearance by the Nepal police.

TAKE ACTION: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA31/003/2012/en

Afghanistan: Attack on hotel shows Taleban’s disregard for civilian life.

 
Fifteen civilians died when Taleban fighters stormed the Spozhmay Hotel outside Kabul

© MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/GettyImages

The deaths of 15 civilians in a Taleban attack on a hotel outside Kabul is a shocking reminder of why the Afghan government must work with the International Criminal Court to help bring to justice all those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, Amnesty International said.

On Thursday night, armed Taleban fighters stormed the Spozhmay Hotel in the Lake Qargha area near the capital, taking dozens of hotel guests and staff hostage.

In the ensuing siege that lasted almost 12 hours, a fierce gun battle broke out between Taleban fighters and NATO and Afghan troops, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 people – including 15 civilians.

It was the most serious single loss of civilian life in Afghanistan since the Taleban attacked Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel a year ago, killing 22 people, again mostly civilians.

“The Taleban’s repeated brazen attacks targeting civilians show an utter disregard for human life and may amount to war crimes which should be investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, as should crimes which may have been committed by NATO and Afghan troops,” said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s Acting Asia and Pacific Programme Director.

Afghanistan is a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court since 2003.

“The Afghan government and its international partners must not lose sight of human rights as they pursue reconciliation with the Taleban. Any potential peace deal must not include impunity for war crimes and other grave human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict,” she added.

According to UN data, the Taleban appear to be responsible for the vast majority of attacks on civilians in Afghanistan – out of 3,021 civilian deaths reported last year, 77 per cent were attributed to them and insurgent groups. 

On 8 November 2011, Taleban leader Mullah Omar ordered fighters to protect civilians and avoid targeting civilian objects. The order seems to have been nothing more than a propaganda ploy, as in the past year, the armed group has increasingly used “soft” targets like hotels to maximize the civilian death toll.

Amnesty International has documented how they and other insurgent groups have increased their use of sophisticated suicide attacks in busy civilian areas – including hospitals, schools, hotels and mosques – and have regularly hidden behind civilians, knowingly putting them in danger. 

The Taleban and other insurgents have also specifically targeted women, killing the headmaster of a girl’s school in May 2011, as well as female MPs and aid workers.

International humanitarian law – the laws of armed conflicts – stipulates that nobody should target civilians, regardless of their political allegiance.

“Under international humanitarian law, all parties to a conflict must protect civilians and civilian objects while carrying out their military operations,” said Catherine Baber.

“The Taleban are well aware of this and even refer to it when deemed to their advantage. But their current strategy seems to rely on systematically violating these laws by jeopardizing civilians and maximizing the human cost.”

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/afghanistan-attack-hotel-shows-taleban-s-disregard-civilian-life-2012-06-22

Bangladesh: Mass Sentencing Raises Fair Trial Concerns - HUMAN RIGHT WATCH.

June 19, 2012

 

Those responsible for killing 74 people during the February 2009 mutiny by the border guards should be held accountable – but only in trials that meet international fair trial standards and the guarantees of the Bangladeshi constitution. The government should halt all trials for the horrific crimes committed in the mutiny until the system is changed to ensure that each accused receives a fair trial.

Brad Adams, Asia director

(New York) – The prosecution teams conducting the mass trials of the alleged mutineers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) must immediately stop the trials, Human Rights Watch said today. On June 18 a mass trial in a military court led to the conviction of 611 of the 621 accused in the 13^th BDR Battalion.

Mass trials to date have shown numerous violations of the right to a fair trial, especially the impossibility of lawyers to give proper advice and preparation for each individual. Human Rights Watch called on the government of Bangladesh to establish an independent investigative and prosecutorial task force with sufficient expertise, authority, and resources to rigorously investigate and prosecute allegations of unlawful conduct during the mutiny.

“Those responsible for killing 74 people during the February 2009 mutiny by the border guards should be held accountable – but only in trials that meet international fair trial standards and the guarantees of the Bangladeshi constitution,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The government should halt all trials for the horrific crimes committed in the mutiny until the system is changed to ensure that each accused receives a fair trial.”

On February 25-26, 2009, members of the BDR, since renamed the Bangladesh Border Guards, staged a mutiny against their commanding officers, killing 74 and injuring many others. Some victims were subjected to sexual violence. Under pressure from the army, which had urged the government to use overwhelming force against the BDR compound in a heavily populated area of the capital, Dhaka, the government responded with mass arrests of more than 6,000 BDR members from different units around the country.

To date, some 4,000 have been found guilty by military tribunals. In addition, 847 of the accused also face charges under the Bangladesh Criminal Code, some of which carry the death penalty.

The accused have been held and prosecuted in violation of Bangladesh's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Human Rights Watch has documented many abuses of due process rights against these accused, including being detained without charge for several months, being denied proper access to lawyers, and proper and full disclosure of evidence against them.

Even for the few accused who do have lawyers, their lawyers have complained to Human Rights Watch that it is impossible to provide an effective defense to each accused with so many clients and so little time to talk to each accused. Furthermore, defense lawyers report that the jail authorities make it difficult for them to meet the accused to prepare their case.

Human Watch and other groups have documented the deaths of some of the accused in custody, including as a result of torture, in the first few months after the mutiny. Defense counsel and family members have told Human Rights Watch that the accused had to give statements under torture, either implicating themselves or others. The government has not produced individualized evidence against each detainee.

“Mass trials like these cannot possibly provide real answers and justice for the horrible crimes committed during the mutiny,” said Adams. “This is mass punishment, not justice.”


http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/19/bangladesh-mass-sentencing-raises-fair-trial-concerns-2

SRI LANKA - Document.

Amnesty International recently issued this document on Sri Lanka in connection with the upcoming Universal Periodic Review for Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva in November:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA37/009/2012/en/73c354eb-cb79-4236-aeab-55f8bd8f1ffb/asa370092012en.html

URGENT ACTION - Maldives: Human rights campaigner attacked, injured: Ismail Rasheed.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA29/003/2012/en/2d510e96-456f-4d5c-af80-3b324dbb1595/asa290032012en.html

UA: 169/12 Index: ASA 29/003/2012 Maldives Date: 15 June 2012

URGENT ACTION

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER ATTACKED, INJURED

Human rights campaigner Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed was attacked in the evening of 5 June by men who slashed his throat, near his house in the capital, Malé. He survived but is at risk of further attacks and is in need of effective protection.

Ismail Rasheed needed hours of emergency medical treatment in the ADK hospital in Malé. Hospital sources have said the knife missed a vital artery by millimetres. He is under close medical attention, and unable to speak. No one has been brought to justice for this attack.

Religious groups opposed to Ismail Rasheed’s long campaign for religious freedom are suspected of being behind the attack. People linked to these groups hit him with stones in December 2011, fracturing his skull, because he had arranged a rally to call for religious tolerance. Although that attack took place in front of onlookers and there is photographic evidence that can be used to identify the attackers, no one has yet been brought to justice for that attack. Since then, Ismail Rasheed has continued with his campaign, mainly through his blog.

Under the 2008 Maldives constitution, Islam is the only religion that Maldivian nationals can practise. Religious groups interpret this to mean only Sunni Islam. Ismail Rasheed has declared that he is a Sufi. He has been subjected to an online hate campaign in the social media for advocating religious freedom in the Maldives.

Please write immediately in English, Dhivehi or your own language:

urging the authorities to provide effective protection to Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed;

urging them to bring to justice the people who carried out the 5 June attack and those who attacked him in December 2011.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 JULY 2012 TO:

�

President

Mohamed Waheed

The President's Office

Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Malé 20113

Republic of Maldives

Fax: +960 332 5500

Salutation: Dear President Waheed

Minister of Home Affairs

Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed

Ministry of Home Affiars

10th Floor Velaanaage, Ameeru Ahmed Magu, Malé, Republic of Maldives

Fax: +960 334 2064

Email: info@homeaffairs.gov.mv

Salutation: Dear Minister

And copies to:

Chief Justice

Ahmed Faiz

Supreme Court

M. Theemuge

Orchid Magu

Malé 20208

Republic of Maldives

Fax: +960 300 8554

Email: info@supremecourt.gov.mv

�

** Fax machines may be switched off outside office hours (GMT+5) **

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:

Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email Email address Salutation Salutation

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Freedom of religion is restricted in the Maldives under a constitutional provision that states: “a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives”. Religious groups allied to some of the political parties have reacted strongly to any attempt by Maldivian citizens to engage in a debate about this constitutional provision. Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed has been one of few Maldivians who have promoted this debate. It is widely believed that the recent knife attack might have been a response to his campaign against religious intolerance.

Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed organized a “Silent Protest” rally in Malé with some 30 demonstrators on 10 December 2011, calling for religious tolerance in the Maldives. A group of about 10 men attacked them. They threw stones, injuring Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed. Police arrested him on 14 December, saying that “calling for anything against the constitution is illegal”. He was released without charge after a month. None of his attackers was brought to justice.

TRADUZIONE IN ITALIANO: 

Maldive – Azione Urgente: Ismail Rasheed, attivista dei diritti umani, è stato assalito e ferito. 
UA: 169/12 Index: ASA 29/003/2012 Maldives Date: 15 June 2012

L’attivista dei diritti umani Ismail “Hilath” Rasheed è stato assalito nella serata del 5 giugno da un uomo che gli ha tagliato la gola, vicino a casa sua,  nella capitale del paese, Malè. Sopravvissuto, è a rischio di ulteriori attentati e ha bisogno di attenta protezione.

Per ore Ismail Rasheed è stato curato presso l’ospedale ADK di Malè. Fonti interne all’ospedale hanno affermato che il coltello ha mancato per pochi millimetri un’arteria vitale. Rasheed rimane sotto stretto controllo medico ed è impossibilitato a parlare. Nessuno è stato accusato per l’attentato.

Si sospetta che dietro l’attentato si nascondano gruppi religiosi che si oppongono alla lunga campagna per la libertà religiosa portata avanti da Rasheed. Nel dicembre 2011, appartenenti a tali gruppi colpirono Rasheed alla testa con pietre, fratturandogli il cranio durante una manifestazione per la tolleranza religiosa da lui organizzata. Sebbene tal episodio di dicembre si sia verificato dinanzi a testimoni e sebbene ci siano fotografia che lo provano, nessuno è stato accusato per il fatto. Da allora, Ismail Rasheed ha continuato la sua campagna, soprattutto attraverso il blog.

Secondo la costituzione delle Maldive del 2008,  l’Islam è l’unica religione praticabile nel paese.  Alcuni gruppi religiosi interpretano la legge in maniera restrittiva con riferimento al solo Islam sunnita. Ismail Rasheed ha dichiarato di essere musulmano sufi e ha subito una campagna d’odio su media e social network per aver chieto la libertà di religione nel paese.  

TESTO DELL'APPELLO DA SPEDIRE:

I am writing to you as activist of Amnesty International, the non governmental organization which since 1961 has been working in defense of human rights, wherever they are violated.

I express concern that human rights campaigner Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed was attacked in the evening of 5 June by men who slashed his throat, near his house in the capital, Malé.
I urge you to provide effective protection to Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed and to bring to justice the people who carried out the 5 June attack and those who attacked him in December 2011.

Thank you for your attention.

MALDIVES - Nasheed will go to prison almost permanently: Home Minister.

Ahmed Hamdhoon, Haveeru Online

Jun 15, 2012 - 08:51 

  

Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed at a press conference: Jameel has said that he believed that former President Nasheed would be found guilty in the case of the arrest of Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

_____________________

Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has claimed that based on the actions of former President Mohamed Nasheed during his term in office, he would "go" to prison almost permanently.

Speaking to Haveeru today Home Minister detailed that major crimes allegedly committed by Nasheed had been investigated and was now at the prosecution stage.
“It includes the case known to all which is the unconstitutional arrest and subsequent detention of Criminal Court’s Chief Judge. I’m quite certain that Anni (Nasheed) would be found guilty in that case by a court of law,” Jameel claimed.
He further said that the former President has also been accused of some corporate crimes. To that end, misusing many companies that had funds and assets of the government and actions by Nasheed that had caused severe damage to the State and the country, are included in the allegations against the former President, he explained.
“Some of these allegations have been forwarded to the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) and are being investigated. I truly believe that the sentence that results from the trial after the investigations are completed would be prison.
Hence there are no grounds to say that Anni won’t be arrested,” Home Minister said.
Dr Jameel further expressed hope that the case of the arrest of Chief Criminal Judge would be sent to court by the Prosecutor General’s office within a week. He added that the process would not take too much time.

http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/42707

Afghanistan, rapporto Onu: “In aumento il numero dei bambini vittime del conflitto”.

13 giugno 2012

Bambini ricoverati in un ospedale (BAY ISMOYO/AFP/GettyImages)

Il numero dei bambini che rimangono uccisi o restano feriti in Afghanistan è in aumento. Lo dice un rapporto delle Nazioni unite diffuso dal Segretario generale Ban Ki-moon, contenente dati che si riferiscono al 2011.

L’anno scorso, in Afghanistan, dove la guerra di fatto continua, 1.756 bambini sono stati uccisi o feriti; nel 2010 erano stati 1.396. Si tratta di un aumento considerevole che rivela come l’Afghanistan sia tutto tranne che un Paese pacificato. In media, circa cinque bambini al giorno rimangono uccisi o feriti in attentati o azioni di guerra.

“La morte o la menomazione di ogni singolo bambino è una tragedia”, ha detto Vidhya Ganesh, numero due di Unicef nel Paese. In particolare, preoccupa il reclutamento forzato di minori, il loro utilizzo per piazzare eplosivi, per compiere attentati o per portare armi e munizioni alle milizie, “soprattutto da parte dell’opposizione armata”, dice il dossier. “È un dovere per tutte le parti coinvolte nel conflitto fare tutto il possibile per proteggere la vita e i diritti fondamentali dei bambini afghani”.

http://www.eilmensile.it/2012/06/13/afghanistan-rapporto-onu-in-aumento-il-numero-dei-bambini-uccisi/

http://www.amnesty.it/pakistan-complotto-per-uccidere-Asma-Jahangir

Pakistan: complotto per uccidere nota avvocata per i diritti umani

Data di pubblicazione dell'appello: 12.06.2012

Status dell'appello: aperto

UA: 164/12 Index: ASA 33/008/2012

Asma Jahangir © Amnesty International/Ilya van Marle 1998

La nota attivista per i diritti umani e avvocata Asma Jahangir teme per la sua vita da quando è venuta a conoscenza di un complotto per ucciderla da parte delle forze di sicurezza del Pakistan. Nell'ultimo anno il numero dei difensori dei diritti umani uccisi nel paese è aumentato, coinvolgendo in molti casi l'Inter-Service Intelligence (Isi), come per il sequestro e l'uccisione del giornalista Saleem Shahzad.

Il 4 giugno la Commissione per i diritti umani del Pakistan (Hrcp) ha allertato Amnesty International riguardo l'informazione di un complotto delle forze di sicurezza del Pakistan per uccidere Asma Jahangir, fondatrice dell'Hrcp e avvocata per i diritti umani.

Nota attivista per i diritti umani nel paese, Asma Jahangir è stata minacciata in passato diverse volte. Ma la notizia di un complotto per ucciderla è completamente nuova. Sembra che l'informazione non sia stata deliberatamente fatta circolare allo scopo di intimidire, ma che si tratti piuttosto di una fuga di notizie dall'apparato di sicurezza del Pakistan. Per questo motivo, Asma Jahangir ritiene che l'informazione sia molto attendibile e, pertanto, non è uscita dalla sua abitazione.

L'Alta commissaria delle Nazioni Unite per i diritti umani, Navi Pillay, ha espresso preoccupazione per il complotto ai danni di Asma Jahangir. Il primo ministro pachistano Yousun Raza Gilani ha assicurato che sono state disposte misure di sicurezza straordinarie.

Asma Jahanghir ha sostenuto i diritti delle donne e dei minori, delle minoranze religiose, dei lavoratori forzati. Ha difeso il diritto alla libertà religiosa e alla libertà dalla discriminazione in Pakistan, sfidando le ordinanze hudood e le leggi sulla blasfemia che, rispettivamente, discriminano donne e minoranze religiose. È stata arrestata per aver criticato lo stato di emergenza dichiarato nel novembre 2007 dall'allora presidente Pervez Musharraf; spesso è stata minacciata di morte a causa del suo lavoro in difesa dei diritti del popolo pakistano.

Dopo aver fondato la Commissione per i diritti umani del Pakistan, Asma Jahangir è stata nominata avvocata presso la Corte suprema. Dal 1998 al 2004 è stata Relatrice speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulle esecuzioni extragiudiziali, arbitrarie e sommarie e dal 2004 al 2010 Relatrice speciale delle Nazioni Unite sulla libertà di credo e di religione.
Nell'ottobre 2010 è stata la prima donna a essere eletta presidente dell'Associazione degli avvocati della Corte suprema del Pakistan (Supreme Court Bar Association, Scba).

Il mese dopo, le è stato assegnato il Premio Bilbao per la promozione di una cultura dei diritti umani, a riconoscimento del suo eccezionale contributo alla promozione dei diritti umani nel mondo.

Presidente
Asif Ali Zardari
Segreteria del Presidente
Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: (tramite form web) http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/index.php?lang=en&opc=8

Egregio presidente,

sono un simpatizzante di Amnesty International, l'organizzazione non governativa che dal 1961 agisce in difesa dei diritti umani, ovunque nel mondo vengano violati.

Il 4 giugno, Amnesty International ha avuto notizia di un presunto complotto per uccidere Asma Jahangir, l'attivista per i diritti umani e avvocata che ha fondato la Commissione per i diritti umani in Pakistan.

La invito a garantire immediatamente la massima protezione ad Asma Jahangir.

Le chiedo di avviare subito un'indagine completa sul presunto complotto per ucciderla, indagando su tutti gli individui e le istituzioni sospettate di essere coinvolte, tra cui l'Inter-Services Intelligence.

La sollecito a portare davanti alla giustizia tutti i presunti responsabili degli attacchi contro i difensori dei diritti umani, in processi che soddisfino gli standard internazionali del giusto processo e senza ricorso alla pena di morte.

La ringrazio per l'attenzione.

Scarica l'appello in favore di Asma Jahangir (5.71 KB)

Maldives government must end use of excessive force against demonstrators.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

AI index: ASA 29/002/2012

11 June 2012

Maldives government must end use of excessive force against demonstrators

Amnesty International is deeply concerned at the Maldives government’s continued repression of protestors, including beatings, pepper-spraying, and arrests. Those attacked include peaceful demonstrators, members of parliament, journalists and bystanders.

The organization condemns the excessive use of force by police personnel and urges the Maldives government to ensure a full and impartial investigation is conducted into such attacks. Amnesty International also calls on the United Nations and its member states, and the Commonwealth of Nations to continue to monitor the situation very closely and press the government to ensure people can fully realize their right to protest freely.

On 29 May Maldives police used excessive force against protesters in the capital of Malé. Demonstrators and some bystanders were kicked, beaten on their arms, head and hips with police batons and riot shields, and pepper-sprayed in the face. Those targeted had been protesting against the police dismantling of the nearby Usfasgandu rally site of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). At least one journalist, Ali Fahud from Raajje TV, covering the events was ill-treated and pepper sprayed by the police.

Malé has been the scene of regular protest rallies since the forced resignation of the former president Mohamed Nasheed of the MDP on 7 February 2012. His supporters have been protesting his ouster at the makeshift Usfasgandu rally site since 19 March, after police raided and dismantled their previous rally site in the Raalhugandu area on the outskirts of Malé.

The Maldives Police Force (MPS) has told Amnesty International that police “used the minimum required force to dismantle the area and arrest unruly demonstrators” and “deny the use of excessive force at the time of arrests and dismantling the area”. 

Some media reported that at one point during the protest, objects were thrown at the police. However, it is clear that by far the majority of demonstrators were not using violence, and any such incidents cannot be used by police as an attempt to justify the ill-treatment of bystanders and those rallying peacefully. Amnesty International believes that the police response to the demonstrations on 29 May was a clear example of excessive use of force.

One woman protesting peacefully in Majeedee Magu Street told Amnesty International that police officers suddenly pushed into them, and hit her and other peaceful demonstrators with their riot shields. Police hit them repeatedly on their back, and then pepper-sprayed them, aiming at their face and eyes. She said that police grabbed one demonstrator by the neck, shouted at him to open his mouth, and sprayed directly into his mouth.

These latest reports of pepper-spraying by the Maldives security forces are consistent with many other testimonies Amnesty International has gathered previously. Amnesty International therefore urges all countries which have supplied or continue to supply pepper spray to the Maldives, to ensure that the security forces do not use them to commit human rights violations. Any country that knowingly supplies police or military equipment to a force that uses them to commit human rights violations is itself partly responsible for those violations.

Police also beat bystanders who showed no signs of violence. An eyewitness saw a man sitting on a stationary motorbike taking no active part in the demonstrations. Police went for him and hit him on his head with their batons. He lost consciousness. His friends took him to a nearby house where they arranged private medical treatment for him – they did not take him to hospital straight away as they were afraid he would be arrested.

Police sources have told Amnesty International that a total of 58 people were arrested and only a few remained in custody. Most of the detainees were released without charge.

Among the detainees was Mana Haleem, the wife a former minister in Mohamed Nasheed’s cabinet. She was walking home with her female friend in Majeedee Magu Street when police stopped them and began beating them repeatedly with their batons on their arms, back and hips before taking them in a van to the police station.

In her testimony Mana Haleem says: “I asked why we were being held, but received no answer. Later, they [police] told us it was because we had not obeyed their orders. We asked them how we could have disobeyed their orders if they had not given any, but they were not interested. I have bruises on my shoulder, my back and my hip.”

Imthiyaz Fahmy, a MDP member of parliament, told Amnesty International that he was standing peacefully at the rally site on 29 May when police came for him. He said he offered no resistance but police manhandled him and verbally abused him. He was detained, handcuffed and taken to Dhoonidhoo, an island detention centre close to Malé. He said he and other detainees were all handcuffed during the boat ride to the detention centre.

He said police in Dhoonidhoo told him he was arrested for “disrupting peace”. The next day, in court, police stated that he had been detained for “physically attacking a woman police officer”. The court nonetheless found no grounds for his detention and he was released without charge.

Several detainees told Amnesty International that they and others were told they must undergo a urine test to determine any drug use, although the police had at no time said that their arrest was drugs related.

Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that when police eventually moved away from Usfasgandu, a group of angry men on motorbikes entered the area and began to vandalise and harass demonstrators. Nearby police took no action to stop them.

This is not the first time Maldives police have beaten peaceful demonstrators. It is high time the government enforced police accountably and stopped these human rights violations.

Amnesty International is calling on the government of Maldives to:

halt attacks on peaceful demonstrators including beating and pepper-spraying;

bring to justice any police personnel who have used excessive force;

ensure that security forces in the Maldives receive comprehensive training on what constitutes human rights violations, which they should not commit.

Amnesty International is also calling on countries supplying police or military equipment to Maldives to ensure they are not used to commit human rights violations.

Background

Official permission was issued by the Malé City Council to the opposition MDP to use Usfasgandu as their rally ground. They have been holding rallies on this site since 19 March.

The government tried to obtain a court order to terminate that permission but the court refused to issue that order. The government then sought a search order from the court on the grounds that the MDP site at Usfasgandu was being used for criminal activity.

As police were dismantling the Usfasgandu rally ground, the MDP went to the Civil Court and obtained an injunction against its dismantling. Police personnel nonetheless continued to dismantle the site saying they had not received the order. After they had almost finished dismantling the site, they said they had received the order and withdrew.

An unofficial English translation of the court order gives three reasons for the search: “Suspicion that the current tenants of Usfasgandu area, having installed containers for use as shelter for habitation, were committing crimes within the area, and were causing damage to passers by and transiting vehicles in adjoining areas, and were engaging in sorcery and witchcraft.”

There is no indication in the order that the police had the authority to dismantle the site of the rally. 

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA29/002/2012/en/5132f5ed-aee5-4f1b-a97f-dc18699ef27e/asa290022012en.html

Pakistan urged to investigate death plot against leading human rights lawyer.

9 June 2012

Pakistani authorities must place the highest priority on protecting a leading human rights lawyer whose life is in serious danger, Amnesty International said after it was revealed that the country’s security forces had allegedly drawn up plans to kill her.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) alerted the organization to the plot against its founder, the internationally acclaimed lawyer Asma Jahangir.

“While Asma Jahangir’s work as a human rights defender has sadly made her no stranger to death threats in the past, this seems to be the first time that the country's security forces intended to go ahead and kill her,” said Pollyanna Truscott, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.

“Any such attempts on the life of a human rights defender are an attack not only on that individual, but on Pakistan's entire human rights community.”

“The Pakistani authorities must promptly launch a full, impartial investigation into this alleged death plot, leaving no stone unturned – all security agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence, must be investigated.”

Killings of human rights defenders in Pakistan have been on the rise over the last year, with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) implicated in many instances – including in last year’s prominent abduction and killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad.

Since learning of the plot against her, Jahangir has not moved from her home.

Besides founding the HRCP, Jahangir is a Supreme Court advocate and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. She also served as UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions from 1998-2004 and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief from 2004 to 2010.

During a mission to Pakistan earlier this week, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay visited Jahangir and expressed concern about the death plot.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has given assurances that the authorities had provided Jahangir with extra security.

“Pakistan’s authorities have a duty to protect human rights defenders like Asma Jahangir, but they must go further than that and bring to justice all those who are responsible for the threats and attacks,” said Truscott.

Amnesty International is calling for all those suspected of carrying out attacks on human rights defenders to be brought to justice in trials that meet international fair trial standards and without recourse to the death penalty.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/pakistan-urged-investigate-death-plot-against-leading-human-rights-lawyer-2012-06-09

Human Rights Commission of the Maldives - Reports.

Published on 28-05-2012

Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has completed two investigations and shared its reports with concerned authorities. They are; military detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Uz. Abdulla Mohamed on 16 January, and the human rights violations that occurred in Male’ and Addu Cities on 8 February.

http://hrcm.org.mv/news/page.aspx?id=145

Pakistan: Further information: Political activist found dead in Pakistan: Muzaffar Bhutto.

Further information on UA: 59/11 Index: ASA 33/009/2012 Pakistan Date: 8 June 2012

URGENT ACTION

POLITICAL ACTIVIST FOUND DEAD IN PAKISTAN

Muzaffar Bhutto, a senior member of a Sindhi nationalist political party in Pakistan, was found dead on 22 May after being allegedly abducted by plain-clothed intelligence agents and police on 25 February 2011. Amnesty International calls for the killing to be investigated and the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Muzaffar Bhutto was the General-Secretary of Jeay Sindh Muttaheda Mahaz (JSMM), an ethnic Sindhi nationalist party. He was found dead on 22 May in Bukhari village, near Hyderabad city in Sindh province. On 25 February 2011, he was allegedly abducted by plain-clothed intelligence agents and police in Hyderabad city, Sindh province. Witnesses said around 20 men in plain clothes came out of unmarked cars and detained Muzaffar Bhutto at gunpoint. He was not seen again until his dead body was recovered. His body was reportedly found stuffed in a gunny bag, bearing torture marks with two bullet wounds, one to the head and one to his chest.

The manner of Muzaffar Bhutto’s abduction, and the dumping and condition of his body fits a consistent and repeated pattern of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of political activists and suspected insurgents by Pakistan’s security forces including its intelligence agencies.

Since his abduction last year, Muzaffar Bhutto’s family members had been actively campaigning for his release, despite anonymous calls demanding that they stop publicising his case, and frequent searches of their house by unknown individuals believed to be working for Pakistan’s intelligence agencies or police.

Please write immediately in English or Urdu or your own language:

Express concern at the abduction and killing of Muzaffa Bhotto allegedly involving state agents.

Urge federal and Sindh authorities to ensure that a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation is conducted, the findings are made public, and that those responsible, including at the highest levels of command, are promptly brought to justice in fair trial without recourse to death penalty;

Urge that the family of Muzaffar Bhutto is provided full reparation, and that any attempts to stop the family pursuing justice,,are investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 20 JULY 2012 TO:

�

Federal Minister of Interior

Mr. A Rehman Malik

R Block, Pak Secretariat Islamabad Islamabad, Pakistan

Email:

ministry.interior@gmail.com

interior.complaintcell@gmail.com

Chief Minister of Sindh

Syed Qaim Ali Shah

Chief Minister House,

Dr Zaiuddin Ahmed Road

Karachi, Sindh Province

Pakistan

Fax: +92 21 992 02000

Salutation: Dear Chief Minster

And copies to:

Home Minister of Sindh

Karachi

Sindh Province

Pakistan

Salutation: Dear Minister�

Salutation: Dear Minister

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. This is the first update of UA 59/11. Further information: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA33/001/2011/en

�

URGENT ACTION

POLITICAL ACTIVIST FOUND DEAD IN PAKISTAN

ADditional Information

Before Muzaffar Bhutto’s body was found, his wife, Saima Bhutto had told Amnesty International: “If he is guilty in the eyes of the state or if he is a criminal then he should be charged. My children cry and ask me, when will he come back?”

In February 2011, Muzaffar Bhutto's family had filed an application for a First Information Report with police, seeking information about Muzaffar Bhutto’s fate. On 28 February 2011 the family also filed a petition in the Sindh High Court claiming the intelligence agencies and police were responsible for Bhutto’s disappearance. The Court did not locate Bhutto or provide any information about his whereabouts during the entire 15-month period of his disappearance. The government-established Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances also failed to obtain any further information about his fate. Witnesses who testified before the Commission said they felt threatened by state representatives present, were not provided any protection and were not notified of all hearings where Muzaffar Bhutto’s case was being investigated.

In 2005 and 2006, Muzaffar Bhutto had allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearance and torture by the intelligence agencies, and later transferred to police custody where he was charged with terrorism offences and held until January 2009. He faced number of trials but was either released on bail or acquitted and was released in 2009.

Enforced disappearances have occurred frequently in Pakistan over the last 10 years. Before 2010, victims were typically released after a period ranging from days or weeks to months or years in a poor state of health and often alleging torture or inhuman and degrading treatment. In the last two years, Amnesty International has documented an increasing trend of disappearance victims being found dead countrywide, often bearing signs of torture and ‘execution-style’ bullet wounds to the head or chest. The authorities rarely conduct adequate investigations into such cases of possible disappearance and extrajudicial execution. Any victims of enforced disappearance who are subsequently released are often afraid to speak about their abduction and to identify the perpetrators. The victims claim they have been threatened that if they speak out or file a case in court against them, they will be picked up again and next time will not be spared.

In March 2010 the government set up the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances to trace the victims of enforced disappearance. Since last year, the Supreme Court and the provincial Higher Courts have managed to get the authorities to produce to the courts individuals previously held in secret detention, which would tend to confirm allegations of enforced disappearances made by relatives and some victims. The courts repeatedly demanded the authorities to charge or release individuals that are held in secret detentions. To Amnesty International’s knowledge however, there has been no systematic attempt by the Commission to interview traced individuals to determine any patterns of disappearance, to facilitate assistance to them or their families, or to investigate named organisations or individuals accused of disappearances, especially personnel of security agencies or forces. There are no witness protection mechanisms in Pakistan and witnesses and relatives often complain that they have been subjected to intimidation before, during or after appearing at the Commission or courts. 

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA33/009/2012/en/24711f11-5cee-4ad8-8b7e-a7e3a488e0c2/asa330092012en.html

MALDIVES - Picture Gallery: Stab attack on Hilath.

Prominent Maldivian blogger and journalist Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed was stabbed in the neck near his house in Male’ on Monday evening.
Amnesty International declared him a ‘prisoner of conscience’ last December.
Here it is a picture gallery:

http://www.haveeru.com.mv/pictures/4156

Indian President Patil commutes 30 death sentences.

June 4, 2012: in the last days of her presidency, President Pratibha Patil commuted 30 death sentence into life — something that has never happened before.

“The 30 whose death sentence has been commuted to life term were found guilty of barbarically murdering 60 persons by the Supreme Court. 22 of those killed were women and children,” said a Mail Today report.

The move by Patil did not see any protest from government quarters.

Most of the victims also went through inhuman torture before their lives were snuffed out. There was rape and sexual assaults committed as well.

In the last 28 months, Patil commuted death sentences into life at a record pace.

 

 

http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2012/06/indian-president-patil-commutes-30.html

MALDIVES: Hilath's condition improving.

ADK Hospital has revealed that the condition of freelance journalist Ismail Hilath Rasheed who was stabbed in the neck on Monday night, was gradually improving.

ADK Managing Director Ahmed Afaal stated that despite Hilath’s improving condition, he was still breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Hilath’s father Ahmed Rasheed also reiterated that his son’s health had improved significantly while noting that he was now conscious and communicating by writing.

“As has undergone surgery on his neck, he is still unable to speak. But anything he wants to put across is communicated in writing,” Ahmed Rasheed said.

Hilath who had always been subject to death threats was stabbed in a near fatal attack near his house on Monday night.

But no arrests in relation to the attack have been made thus far.

http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/42514

________________________________________________________

Reporters Without Borders condemns stabbing of Hilath Rasheed: “All the hallmarks of a targeted murder attempt”.

http://minivannews.com/politics/reporters-without-borders-condemns-stabbing-of-hilath-rasheed-all-the-hallmarks-of-a-targeted-murder-attempt-38609

Migration of Women Workers from South Asia to the Gulf.

Released by UN Women and the V.V Giri Labour Insititute, the report Migration of Women Workers from South Asia to the Gulf analyses the processes, outcomes and problems associated with the migration of women workers from South Asian countries to the Gulf region, focusing on five major sending countries in South Asia – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – and six major receiving countries of the Gulf region – Bahrain, Kuweit, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Highlighting the positive economic aspects of migration in South Asia, this report also addresses the areas where women continue to experience injustice, violence and inequality at various stages of the migration cycle.

Release Date: 4 June 2012

Download pdf:
http://www.unwomensouthasia.org/2012/migration-of-women-workers-from-south-asia-to-the-gulf/